Top teams heading into Week 3 of the NFL

We are two weeks into the 2024 NFL season and nine teams remain undefeated. That includes some of the usual suspects, but at the same time there are a few surprising teams that have stormed out of the gates with 2-0 records.

Let’s break down the league’s best teams heading into Week 3, which begins with Thursday Night Football between the New England Patriots and New York Jets – with neither club finding itself anywhere near these power rankings!

Kansas City Chiefs 

The Chiefs definitely haven’t been the most impressive team through two weeks, but when you are the defending champions – and especially when you are the two-time defending Super Bowl champions – then you deserve the top spot until someone beats you. Even though Kansas City has not yet played its best football, all it does is win. Head coach Andy Reid’s crew is 2-0 following victories over the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. Isiah Pacheco being sidelined for at least six weeks by a fibula injury is cause for concern, but just wait until Travis Kelce gets going. As long as Patrick Mahomes is under center, K.C.’s offense will almost definitely be a well-oiled machine. Kansas City is a +450 favorite to win the Super Bowl. Until this franchise loses a game or two, it’s hard to argue with those odds.

Houston Texans 

Houston was touted as one of the best teams in the league even before the season began; there is certainly no reason to think about the Texans any differently with two games under their belt. They opened with a 29-27 defeat of the AFC South rival Indianapolis Colts before taking care of the up-and-coming Chicago Bears 19-13. Second-year quarterback CJ Stroud already looks like one of the best players at his position, and he is loaded with weapons around him, including in the form of newcomers Stefon Diggs as wide receiver and Joe Mixon as running back. The defense also improved on paper with the addition of pass rusher Danielle Hunter. The Texans are tied with the Buffalo Bills as +500 second choices behind Kansas City to win the AFC.

Buffalo Bills 

Having lost Diggs to the Texans this past offseason and on the heels of multiple squandered opportunities in recent playoff appearances, Buffalo saw its expectations take a bit of a hit heading into 2024. However, a 2-0 start has this team once again appearing to be among the best in the entire NFL. Perhaps it doesn’t matter who is around Josh Allen; he may just be that good regardless of the situation. With Allen leading the way, the Bills exceeded the 30-point mark in each of their first two contests – beating the Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins in the process. Their season-opening victory over Arizona now looks even better after the Cardinals crushed the Los Angeles Rams 41-10 this past weekend. The Bills are getting Monday Night Football treatment in Week 3 and can be expected to reach 3-0 as five-point favorites over the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars.

New Orleans Saints 

It is no big surprise that those three AFC representatives are 2-0 through two weeks, but developments in the NFC are wildly unexpected by comparison. Two NFC South teams are still perfect – not only the Saints but also the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As good as Tampa Bay has looked, perhaps no one has been more impressive than New Orleans. The Derek Carr-led offense has exploded for 91 points through two outings. Alvin Kamara has been a fantasy football machine, rushing for 198 yards, catching seven passes for 92 yards and scoring five touchdowns. 

Neither the Carolina Panthers nor the Dallas Cowboys came close to containing the Saints. Now, the Philadelphia Eagles—coming off a Monday Night Football collapse against the Atlanta Falcons—get a shot. New Orleans is a 2.5-point home favorite over Philly.

Conclusion

With star QBs like Mahomes, Stroud and Allen running the show, you really have to like those top three teams on this list. Early returns on the Saints are very encouraging, but Carr still has to do more – and against tougher competition – before they can be treated as proven Super Bowl contenders this season.

You also can’t discount the 1-1 teams; heck, even some 0-2 squads are more than capable of rebounding and eventually making the playoffs. 

The former group includes the Detroit Lions, who opened with an overtime win over the Rams (0-2) before losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0). Although the latter group is not where anyone wants to be, the winless Baltimore Ravens are too talented to be written off. They arguably should have defeated Kansas City their opener and definitely should have gotten past the Las Vegas Raiders (1-1) in Week 2. Count on Lamar Jackson and company getting on track sooner rather than later – and perhaps even finding themselves in the “top teams” category at some point during this 2024 campaign.

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