We are three weeks into the 2026 NFL Season, and it’s time for some early-season NFL Power Rankings. This early, it can be hard to tell who’s actually good, but we can certainly do some judging based on the limited gameplay we’ve seen so far.
At this point, we really should just stop caring about the 49ers injury bug, because it never seems to matter. Kyle Shanahan always seems to pull something out of his hat to get the Niners back on track, and they have started this season off strong behind Brock Purdy.
Was Eric Bieniemy the missing piece for the Chiefs? It certainly looks like it through the first three weeks. That, or maybe the fact that they finally have a dominant running back to take some work off of Patrick Mahomes. Bieniemy and Kenneth Walker have been exactly what Kansas City has needed.
The Josh Allen show continues, and the defense is suspect. In other words, what else is new? The offense puts up huge point totals, but they have yet to have a really easy win, because the other team is right on their tail.
Brian Flores loves to torture opposing quarterbacks, and he has done so in every game so far. They have gone 3-0 without Kyler Murray for two of those games, but you don’t need a ton from the QB spot when your defense is hunting, as Minnesota’s has been.
Liam Coen has gotten the best out of Trevor Lawrence in his tenure as head coach of the Jaguars. They have started off the season with some eye-popping performances on offense, even with a loss to Denver. Their defense has been up to the challenge so far as well.
The Seahawks were shocked by the Commanders this week, but I don’t think that cheapens what they’ve done over the past year. Sam Darnold made some crucial mistakes. This is still a very well-coached team that has high aspirations.
We’ve been saying for years that Baltimore can be as electric as it comes when it finds consistency on offense. The dual threat of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry strikes fear into opposing defenses.
Definitely the most shocking undefeated team is Las Vegas. Many predicted them to be towards the bottom of the league, and they may very well finish that way, but right now they are playing great. Kirk Cousins has been fantastic, and the defense has shown up when it matters.
Denver has had one of the toughest schedules to start the season, and they have handled it pretty well. After being dispatched by the Chiefs pretty easily in Week 1, they’ve come back and beat two very good teams, the Jaguars and Rams.
The Bears under Ben Johnson are a lot of fun, especially if you take out that game when they only scored three points. He can even run a deadly offense with QB3 Case Keenum at the helm. It might be tough when they play good defenses, but you just might see a play you’ve never seen before.
The heavy Super Bowl favorites have limped to a 1-2 start after a tough Week 1 in Australia. They came back and dominated the Giants, only to lose again to Denver. For a team that has so much experience, consistency looks to be a significant issue.
The Lions’ defense is an issue. They have been unable to stop opposing receivers from racking up yards and touchdowns through three weeks. Fortunately, Jahmyr Gibbs leads their explosive offense.
The Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy duo is back, and it seems to be clicking relatively well so far. An impressive win against the Bengals highlights the season to this point.
It will be interesting to see how the Bengals can respond after their first loss, as their two wins came against teams that are currently 0-3. The defense needs to be better to help out Joe Burrow and the offense.
Philly was looking solid before getting embarrassed by a Case Keenum-led Bears on Monday night. Their wins were over Tennessee and Washington, so they’ll need to prove they can beat the good teams.
The Saints have really impressed me to start the season. I had them as a much improved team from a year ago, especially how they finished the 2025 season. They have two losses but have been in every game against some very good teams.
Dallas was shocked by Baltimore in Brazil, but they’ve been exciting to watch early in the season. Brian Schottenheimer clearly has the team bought in, and they’re playing with some thunder. The defense needs to step up its game a bit and not let the efforts of Dak Prescott go to waste.
This Giants team doesn’t have a very clear identity without Jaxson Dart on the field, as he led the charge on the headfirst dive approach that is their mindset. They are currently 2-1, but with Dart out indefinitely and the QB room up in the air, I don’t expect a ton going forward.
After a week one that had fans calling for Deshaun Watson’s head, he has remarkably come out and led the Browns to two straight wins. Against the better judgment of many, including me, he has started to gain a little bit of optimism among the Browns faithful.
The Cardinals are another team that has surprised a lot of people early on. They were thought to be terrible, but they have held their own against some very good ball clubs to start. Jacoby Brissett is earning his way so far.
The Colts played in shootouts with both Baltimore and Kansas City to start, but came up short in both. They hung on to beat Houston in week three, and have an easier stretch coming up. They will need to win those games to start to inspire any confidence.
Carolina is probably the biggest enigma so far. They have been on both sides of a blowout, and then had a close game against Cleveland. A tough team to figure out because each game has looked completely different.
Drake Maye looks like a problem. That is the worst-case scenario for the Patriots, who relied heavily on their star QB last season en route to a Super Bowl appearance. He has faltered early and often, turning the ball over with concerning frequency.
This team clearly has a little bit of juice, as it’s coming off a signature win against Seattle. Its losses have also been close. But with Jayden Daniels out for what looks like a while, I don’t have a ton of confidence that they can keep scoring with teams behind Marcus Mariota.
After a revolving door at QB to start the season, Michael Penix Jr. might have stabilized the room with his performance against the Packers. Health will be a key component for him, but I would guess he will stay the starter if he keeps performing like that.
Geno Smith has played very well to start his second stint with the Jets, and that seems to be the main thing that has propelled them to look somewhat ok. Take it with a grain of salt, though, as their only win was against the lowly Titans.
The Packers have looked flat out of the gate, thanks to one of the worst offensive lines I’ve ever seen. If they can’t clean that up, Jordan Love might not survive the season, and it’s looking dark in Green Bay early.
Their defense saved them in a few games last season, but it hasn’t been able to do so thus far in 2026. They have not been able to muster consistent offensive performances, and CJ Stroud is being called into question more and more.
It’s been all about excuses for Justin Herbert and the Chargers, and for the most part, they have been legitimate. The offensive line, coaching staff, and defense have been bad in past years. This year, they brought in Mike McDaniel to supercharge Herbert, who has fallen flat.
Todd Bowles has perhaps the hottest seat in the NFL. The Buccaneers should compete in a weak NFC South, but they have looked terrible early. The injury to Baker Mayfield only compounds things
Cam Ward has played sloppy football since his time at Miami. His talent has let him get away with that for a while, but against NFL defenses, he has graded out awful. QB is the most important position in the league, and Tennessee needs Ward to develop quickly.
I am taking into account the injury to De’Von Achane, who looked to be the most impactful player on the Dolphins coming into the season. They have really shown nothing of note in their first few games.
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