Three weeks in the books, written in stone, and behind us. Let’s take a look at each team broken down and ranked according to their current record. Be prepared for some serious dramatic and questionable takes and remember this: it’s just one girl’s opinion.

3-0 Teams

1. Miami Dolphins

Week 3 Reaction: Continuing to impress.

The deciding factor in the ranking between the only two remaining undefeated teams was strength of schedule. I believe that the teams who Miami has beaten up to this point are more talented than the teams Philadelphia has played. Not to mention, the Fins have won in three different ways over these first few weeks: they handily beat the Patriots week one, came back to beat the Ravens week two, and powered through a close one with the Bills week three. These three differing, but undeniably impressive victories showcase this dynamic Dolphins team and prop them up above the Eagles.

Let’s just hope the team starts to take Tua’s health into consideration.

(Note: I wrote this before Thursday night’s game where Tua got his second apparent concussion in less than a week. I was thoroughly disappointed in the Dolphins organization for allowing Tua to both come back into the game on Sunday and play in this primetime match up on only four days of rest. They need to be held accountable for the injuries that he sustained and the damage that has been done. I expect better from the staff and from the NFL when it comes to protecting these players not only from the violence of the game, but from their own flawed decision making when it comes to playing with an injury).

2. Philadelphia Eagles

Week 3 Reaction: Go Birds!

Damn, I love watching this team play football. The defense looks strong, the receivers are balling out, there seem to be a dozen different people running the ball, and Jalen Hurts is putting up MVP numbers. The Eagles look better than they have in quite some time and have the second easiest schedule in 2022 according to Vegas oddsmakers. With so much going their way, it is hard not to imagine the birds making some noise in the playoffs this year. The question is whether or not their relatively cushy schedule will prepare them for the hard-fought playoff games that lie ahead.

On a side note: it’s crazy to think that the quarterbacks anchoring the final two undefeated teams were once on the same team at Alabama. And speaking of Bama, shout out to DeVonta Smith for being amazing and an inspiration to all the smaller athletes out there who have been doubted because of their size.

2-1 Teams

1. Buffalo Bills

Week 3 Reaction: Shake this one off.

Let’s cut through all the bullshit for a moment and acknowledge the simple fact that the Bills messed up at the end of the game on Sunday. They weren’t humming in the way we had been used to seeing them during the entirety of the game, but when things were within reach, they messed it up.

The reason, in my mind, is that this team is not comfortable coming from behind. The Bills are a team that is used to winning and when they win, they win big. In games that are close, however, this team struggles to carry out the strategy of a competitive football game. Since Josh Allen took over as quarterback for this team, they have gone 12-15 in games decided by one possession or less. More staggering is the fact that last season the team was 0-6 in these games.

To call yourselves a winning team, you must be able to win all types of games. While I still believe that the Bills are Super Bowl favorite juggernauts, I am interested to see how they handle tight games going forward.

2. Baltimore Ravens

Week 3 Reaction: Lamar Jackson, we are not worthy!

As a fan of the team who lost to the Ravens this week, I am here to tell you that this is a good football team. Their defense isn’t what it used to be, that’s undeniable, but Lamar Jackson is looking as good as ever running and throwing the ball. Like I mentioned week one, the multi-faceted offense that this team has been showing off this season is more than impressive, it’s scary.

3. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 3 Reaction: Not looking like the Chiefs we are used to seeing.

Dropped touchdown passes, fights with coaches, losing to a winless team? Are we sure these are the Kansas City Chiefs?

Unfortunately for them, they only have themselves to blame on this one. With so much success over the past few seasons, NFL fans both devoted and casual have become used to a certain standard of football from this team. It’s true that there were some changes to the offense that once seemed unstoppable and that their high profile losses have been closely dissected. We could probably cut the Chiefs some slack. But like I said, their recent successes make that a difficult thing to do. We expect greatness from Mahomes and his team, anything less will start to bring questions of trouble brewing in KC to the surface.

Following this loss, week four against the Bucs means more than it did before. And it already meant a lot.

4. Los Angeles Rams

Week 3 Reaction: Won the game, but didn’t win me over.

I really don’t know what to say about the Rams right now. They look good, but not great. They are winning, but not impressing. It’s almost like they are a watered down version of the team they were last year. Things need to improve in LA if the Rams want to make waves this season.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 3 Reaction: The Jaguars might actually be good.

We all knew Urban Meyer was a terrible NFL coach, but I don’t think any of us realized just how bad he was until now. For this team to fail so spectacularly under his leadership is alarming considering they just went into LA and beat the Chargers.

It’s true that this isn’t the same Jaguars team or the same Chargers team we are used to dealing with. Nevertheless, Trevor Lawrence and company looked like something we haven’t seen out of Jacksonville in some time on Sunday: they looked like a good, competitive football team. After years of feeling relief when you saw the Jaguars on your team’s schedule, the winds are changing. Let’s hope these guys can keep up the good work, because they are fun to watch when they play like they did on Sunday.

6. Green Bay Packers

Week 3 Reaction: Fool me twice, shame on me.

I suppose I should have seen this coming. They did it last year and they have done it again. After looking truly horrendous week one, the Packers have started to look like the playoff bound football team we have come to know them as over the years. Rodgers beat Brady, Lazard is back, and their defense is humming. This isn’t something that teams in the NFC are happy to see, but it does feel like a comforting familiarity as so much is changing across the league.

7. Dallas Cowboys

Week 3 Reaction: Defense wins games.

Cooper Rush is 3-0 as a starter for the Dallas Cowboys. You didn’t read that wrong. The past two weeks Dallas has done something that I wasn’t expecting: they banded together as a team and brought their all. Their passion and teamwork born from losing their starting quarterback is something all fans want to see our of their team following a setback. The Cowboys have delivered in the form of a double-decker defense and formidable run game.

Will there be another quarterback controversy in Dallas? I doubt it, but I love the fact that people are even asking that question.

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 3 Reaction: Something looks off in Tampa.

I am not impressed with what I have seen from Tom Brady and his Tampa teammates thus far. I acknowledge that they are very injured on offense and have been stepping up when needed on defense, but something else is going on with them that I can’t quite put my finger on.

With an upcoming primetime game against the Chiefs, the stakes are high and I’m not sure that getting back their wide receivers will fix what’s wrong with this team.

9. Cleveland Browns

Week 3 Reaction: Things are looking up?

This Browns team is all over the place. They are out here barely beating the Panthers, losing to the Jets, and handily beating the Steelers. I’m not exactly sure what to make of them, but I will say that after Thursday night’s performance I am much more impressed with this team than I was expecting to be. Jacoby Brissett is playing very well considering the circumstances, Amari Cooper looks better than he did during most of his tenure in Dallas, Nick Chubb continues to be one of the most dependable and exciting RB’s in the league, and their defense is trending positive. Maybe all is not lost.

Unfortunately for the Browns, their biggest test will be playing without their best defensive starter this week. Myles Garrett was the latest victim of the Brown’s bad luck streak when he was involved in a single-car crash this week. He and his passenger were thankfully okay following the accident. That being said, I would be surprised if he doesn’t miss time for the injuries he sustained. We’ll see if he plays and, if he doesn’t, how much his absence effects his team’s ability to win.

10. Minnesota Vikings

Week 3 Reaction: Sounds about right.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a week after Kirk Cousins choked in yet another primetime game, the Vikings came back to win a game against their divisional opponents. This Vikings team is a lot of things, but unpredictable is not one of them. If this pattern continues, don’t be surprised to see the Viks go 4-4 through the next two months of the season.

11. New York Giants

Week 3 Reaction: At the end of the day, the ball is in the hands of Daniel Jones.

There are a few teams this season that are being held back by their quarterback. Unfortunately for the New York Giants, they are one of these teams. Daniel Jones is simply not the guy who is going to lead your team to victory enough times and in enough different ways to bring this team to the playoffs. It’s really a shame too considering just how exciting the play of Saquon Barkley has been this season.

I don’t want to write the Giants off just yet though. Earlier I mentioned that the Eagles have the second easiest schedule this season, you know who has the number one easiest? That’s right boys and girls: the New York Giants. Even though he is definitely not “the guy” by any stretch, this might be the exact environment that Daniel Jones needs to make something happen for the G-men this season.

12. Chicago Bears

Week 3 Reaction: How is this team above .500?

I would just like to point out that Justin Fields has a passer rating of 50 so far this season. That is currently the lowest in the league among active quarterbacks and less than that of Trey Lance. That’s it, that’s all I have to say.

13. Denver Broncos

Week 3 Reaction: HOW?!

I fell asleep before the end of this game on Sunday night. I was tired from a busy weekend, but mostly the game was boring. Though it might be harsh, this has been the case for all of the Broncos games this season. So when I woke up the next morning and saw that somehow Denver managed to win this game, I was shocked to say the least.

It is insane to me that the Broncos are 2-1 when teams like the Chargers, Raiders, Bengals, and Titans aren’t. Nothing about the performances of this team thus far has inspired any bit of confidence in me. They have a strong defense that keeps them in games and Courtland Sutton has nicely shifted into the WR1 role, but that is it for the bright spots. The coaching is bad, the quarterbacking is disappointing, and the run game is barely there. I don’t know what else to say besides “I can’t believe this is happening.”

1-2 Teams

1. Los Angeles Chargers

Week 3 Reaction: Back to normal.

This is the Chargers team that I am used to. While they showed a lot of promise in their first two games, injuries caught up with the team in week three. Joey Bosa and Keenan Allen are both out, the former needing surgery before he will return, and Herbert looks like a shadow of himself after suffering a rib injury. It is very early in the season to be down key players, but I suppose it’s better to lose players early and give them time to get healthy as opposed to losing players to injuries while fighting for the playoffs later in the season.

What does all this mean? This means it’s time for some classic Chargers football: close games that ultimately end in a loss, playing fantastic or terrible with no in-between, and staying frisky until the end only to miss the playoffs.

I was hoping things would be different this year, but with the tides changing the way they are it looks like it we are in for more of the same from the Chargers.

2. Cincinnati Bengals

Week 3 Reaction: They’re back.

This is just what the doctor ordered for the Bengals. After losing their first two games, the Bengals were served a “get right game” on a silver platter in the form of a match up with the New York Jets. Finally, they showed up. By “they” I mean that rag-tag team of players who brought themselves to the Super Bowl last year. The grit, the talent, the energy, the swag, it was all there. It’s good to have you back Bengals, let’s see if you can keep the ball rolling this Thursday against the undefeated Fins.

3. Tennessee Titans

Week 3 Reaction: Top of the mid-tier teams.

If the Titans keep playing the way they did against the Raiders this week, I believe they will plant themselves as the top mid-tier team. What do I mean by this? It’s simple, I mean that they will beat teams worse than them and lose to teams better than them. I don’t anticipate this to be an exciting season for the Titans save some thrilling runs by Derrick Henry. Though, with a division like theirs, a boring season could mean the playoffs. It’s not the worst deal in the world.

4. Detroit Lions

Week 3 Reaction: Staying frisky.

It’s true that this Lions team feels like the same team we have seen for the last three or four seasons. They are a team who is always in games, but always falling short. In the same way that the Chargers and Browns are comfortable with this level of spectacular failure on a franchise level, the Lions have also adopted a numbness to it. But there is hope. This team won a game already this year. A game they would usually lose. They have one of the most talented rosters they have had in years. The potential is all there. Whether or not they take advantage of this potential still remains to be seen. What I do know for sure is this: this Lions team is frisky as heck and will put up a fight no matter who they play. They make losing look good.

5. Arizona Cardinals

Week 3 Reaction: Unsure.

Let’s file the Cardinals under the category of: I don’t know what to make of this team. They have played three games against three talented teams, but only managed to squeeze out a victory in one. Trying to figure out what to make of this team in Arizona is made even more difficult by the fact that they weren’t really expected to win the two games they lost. Are the Cardinals exactly what we expect them to be? I guess we will have to wait and see.

6. New England Patriots

Week 3 Reaction: Now what?

Ugh. I now understand the pain that Eagles fans felt at the hands of Nelson Agholor. The game felt out of reach, but somehow we dug up some hope and started to make things happen…until Nelson let the ball slide right out of his hands. The pick, the catches by DaVante Parker, the momentum, they were all for naught once that ball left his hands.

Oh yeah, and Mac got hurt. So that stinks. Again I say, “ugh”.

It wasn’t all “ugh” though. We stayed in this game, our defense played better than I was expecting, and our run game looked threatening as ever. With a healthy Mac Jones – and, let’s be honest, a more accurate one – this Patriots team will not be easy for anyone to beat this season. Except the Bills…I am not looking forward to playing them.

7. San Francisco 49ers

Week 3 Reaction: Should we start to panic?

This was not what the 49ers wanted to see following an emotional win last week. You wanted to see the team unite together behind Jimmy G, to see the defense play like we know they are capable of playing, to see Kittle make his thundering season debut. But all we really saw was a team that struggled to stay in a game against one of the most boring football teams I have ever seen. It’s not a good look for the 49ers, in fact it might have been a bad look. They have some work to do if they want to compete seriously for their division this year.

On the bright side? Week four sees the Niners taking on their divisional rivals the Rams. If we have learned one thing from this very competitive division over the past few years it’s that no matter how bad the Niners are or how good the Rams are, San Fran usually manage to win. It’s a tradition like no other when these coaches face off, I’m excited to see how this year’s first battle of California goes.

8. Atlanta Falcons

Week 3 Reaction: Promising, but not there yet.

This might be a really bad take, but I am gonna throw it out into the world anyway: I think this is the best the Atlanta Falcons have played since their record-breaking Super Bowl appearance season. It is definitely a low bar since the team has basically been hot garbage since then, but still. I am impressed with what I am seeing from this team and excited to see where they continue to grow. There defense could use some work, but their offense looks like the beginning of something special. They aren’t there yet, but they are surely on their way.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 3 Reaction: No longer fighting for the division.

It’s been slowly happening for a few years now, but I think we can officially call it what it is. After nearly a decade of prominence, the Pittsburgh Steelers are no longer an AFC super power. They aren’t even a AFC North super power. Their fall from grace has been slow, but it is time to officially acknowledge it.

12. Washington Commanders

Week 3 Reaction: Another quarterback who is holding his team back.

What can I say that I haven’t already said about this team? I won’t say much, I promise you that. The simple reality is that we are watching highly talented wide receiving corps’ potential be wasted at the hands of Carson Wentz.

10. Carolina Panthers

Week 3 Reaction: Let’s not get too excited about this team just yet.

If I were a Carolina Panthers fan, I would probably be a little excited about things following the team’s victory over the Saints this past Sunday. I would be excited even though I would know deep down that I shouldn’t be. This was a very beat up Saints team who doesn’t carry nearly as much clout as they used to. Put bluntly: it’s not very awe-inspiring to beat them.

In order to get me genuinely excited about this team a few things have to happen. First, Baker Mayfield needs to find his rhythm. It’s something we know he is capable of, but have yet to see in a Panther’s jersey. Secondly, Christian McCaffery needs to start playing like the guy that made fantasy owners want to get his face tattooed on their body again. And finally, they need a new coach. Let’s all take a hard look in the mirror and say it together: “Matt Rhule is a terrible NFL coach.”

11. Seattle Seahawks

Week 3 Reaction: Not their year.

Though we are only three games into the season and it might seem dramatic to say this, I think the Seahawks season is already written in stone and it will end in the regular season.

12. New Orleans Saints

Week 3 Reaction: Yikes.

This can’t be what Saints fans were hoping for this year, but it also can’t be far off what they knew in their hearts to be possible. Jameis Winston is an incredibly fun personality who provides me with endless entertainment…off the field. His on field antics are also funny, but not if you are cheering for the team whose jersey he dons. On top of his lack of elite-quarterbacking, we have the injuries that just keep stacking up for this team.

Things don’t look good for New Orleans right now and I would be surprised to see them get out of this season above .500.

13. New York Jets

Week 3 Reaction: Nothing new to see here.

This is what I am used to from the Jets. They are the perfect palate cleanser on the schedule for a team who needs an easy win. With some promising talent and a comical amount of pass attempts from Joe Flacco, this team isn’t dead in the water. But they aren’t exactly making waves either.

The big news coming out of the Jets’ camp is that Zach Wilson is likely to come back next week. Is this good news or bad news? It depends. For some that might bring a glimmer of hope, but it makes me wonder how many fantasy points the Steelers defense will rack up.

Everyone Else

1. Las Vegas Raiders

Week 3 Reaction: The Raiders are having a bit of an identity crisis.

The Raiders have been in every single game they have played. They have – at times – looked more impressive than they did at their best last season. At other times though, they have looked like they are in serious need of some better coaching, quarterbacking, and general football playing. The result of all this inconsistency is the Raiders being the only team in the NFL to be 3-0. I don’t think this makes them the worst team, but it definitely doesn’t make them the best. For now they will just have to settle for being the best of the worst until they finally decide to just chose a damn side.

2. Indianapolis Colts

Week 3 Reaction: Was this a fluke or the real thing?

Sunday’s victory over the Chiefs shocked me to my very core. Rewind back to the preseason and I would have told you I believed that a Matt Ryan led Colts squad could beat the Chiefs. But after two disastrous performances in the regular season, I had completely given up hope. Now I am left to wonder which Colts are the true Colts. Are they really capable of beating any team in the NFL or were they simply having a lucky day?

In the coming weeks with games against the Titans, Broncos, and Jaguars we will get to see which version of this Colts team was the fluke and which version is their true selves.

3. Houston Texans

Week 3 Reaction: It’s not looking like it will be a fun year to be a Texans fan.

After years of being the best team in the worst division and consistency making the playoffs with hilariously mediocre records, the Texans have done nothing but sink down. At the moment they have a decent quarterback, but little else going in their favor. You know what else isn’t going in their favor? Their strength of schedule. According to Sharp Football Analysis, the Texans have the fifth most difficult schedule this year. Considering their struggles thus far, that isn’t exactly comforting news.