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 Tuesday, October 5
The Fish are kings
 
ESPN.com

 Geez, and we thought last week was difficult.

The madness continued in Week 3, producing another drastic shift in the Power Rankings. The Broncos, Jets and Falcons -- three clubs that are a combined 0-9 -- all slipped into the bottom half of this week's Rankings. The Titans jumped 11 spots after their upset win in Jacksonville. The Lions dropped nine places after their loss in K.C. And the Falcons and Rams made big moves in opposite directions.

Plus, we have a new No. 1 team, but it comes from the same state as the old No. 1 team.

If you've got something to say about the Rankings -- and we're sure you do -- then click here to submit your comments. Selected comments will be published Thursday.

Team (Record) Prv. ESPN.com says
2 1. Miami Dolphins (2-0)
We're not fully convinced that this is indeed the year for Dan Marino (left). However, the Dolphins' dominating defense and better offensive balance should make them fairly consistent in a season of inconsistency.
2. Patriots (3-0) 3 The Pats are one of only two 3-0 teams in the league. So why don't we feel better about them? Well, they're seven points away from being 0-3. As Pro Bowl safety Lawyer Milloy says, "We're not even good yet."
3. Titans (3-0) 14 The best team no one knows about. They've won nine games in a row against the AFC Central and three of their past four trips to Jacksonville.
4. Jaguars (2-1) 1 Blame the coach? Blame the quarterback? Blame it on the rain? Either way, this team hasn't played up to its capabilities since the opener.
5. Cowboys (2-0) 4 They've been thinking about that playoff loss to Arizona for nine months. The chance for payback comes Sunday in Big D.
6. Packers (2-1) 10 What was that final play called Sunday? "Go long, and I'll hit you." You can do that when you have Brett Favre at quarterback.
7. Raiders (2-1) 6 Tyrone Wheatley might be Al Davis' first successful reclamation project since Jim Plunkett.
8. Colts (2-1) 8 Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James might be the best young trio since Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin were kids.
9. Bucs (2-1) 16 If you look closely, you can see Tony Dungy's leash when Trent Dilfer moves around on the field. Still, Tampa Bay's defense is probably worth 10 wins.
10. Redskins (2-1) 12 It took Stephen Davis three years to score his first five NFL touchdowns. And three weeks to score his next eight.
11. Seahawks (2-1) 19 When you're ahead 14-0 and your offense hasn't touched the ball, it's going to be a very good day at the office.
12. Bills (2-1) 13 The Bills are debating whether to actually put their first shutout since 1992 in the record books. After all, it came against the Eagles.
13. 49ers (2-1) 15 The words "Steve Young" and "concussion" form the scariest possible sentence in San Francisco -- except for ones including the word "earthquake."
14. Lions (2-1) 5 Kansas City isn't too far from Wichita. Hopefully, Barry Sanders didn't get word of what happened Sunday in K.C.
15. Vikings (1-2) 7 If you're willing to spend your first three draft picks on cornerbacks, then you, too, can stop Randy Moss for a day.
16. Rams (2-0) 25 This Kurt Warner spells his name with a "K." But after two starts, he looks like a Pro Bowler, too.
17. Chiefs (2-1) 20 That might have been the best performance by Elvis since the 1974 Aloha concert in Honolulu.
18. Steelers (2-1) 9 Kordell Stewart's confidence started evaporating at 1:10 p.m. ET Sunday. By 2:30 p.m., it was gone completely.
19. Broncos (0-3) 11 Of the six previous teams to try for a threepeat, all but two made the playoffs. We get the feeling this could be No. 3.
20. Jets (0-3) 18 Things are getting so bleak that even Bill Parcells looks speechless at times. Now, that's bad.
21. Chargers (1-1) 23 Wonder how Ryan Leaf felt as he sat there and watched Peyton Manning throw for a Colts-record 404 yards. That's nearly one-third of Leaf's career yardage.
22. Saints (1-1) 22 Good news for the Saints: Ricky Williams did not get hurt in the bye week. At least not that we know of.
23. Cardinals (1-2) 21 Why do we get the feeling Jake Plummer was one of those kids who did all his homework at the last minute? Those guys didn't always get good grades.
24. Giants (1-2) 24 Their offense is about as creative as the design of the new Cleveland Browns helmet.
25. Bears (1-2) 26 It usually takes some work to get more penalties than the Raiders. The Bears made it look easy.
26. Falcons (0-3) 17 Have we told you about their magical 1998 season?
27. Panthers (1-2) 27 Nothing like scheduling a visit from the Bengals to end a losing streak.
28. Ravens (1-2) 28 It's a pretty standard NFL rule: Bench Scott Mitchell one week, win a game the next.
29. Eagles (0-3) 29 There are less than 100 days left in the millennium. Will the Eagles win a road game before the end of the century? Common sense says no.
30. Browns (0-3) 31 The real question is this: Is the best football team in Ohio nicknamed the Buckeyes?
31. Bengals (0-3) 30 At least the Browns are an expansion team. The Bengals just look like one.


 


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