2009 NFL Power Rankings: Week 3
Updated: September 22, 2009, 4:11 PM ET
ESPN.com
Week:
There's turmoil at the top of the latest edition of the ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings, as the top two teams from Week 2 have taken the "down escalator."
The Baltimore Ravens' 2-0 start, including an impressive victory over the host San Diego Chargers in Week 2, persuaded our panel of experts to award them the No. 1 rating entering Week 3. The Ravens vaulted nine places to unseat AFC North rival the Pittsburgh Steelers, who fell from the penthouse to sixth overall in the wake of their loss to the host Chicago Bears.
After losing to the host New York Jets, the New England Patriots tumbled eight spots to No. 10 overall. The new top five features the Ravens, the New York Giants, the Indianapolis Colts, the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings, respectively.
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[Editor's note: LW indicates each team's ranking in the Week 2 edition of the Power Rankings.]
| 2009 Power Rankings: Week 3 | ||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | COMMENTS | |
| 1 |  | 9 Last Week: 10 | They're balanced on offense and tough on defense. (Chadiha) | |
| 2 |  | 1 Last Week: 3 | Mario Manningham might not be Plaxico Burress, but he's becoming an Eli Manning go-to guy. (Clayton) | |
| 3 |  | 2 Last Week: 5 | The first of two back-to-back prime-time road games went just fine in Miami. (Kuharsky) | |
| 4 |  | 3 Last Week: 7 | Taking care of business within the division is key, but the Falcons can take another step if they win at New England on Sunday. (Sando) | |
| 5 |  | 3 Last Week: 8 | So far, so good with Brett Favre in charge. (Chadiha) | |
| 6 |  | 5 Last Week: 1 | They have got to find a running game. (Chadiha) | |
| 7 |  | 5 Last Week: 12 | Scoring 48 points at Philly isn't easy. Drew Brees is completing 75 percent of his passes to lead the MVP race early.(Sando) | |
| 8 |  | 8 Last Week: 16 | Rex Ryan has blitzed his way into first place in the AFC East. Division, beware. (Clayton) | |
| 9 |  | 5 Last Week: 4 | Kevin Kolb put up great passing numbers, but the Eagles can't fly without Donovan McNabb. (Clayton) | |
| 10 |  | 8 Last Week: 2 | Bill Belichick must go back to the drawing board for a November rematch against the Jets. (Clayton) | |
| 11 |  | 5 Last Week: 6 | Might that home loss to the Ravens become an outcome that places a playoff matchup in Baltimore? (Kuharsky) | |
| 12 |  | 1 Last Week: 11 | Where was the Packers' pass protection (six sacks) and discipline (11 penalties) against the Bengals? (Chadiha) | |
| 13 |  | 5 Last Week: 18 | The 49ers want to run the ball and they are, but don't overlook Shaun Hill. He's 9-3 as the 49ers' starter. (Sando) | |
| 14 |  | 1 Last Week: 15 | The Bears need more of the Jay Cutler who showed up to beat the Steelers. (Chadiha) | |
| 15 |  | 2 Last Week: 13 | Two problems don't go away: critical turnovers by Tony Romo and giving up big plays on defense. (Clayton) | |
| 16 |  | 7 Last Week: 9 | Mistake-filled first two weeks are fueling those critics who predicted a big drop-off after a 13-3 season. (Kuharsky) | |
| 17 |  | 6 Last Week: 23 | Everyone is wary of saying too much about the great victory in Tennessee, because historically the Texans have had some duds for follow-ups. (Kuharsky) | |
| 18 |  | 1 Last Week: 17 | Beating the Colts at home in Week 3 would validate the Cardinals' blowout victory at Jacksonville while potentially forcing a tie atop the NFC West. (Sando) | |
| 19 |  | -- Last Week: 19 | The Wildcat dominated the Colts but Miami lost the game by four. Maybe the "Cat" isn't that wild. (Clayton) | |
| 20 |  | 4 Last Week: 24 | Their two remaining games against the AFC North aren't likely to produce the same results their first two did. (Kuharsky) | |
| 21 |  | -- Last Week: 21 | He's lost two offensive tackles and an offensive coordinator, but Trent Edwards is hanging in there as a no-huddle quarterback. (Clayton) | |
| 22 |  | 8 Last Week: 14 | Injuries always seem to be the big story for Seattle. Matt Hasselbeck's ribs aren't going to feel good any time soon. (Sando) | |
| 23 |  | 3 Last Week: 20 | Playing St. Louis and Detroit in back-to-back weeks is a gift that buys time for the offense to start clicking. (Clayton) | |
| 24 |  | 2 Last Week: 26 | This team would be 2-0 if it hadn't blown the final minute of its season opener. (Chadiha) | |
| 25 |  | 3 Last Week: 22 | Jake Delhomme was much better in Week 2, but his two-game pace works out to eight touchdown passes and 40 interceptions. (Sando) | |
| 26 |  | 1 Last Week: 27 | Better than many expected, but how long can they endure the poor play of JaMarcus Russell? (Kuharsky) | |
| 27 |  | 2 Last Week: 25 | It's time for the rookie wide receivers to see some action and make some contributions for the struggling Jags. (Kuharsky) | |
| 28 |  | 1 Last Week: 29 | The Bucs have allowed 900 yards in their first two games. They even made the Bills look good. (Sando) | |
| 29 |  | 1 Last Week: 28 | Two blowout losses to open the season don't bode well. (Chadiha) | |
| 30 |  | -- Last Week: 30 | Two turnovers, other miscues undid a lot of stat advantages in loss to Oakland. (Kuharsky) | |
| 31 |  | -- Last Week: 31 | Even with two defeats, they already seem better than last season. (Chadiha) | |
| 32 |  | -- Last Week: 32 | The Rams desperately need more punch from their passing game. Donnie Avery has been a nonfactor so far. (Sando) | |
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| Glossary |
| The rankings were determined by ESPN's Power Panel, a group of more than 80 writers, editors and television personalities. |
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