Another NFL week has come and gone and nothing makes sense in any sort of way.
We have random teams thriving, unexpected teams collapsing and all sorts of action in between.
Thankfully we here at The Skinny Post exist to sort through it all for you. We are Michael Peterson and RJ Ochoa and we are all about to have some fun.
Let’s rank the NFL’s remaining undefeated teams from best to worst. Are any of their hot starts flukey?
RJ:
It is not enough to truly freak out about, but starting 3-0 is a significant thing and all of these teams should be proud of it. If I had to, and I suppose I do, rank them here is how I’d dance:
1. Kansas City Chiefs (duh)
2. Buffalo Bills (sneaky good)
3. Minnesota Vikings (hey now!)
4. Seattle Seahawks (NFC West winners?)
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (let’s be real)
Obviously the Chiefs are in a stratosphere of their own and therefore comparing anyone to them is foolhardy. My biggest takeaway from the exercise though is that I think that I think the Vikings are legitimately good. Give Kevin O’Connell his Coach of the Year right now and let’s fast forward to the toxic debate of next spring where people wonder if Sam Darnold should remain the starter.
Michael:
It’s only been three weeks and this season is already slightly drunk.
The Vikings — let me reiterate that — the VIKINGS are 3-0! With wins over the 49ers and Texans! You know, two of the teams that were both consensus top 10, maybe even top 5, teams in the NFL entering this year.
Then there’s the Steelers who have ridden a porous offense backed by an elite defense to Mike Tomlin’s first 3-0 start since 2020. I still don’t know what magic this guy has been blessed with for all these years, but I still can’t believe it.
Of course then there’s the Chiefs, Bills, and to a lesser extent, the Seahawks who have taken advantage of one of the easier schedules thus far. Good for them, but I’m not completely sold.
Now for the rankings. Here’s how I’d stack these teams up:
1.) Kansas City Chiefs
2.) Minnesota Vikings
3.) Buffalo Bills
4.) Seattle Seahawks
5.) Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are the flukiest team amongst the undefeated squads. I’ll give them the win over the Falcons whom I still think highly of. They then beat the Broncos and rookie Bo Nix before beating the Chargers on Sunday only after they lost four first-round picks in the first 35 minutes of regulation, all of which play the most pivotal and premium positions on a football field (quarterback, edge rusher, both offensive tackles).
If they continue to make it happen against the best teams, then I’ll eat these words, but I’m just not buying it this early.
Now let’s rank the 0-3 teams. Should any of them still have hope?
Michael:
I love a topic like this because you think you’ll have enough teams to make a respectable list and then you realize it’s just three teams with two of them being in the same division.
But for the sake of the topic:
1.) Bengals
2.) Jaguars
3.) Titans
I don’t know what’s going on with Will Levis, but he sure likes to do wacky things with the football that ultimately turn him into a meme. It sure seems like they’re missing Derrick Henry, too. Free Jeffrey Simmons! He’s too good of a defensive tackle to be on a team that can’t win a game. Maybe trade him to a team that also wears some powder blue?
Yeah? Who says no?
Alright fine. On to the Jaguars.
So what’s the deal with this team? They’re 0-3 with some really good players on their team. Trevor Lawrence is a competent quarterback. Travis Etienne looked to be one of the best young backs in the league as recently as last year, and Josh Allen-Hines just got paid like a top pass rusher. So what gives?
Well, as a Chargers fan, I understand how it feels when teams fall short of fans’ expectations. This just seems like a rough start to the season and I believe the Jags will come back from it as the year goes on.
Lastly, it’s so strange seeing the Bengals at 0-3 with both Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase on the team. Similar to the Jaguars, they’ve also got a good edge rusher in Trey Hendrickson. Feels like they have enough pieces to win consistently enough, but something just isn’t clicking here. It was understandable to lose to the Chiefs like they did. But to the Commanders? Now I’ve got real concerns.
RJ:
Ultimately I think this is pretty standard.
1. Cincinnati Bengals
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
2. Tennessee Titans
The Bengals and Jaguars both have franchise quarterbacks, which will always put them ahead of the game. On the other side of things, I have absolutely no idea what Will Levis is doing or how he has at least one awkward and clunky moment on a weekly basis.
I’m still high on the Houston Texans, but let’s remember that we are dragging the Jaguars and Titans when we talk about Houston’s dominance in a few months. That is my main request.
Are you buying the trend that the NFL is now leaning back towards a running league?
RJ:
We are deep enough into the season (not deep, but still) to where I definitely buy this a bit.
Passing is down. Rushing is up. Amazingly, the Miami Dolphins have the fewest rushing yards over expected and may have been just a bit too early to this trend and snakebitten by injuries when it really got going.
The discourse over two high safeties last week was wild on the internet and I am not going to pretend to act like I can predict the trends that the NFL will face. But this has been a quarterback league for a long time and I would expect the waters to stabilize to a certain extent at some point.
For now though… we run.
Michael:
Running. Backs. Do. MATTER!
At least, through the first three weeks of the season.
I personally am loving it. My fantasy teams though? Well, I sure would like more than 10-12 points from my quarterbacks, but at least football feels…fresh? I know that sounds dumb since it’s just like an old-fashioned trend coming back into prominence, but I don’t care. Viva la run game!
Are we not giving Matt LaFleur enough credit for what the Packers are doing?
Michael:
I saw a tweet on Sunday that showed the Packers offense prior to a play against the Titans and the caption was listing out the method in which the Packers acquired their players. Malik Willis was obviously JUST traded for, both offensive tackles were Day 3 selections, and the running back was Emanuel Wilson, a former undrafted free agent.
That’s pretty dang good! Makes for a healthy cap situation if you can fill out your roster for next to nothing and still win games. I think Matt LaFleur deserves so much more credit than he’s been given. Their skill-position group is still one of the youngest in the NFL. Their receivers are not high draft picks, either.
LaFleur has done wonders with what he has and I’m incredibly impressed every time I’m reminded of what the Packers have on the offensive side of the ball.
Give him all the credit for keeping the Packers competitive in a division with the Lions and the surging Vikings.
RJ:
It has been wild to see how the Packers have played in the aftermath of Jordan Love’s injury.
Is the competition questionable given who Indianapolis and Tennessee are? Maybe.
But I am not going to take anything away since winning without a franchise quarterback is insanely difficult. We are in the middle of a season where the NFC looks weird and I am starting to become more and more convinced that Matt LaFleur’s Packers are going to come out on top.
