2009 NFL Power Rankings: Week 3
Week:
![[+]](http://a.espncdn.com/community/widgets/i/add_widget_bug.jpg)
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.
• More: How we voted | Bloggers | Charts | SN: Rank 'em | Pick 'em | FB Today
[Editor's note: LW indicates each team's ranking in the Week 2 edition of the Power Rankings.]
| 2009 Power Rankings: Week 3 | ||||
| RK (LW) | TEAM | REC | COMMENT | |
 |
1 (10) | Ravens | 2-0-0 | They're balanced on offense and tough on defense. (Chadiha) |
 |
2 (3) | Giants | 2-0-0 | Mario Manningham might not be Plaxico Burress, but he's becoming an Eli Manning go-to guy. (Clayton) |
 |
3 (5) | Colts | 2-0-0 | The first of two back-to-back prime-time road games went just fine in Miami. (Kuharsky) |
 |
4 (7) | Falcons | 2-0-0 | 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 (8) | Vikings | 2-0-0 | So far, so good with Brett Favre in charge. (Chadiha) |
 |
6 (1) | Steelers | 1-1-0 | They have got to find a running game. (Chadiha) |
 |
7 (12) | Saints | 2-0-0 | 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 (16) | Jets | 2-0-0 | Rex Ryan has blitzed his way into first place in the AFC East. Division, beware. (Clayton) |
 |
9 (4) | Eagles | 1-1-0 | Kevin Kolb put up great passing numbers, but the Eagles can't fly without Donovan McNabb. (Clayton) |
 |
10 (2) | Patriots | 1-1-0 | Bill Belichick must go back to the drawing board for a November rematch against the Jets. (Clayton) |
 |
11 (6) | Chargers | 1-1-0 | Might that home loss to the Ravens become an outcome that places a playoff matchup in Baltimore? (Kuharsky) |
 |
12 (11) | Packers | 1-1-0 | Where was the Packers' pass protection (six sacks) and discipline (11 penalties) against the Bengals? (Chadiha) |
 |
13 (18) | 49ers | 2-0-0 | 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 (15) | Bears | 1-1-0 | The Bears need more of the Jay Cutler who showed up to beat the Steelers. (Chadiha) |
 |
15 (13) | Cowboys | 1-1-0 | Two problems don't go away: critical turnovers by Tony Romo and giving up big plays on defense. (Clayton) |
 |
16 (9) | Titans | 0-2-0 | Mistake-filled first two weeks are fueling those critics who predicted a big drop-off after a 13-3 season. (Kuharsky) |
 |
17 (23) | Texans | 1-1-0 | 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 (17) | Cardinals | 1-1-0 | 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 (19) | Dolphins | 0-2-0 | The Wildcat dominated the Colts but Miami lost the game by four. Maybe the "Cat" isn't that wild. (Clayton) |
 |
20 (24) | Broncos | 2-0-0 | Their two remaining games against the AFC North aren't likely to produce the same results their first two did. (Kuharsky) |
 |
21 (21) | Bills | 1-1-0 | He's lost two offensive tackles and an offensive coordinator, but Trent Edwards is hanging in there as a no-huddle quarterback. (Clayton) |
 |
22 (14) | Seahawks | 1-1-0 | 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 (20) | Redskins | 1-1-0 | Playing St. Louis and Detroit in back-to-back weeks is a gift that buys time for the offense to start clicking. (Clayton) |
 |
24 (26) | Bengals | 1-1-0 | This team would be 2-0 if it hadn't blown the final minute of its season opener. (Chadiha) |
 |
25 (22) | Panthers | 0-2-0 | Jake Delhomme was much better in Week 2, but his two-game pace works out to eight touchdown passes and 40 interceptions. (Sando) |
 |
26 (27) | Raiders | 1-1-0 | Better than many expected, but how long can they endure the poor play of JaMarcus Russell? (Kuharsky) |
 |
27 (25) | Jaguars | 0-2-0 | It's time for the rookie wide receivers to see some action and make some contributions for the struggling Jags. (Kuharsky) |
 |
28 (29) | Buccaneers | 0-2-0 | The Bucs have allowed 900 yards in their first two games. They even made the Bills look good. (Sando) |
 |
29 (28) | Browns | 0-2-0 | Two blowout losses to open the season don't bode well. (Chadiha) |
 |
30 (30) | Chiefs | 0-2-0 | Two turnovers, other miscues undid a lot of stat advantages in loss to Oakland. (Kuharsky) |
 |
31 (31) | Lions | 0-2-0 | Even with two defeats, they already seem better than last season. (Chadiha) |
 |
32 (32) | Rams | 0-2-0 | The Rams desperately need more punch from their passing game. Donnie Avery has been a nonfactor so far. (Sando) |
| Glossary |
| The rankings were determined by a poll of four voters on ESPN.com's NFL staff: writers John Clayton (AFC East, NFC East), Jeffri Chadiha (AFC North, NFC North), Paul Kuharsky (AFC South, AFC West), and Mike Sando (NFC South, NFC West). |
