# #3: Bengals, Chiefs climb; Bears, Buccaneers plummet

An episode of [NFL: The Insiders](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1543090622), 23 Sep 2026, 25 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/f657ddcd-6c20-4af8-bbd7-aed70108edb8/e3dcd25a-3320-4998-9162-b4ce00af6e35/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=3e412703-0644-468e-9001-ae390070e4db

After week-2 of the NFL season finished, Colleen Wolfe and Nick Shook are here to deliver the latest NFL power rankings. How far should the Chiefs and Bengals jump after their 2-0 starts? Should the Ravens and Eagles be concerned and what the heck is happening with the Chargers? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:04] Speaker 1: NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in
[0:07] Speaker 1: partnership with iHeart Radio.
[0:17] Speaker 2: Welcome to NFL Power Rankings for week three. I'm Colleen
[0:20] Speaker 2: Wolfe here with the man that puts the power behind
[0:23] Speaker 2: the rankings. It is Nick Schuch. Let's take a look
[0:27] Speaker 2: at teams one through eight here. The top two teams,
[0:31] Speaker 2: they remain unchanged. You have the Seahawks and the Bills. Then, okay,
[0:35] Speaker 2: the Bengals quietly moving up. The Chiefs not so quietly
[0:39] Speaker 2: up six spots. Then you have the Ravens, the Broncos
[0:42] Speaker 2: who remain unchanged. The Niners up two and the Rams
[0:45] Speaker 2: at number eight. Down one spot. Okay, we'll get into that.
[0:51] Speaker 2: But let's start with the top. The Seahawks, they remain unchanged.
[0:55] Speaker 2: And why are they not? Why aren't the Bills here?
[0:58] Speaker 2: Why did you decide to keep the Seahawks up top?
[1:01] Speaker 3: I think as of right now, the Seahawks are the
[1:02] Speaker 3: most complete team in football. And you can just look
[1:05] Speaker 3: at their statistical rankings through two weeks. It's essentially second
[1:08] Speaker 3: in defense, 12th in offense. You're looking at Buffalo second
[1:10] Speaker 3: in offense.
[1:10] Speaker 4: But 28th in defense. Seattle put together a complete performance.
[1:14] Speaker 3: Against the Arizona Cardinals, where it was a 7-7 game,
[1:17] Speaker 3: and then suddenly it was a complete blowout. And they
[1:19] Speaker 3: absolutely dominated the Cardinals in the second half with their
[1:22] Speaker 3: suffocating style of play, including a 10-minute scoring drive to
[1:25] Speaker 3: end this game.
[1:26] Speaker 4: That's just exerting your will on an opponent.
[1:28] Speaker 3: And I know it's the Cardinals, but through two weeks,
[1:30] Speaker 3: nobody has looked better and more like themselves as we
[1:32] Speaker 3: knew last year.
[1:33] Speaker 4: Than the reigning champions, the Seattle Seahawks.
[1:35] Speaker 2: And that is without their starting quarterback, Sam Darnold. They
[1:38] Speaker 2: have Drew Locke in there, so they look okay without Darnold.
[1:41] Speaker 2: But JSN, 9 for 155, three touchdowns. They would not
[1:46] Speaker 2: be okay if they lost their top wide receiver, even
[1:49] Speaker 2: though they have lost their top quarterback. I think they
[1:51] Speaker 2: have one of the best backup quarterbacks in the entire league,
[1:55] Speaker 2: and they have this defense and identity that kind of
[1:58] Speaker 2: travels as well with them right now. But I think
[2:01] Speaker 2: you might hear it from Bills fans.
[2:02] Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm fine with that.
[2:04] Speaker 3: And Drew Locke fans are going to love to hear
[2:06] Speaker 3: that they may have one of the best backup quarterbacks
[2:07] Speaker 3: in the NFL. I'm not ready to go that far yet,
[2:09] Speaker 3: but I will say that they've been very prepared. for emergency,
[2:13] Speaker 3: in case of emergency, break the glass situation, and they've
[2:15] Speaker 3: done well so far.
[2:16] Speaker 2: Okay, let's move to the Bills at number two, and
[2:19] Speaker 2: what a way to christen Highmark Stadium. Josh Allen, five
[2:23] Speaker 2: total touchdowns in this game. They scored on five of
[2:27] Speaker 2: their first six possessions. James Cook ran for 135 yards.
[2:31] Speaker 2: Let's talk about the Bills here.
[2:33] Speaker 4: All right.
[2:33] Speaker 3: Well, I mean, Buffalo, we know their offense is fantastic.
[2:36] Speaker 3: We know Josh Allen is the X Factor. He was
[2:37] Speaker 3: my MVP pick to start the season.
[2:39] Speaker 4: He's looking like it so far. So we're excited about that.
[2:43] Speaker 3: But there are a little bit of concerns about their defense,
[2:44] Speaker 3: as I kind of alluded to earlier, which is that, look,
[2:47] Speaker 3: I understand that you were able to win a game
[2:49] Speaker 3: on the road against Houston in week one, but you
[2:50] Speaker 3: gave up 31 points.
[2:52] Speaker 4: And you end up giving a ton of points up
[2:53] Speaker 4: to the Lions even though you were basically just outrunning them,
[2:56] Speaker 4: outscoring them.
[2:57] Speaker 3: That's a great strategy when you have a player like
[2:59] Speaker 3: Josh Allen in such a multiple and diverse offense, but
[3:02] Speaker 3: I am concerned if they run into a team that
[3:03] Speaker 3: can't keep up with them, how do they counter that?
[3:05] Speaker 3: As of now, though, They are one of the strongest
[3:07] Speaker 3: teams so far.
[3:08] Speaker 4: That's why they still sit at number two.
[3:09] Speaker 2: Okay. And they have the Chargers coming up next week.
[3:13] Speaker 2: So we'll see if their defense can get right here
[3:16] Speaker 2: in this game. Let's go to your number three team.
[3:19] Speaker 2: The Bengals up one spot. The Bengals in the top three.
[3:23] Speaker 2: This is interesting. So no 49ers here. I feel like
[3:26] Speaker 2: some Niners fans might have something to say about that.
[3:28] Speaker 4: But.
[3:28] Speaker 2: With the Bengals, this defensive transformation, the defense generated 27
[3:33] Speaker 2: pressures on 62 dropbacks. They held Houston without a touchdown.
[3:38] Speaker 2: That was a massive streak, ending Cincinnati's 65-game streak of
[3:42] Speaker 2: allowing at least one touchdown. Tell me why you have
[3:45] Speaker 2: them at three.
[3:46] Speaker 4: First off, 65 games is insane. 65 games.
[3:47] Speaker 3: It's absolutely insane. But they also did a great job
[3:50] Speaker 3: against the Houston Texans offense. C.J. Stroud was moving the
[3:53] Speaker 3: ball up and down the field, but they just couldn't
[3:54] Speaker 3: finish drives because that Bengals defense bend but do not break. And,
[3:58] Speaker 3: you know, if you look back to week one, all
[3:59] Speaker 3: the forced fumbles against the Buccaneers, you thought, they can't
[4:01] Speaker 3: do that every week. That's like a miraculous Sunday for them,
[4:04] Speaker 3: recovering all four of those. Oh, no, we're just going
[4:06] Speaker 3: to instead hold a team that scored 31 in week
[4:08] Speaker 3: two or in week one to six points in week two.
[4:11] Speaker 4: I thought that, look, this is a tough matchup for
[4:13] Speaker 4: the Bengals.
[4:14] Speaker 3: They didn't find a lot of consistent success offensively, but
[4:17] Speaker 3: they struck on big plays throughout this game.
[4:19] Speaker 4: Jamar Chase helps out.
[4:20] Speaker 2: A lot with that. Yeah, so they're 2-0. Their offense
[4:22] Speaker 2: still is kind of, it's imperfect right now, but the
[4:25] Speaker 2: defense is holding up their end of the bargain. Now
[4:27] Speaker 2: they have Pittsburgh next Sunday. How are you feeling about
[4:32] Speaker 2: Cincinnati's ascending pass rush against Pittsburgh?
[4:35] Speaker 3: Oh, I'm very worried for the Steelers because they had
[4:37] Speaker 3: a very hard time against the New England Patriots. His
[4:39] Speaker 3: defense is just not at the level that Cincinnati is
[4:41] Speaker 3: playing at right now. And Cincinnati just beat one of
[4:43] Speaker 3: the best defensive teams, at least in terms of reputation,
[4:45] Speaker 3: in Houston.
[4:46] Speaker 4: I think the Bengals are going to be moving to
[4:47] Speaker 4: 3-0 next week.
[4:48] Speaker 1: Oh, all right.
[4:49] Speaker 2: Let's talk about the Chiefs, who went from 10 to
[4:52] Speaker 2: now 4. Patrick Mahomes and the offense, they looked unstoppable.
[4:57] Speaker 2: Travis Kelsey had nine catches, 101 yards, and a score.
[5:01] Speaker 2: Kenneth Walker once again running all over the place. So
[5:05] Speaker 2: is it safe to say that Kansas City's offense is back?
[5:08] Speaker 4: It is because Patrick Mahomes is back.
[5:11] Speaker 3: Even from week one to week two, he looked so
[5:13] Speaker 3: much better in his movement, in his confidence, and, of course,
[5:15] Speaker 3: his throwing ability. He delivered a handful of strikes that
[5:18] Speaker 3: were just beautiful in this game. I know it was
[5:20] Speaker 3: a high-scoring game. I know that the Colts took them
[5:22] Speaker 3: to the wire in overtime. But I'm so pleased with
[5:25] Speaker 3: what I've seen from this Chiefs offense, which is balanced.
[5:27] Speaker 3: For the first time in years, it's not just Patrick
[5:29] Speaker 3: Mahomes find a way to move the chains on third down,
[5:31] Speaker 3: whether it's with your feet, with you extending plays and
[5:34] Speaker 3: completing passes. No, we can lean on Kenneth Walker. I
[5:36] Speaker 3: am a little worried about their usage for Kenneth Walker.
[5:38] Speaker 3: He's on track to have well over 400 touches this season.
[5:41] Speaker 3: That's really not sustainable. No. But as of now, it's
[5:44] Speaker 3: working out well for them, and it's making defending them
[5:47] Speaker 3: very difficult for opposing defenses.
[5:48] Speaker 2: Yeah, and after going 1-9 in one-score games last season,
[5:52] Speaker 2: they won its first such game in 2026, so they're
[5:55] Speaker 2: back on the right track. And what a gift, their
[5:57] Speaker 2: first road game of the season is against 0-2 Miami.
[6:00] Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, schedule makers did them a favor. I
[6:03] Speaker 3: would like to hope. that this is not the one
[6:06] Speaker 3: win in the 1-9 record that the Chiefs.
[6:07] Speaker 4: Had last year in those one-score games. I'm feeling good
[6:09] Speaker 4: right now.
[6:09] Speaker 2: Okay, we love that. Okay, Shook, let's go to the Ravens,
[6:14] Speaker 2: who are down two spots. And how worried are you
[6:18] Speaker 2: about the squad after they've stumbled to the Saints? Because
[6:21] Speaker 2: they led at halftime behind Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry,
[6:24] Speaker 2: and then they only gave Henry five carries in the
[6:28] Speaker 2: second half.
[6:28] Speaker 4: What?
[6:29] Speaker 3: It was 14-3. The Ravens were up 14-3 in the Saints,
[6:32] Speaker 3: and then the Saints, for their second straight week, woke up,
[6:35] Speaker 3: and the Ravens had no response.
[6:36] Speaker 4: And the big reason was they went away from Derrick Henry.
[6:38] Speaker 3: Now, there was a moment in this game where he
[6:40] Speaker 3: kind of grimaced on the sideline, but he was available
[6:42] Speaker 3: in the second half. But much like John Harbaugh got
[6:44] Speaker 3: kind of drilled for doing late last season, Jesse Minner
[6:48] Speaker 3: just went away from Derrick Henry in this game, and
[6:50] Speaker 3: they lost their offensive identity. They opened the door for
[6:52] Speaker 3: the Saints to come back. And while they got a
[6:54] Speaker 3: defensive stop midway through the third quarter, they were unable
[6:57] Speaker 3: to prevent the Saints from marching down the field and
[6:59] Speaker 3: scoring that go-ahead touchdown to end up winning this game.
[7:01] Speaker 3: And look, I give a lot of credit to the Saints.
[7:03] Speaker 3: They're a very scrappy bunch. They do not quit.
[7:05] Speaker 4: Kellen Moore has this team playing well, given their talent level.
[7:08] Speaker 4: But the Ravens are going to look back on this
[7:10] Speaker 4: one and think, man, we really let that one slip away.
[7:12] Speaker 4: So that's why you drop a couple spots this week.
[7:13] Speaker 4: All right.
[7:14] Speaker 2: And then the Ravens, they have a monster matchup in
[7:17] Speaker 2: Rio this week against the Cowboys. Who do you like
[7:20] Speaker 2: in that game?
[7:20] Speaker 3: I think that the Ravens get back on track. I
[7:22] Speaker 3: think that their defense is sound enough most of the time.
[7:25] Speaker 3: To beat this Cowboys team. Now, they'll have to hang
[7:28] Speaker 3: with this Cowboys offense. But on the flip side, I
[7:30] Speaker 3: think Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and company, they torch this
[7:34] Speaker 3: Cowboys defense.
[7:34] Speaker 2: All right, let's go to number six, the Broncos, who
[7:37] Speaker 2: they did not move. And maybe that's more of a
[7:41] Speaker 2: product of you not overreacting week one and where they
[7:44] Speaker 2: were in the rankings. But why didn't they move up
[7:47] Speaker 2: at all after beating a very good team? Jags team.
[7:51] Speaker 3: Yeah, and this is a win that they should be
[7:52] Speaker 3: proud of, but Broncos fans, they like to call me
[7:54] Speaker 3: a hater of the Denver Broncos, and that's totally fine.
[7:57] Speaker 3: I'll take that. But you have to be honest with yourself,
[7:59] Speaker 3: Broncos fans. That offense didn't look very good until late
[8:03] Speaker 3: third quarter, which is a lot like this team was
[8:05] Speaker 3: for most of last season.
[8:06] Speaker 4: Obviously, you went 14-3 last year. You figured it out
[8:08] Speaker 4: down the stretch.
[8:09] Speaker 3: But, I mean, until they were able to run the
[8:10] Speaker 3: ball effectively, until they got a turnover, Riley Moss with
[8:13] Speaker 3: an interception, that kind of swung the game in their favor.
[8:15] Speaker 3: These Broncos were kind of sleepwalking in their home opener.
[8:18] Speaker 3: So you've got to be proud of the victory. You've
[8:20] Speaker 3: got to be proud of the way that you played
[8:21] Speaker 3: all four quarters and were able to be the superior
[8:22] Speaker 3: team by the time everything finished because they shut down
[8:25] Speaker 3: this Jaguars.
[8:25] Speaker 4: Offense in the fourth quarter. Also benefited from a.
[8:27] Speaker 3: Cam Little missed field goal. But I need to see
[8:30] Speaker 3: it more consistently over four quarters. Davis Webb, offensive coordinator,
[8:34] Speaker 3: been a big target of criticism so far. He's calling
[8:36] Speaker 3: the plays and Sean Payton isn't anymore. And there was
[8:38] Speaker 3: a good little cut up of Davis Webb being frustrated
[8:40] Speaker 3: in this game. But I know that they were happy
[8:42] Speaker 3: by the end. So maybe they can use this momentum
[8:43] Speaker 3: going forward and play a more complete game in Week 2.
[8:46] Speaker 2: Yeah, Denver, they rediscovered their defensive identity in this game,
[8:50] Speaker 2: and now they have a really big matchup, Sunday night football,
[8:53] Speaker 2: Rams at Broncos. Are you worried about them starting slowly
[8:57] Speaker 2: at all in this one?
[8:58] Speaker 4: Yeah, because they could end up getting buried.
[9:00] Speaker 3: I mean, this is all the credit in the world
[9:01] Speaker 3: to the Jaguars, who were fantastic from the second half
[9:04] Speaker 3: of last season to starting this regular season.
[9:06] Speaker 4: But the Rams are at a different level, I think,
[9:08] Speaker 4: than them.
[9:08] Speaker 3: And so the Broncos are really going to have to
[9:10] Speaker 3: lean on their defense to make sure that they can
[9:13] Speaker 3: get this job done against the Rams offense and look
[9:15] Speaker 3: spectacular on Monday night.
[9:16] Speaker 2: Okay, so let's go to those Rams who look spectacular.
[9:21] Speaker 2: And at this point, no Miles Garrett, no Puka Nakua.
[9:25] Speaker 4: Doesn't matter.
[9:26] Speaker 2: And it was fine. So the Rams, they're at number eight.
[9:30] Speaker 2: They're right below... The Broncos, there are two spots. So
[9:34] Speaker 2: how did you assess where they were in Matthew Stafford
[9:38] Speaker 2: and his offensive performance?
[9:40] Speaker 3: Yeah, Rams fans are going to be mad at me
[9:41] Speaker 3: because I moved them down a spot, but it was
[9:43] Speaker 3: really a product of movement around them. The Niners moving up,
[9:46] Speaker 3: the Chiefs moving up. Sometimes they just kind of balance
[9:49] Speaker 3: out that way and you just don't get the movement
[9:50] Speaker 3: that you want. That takes nothing away from this win. Now,
[9:53] Speaker 3: did they benefit from the fact that the Giants lost
[9:54] Speaker 3: Jackson Dart early? Yes, but Matthew Stafford to Devontae Adams
[9:57] Speaker 3: was an extremely explosive combination.
[9:59] Speaker 4: It was basically them at the peak of their powers.
[10:02] Speaker 3: And they were able to just run away from a
[10:04] Speaker 3: Giants team that looked more like the Giants that we
[10:05] Speaker 3: expected to see in Week 2 than the team we
[10:07] Speaker 3: saw in Week 1. So it's a nice bounce back
[10:10] Speaker 3: for them, but through two weeks right.
[10:12] Speaker 4: Now, you have a game that's disappointing and a game
[10:14] Speaker 4: that's very exciting. Where do you go from here?
[10:16] Speaker 2: Yeah, and Aaron Donald, in his return, I don't think
[10:19] Speaker 2: anyone was waiting for him to light up the place, but...
[10:24] Speaker 2: Three tackles, one pressure, and 32 snaps. What was your
[10:28] Speaker 2: impressions of where Aaron Donald performed and where he can go?
[10:31] Speaker 4: Maunoa, the guard for the Giants, did a really good
[10:33] Speaker 4: job against him.
[10:34] Speaker 3: And I give him a lot of credit for the
[10:35] Speaker 3: performance he had against somebody who's a legend who's going
[10:37] Speaker 3: to be in the Hall of Fame. But it's also
[10:38] Speaker 3: Aaron Donald having not played football in a regular season
[10:40] Speaker 3: in three years. And kind of shaking off some of
[10:42] Speaker 3: the rust and being on a pitch count. I think
[10:44] Speaker 3: he still did a good job. He had a tackle
[10:45] Speaker 3: for loss. He impacted the game, just not at a
[10:47] Speaker 3: level that we expect from him. which shouldn't be surprising
[10:50] Speaker 3: given he's a guy in.
[10:51] Speaker 4: His 30s who hasn't played football in a few years.
[10:52] Speaker 4: It's a good, nice little slow but steady start for
[10:55] Speaker 4: Aaron Donald.
[10:56] Speaker 2: Dear Commissioner, I'm back, and we'll see him back again,
[11:00] Speaker 2: maybe improving as the season goes on. Shook, I hate
[11:04] Speaker 2: to say it, but the Cowboys, they figured it out,
[11:06] Speaker 2: at least for one week, against the Commanders. How far
[11:09] Speaker 2: up the rankings is Nick Shook moving them? You can
[11:13] Speaker 2: find out next. Back here on Power Rankings, look at
[11:29] Speaker 2: Nick Shook's teams 9 through 16. The Jags, they fell
[11:33] Speaker 2: four spots. They're the new nine team. The Eagles at
[11:36] Speaker 2: 10 up one. The Texans at 11 up one. The Cowboys,
[11:39] Speaker 2: they are up five spots. We're going to get into
[11:41] Speaker 2: them at 12. Lions stood pat at 13. The Saints,
[11:45] Speaker 2: they flew up the rankings, up seven spots to 14.
[11:48] Speaker 2: The Vikings right behind them also up seven spots at 15.
[11:51] Speaker 2: And then the Bears down eight spots to 16. Shook,
[11:55] Speaker 2: let's start with the Eagles. And should we be a
[11:58] Speaker 2: little worried that another week, another game, that it took
[12:02] Speaker 2: until the final minutes for the Eagles to put this
[12:05] Speaker 2: to bed?
[12:05] Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I would be a little bit worried,
[12:07] Speaker 3: but it is a classic Eagles win. It is. Oh,
[12:09] Speaker 3: Jalen Hurts threw an interception. Jalen Hurts made a great play.
[12:12] Speaker 3: Jalen Hurts threw an interception. Jalen Hurts leads a game-winning touchdown.
[12:15] Speaker 3: That is classic Eagles, classic Jalen Hurts Eagles. And it's
[12:17] Speaker 3: also still a noose game under Shawn Manion. So I
[12:19] Speaker 3: think they're still kind of working out the kinks. What
[12:21] Speaker 3: I did like about this team was overcoming adversity on
[12:23] Speaker 3: the road in an extreme kind of weather situation.
[12:25] Speaker 4: It was incredibly hot in Nashville.
[12:27] Speaker 2: Players' cleats were melting off? Has that ever happened to you?
[12:30] Speaker 2: Have your shoes ever melted off?
[12:33] Speaker 4: Not melted off, but melted at the bottom. Turf fields
[12:35] Speaker 4: get really hot. People don't realize that.
[12:37] Speaker 2: Let's go full grass. We don't need this anymore.
[12:39] Speaker 4: I agree.
[12:40] Speaker 3: And the Eagles, it didn't matter what surface they were
[12:42] Speaker 3: on because they were able to put together a game-winning
[12:44] Speaker 3: drive thanks to the efforts of Jalen Hurts. They didn't
[12:46] Speaker 3: have Saquon Barkley for much of this game because he
[12:48] Speaker 3: left with a stinger and was really ineffective. It was
[12:50] Speaker 3: all Jalen and Devonta Smith and A little bit of
[12:53] Speaker 3: Dontavian Wicks and Darius Cooper catching the game-winning touchdown. They
[12:56] Speaker 3: had to pull out all the stops. They're kind of
[12:57] Speaker 3: banged up, and they beat a Titans team that played
[12:59] Speaker 3: really well. So credit to them for getting the road win,
[13:02] Speaker 3: but they do have to be better.
[13:03] Speaker 4: Against some of the better teams.
[13:04] Speaker 2: Dallas Goddard, he was hurt in this game, so the Eagles,
[13:07] Speaker 2: they brought back. Zach Ertz, they're running it back.
[13:10] Speaker 4: Oh, I know that face.
[13:10] Speaker 2: Hey, and so does Nick Sirianni. So now they will
[13:13] Speaker 2: face on Monday Night Football, the Chicago Bears. We'll get
[13:16] Speaker 2: to them in a second, but first, let's stay in
[13:18] Speaker 2: the NFC East with the next team up, the Cowboys,
[13:20] Speaker 2: up five spots. The offense, it lives.
[13:24] Speaker 4: It lives. It's alive. What? Thank the Lord the Cowboys
[13:27] Speaker 4: can score points. How about that? And they scored plenty
[13:30] Speaker 4: of points in this game.
[13:31] Speaker 3: Dak Prescott looked fantastic.
[13:33] Speaker 4: He looked much like the quarterback I expected him to
[13:35] Speaker 4: look like this season.
[13:36] Speaker 3: One of the best in the NFL. CeeDee Lamb, one
[13:38] Speaker 3: of the best connections in the NFL. The amount of
[13:40] Speaker 3: passes they completed, they.
[13:41] Speaker 4: Were well below expectation.
[13:43] Speaker 3: There's no way they should complete these passes. There was
[13:45] Speaker 3: a lot of them in this game, and it was
[13:47] Speaker 3: very early for Dak early. Very easy for Dak early
[13:50] Speaker 3: in this game. So this is what the Cowboys offense
[13:52] Speaker 3: should be. But I still have some concerns about this defense.
[13:54] Speaker 4: Jaden Daniels, before he.
[13:55] Speaker 3: Left this game, was running all over them. I think
[13:57] Speaker 3: that probably would have been a close game if he
[13:59] Speaker 3: actually was able to finish it. And that's something that
[14:01] Speaker 3: they're still going to have to get cleaned up.
[14:03] Speaker 2: Yeah, so the offense, they scored on seven of eight possessions.
[14:06] Speaker 2: But the defense, especially their defensive front, both games they've
[14:09] Speaker 2: been run all over. We saw the Giants rush for
[14:12] Speaker 2: 165 on them. Washington rushed for 182. And this week,
[14:17] Speaker 2: They go to Rio de Janeiro to take on the
[14:20] Speaker 2: Ravens with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry if they decide
[14:23] Speaker 2: to give the ball to Derrick Henry.
[14:24] Speaker 3: Yeah, that's a big question. I think Jesse Minter, Declan Doyle,
[14:28] Speaker 3: hand it to Derrick Henry. Run through that defense.
[14:30] Speaker 4: Yeah, that's fair.
[14:32] Speaker 2: Time for the team of the week. It is your
[14:34] Speaker 2: New Orleans Saints up seven spots. They went into Baltimore.
[14:40] Speaker 2: They shocked a lot of people. Tyler Shook was shocking everyone.
[14:44] Speaker 4: Yes.
[14:45] Speaker 3: When the Saints, where they go marching in, they marched
[14:47] Speaker 3: into Baltimore and stole a victory from the Ravens. A
[14:49] Speaker 3: game that the Ravens looked like they were going to
[14:50] Speaker 3: cruise to victory in. The Saints woke up for the
[14:52] Speaker 3: second straight week. This time they complete the comeback effort.
[14:55] Speaker 3: Tyler Shuck shows off the toughness that you need on
[14:58] Speaker 3: fourth and goal. Getting bent backward, but managed to break
[15:00] Speaker 3: the play and score the go-ahead touchdown.
[15:02] Speaker 4: And the clutch gene.
[15:03] Speaker 3: It is very present in this relatively young quarterback. Older
[15:06] Speaker 3: than your average young quarterback, but still young. Pretty young
[15:08] Speaker 3: with Kellen Moore's offense really just cooking. Devon Vele, Chris
[15:12] Speaker 3: Olave going crazy through two weeks with Tyler Shuck. They
[15:15] Speaker 3: deserve this. Their defense is greater than the sum of
[15:17] Speaker 3: its parts. It shut down the Ravens in the second half.
[15:20] Speaker 3: They deserve this praise. They're looking like a scrappy football
[15:23] Speaker 3: team right now.
[15:23] Speaker 2: Oh, so you're buying into the Kellen Moore team.
[15:26] Speaker 4: They're my NFC South champion pick. Preseason pick. What? Yes.
[15:29] Speaker 2: Chuck.
[15:30] Speaker 4: Yes.
[15:30] Speaker 2: You're a truth sayer. You're a clairvoyant perhaps.
[15:34] Speaker 4: I believe in the Fleur de Lis.
[15:35] Speaker 2: Okay.
[15:36] Speaker 4: All right.
[15:36] Speaker 2: After two tough road games too, they have their home
[15:39] Speaker 2: opener coming up against the Raiders. The Raiders who are 2-0.
[15:43] Speaker 2: So that is like a very sneaky, spicy game coming
[15:47] Speaker 2: up next week.
[15:47] Speaker 4: I think I want to watch that one live. Yes.
[15:49] Speaker 2: Let's go to 15. The Vikings, they're up seven spots.
[15:53] Speaker 2: Does anyone have an answer for Brian Flores' defense? And
[15:57] Speaker 2: can he blitz any more than he is already blitzing?
[15:59] Speaker 3: You know what's funny is Ben Johnson going into this
[16:01] Speaker 3: game was 5-1 against Brian Flores' defense.
[16:03] Speaker 4: It's going back to his time with Detroit.
[16:05] Speaker 3: Didn't have an answer for that defense this week, I'll
[16:07] Speaker 3: tell you, because they scored three points. They managed to
[16:10] Speaker 3: turn the ball over in multiple situations, and they were
[16:12] Speaker 3: all caused by Minnesota's defense. Brian Flores has decided, I
[16:16] Speaker 3: don't care about convention. I am going to blitz because
[16:18] Speaker 3: it is my most likely chance of earning us a victory.
[16:21] Speaker 3: Week one, 78.3% in the blitz rate.
[16:24] Speaker 4: Week two, 79%.
[16:25] Speaker 3: Let's get after Caleb Williams. Let's force fumbles. Let's let
[16:28] Speaker 3: Dallas Turner go crazy and get the game-sealing sack.
[16:32] Speaker 4: Look, this offense, we know Carson Wentz.
[16:34] Speaker 3: Is a quarterback as of now, although Kyler Murray is
[16:36] Speaker 3: coming back this week.
[16:37] Speaker 4: So that should be good, and that should get them
[16:38] Speaker 4: back on track. But this is a defensive-laden team. And
[16:40] Speaker 4: what do we know? Defense wins championships. So far, it's
[16:43] Speaker 4: won them a couple of games.
[16:44] Speaker 2: Yeah, that's true. We didn't really see a whole lot
[16:45] Speaker 2: of defense week one, but the defense, they showed up
[16:48] Speaker 2: week two around the league in general. And yes, Kyler
[16:51] Speaker 2: Murray will start on Sunday against the Bucs. Let's go
[16:55] Speaker 2: to the Bears, down eight spots. This was rough. Now,
[17:00] Speaker 2: they may have dodged a bullet here with the Caleb
[17:02] Speaker 2: Williams injury. The hamstring injury, it might not be as
[17:06] Speaker 2: bad as it initially looked. But Tyson Bajan, he's going
[17:12] Speaker 2: to be Monday Night Football against the Eagles. And now
[17:16] Speaker 2: we have– this is tough, I think. Where are you
[17:20] Speaker 2: with the Bears?
[17:20] Speaker 3: Yeah, this explosive offense that was supposed to rewrite the
[17:22] Speaker 3: record book suddenly feels like it doesn't have as much
[17:25] Speaker 3: punch to it, as much juice to it without Caleb Williams. Right.
[17:28] Speaker 3: They moved down eight spots because you lose Caleb and
[17:30] Speaker 3: because you score three points against the Vikings in a
[17:32] Speaker 3: game that was very winnable. But you also moved down
[17:34] Speaker 3: eight spots because even if Caleb is able to come
[17:36] Speaker 3: back before long, he's going to be probably a little
[17:39] Speaker 3: bit limited by that hamstring.
[17:40] Speaker 4: It's not going to be 100%.
[17:41] Speaker 3: And if you limit Caleb Williams' ability to scramble and
[17:44] Speaker 3: extend plays, you take away some of his effectiveness, which
[17:46] Speaker 3: then just lowers the ceiling of this entire offensive operation,
[17:49] Speaker 3: which is their strength right now because we know their
[17:51] Speaker 3: defense isn't very good. Now, that was only a 9-3 game.
[17:53] Speaker 3: The weather was weird. We'll kind of chalk that up
[17:56] Speaker 3: to a product of circumstance. Going forward, I'm a little
[18:00] Speaker 3: concerned about this team now, and I think if you're
[18:01] Speaker 3: an opposing defense, I wouldn't fear them as much as
[18:03] Speaker 3: I would.
[18:03] Speaker 4: Have going into last week.
[18:04] Speaker 2: Well, of course. 59 points in week one and then
[18:08] Speaker 2: three points, so that's a 56-point decline after everyone was
[18:13] Speaker 2: talking about Ben Johnson having the most prolific offense. I'm
[18:17] Speaker 2: just wondering where they are in, because that's a pretty
[18:20] Speaker 2: big variance, so where they're going to stack up. in
[18:23] Speaker 2: the points department going forward. Again, they take on the
[18:26] Speaker 2: Eagles on Monday Night Football. Coming up, we're going to
[18:29] Speaker 2: talk about the 0-2 team. There are a few teams
[18:33] Speaker 2: we're most worried about. And I'm looking at Baker Mayfield.
[18:37] Speaker 2: I'm looking at the Chargers. Nick Shook's power rankings continue next.
[18:53] Speaker 2: Back here on Power Rankings as we see teams 17
[18:56] Speaker 2: through 24, according to Nick Shook. At the top, you
[19:00] Speaker 2: have the Panthers up 10 spots at 17. And also,
[19:04] Speaker 2: if you look at the bottom, you have the Bucs
[19:06] Speaker 2: down 10 spots at 24. In between those. The Patriots
[19:10] Speaker 2: at 18, you have the Colts, big movers, up seven spots,
[19:13] Speaker 2: then the Packers, the Giants down six spots, the Raiders
[19:17] Speaker 2: up seven, the Browns up nine, and then the Bucks,
[19:21] Speaker 2: like I mentioned there, down 10 spots at 24. Let's
[19:24] Speaker 2: go to the Panthers. Bryce Young, both last week and
[19:28] Speaker 2: this week, he's had great performances. He now has six
[19:32] Speaker 2: touchdowns to one interception through two weeks. What are you
[19:36] Speaker 2: loving from what you're seeing from them because you moved
[19:38] Speaker 2: them up 10 spots?
[19:39] Speaker 3: I love that it's consistent because we've seen Bryce Young
[19:42] Speaker 3: do this from time to time in the past. What
[19:43] Speaker 3: he hasn't done is do it from one week to
[19:45] Speaker 3: the next. Usually it's great game followed by a forgettable
[19:47] Speaker 3: game or disastrous game. Instead, he looks comfortable, he's decisive,
[19:51] Speaker 3: he feels like he finally understands what he's supposed to
[19:53] Speaker 3: do in Dave Canales' offense, and they're not afraid to
[19:55] Speaker 3: take risks and they're pushing the ball down the field.
[19:57] Speaker 4: They were also helped a lot.
[19:58] Speaker 3: In this game by their defense which forced a number
[20:00] Speaker 3: of turnovers but I mean through two weeks this is
[20:02] Speaker 3: why Bryce Young is climbing the QB index as well
[20:04] Speaker 3: because he's just looked like the player that they were
[20:06] Speaker 3: supposed to get with the number one overall pick and
[20:08] Speaker 3: but four years ago almost now, 2023.
[20:11] Speaker 4: So I'm feeling very good about this. I also know
[20:13] Speaker 4: that they were playing a Falcons team that was playing
[20:14] Speaker 4: with Cooper Rush at quarterback.
[20:16] Speaker 3: So we can't put too much weight into this as
[20:18] Speaker 3: an overall lopsided victory, but Bryce, From week one to
[20:21] Speaker 3: week two, a loss and a win, consistently good.
[20:23] Speaker 2: You mentioned playing the Falcons. Devin Lloyd had the game
[20:26] Speaker 2: of his life. He contributed to four different changes of possessions.
[20:32] Speaker 2: He finished with nine tackles, a sack, two interceptions, a
[20:35] Speaker 2: pick six. This was an incredible performance by him. But
[20:40] Speaker 2: as you mentioned, too, Bryce Young also putting on a show.
[20:43] Speaker 2: Do you think the Panthers made a mistake by not
[20:44] Speaker 2: paying Bryce Young?
[20:45] Speaker 3: No, I think that they, I mean, maybe at the
[20:48] Speaker 3: end of the season, it might end up looking like
[20:49] Speaker 3: a mistake, but you had to have him prove it
[20:51] Speaker 3: because you couldn't make it. You couldn't have the two-a-tongue-of-my-loa
[20:53] Speaker 3: contract that the Dolphins had, where he's coming off of
[20:55] Speaker 3: his best year, and we also kind of need to
[20:58] Speaker 3: confirm our own selection of him. Let's instead let him
[21:01] Speaker 3: prove it and earn it.
[21:02] Speaker 4: And through two weeks, he is. And you know what?
[21:04] Speaker 3: GM Dan Morgan's got to be feeling pretty good about
[21:06] Speaker 3: that money he spent on the defense in the offseason.
[21:08] Speaker 4: Jalen Phillips, Devin Lloyd producing the game of his life. Results, quickly.
[21:12] Speaker 4: That's how a GM walks around with his chest all
[21:14] Speaker 4: puffed out. Dan Morgan's got plenty of it.
[21:16] Speaker 2: You know who else is putting up results quickly? It's
[21:18] Speaker 2: the Raiders. 2-0, up seven spots. So let's give Kirk
[21:24] Speaker 2: some love here. because this was a pretty impressive start. Now,
[21:28] Speaker 2: the Chargers, that's a different story, but let's talk about
[21:30] Speaker 2: the Raiders.
[21:31] Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, look, you want to talk about a
[21:32] Speaker 3: quarterback who's also playing with no fear of risk. It's
[21:35] Speaker 3: Kirk Cousins, throwing a no-look pass down the field to
[21:37] Speaker 3: Trey Tucker for a big completion. Hitting a wide-open receiver
[21:41] Speaker 3: for a touchdown earlier in this game, just operating Clint
[21:44] Speaker 3: Kubiak's offense as it's intended and really fulfilling what Clint
[21:47] Speaker 3: Kubiak asked for in the offseason, which is a veteran
[21:49] Speaker 3: quarterback to get us started. Kirk is doing everything that
[21:52] Speaker 3: he was supposed to do in this offense today, They're
[21:54] Speaker 3: playing well enough on that side of the ball, even
[21:56] Speaker 3: without Brock Bowers, to start 2-0. And really, most importantly
[21:59] Speaker 3: to me, they're playing complete team football.
[22:01] Speaker 4: They forced a couple of takeaways in this game.
[22:02] Speaker 3: Hezekiah Masses, another guy who had kind of the game
[22:04] Speaker 3: of his life with a couple of interceptions.
[22:07] Speaker 4: And look, the Raiders, they've been the.
[22:09] Speaker 3: Punching bag, the laughing stock for a long time.
[22:11] Speaker 4: They are not right now. They are a fun team
[22:13] Speaker 4: to watch. They're not perfect. but they're a fun team
[22:15] Speaker 4: to watch.
[22:16] Speaker 2: And they are, I mean, there's a lot of teams
[22:18] Speaker 2: that have lost games so far that are ahead of
[22:22] Speaker 2: them in the rankings. Now, if you were just doing
[22:24] Speaker 2: this based on results, then it wouldn't be as interesting.
[22:27] Speaker 2: But are we underrating? The Raiders?
[22:31] Speaker 4: Perhaps? Not all wins are created equal. Okay, fair.
[22:34] Speaker 3: We've got to kind of consider they started the season
[22:36] Speaker 3: against Miami. The Chargers look like a mess through two weeks.
[22:39] Speaker 4: So I'm giving them credit where credit is due as of.
[22:42] Speaker 3: Now, but they need to continue to sustain this to
[22:44] Speaker 3: really earn that higher level ranking.
[22:46] Speaker 2: We've been burned for too long. We have.
[22:48] Speaker 4: It's just trust issues right now. I am a bit
[22:49] Speaker 4: of a cynic. What can I say?
[22:50] Speaker 2: Yeah, let's see it, teams 25 through 32. And, yeah,
[22:55] Speaker 2: it's the Jets at 25. The Steelers, then the Titans, Commanders, Chargers, Cardinals, Falcons,
[23:02] Speaker 2: and Dolphins. There's a handful of 0-2 teams in this quadrant.
[23:07] Speaker 2: Who is the most concerning out of the 0-2 teams?
[23:11] Speaker 4: I've got to go with the Chargers. This just doesn't
[23:14] Speaker 4: look like a Jim Harbaugh coached team.
[23:15] Speaker 2: This is not what we were sold in the offseason.
[23:16] Speaker 4: They're sloppy.
[23:17] Speaker 3: They commit mistakes in key spots. They let winnable games
[23:20] Speaker 3: get away from them. That's what happened in Week 2
[23:22] Speaker 3: against the Raiders. It just doesn't look like a team
[23:25] Speaker 3: that has as much talent as this one does. They're
[23:27] Speaker 3: not performing up to that standard. They have offensive line issues.
[23:29] Speaker 3: You all had four false start penalties while facing it.
[23:32] Speaker 3: Max Crosby in this game, which routinely set them back
[23:35] Speaker 3: behind the sticks. It just doesn't look like a team
[23:37] Speaker 3: that is prepared to go out on Sundays right now.
[23:39] Speaker 3: And their schedule gets way more difficult after this week.
[23:43] Speaker 3: They had the easiest start in the NFL. They had
[23:47] Speaker 3: Arizona in week one. They had the Raiders in week two.
[23:50] Speaker 3: Everything's looking fine.
[23:51] Speaker 4: Now they get Buffalo, Seattle, Denver, Kansas City, bye week.
[23:54] Speaker 2: What?
[23:55] Speaker 3: Rams, Texans, Ravens, and the Jets by week 11. And
[23:58] Speaker 3: the Jets, even though they dropped this week, I still
[24:00] Speaker 3: have high hopes for them.
[24:01] Speaker 4: Relatively high hopes. It could be a nightmare for the
[24:03] Speaker 4: Chargers very quickly. I don't know.
[24:05] Speaker 2: Maybe Jim Harbaugh needs to like switch up the Dockers
[24:08] Speaker 2: and do like jeans or something. I don't know. Go
[24:10] Speaker 2: denim instead of khaki.
[24:12] Speaker 4: No pleats.
[24:13] Speaker 2: There needs to be something, some type of change. But
[24:16] Speaker 2: we hope that the Bucs can bounce back. We hope
[24:18] Speaker 2: that the Steelers maybe bounce back as well. There's quite
[24:20] Speaker 2: a few teams that we're excited to see next week.
[24:23] Speaker 2: And we'll see you next week too. Later.
[24:33] Speaker 1: NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in
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