The latest NFL power rankings are here following Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season. Another week of games brought major wins, disappointing losses, surprising performances, and plenty of movement across the league.
With three weeks now in the books, the NFL standings are beginning to take shape. Some teams have established themselves as legitimate contenders, while others have plenty of questions to answer heading into Week four.
Here are the updated NFL power rankings after Week three, including where every team stands heading into the next week of the season.
The Buffalo Bills improve to 3-0 and remain the top team in the NFL after their 24-16 victory over the Chargers.
The San Francisco 49ers jump to 3-0 after a high-scoring victory over the Cardinals. They put up 36 points, improving their average to 32.7 points a game.
The Minnesota Vikings soar up the rankings as they continue to establish themselves as one of the best defenses in the league. Justin Jefferson left Sunday’s game early with an injury, something to monitor heading into week four.
The Seattle Seahawks lost 33-31 to the Marcus Mariota-led Commanders. Their defense needs to be better if they plan on getting back to the Super Bowl in 2026.
The Baltimore Ravens jump back into the top-five after a Tyler Loop walk-off field goal against the Cowboys. They are comfortably the second-best team in the AFC right now.
The Chicago Bears went into Monday night with Case Keenum as their starting QB, but they were still dominant. They blew out the Eagles and showed just how talented this team truly is. They should be really scary when healthy.
The Denver Broncos seem to be getting it figured out on the offensive side of the ball. They completed a 30-26 comeback win over the Rams on Sunday night.
The Cincinnati Bengals dropped their week three matchup to the Steelers. Their offense is talented enough to keep them in the top ten, but their defense needs improvement if they want to keep winning games.
The Philadelphia Eagles suffered a bad loss to the Bears and QB3 Case Keenum. Their offensive line continues to be a story, and they need to find improvement in order to get Saquon Barkley and the run game going again.
The Los Angeles Rams have not lived up to the preseason hype that fans fell for. Maybe they bounce back when healthy, but for now they are on the edge of falling outside the top ten.
The Kansas City Chiefs got the job done against the Dolphins, and they look like they are on their way to being contenders once again. The addition of Kenneth Walker continues to come up big.
The Detroit Lions continue to find ways to win, but they have not been pretty. They could very realistically be 0-3 with close wins over the Saints and the Jets.
The Jacksonville Jaguars dominated the Patriots and elevated their stock in a major way. They continue to turn themselves into one of the best teams in the AFC.
The New England Patriots continue their steady drop down the rankings. Another poor showing next week could knock them out of the top 20.
The Las Vegas Raiders moved up to 3-0 with another victory on Sunday. It’s hard to move them too high on the rankings due to the lack of potential for the entire season, but this is a great run to open 2026.
The Dallas Cowboys lost to the Ravens on a last-second field goal in Brazil. Their defense continues to let them down in key moments, preventing their high-powered offense from having success.
The New York Giants are in some trouble for the remainder of the season, but they did pick up a win over the Titans on Sunday. Jameis Winston has played some really bad football since taking over for the injured Jaxson Dart.
The Washington Commanders defeated the Seahawks with backup QB Marcus Mariota starting. Their first win of the season bumps them up to 1-2 in 2026.
The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to pick up wins, including this week over the powerful offense of the Bengals. This could be the start of a major turn in the division.
The New Orleans Saints were unable to capitalize on the momentum they built early in the season, falling to the Raiders 35-27. They played one of the worst fourth quarters you could possibly play.
Thursday night was the first chance for the NFL world to see the Atlanta Falcons with Michael Penix at QB. The result was a really great offensive performance. If they continue to play the way they did in week three, they could be the favorites in the NFC South.
The Indianapolis Colts are a tough team to evaluate, but the offense does seem to have some life. They are averaging 24 points a game over the first three weeks of the season.
The Houston Texans dropped to 0-3 after their divisional loss to the Colts. Their previously elite defense has not shown up at all this season.
The Cleveland Browns came back with another victory, this time over the Panthers. Back-to-back wins are tough to ignore, but the question regarding the overall talent remains. How long can they keep up this momentum?
The Carolina Panthers suffered a loss to the Browns on Sunday in a poor performance all around. They still have a chance in the weak NFC South, but they need to play better to make any noise.
The Arizona Cardinals continue to show that their offense can be something good; they just haven’t done anything else right. They put up 30 points on the 49ers; their defense just gave up 36.
The Green Bay Packers probably deserve to be lower on this list than 27th, but that’s where they stand after an embarrassing week three performance. They were completely overmatched by the Falcons.
The New York Jets put up a great showing against the Detroit Lions, but ultimately came up short. Rookie TE Kenyon Sadiq had a breakout game; he’ll look to build on that heading into week four.
The Los Angeles Chargers continue their drop in the rankings as they fail to figure out their offense. They have too much talent to be this bad, a big-time surprise so far to open the season.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been a massive disappointment three weeks into 2026. They opened the season 03 and things don’t seem to be getting much better. Baker Mayfield is set to miss the next three weeks. Rookie QB Jalon Daniels will be the starter.
The Miami Dolphins stay at 31st in this edition of the power rankings following another loss to the Chiefs, dropping them to 0-3. Star RB De’Von Achane suffered a torn ACL in the contest, ending his season.
The Tennessee Titans are the worst team in the NFL as things currently stand after week three. They lost to the Giants with Jameis Winston at QB and were only able to put up seven points on offense.
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