1. New England Patriots (Last week: 1)
The score line from last week’s game with Indy is not indicative of how in control of this game New England was. The Colts finally made God (I mean Brady) bleed though as they picked him off early and returned it for a touchdown. A big test against the division rival Jets this weekend could just about put the division out of reach for everyone else if the Patriots win.

2. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 3)
While it doesn’t guarantee playoff success, the Bengals have been one of the best teams in the NFL so far this year. Andy Dalton has been nothing short of dominant and the defense has held it together. Cincy looks like a really tough team to beat going forward.

3. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 2)
Two straight weeks of less than stellar play from the Packers has to be a little worrying. They still won both games but Aaron Rodgers looked mortal against the Rams and now the running game seems to have vanished. Eddie Lacy is averaging fewer than four yards per carry and has only scored one touchdown.

4. Denver Broncos (Last week: 4)
Seriously, this is starting to get really concerning. What happened to Peyton Manning? Even the beat up version of the future Hall of Famer we saw last year wasn’t this bad. Leading the league in interceptions and owning a completion percentage only slight better than Jay Cutler is what you would expect of Eli, not Peyton.

5. New York Jets (Last week: 7)
The first half wasn’t pretty. Actually it was really ugly. I had a chance to watch the Jets game from MetLife this weekend and the team that showed up in the first half was horrendous. And yet, New York was only down three at halftime. If the same Jets that played in the second half show up again this week, don’t be surprised if they give New England a run for their money.

6. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 8)
A stunning comeback in Seattle means that the Panthers stay perfect for another week. With the Falcons falling last week too, Carolina now has the outright lead in the NFC South. The Panthers are quickly closing in on their win total from 2014.

7. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 5)
The Falcons came back down to Earth this past week with a pretty big thud. Atlanta laid an egg against the Saints on Thursday night and now sit behind the unblemished Panthers in the division. The good news? Atlanta has two cracks at Carolina left on their schedule.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 9)
No Ben Roethlisberger? No Michael Vick? No problem for Pittsburgh. The Steelers got a big win over the Cardinals this weekend with Landry Jones playing some critical minutes late in the game. LeVeon Bell continues to carry this team who, despite all the injuries, sit at 4-2.

9. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 6)
Alright I can’t seem to figure this out. Arizona started hotter than anyone else in the league. Since then, they have been a roller coaster. The ride hit a new low this week as the Cardinals were soundly beaten by a combination of Michael Vick and Landry Jones. They still lead the division but this would be a good time for the Cards to develop a cushion for themselves.

10. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 10)
It was a loss but that was the best game Andrew Luck played all season. He avoided turning the ball over and the Colts were in this matchup with the Pats until that bizarre fake punt call. They might be only 3-3 and but this team is slowly trending up.

11. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 11)
The Bills looked very outmatched against the Bengals this weekend. Without Tyrod Taylor the offense was not quite as dynamic. Now with Taylor, Sammy Watkins and Percy Harvin all looking like they will be out against Jacksonville, the Bills are in trouble.

12. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 13)
It was far from their best game of the season but Minnesota still hung on for the win. They might not be a Super Bowl contender but this team has the talent to make it to the playoffs as a wildcard team.

13. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 20)
Two weeks ago, the Eagles looked down and out having lost to Washington in disappointing fashion. Now, Philly is back on top of the division looks to be the team to beat in NFC East, for right now. When the Cowboys get healthy, that could be a different story.

14. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 12)
For the second straight week, the Seahawks had a commanding fourth quarter lead and it quickly evaporated. Seattle looks like a team trying to find its way on both sides of the ball. At 2-4, the only chance the Seahawks realistically have of making the playoffs is by winning the division.

15. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 13)
Somehow, the Cowboys are only one game out of the division lead despite not winning in almost a month. A huge game with Giants could vault Dallas back to the top. They already have two division wins this season, including one against New York. Dez Bryant could be back as well, which should aid Matt Cassell immensely.

16. New York Giants (Last week: 14)
After looking like the Giants’ had found their stride and were destined to run away with the NFC East, they fell flat on their faces in Philadelphia. Now New York finds themselves sitting at .500 tied with the Eagles for the division lead. Once everyone is healthy, this team could make a push but with Tony Romo and Dez Bryant coming back in the next few weeks, they must have a lead in order to weather the storm.

17. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 16)
Can someone please give Phillip Rivers some help??? He threw the ball 61 times for 503 yards this week and the Chargers still lost to the Packers. Obviously, Green Bay is a very good team but when Rivers plays that well and San Diego still loses, something needs to change.

18. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 17)
This week could make or break the Raiders season. A divisional game against San Diego will determine if Oakland claws back to .500 or if they drop into the bottom half of the AFC again.

19. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 18)
A week off hopefully gave Jeff Fisher some time to figure out how to fix this offense in St. Louis. Nick Foles ranks 29th out of 34 qualified quarterbacks in completion percentage. Overall, it seems like handing the ball to Todd Gurley and Tre Mason should be a big part of Rams’ gameplan going forward.

20. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 21)
Dan Campbell is already wildly more popular in Miami than Joe Philbin after a huge win over Tennessee. The Dolphins still have a ways to go to climb into playoff contention again but they are headed in the right direction so far under their new head coach.

21. Washington (Last week: 20)
Washington led in their game against New York this weekend at halftime, then they proceeded to score seven points in the second half, all of them coming from a blocked punt recovered in the endzone. Washington fell apart in the third quarter and never recovered.

22. Houston Texans (Last week: 27)
Houston got a huge win over the Jaguars this weekend. Despite a very slow start to the season, the Texans are only one game out of first place in the AFC South. With Arian Foster back and healthy with DeAndre Hopkins terrorizing secondaries, Houston might just be a part of the 2015 playoff hunt after all.

23. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 32)
I dropped them into the cellar and the Saints responded in a big way with a major win over the Falcons. New Orleans is still a couple of wins away from being a competitor in the NFC but this was a huge step in the right direction.

24. Chicago Bears (Last week: 23)
Losing to the winless Lions probably doesn’t do much to boost morale but the offense looked very good in the process. Unfortunately, the defense failed to hold up on its end of the bargain. Chicago needs to decide soon if it is going to hang on to its aging core or hit the reset button.

25. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 24)
Cleveland came so close to pulling off what would have been the upset of the season. A second straight overtime game for the Browns went the other way this week. The Browns ground game is among one of the worst in the league. For them to have any shot of challenging this season, they need to take the pressure off Josh McCown.

26. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 26)
After playing a very close game against Buffalo just the week before, the Titans were blown out by Miami. Marcus Mariota turned the ball over four times and exited the game with a knee injury in the second half. Easily the worst game of his short professional career.

27. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 29)
San Francisco got a solid win over the struggling Ravens. It was a hallow victory, but with Seattle and Arizona losing this week, San Francisco is very much in the conversation for the NFC West crown. In order for that to happen though, the 49ers need to find some offense.

28. Detroit Lions (Last week: 30)
Winless no more means that the Lions will not repeat their 2008 fate. The defense has been awful thus far and was again even in the win. Detroit has allowed the fourth most points per game this season. With that kind of output, are you surprised that the Lions only have one win?

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 31)
Tampa took its bye week to hopefully get healthy. That mainly applies to second year wideout Mike Evans, who has been hampered with injuries. That has contributed to a very quiet start to this season. With a quarterback as raw and inexperienced as Jameis Winston, having all the help he can get is key.

30. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 25)
I was pretty sure Baltimore was in for a down year, but even I didn’t predict this. The Ravens are 1-5 and sit at the bottom of the AFC North. There is just about no hope for them to turn this season around with the Bengals five games ahead of them.

31. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 22)
Well the defense put up a valiant effort this weekend against Minnesota but got no help from the offense. Managing only a meager 10 points, Kansas City put up its worse scoring total all season. It seems like life without Jamaal Charles will not be pleasant.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 31)
Gus Bradley’s seat has to be getting warmer as the weeks go by. That win over the Dolphins seems like it happened a long time ago and now Jacksonville has four straight losses. The Jaguars have allowed 31-plus points in three of their last four games. That is probably the root of the problem.

1. New England Patriots (Last week: 1)
Had Tony Romo and Dez Bryant played, this would have been a different story. But neither of them played and the Cowboys struggled mightily. Brady and Co. took care of business for a fifth straight week. No need to drop them from the top spot.

2. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 2)
Far from Aaron Rodgers’ best game ever but it was enough for the Packers to get the win. Rodgers threw two picks but Green Bay came up with four of Nick Foles. Scary thing to note is that Rodgers led the team in rushing with just 39 yards. That should not become a trend.

3. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 4)
Down by 17 heading into the fourth quarter against Seattle, it seemed like Cincy had finally come back to Earth. Then the Bengals rattled off 20 straight points to get the win in overtime. Exciting to watch and tough to play against is exactly how you would define Cincinnati so far.

4. Denver Broncos (Last week: 3)
This is looking more and more like Peyton Manning is a man way past his prime still trying to compete. He is tied for second in the league in interceptions so far, which has put a little too much pressure on the defense. Thankfully, this defense is the best in the league and continues to bail the offense out.

5. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 5)
Beating Washington wasn’t supposed to be that difficult for the Falcons but they still got the job done. Devonta Freeman is tied for second in the NFL in rushing yards and leads the league in touchdowns. This Falcons offense is down right scary when Freeman and Julio Jones are clicking.

6. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 6)
No need to panic! The Cardinals we saw the first three weeks of the season are back. Arizona registered its fourth blowout in five games. If they continue at this pace, they could have the division all but locked up by Thanksgiving.

7. New York Jets (Last week: 8)
The Jets move up despite not playing this week. That is mainly due to the return of Sheldon Richardson, back from his four game suspension. As if the Jets defense, which leads the league in points allowed per game, needed any more help.

8. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 9)
Carolina is undefeated thus far in the 2015 season and they did that without Luke Keuchley. Now reports have Keuchley as a full participant in practice and gearing up for a showdown with the Seahawks. The Panthers are starting to seem dangerous.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 12)
After three quarters of utter boredom, Michael Vick said enough of that and started making plays. Pittsburgh was very lucky to walk out of San Diego with a win but they still got it. The Steelers can win with Vick in at quarterback and should be able to weather the storm until Big Ben returns.

10. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 10)
Of all the undefeated quarterbacks so far in the NFL, Matt Hasselback is by far the most perplexing one. But he has done what Andrew Luck couldn’t: limit turnovers and play efficiently. Luck is rumored to return this week and all eyes will be on him to see if the former number one overall pick is really healthy.

11. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 11)
That was ugly. No two ways about it. But it is better to win ugly than lose ugly. Unfortunately, the Bills are looking pretty banged up at the moment. LeSean McCoy is out for a little while and Karlos Williams still has a concussion. Now add Tyrod Taylor to the mix with an MCL sprain. We will likely see E.J. Manuel under center against the undefeated Bengals.

12. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 7)
Finally the offense found some life and consistency…for three quarters. The Seahawks completely fell apart down the stretch in Ohio. They return home to play the undefeated Panthers, who just got Luke Keuchley back. That is not going to be a fun game for Seattle.

13. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 14)
The Vikings are only at .500 at the moment but they are playing better football than that. This team is still very inexperienced but don’t be surprised if they are still hanging around when the it comes time for the post season.

14. New York Giants (Last week: 17)
You can’t spell clutch without ELI. Well actually you can, but you know what I mean. The youngest Manning brother engineered a spectacular comeback to earn the win for Big Blue. The Giants finally know how the Falcons and Cowboys felt after the first two weeks for the season.

15. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 13)
Rumor has it that Brandon Weeden lost his starting job (shocker). The Cowboys mercifully have a bye week to figure out what in the world has been going on for the past three weeks. Tony Romo and Dez Bryant cannot return fast enough.

16. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 16)
Bitter probably doesn’t even adequately describe how the San Diego Chargers feel right now. A walk off touchdown from LeVeon Bell stole victory from the Bolts on their home turf. On the bright side though they aren’t as bad as the Chiefs.

17. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 20)
The Raiders defense almost did enough for Oakland to get a hard earned win against Denver. They did not allow a touchdown all day long. However, a defensive touchdown ended up being the difference and now the Raiders have lost two straight heading into their bye.

18. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 18)
The Rams head into their bye week having a ton of faith in their defense and absolutely none in their offense. St. Louis bothered Aaron Rodgers all day long and forced his first interception at Lambeau Field since Jeremy Lin was the point guard of the Knicks. Meanwhile, Nick Foles completed a lot of passes to guys wearing green jerseys. Jeff Fisher still has a lot of work to do.

19. Washington (Last week: 22)
Taking the undefeated Falcons to overtime was impressive but Washington failed to seal the deal. The defense played well and picked off Matt Ryan twice. However, Kirk Cousins threw two interceptions of his own, including the game-ending pick six in overtime. Now Washington heads to New York and Cousins gets an even tougher test against the Jets’ defense.

20. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 23)
So that’s where the Eagles offense has been hiding. They’ve been in New Orleans the whole time. Philly finally started to make plays with the ball offensively. Still wasn’t perfect, but it was a step in the right direction and it keeps the Eagles in the postseason conversation.

21. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 21)
It will be interesting to see how this team responds after the firing of Joe Philbin. The ‘Phins got a week to get acclimated with new head coach Dan Campbell and prepare for a matchup with the dangerous Titans. If Miami hasn’t figured out its offense, they have no shot of winning this game.

22. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 15)
Remember how I said that most of the optimism surrounding the Chiefs had died last week. Well I am now here to pronounce it officially dead. Kansas City lost its fourth straight game in stunning fashion and lost Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. There is no coming back from this now.

23. Chicago Bears (Last week: 30)
Whoa. Two wins in a row for Chicago. Not for nothing but that is impressive. Granted they came against two floundering teams but there are some other bright spots. Matt Forte leads the league in rushing and Jay Cutler took care of the football. That is a recipe for success in the Windy City.

24. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 29)
It looks like the Browns made up for blowing a chance at overtime last week by pulling off the OT comeback this week. Josh McCown is doing more with less as he continues to put up video game-like numbers despite not having too many proven weapons.

25. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 19)
A huge win against Pittsburgh followed by a blown chance against the Browns. The Ravens have really lost their form. A 2015 playoff team, Baltimore will be lucky to not end up with a top 10 draft pick.

26. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 27)
That one stings a lot. The Titans led 10-0 midway through the third quarter but couldn’t stop a late Bills comeback. Tennessee has been more competitive than I ever thought they would be and the defense has a large part to do with that.

27. Houston Texans (Last week: 24)
The Texans have played bad football season long. The revolving door at quarterback isn’t helping matters at all and Houston now sits at 1-4. It doesn’t seem to effect DeAndre Hopkins though, who leads the league in receiving.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 32)
They have not seemed even the least bit convincing but Tampa now has two wins on the year, which means they can’t possibly be worse than last year. When you are as bad as the Bucs, this is actually something worth celebrating.

29. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 28)
Colin Kaepernick finally seemed to settle down and just play football this week in New York. Unfortunately, his defense didn’t back him up. They get a rematch of the 2013 Super Bowl against the Ravens this week though and suddenly, that seems like a winnable game.

30. Detroit Lions (Last week: 25)
Lions’ fans can be mad all they want about how they got robbed of a victory in Seattle but there were no excuses this week against Arizona. Matthew Stafford actually found himself a spot on the bench after turning the ball over three times by the middle of the third quarter. Detroit wanted to forget last week’s loss but they probably want to forget this one even more.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 31)
Losing to Tampa Bay is not a resume builder. Jacksonville was out played once again and you have to wonder how much longer the Jaguars’ brass is going to sit quietly and let Gus Bradley run the show. They need better results than this if we expects to keep his job.

32. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 26)
The Saints had a chance to get their season back on track following a big overtime win against Dallas the week before. They didn’t take it and now find themselves at 1-4 with a lot of questions and very few answers. We have a new team in the NFL cellar.

1. New England Patriots (Last week: 1)
The Patriots really never ease off and it showed with a 51-17 win over Jacksonville. Brady is off to the best statistical start of his Hall of Fame career. LeGarrette Blount had a great return to action, rattling off three touchdowns. The Pats offense seems unstoppable and the defense is definitely good enough for them to roll through the season.

2. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 2)
Only one other quarterback in NFL history started the season with 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions through his first three games. That was Peyton Manning in 2013 when he broke just about every meaningful passing record ever. Make that two now with Aaron Rodgers joining the conversation.

3. Denver Broncos (Last week: 3)
It hasn’t always been pretty but that doesn’t mean the Broncos don’t deserve a spot in the top five. Peyton Manning seems to be settling into the offense much better now and the ground game saw a slight improvement. This Denver defense has the potential to be legendary though.

4. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 4)
Craziest stat so far of the NFL season. The Arizona Cardinals have outscored opponents by 25.3 points per game. With the hapless Rams, winless Lions, Michael Vick led Steelers and the other two AFC North teams not named the Bengals on the slate, Arizona might just continue to blow teams out.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 5)
Playing games against division rivals always seem to be tough in the AFC North. However, the passing game looks electric with Andy Dalton leading the charge. The ground game has been mediocre at best this season. If Cincy can figure out how to punish teams on the ground, this team should wrap up the North crown easy.

6. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 11)
For the third time in as many weeks, the Falcons pulled together a fourth quarter comeback to beat the NFC East. Atlanta is showing the mental toughness to stay in games and seems to be a good position to make a playoff push.

7. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 12)
Buffalo is looking more and more like the real deal. A dominant win against the Dolphins elevates them into the top 10 for the first time this season. I was likely too harsh on Buffalo for their loss to New England, but poor performances from Indy, Dallas and Kansas City opened the door for them.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 13)
The Steelers gained one star but lost another. Ben Roethlisberger is expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks for Pittsburgh but LeVeon Bell is finally back on the field. The Steelers will have to drastically change the gameplan, relying on both Bell and DeAngelo Williams to get them through. Unfortunately, their time to recover is short as the Steelers play the Ravens tomorrow night.

9. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 7)
The defense got the boost it needed in Kam Chancellor’s return. However, the offense still seems to be spinning it’s wheels. Seattle had to settle for field goals way too often considering they were playing against the lowly Bears. Marshawn Lynch missing time won’t help anything either.

10. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 6)
Another week, another primetime loss. However, the pair of defeats came at the hands of Green Bay and Denver. Alex Smith finally through a touchdown to a wide receiver but the offense got things going too late. The fourth quarter saw Kansas City bully the Packers’ defense. That identity was missing though for the first three quarters of play.

11. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 7)
So the Cowboys forgot they needed to play two halves of football this week. The defense looked helpless in the second half giving up 22 points and the offense sputtered. Joseph Randle finished the first half with 91 rushing yards. He finished the game with 87 yards. That cannot happen again if Dallas expects to win.

12. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 10)
Well a win is a win, but that doesn’t save the Colts here. Andrew Luck proceeded to throw two more interceptions and Indy needed a furious fourth quarter comeback to beat the upstart Titans. Chuck Pagano needs to do something differently going forward.

13. New York Jets (Last week: 13)
The offense made some big mistakes and without the defense generating turnovers, the Jets found themselves on the losing end against Philly. Getting Eric Decker, Chris Ivory and Darrelle Revis has to be the priority right now if the Jets want to build on their solid start.

14. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 14)
Sunday provided us with a second straight convincing victory from the Vikings. Adrian Peterson continued his dominance for a second straight week with 120 yards and two touchdowns. The Vikings defense also handled what has been a fairly good Chargers offense, sacking Phillip Rivers four times and bouncing him from the game.

15. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 18)
Who would have thought that through the first three weeks, the only division with multiple undefeated teams would be the NFC South. The Panthers have quietly won their first three games and face another winnable game against Tampa Bay this weekend. There is a good chance this Carolina squad stays undefeated.

16. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 17)
No matter how you spin it, the Eagles defense played much better this week in New York. The offense seemed to find some rhythm, the defense contained the Jets offense and the special teams provided some big plays. Philly gets a chance to make up some ground in the division with a game against Washington this weekend. A win would put them right back into contention for the division title.

17. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 16)
When you struggle to block, the whole team struggles. The Chargers have not had much of a run game and they allowed Minnesota to get after Phillip Rivers this weekend. With the Broncos continuing to win, San Diego needs to start earning some more wins.

18. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 15)
Many pundits thought Miami was going to be a decent team this season, potentially even challenging New England for the division title. Consecutive losses to the Jags and Bills, the latter being in the form of a blowout, have tapered those conversations.

19. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 22)
The Raiders got the win, a road win no less, to earn their first winning record in nearly four years. Derek Carr continues to show that he is every bit of the franchise quarterback Oakland drafted him to be.

20. Detroit Lions (Last week: 19)
Detroit just could not find a way to consistently move the ball against Denver. On the other hand, it was good to see Calvin Johnson get involved and dominate Aquib Talib for most of the night. The Lions need to find their ground game fast if they hope to salvage this season.

21. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 20)
Steve Smith played lights out this Sunday but it wasn’t enough to prevent the worst start in franchise history. Looking at this Ravens team, they are tough and gritty but lack playmakers on offense.

22. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 21)
That upset of the Seahawks seems like it happened a very long time ago. The Rams defense gave Pittsburgh all it could handle but the offense has mustered just 16 points in the last two games. The next two games for St. Louis are away against Arizona and Green Bay. This team could easily be 1-4 by mid-October.

23. Houston Texans (Last week: 24)
Houston got a much needed win to keep pace in the lowly AFC South. Alfred Blue led the charge with 139 yards on the ground. The Texans should have Arian Foster back very soon, which could be just what this team needs to start winning some meaningful games.

24. New York Giants (Last week: 26)
Just when it seemed like the Giants were spiraling down, they got a much needed win over a division rival. Suddenly, with Dallas losing this weekend, the division seems much more in reach and the damage done the first two weeks looks like it can be reversed.

25. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 23)
Well…at least things can’t get worse. This San Francisco team is not built to play from behind and when Colin Kaepernick throws two pick-sixes in the first six minutes of the game, the 49ers have no chance of winning.

26. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 26)
Josh McCown played worse than his stat line suggests. He started very slow and threw a bad late-game interception to dash the Browns chances of a comeback. The blame can’t all fall on him though. Cleveland allowed five sacks against Oakland. Not exactly a recipe for success.

27. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 30)
They might have lost, but it was by a very narrow margin. Tennessee blew a fourth quarter lead, but the fact that it had a fourth quarter lead on Indy shows that the Titans are very much in the conversation of challenging in the AFC South.

28. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 27)
Luke McCown is not Drew Brees in any shape or form. However, McCown had a very solid game on a day when the running game didn’t really bail him out. He completed 81.6 percent of his passes for 310 yards. If the running game gets going, New Orleans could start to win a couple.

29. Washington (Last week: 29)
Well it looks like I overestimated the abilities of Alfred Morris and Matt Jones. Jones could have made the game a lot closer but he fumbled as he lunged for the end zone, costing Washington seven points. The defense also had no answer for Odell Beckham Jr. all night long.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 28)
It seems like that win against Miami was more of an anomaly then a sign of Jacksonville turning the corner. The Jags suffered a 51-17 drubbing by the Patriots. No one expected the Jaguars to win, but any week you give up 51 points is a bad one.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 31)
Nine points is all we got out of the Buccaneers this weekend. It was a very poor showing but the defense played decently well, limiting the Texans to field goals for the majority of the game.

32. Chicago Bears (Last week: 32)
The train wreck continues and the Bears have already started their fire sale. Rumors have placed Matt Forte and Alshon Jeffery as potential trade options. Chicago seems like it is fully embracing hitting the reset button.

1. New England Patriots (Last week: 1)
The Bills’ defense was supposed to thwart Brady. Instead, he was only sacked once, a testament to the play of the offensive line, and threw for 466 yards, a testament to how good Brady is. The defense didn’t seal the deal quite as convincingly as you would like but the defending champs are 2-0.

2. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 2)
No Eddie Lacy, no Jordy Nelson? No problem for the league’s best quarterback. Aaron Rogers might not have had the best statistical night but he took it to the Seahawks. He exorcised some demons as well for the Fail Mary game and last year’s NFC championship game. Still a lot more to do but the Pack are in good shape right now.

3. Denver Broncos (Last week: 3)
The Broncos are beyond lucky to walk away with a win at Arrowhead. Two touchdowns in nine seconds completely flipped the script. The offense did just enough to keep Denver in it and the defense won the game for them. Peyton Manning needs to start handing out gift baskets full of Papa John’s pizza to thank the defense for carrying him to two wins so far.

4. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 5)
Dominating the Bears is always a good stat padder. Now the Cardinals have to take on division rival San Francisco. If the 49ers show up like they did in their season opener, Arizona will have their hands full.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 9)
Still no completely sold on Cincinnati as a title contender but they are starting to look a little more legitimate. The Bengals are very fortunate Giovani Bernard was there to pick up Jeremy Hill’s slack against San Diego. Next on the schedule, a chance to put the Ravens out of reach after just three games.

6. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 8)
That has to sting some. Kansas City outplayed Denver for a majority of the game on Thursday night. Unfortunately, Jamaal Charles had a very off night, fumbling twice and cost the team the game. They still move up a spot because of the issues Seattle, Dallas and Indy are facing.

7. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 6)
Well that was ugly. The Cowboys remain perfect on the season and sent home DeMarco Murray looking foolish. They also lost Tony Romo for the next eight weeks. This offense has a lot of reinventing to do with him and Bryant out for significant time.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 13)
Pittsburgh get LeVeon Bell back this week which means that the explosive offense we saw on Sunday is going to be even better. The defense is still a work in progress but it took a small step forward. San Francisco wasn’t much of a test though.

9. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 7)
Well they looked better against the Packers…kind of. Seattle has no identity on offense, a product of the front office trying to do too much. Jimmy Graham is no so silently fuming at his role with the team. Seattle desperately needs a win against the Bears to get back on track.

10. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 4)
Missing: Andrew Luck. Last seen dominating the NFL in 2014. Missing since the AFC Championship game. The Colts need to do something differently on offense to get the team moving in the right direction. Right now they have no direction or cohesion.

11. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 18)
Two game winning drive in two weeks. Matty Ice is living up to his name. Atlanta now face the Romoless Cowboys and if they can walk away with a win this team will be in business.

12. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 10)
Well so much for all of the hype. The defense had it’s hinges blown off and got to Brady just once the entire game. Buffalo made a late push but it was too little too late. That being said, they had a chance to tie it on that last drive. The Bills are still dangerous but have a little more developing to do first.

13. New York Jets (Last week: 20)
Turnovers the Jets defense forced in 2014: 13. Turnovers the Jets defense forced through the first two weeks of 2015: 10. This defense is scary good and the offense is just good enough for them to win some games this year.

14. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 15)
Minnesota finally remember that they had Adrian Peterson on the roster and fed him 29 times this weekend. That seems a little excess and the Vikings have to find a good balance between rushing and passing. Good win against a division rival though.

15. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 11)
You got the sense that Miami wasn’t firing on all cylinders when they played Washington. Now we saw that on display with a loss to the in-state rival Jaguars. Ndamukong Suh apparently isn’t listening to the coaching staff and the ground game seems non-existent. Not good signs for the Dolphins.

16. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 14)
The come back proved to be too little too late. There were some positives from this performance though, including a much better outing by rookie running back Melvin Gordon.

17. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 12)
The defense showed up in Week 2 but forgot to bring the offense with it. Holding Dallas to only 20 points was a pretty good showing, considering how frequently they were on the field and how many times Dallas had a short field. Sam Bradford and DeMarco Murray have not been the explosive pairing the Eagles hoped for though.

18. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 23)
Don’t look now but the Panthers are 2-0. The wins were against the middling Jaguars and mediocre Texans but they are wins nonetheless. A win against the rival Saints would Carolina in a really good spot to contend for the NFC South crown.

19. Detroit Lions (Last week: 17)
Ill-timed penalties and poor offensive line play killed the Lions this week. Detroit had nothing going for them on the ground whatsoever. Finishing with 16 carries for 38 yards won’t win many football games.

20. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 16)
The offense came to life, the defense disappeared. Losing to the Raiders is not something many playoff bound teams do during the course of the season. A loss to the Bengals this weekend would drop the Ravens to 0-3 for the first time in franchise history.

21. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 23)
There are highs and lows to every NFL season. The Rams were coming off a high and crashed to a very uninviting low. Washington simply outplayed St. Louis and bullied them at the point of attack. The running game needs to get going again so they can take some pressure off of Nick Foles.

22. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 27)
Oakland earned a huge win this weekend over the Ravens. Now with a winnable game against Cleveland on the horizon, Oakland could end up with winning record for the first time since December of 2011.

23. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 21)
Unfortunately, that was the 49ers team most of us assumed we would see during the season opener. The offense was outmatched and the defense looked helpless. Full scale collapse after a strong start.

24. Houston Texans (Last week: 22)
I get that Arian Foster cannot play at the moment but there is still no reason the Texans should be throwing the ball 52 times in one game with Ryan Mallett at quarterback. Mallett isn’t that type of player. Bill O’Brien has to be smarter than that next week.

25. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 26)
Johnny Manziel has played well in his first two games. There is significant room for improvement. However, it seems the Browns are going to roll with Josh McCown now that he is healthy. I can’t really understand why but it seems our time of watching Manziel scramble has come to an end. At least for now.

26. New York Giants (Last week: 25)
The Giants just became the first team ever to lose their first two games after leading by 10 points in the fourth quarter. Yes ever. These late game collapses are going to cost Tom Coughlin his job at year’s end if he cannot turn the team around.

27. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 21)
Losing to the Cardinals is one thing. Losing to the Bucs is humiliating. The Saints are heading for another lost season right now and if Drew Brees cannot go against Carolina on Sunday, this team is as good as defeated.

28. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 29)
That win against Miami looked convincing. The ground game is still a long way from proven but Allen Robinson is starting to look like a real #1 receiver. If Jacksonville can weather the storm that will be the Patriots this week, they get Julius Thomas back in Week 4 and then this offense will hopefully take the next step.

29. Washington (Last week: 31)
After losing DeSean Jackson, I did not expect Washington to get their first win any time soon. Washington dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, which got them the win. That one-two punch of Alfred Morris and Matt Jones could be something special.

30. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 27)
Well the Titans returned to reality this weekend in a humbling loss to Cleveland. This is still a team with a rookie quarterback, a suspect receiving core and a defense that lacks playmakers. Tennessee still has a long way to go before they start challenging any one sincerely.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 32)
Week 2 was truly crazy as even the Bucs got a W. Beating the Saints does not mean that we are going to see Tampa completely turn the season around but it shows that they can be competitive right now rather than in the future.

32. Chicago Bears (Last week: 28)
Pitiful is probably the easiest way to describe how the Bears have played so far. Things probably will get worse before they get better too with Jay Cutler set to miss at least two weeks. The Bears have earned their spot in the basement, especially with so many teams around them winning this weekend.

1. New England Patriots (Last week: 2)
Impressive week one victory from the offense. Questionable performance from the defense. Antonio Brown put up some crazy numbers. This defense is not the same that it was last year but it will probably need to play a little better than it did on Thursday to keep winning games for the Pats.

2. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 3)
It wasn’t exactly convincing after a shaky start in Chicago but the Packers still got the win. James Jones is already proving to be a nice addition. However, giving up 141 yards on 24 carries to Matt Forte is concerning, especially with Sam Barrington set to miss the season.

3. Denver Broncos (Last week: 5)
It wasn’t pretty, but the Broncos got the job done. The offense is in limbo right now, trying to find it’s identity, but if the defense plays like it did against the Ravens, Denver won’t need much offense to win. The move up is more due to those in front of them floundering.

4. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 1)
They came, they saw, they absolutely fell apart. The offense sputtered. The defense also look porous as Tyrod Taylor and the Bills ground game beat the Colts into submission. Next up, similar style team in the Jets and Luck will be without his favorite target T.Y. Hilton. Could this nightmare for Indy really continue?

5. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 7)
Boy were the Cardinals happy to have Carson Palmer back. Of course, they also lost Andre Ellington in the process of Sunday’s win. Chris and David Johnson now have much bigger roles going forward in keeping this offense balanced.

6. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 6)
Tony Romo came up clutch once again for America’s team in a huge win over the Giants. The win came at a hefty price though as Dez Bryant will now miss the next 4 to 8 weeks of play. That might just dash Dallas’ chances of repeating as division champs.

7. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 4)
Rough does not even begin to describe week 1 for Seattle. The loss to the division rival Rams is bad enough. On top of that, the 49ers and Cardinals both had convincing wins against NFC opponents. Not how you want to open as defending NFC champions.

8. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 8)
The Chiefs started out on fire and then slowly cooled off the rest of the game. After scoring 27 in the first half, they failed to score again, while allowing the Texans to pull within a touchdown. If they can put two halves together of good football, they will beat Denver tomorrow.

9. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 13)
Beating up on the Raiders really isn’t that impressive but it is a lot better than having played a close game with Oakland. Cincy was firing on all cylinders this weekend. And with the struggles we saw from the rest of the AFC North, the Bengals have to be feeling good about themselves.

10. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 17)
So Rex Ryan moves to 2-0 against Andrew Luck after pulling off the upset of the week. The Bills looked legit as the defense lived up to its billing and the offense was effective. Now the real test comes in a visit to Foxborough on Sunday.

11. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 12)
Not the best season opening performance but it proved to be enough against Washington. The secondary came up big but that vaunted front seven got gashed for 161 yards. That needs to change and change quickly.

12. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 9)
They lost, but barely. Philly was in this game until the very end and were a Cody Parkey field goal away from stealing a win on the road in Atlanta. That running game needs a lot of work though if the Eagles want to stand a chance against Dallas this weekend.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 10)
Well they found out that not covering the best tight end in football was a bad idea. Rob Gronkowski torched the Steelers’ defense all night long. They are transitioning into a new system but it needs to happen a whole lot faster if Pittsburgh wants to return to the postseason.

14. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 16)
They got the win, but I still don’t trust them. San Diego needed a huge comeback to win week 1 and can be thankful that Phillip Rivers had enough poise to do it. Danny Woodhead might have scored two TDs but 3.2 yards per carry is not going to cut it from the running game.

15. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 11)
Well I put my faith in Minnesota and they didn’t exact reward me for it. Teddy Bridgewater looked spastic trying to get the ball out in San Francisco and that Peterson guy did next to nothing on the ground. Defense and special teams kept the Vikings in it for as long as they could, but at some point the offense has to deliver.

16. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 15)
My worries of the Ravens not having a receiver to turn to other than Steve Smith Sr. seem to be warranted. Marlon Brown led the team in receiving with 25 yards. It gets worse too with Terrell Suggs set to miss the whole season. And with all of that, they still almost beat Denver on the road.

17. Detroit Lions (Last week: 14)
I wondered which Matthew Stafford would show up and the answer was the extremely inconsistent one who costs his team football games. The Lions had a 21-3 lead in this game and blew it, partly because of Stafford, partly because of a defense that allowed 404 passing yards. Either way, not a good way to open the year.

18. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 19)
Good first showing from the Falcons on Monday night. Dan Quinn has already left his mark on this vastly improved defense. Still a work in progress but off to a strong start. Oh and Julio Jones is a monster. You cannot leave that man in single coverage ever.

19. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 23)
The defensive line in St. Louis might just be the best in football. They sacked Russell Wilson six times on Sunday and just generally wrecked havoc. Nick Foles came up big too against a usually prolific secondary. The Rams showed they mean business this year.

20. New York Jets (Last week: 20)
Jets fans had to be a little scared after Johnny Manziel bombed a touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin to put Cleveland on top. New York didn’t panic though and calmly stuck with their game plan to run the ball and mix in the pass. And it worked.

21. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 26)
Returning only half of their starters from a season ago? That didn’t seem to phase the 49ers as they simply dominated the Vikings. From the first drive of the game, San Francisco came out with something to prove. They still have some mistakes to clean up but it was a very good week 1 showing.

22. Houston Texans (Last week: 18)
So much for a legendary defense. The Texans buckled down in the second half but after allowing 27 points in the first half, the deficit was too much to over come. Oh and the quarterback controversy continues as Ryan Mallet came in and clearly out played Brian Hoyer after halftime.

23. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 24)
They won yes, but at a big price if Luke Keuchley winds up missing any time. Carolina’s offense looked to be fairing ok without Kelvin Benjamin, but they will need to protect Cam Newton with J.J. Watt and friends set to visit this week.

24. New York Giants (Last week: 22)
Well it was close to a win but that only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. The Giants had a great chance to seal the deal but couldn’t punch it in. Apparently, they might not have wanted to score but New York still failed to stop Tony Romo, even without Dez Bryant, on the ensuing game-winning drive. So that plan obviously failed.

25. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 21)
Drew Brees lit it up against a strong Cardinals defense. Unfortunately, he got no help from the ground game as they managed 54 yards on 20 attempts. And if someone figures out what happened to the 2013 Saints defense, tell Rob Ryan cause they have been reeling ever since.

26. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 25)
There wasn’t much more you could’ve asked for out of Johnny Manziel in his first appearance of 2015. He was thrown in mid game and provided a spark for the Browns offense. He showed off his playmaking ability and, regardless of Josh McCown’s health, should be the starter moving forward.

27. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 31)
Role out the welcome wagon for Marcus Mariota, who lobbed four touchdown passes in the first half and actually got to take a seat with his team dominating the game. The Titans got off to a good start and could move to 2-0 if they can dispatch the lowly Browns.

28. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 27)
Raiders fans were praying Derek Carr’s injury wasn’t serious. For once, the Football Gods didn’t punish Oakland as Carr looks set to play this weekend. However, after watching what Baltimore did to Peyton Manning, Carr might want to think about taking the week off.

29. Chicago Bears (Last week: 28)
Well Jay Cutler certainly played like…well himself. Completing only 50 percent of his passes and throwing the game-clinching interception definitely didn’t do much to improve his standing with the Bears’ faithful.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 29)
Jacksonville always seems like it is gearing up to finally turn the corner, but never actually succeeds in doing so. Blake Bortles was sacked 5 times and threw two picks. The offense still has a lot of work to do before they start wining games.

31. Washington (Last week: 32)
Washington moves up, but only due to Tampa’s inability to play football. Alfred Morris showed he came ready to play on Sunday but now Washington must welcome the upstart Rams sans DeSean Jackson.

32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 30)
It couldn’t have gotten much worse for Tampa. Perceived as the favorite in this match up of the two worst teams from a season ago, the Bucs were blown out of the water by Tennessee. For whatever it’s worth though, Brett Favre also threw a pick six on his first career passing attempt.