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Unless you're a fan of the 49ers, you're probably going to think your team is ranked too low In this week's NFL power rankings. But it's hard to argue that S.F. is not the best team in the league so far. Their defense is elite, Alex Smith is certainly good enough and they're in a division that's very winnable. This team is the real deal.
The rest of SB Nation's power rankings for Week 3 are below. 49ers fans can celebrate in the comments while the rest of you can tell me why I got this one wrong.
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1. San Francisco 49ers (LW: 3, 2-0): Two weeks ago I wrote: This is a very good team but it will come back to Earth this year." Two impressive wins later ... maybe not.
2. Houston Texans (LW: 4, 2-0): Does it seem like people aren't talking about the Texans enough? Are they the best team in the AFC? Sure looks like it after two weeks.
3. Green Bay Packers (LW: 5, 1-1): Get used to the top five, Green Bay. I imagine it won't be leaving here the rest of the year.
4. Atlanta Falcons (LW: 10, 2-0): Kind of like the Texans, it seems too quiet around this team. They dominated the Chiefs and beat the Broncos in primetime. With the Saints at 0-2, do we have a new NFC South king?
5. Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 13, 2-0): Two one-point wins is a good reminder that point differential doesn't matter in the NFL. The schedule becomes a very real issue soon: at Arizona, New York Giants, at Pittsburgh, Detroit, Atlanta at New Orleans.
Previous Power Rankings: Week 1 | Week 2
6. Baltimore Ravens (LW: 1, 1-1): They were our No. 1 last week and promptly blew it, losing to the Eagles. They won't be going far though. This is still one of the three best teams in the AFC.
7. New England Patriots (LW: 2, 1-1): The Patriots are probably better than the seventh-ranked team but you can not lose to the Cardinals -- !!!! -- in your home opener. First ever home opener loss at Gillette. That was bad.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 8, 1-1): This is a playoff team. The question is whether it will win its own division.
9. New York Giants (LW: 6, 1-1): Yes, they drop three spots after winning a game because I had them ranked a little too high to begin with. Eighth is a good spot for them. Good but not consistently great this season.
10. San Diego Chargers (LW: 9, 2-0): The AFC West is wide open and the Chargers are taking advantage, the only 2-0 team in the division. Games coming up against the Falcons, Saints and Broncos will give us a better idea of who this team is.
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11. Denver Broncos (LW: 7, 1-1): So Peyton Manning isn't back? The Broncos' quarterback threw three first quarter interceptions on Monday night, putting his team in a hole only a few minutes into the game. He'll be fine, but this is a good reminder that he's a 36-year old quarterback who had played one regular season game in 600+ days before Monday night. These games will happen.
12. Detroit Lions (LW: 14, 1-1): Can't fault them for losing to the No. 1 team last week. Playing the Titans next week looks like a "get right" game.
13. Chicago Bears (LW: 9, 1-1): People might've been wrong about the Bears. It's still too early but doubts are creeping into my mind as to whether this is a playoff team. Maybe the meltdown will start early this year.
14. New Orleans Saints (LW: 11, 0-2): So, what to think of a Saints team that starts 0-2? We know they're better than that. Is it a bad start? Or is this the sign of bigger problems in a year without Sean Payton? Next week's game against the 0-2 Chiefs should help clear that up.
15. Dallas Cowboys (LW: 12, 1-1): Ouch. 27-7 beat down at the hands of the Seahawks. This is probably who the Cowboys are, though -- looking very good one week, not so good the next. Inconsistent is the word I'm looking for.
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16. Arizona Cardinals (LW: 27, 2-0): Anyone else have them vying for the No. 1 overall pick? In four of their next five games they play the Dolphins, Rams, Bills and Vikings. In other words, the hot streak may only be starting.
17. Washington Redskins (LW: 16, 1-1): The bad news is they lost the game. The good news is RGIII still looks legit.
18. Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 18, 1-1): The top three teams in the AFC North are all 1-1. The Bengals need to keep pace with the Ravens and Steelers early on this season.
19. Buffalo Bills (LW: 20, 1-1): Holy crap. The Bills came out and punched the Chiefs in the face. The game was not as close as the score indicated. And, oh yeah, C.J. Spiller is averaging over 10 yards per carry.
20. New York Jets (LW: 15, 1-1): Two weeks ago they were doomed. Last week they were Super Bowl champs. This week they're back to being doomed.
21. Indianapolis Colts (LW: 21, 1-1): Curtis Painter couldn't get a W in eight tries with the Colts last year. Andrew Luck is kind of better than that guy. He gets the win in his second career game.
22. Carolina Panthers (LW: 23, 1-1): I'm having a little trouble ranking this team. I want to put them higher but I still don't have a very good grasp on who they are. A visit from the Giants in Week 3 will answer that question.
23. Seattle Seahawks (LW: 26, 1-1): Big time win for the Seahawks over the Cowboys. They didn't just beat them, they crushed them.
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 19, 1-1): They don't deserve to fall this far but there's always a team that gets screwed. Tampa Bay played the Giants tough in one of the most exciting regular season games in recent memory.
25. Minnesota Vikings (LW: 24, 1-1): Our friends at Daily Norsmean say Christian Ponder is not the problem. They're an Andrew Luck drive away from being 0-2. Clearly that made no sense.
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26. Miami Dolphins (LW: 32, 1-1): Two hundred-plus rushing yards in a dominating effort over Oakland. A lot of people are beating Oakland these days but no one runs on them quite like the Dolphins.
27. St. Louis Rams (LW: 29, 1-1): The Rams will end this season in the top 20 of our power rankings. The next month has three very winnable games.
28. Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 25, 0-2): Last year the Chiefs in Week 1 and 2 were beat by a combined score of 89-10. This year that total is only 75-41. Hooray for progress!
29. Tennessee Titans (LW: 22, 0-2): Not a joke: Chris Johnson has 19 carries for 21 yards.
30. Cleveland Browns (LW: 31, 0-2): Brandon Weeden doesn't look all that great. But Trent Richardson does. This guy could make the Browns relevant.
31. Oakland Raiders (LW: 28, 0-2): After looking like they were about to get over the hump the last few years, the Raiders all of a sudden look like another rebuilding team.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 30, 0-2): I don't know where their wins are going to come from.
