The Creight 8: NFL Week 3 Power Rankings
Week 3 of the 2022 NFL season, here we go! Week 2 gave fans some epic comebacks from the Jets, Dolphins, and Cardinals, as well as dominate performances from the Bills and Eagles on Monday Night Football. Who made this week’s version on The Creight 8?! Let’s take a look!
1. Buffalo Bills (2-0)
Not much needs to be said about why the Bills came in at the #1 spot this week. After Tennessee scored on their opening possession, Buffalo responded by scoring 34 consecutive points, blowing out the Titans 41-7. The game go so out-of-hand that Ryan Tannehill was benched with 3:49 left to go in the third quarter. The star of the game was Stefon Diggs, who hauled in 12 receptions for 148 yards and 3 TD’s. Although the health of All-Pro safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer will be something to monitor, the Bills are still the team to beat at this very moment.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0)
Jay Biggerstaff - USA Today Sports
With Thursday’s night win over the Chargers, the Chiefs improved to 2-0 for the fifth time in the last six seasons. The offense was nowhere near as dominate as they were in Week 1 however, as they punted the football a total of six times, as opposed to just two times in last week’s game against Arizona. The deciding play of the game came with 10:29 left in the fourth quarter. With the score tied, the Chargers were facing a 1st and goal from Kansas City six-yard line when Justin Herbert was intercepted by Chiefs’ cornerback Jaylen Watson, who returned the ball for a 99-yard touchdown, putting the Chiefs up 24-17. The Chiefs held on to win 27-24. With 10 days of rest, they will look to improve to 3-0 this weekend with a matchup in Indianapolis against a struggling Colts team.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (2-0)
Matt Rourke - AP
Place your Jalen Hurts MVP bets before it is too late. The third-year quarterback was dominate for the second week in a row, posting a stat line of 390 total yards and 3 TD’s. In what was expected to be one of the most competitive games of the week, the Eagles dominated the Vikings from start to finish, as they improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2016. After a monstrous Week 1 performance against the Packers, Justin Jefferson was held to just six catches for 48 yards. When guarded by Eagles cornerback Darius Slay, Jefferson only managed to secure one catch, while Slay came away with two interceptions. It may just be two weeks, but the Eagles look like the complete package, and quite possibly the best team in the NFC.
4. Miami Dolphins (2-0)
Out of all the comebacks we saw on Sunday, Miami’s might of been the craziest of them all. After trailing 35-14 heading into the fourth quarter, the Dolphins outscored the Ravens 28-3 to close out the game, including a seven-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle with 14 seconds left on the play clock. Waddle and Hill both had career games in the 42-38 victory, posting stat lines of 11/171/2 and 11/190/2. Tua Tagovailoa also had a career day, throwing for 469 yards and 6 TD’s. Since 2011, teams that were trailing by 21 or more in the fourth quarter were 0-711. With a home game this weekend against the Bills, the Dolphins will have a golden opportunity to show the world that Buffalo isn’t the only Super Bowl contender in the AFC East.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0)
It wasn’t pretty, but Tampa Bay managed to come out of New Orleans with a 20-10 victory. Tom Brady and the offense struggled all day long, scoring only three points through the first three quarters of the game. Tom Brady finished the day going 18-of-34 with 190 yards passing and one touchdown. The biggest disappointment of the Tampa Bay offense came from their receiving corp, as no receiver had more than three catches. Their running game was subpar as well, as Leonard Fournette rushed for just 65 yards on 24 carries.Tampa Bay’s defense came through though, holding the Saints to just 10 points and returning a Jameis Winston interception for a touchdown. It hasn’t been an ideal start to to the season for the Bucs, but Sunday’s game against Green Bay will be a great opportunity to get the offense clicking after two low-scoring games.
6. Los Angeles Chargers (1-1)
Although they didn’t come out Thursday’s night game with a W, the Chargers showed tremendous grit and determination against one of the best teams in the NFL. The turning point in the game was when Justin Herbert threw an interception on 1st-and-goal from the three-yard line, as Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson ran 99 yards to the end zone, scoring a touchdown and putting Kansas City up 24-17. The health of start quarterback Justin Herbert will be something to monitor moving forward, as Herbert appeared to have hurt his ribs after taking a hit from Chief defensive end Mike Danna. Even with a compromised Herbert, the Chargers are in great position to improve to 2-1 in Week 3 at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
7. Baltimore Ravens (1-1)
Heading into the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, the Ravens were making people question whether or not they were the best team in the NFL. Baltimore was dominating a strong Miami team in a contest that wasn’t even particularly close. The notion that Baltimore may be the best team in football was abruptly put to rest, as the team collapsed and lost the game 42-38. Baltimore was outscored 28-3 in the fourth quarter. Was the fourth quarter more about how strong and efficient Miami’s offense is, or was it more about how the Ravens took their foot off the gas and and couldn’t close out the game? Only time will tell, but even after Baltimore’s collapse in the fourth quarter, they still look like one of the best teams in the league, and rightfully deserve a spot in Week 3’s Creight 8. Lamar Jackson is playing some of the best football of his career, proving to everyone that he was worthy of hefty contract extension that many of his other quarterback peers received this offseason. Sunday’s game in New England will be a great indicator as to whether or not Baltimore’s fourth quarter collapse is a sign of what is to come, or if it was just a blimp on the radar.
8. New York Giants (2-0)
Sarah Stier - Getty Images
The Giants may not be better than every single one of the other 24 teams in the NFL that didn’t make Week 3’s Creight 8, but 2-0 is 2-0. After a monstrous game in Week 1, Saquon Barkley was quieter in Sunday’s game against Carolina, rushing for 72 yards on 21 carries without scoring a touchdown. The Giants offense was far from spectacular, but their defense stepped up, holding Baker Mayfield to just 145 passing yards. Christian McCaffrey managed to rush for 6.8 yards per rushing attempt, but he only rushed the ball a total of 15 times. With a Monday night home game against the Cowboys this weekend, the Giants have the opportunity to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2009.
Tune in next Wednesday for Week 4’s version of The Creight 8!
