Although not entirely unexpected, it’s come as a welcome surprise to witness the utter hysteria that unfolds in the comments section each week once these power rankings hit the website, if for no other reason than to hear from the fans who feel their team has been so egregiously wronged.

Last week saw the city of Chicago up in arms over the tenth place ranking in which their beloved Bears resided. Marc Trestman’s crew was 3-0 and the Chicago faithful felt that the team’s record through three weeks warranted a spot within the top five.

72 hours later and the Bears were on their way to getting run out of the building in Detroit.

Does that mean we should have had the Bears ranked higher or lower heading into Week 4? No. But it also doesn’t mean those Chicago fans were wrong. And just because the Bears took a beating last Sunday in Detroit, it doesn’t mean the team is going to plummet in this week’s edition. In fact, Chicago’s power number this week came out to an 85.0, which is the exact same number the team owned heading into their loss against the Lions.

As I’ve explained before, these power rankings are a long-term project that include a variety of factors. If you’re looking for power rankings that simply react to what happened the week before, there are plenty of websites offering such analysis. Our aim is to look past the win/loss records (although not entirely) in an effort to identify how good (or bad) each team really is.

Think about it: The New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals each currently own a 2-2 record. But does that mean the Jets and Bengals are football teams of the same quality? Would you bet the Jets to beat the Bengals straight-up on a neutral field?

The numbers in brackets indicate each team’s Power Ranking, which is based on a scale of 1-100. These numbers can be used as a baseline to determine the point spread between any two teams on the list. Keep in mind that these numbers do not account for home field advantage, situational analysis (extra rest, back-to-back road games, divisional rivalries, etc), injuries, weather or public perception. They are merely to be used as a baseline for your initial analysis.

NFP POWER RANKINGS

1. Denver Broncos [90.5]
Record: 4-0 (Won 52-20 vs. Philadelphia)
Week 3 power ranking: 90.0 (1)

2. Seattle Seahawks [89.5]
Record: 4-0 (Won 23-20 at Houston)
Week 3 power ranking: 89.5 (2)

3. New Orleans Saints [88.0]
Record: 4-0 (Won 38-17 vs. Miami)
Week 3 power ranking: 87.5 (T3)

T4. Green Bay Packers [87.5]
Record: 1-2 (Bye)
Week 3 power ranking: 87.5 (T3)

T4. San Francisco 49ers [87.5]
Record: 2-2 (Won 35-11 at St. Louis)
Week 3 power ranking: 87.0 (5)

6. New England Patriots [87.0]
Record: 4-0 (Won 30-23 at Atlanta)
Week 3 power ranking: 86.5 (6)

7. Cincinnati Bengals [86.0]
Record: 2-2 (Lost 17-6 at Cleveland)
Week 3 power ranking: 86.0 (T7)

T8. Kansas City Chiefs [85.0]
Record: 4-0 (Won 31-7 vs. NY Giants)
Week 3 power ranking: 84.0 (12)

T8. Chicago Bears [85.0]
Record: 3-1 (Lost 40-32 at Detroit)
Week 3 power ranking: 85.0 (10)

T8. Atlanta Falcons [85.0]
Record: 1-3 (Lost 30-23 vs. New England)
Week 3 power ranking: 86.0 (T7)

11. Houston Texans [84.0]
Record: 2-2 (Lost 23-20 vs. Seattle)
Week 3 power ranking: 86.0 (T7)

T12. Indianapolis Colts [83.0]
Record: 3-1 (Won 37-3 at Jacksonville)
Week 3 power ranking: 82.5 (T15)

T12. Detroit Lions [83.0]
Record: 3-1 (Won 40-32 vs. Chicago)
Week 3 power ranking: 82.5 (T15)

T12. Dallas Cowboys [83.0]
Record: 2-2 (Lost 30-21 at San Diego)
Week 3 power ranking: 83.5 (13)

T12. Baltimore Ravens [83.0]
Record: 2-2 (Lost 23-20 at Buffalo)
Week 3 power ranking: 84.5 (11)

16. Miami Dolphins [82.5]
Record: 3-1 (Lost 38-17 at New Orleans)
Week 3 power ranking: 83.0 (14)

17. Carolina Panthers [82.0]
Record: 1-2 (Bye)
Week 3 power ranking: 82.0 (17)

T18. Tennessee Titans [81.0]
Record: 3-1 (Won 38-13 vs. NY Jets)
Week 3 power ranking: 81.0 (T19)

T18. San Diego Chargers [81.0]
Record: 2-2 (Won 30-21 vs. Dallas)
Week 3 power ranking: 79.5 (24)

T20. Washington Redskins [80.5]
Record: 1-3 (Won 24-14 at Oakland)
Week 3 power ranking: 80.5 (T21)

T20. Philadelphia Eagles [80.5]
Record: 1-3 (Lost 52-20 at Denver)
Week 3 power ranking: 81.0 (T19)

22. New York Giants [80.0]
Record: 0-4 (Lost 31-7 at Kansas City)
Week 3 power ranking: 81.5 (18)

23. Cleveland Browns [79.5]
Record: 2-2 (Won 17-6 vs. Cincinnati)
Week 3 power ranking: 78.5 (27)

T24. St. Louis Rams [79.0]
Record: 1-3 (Lost 35-11 vs. San Francisco)
Week 3 power ranking: 80.0 (23)

T24. Arizona Cardinals [79.0]
Record: 2-2 (Won 13-10 at Tampa Bay)
Week 3 power ranking: 79.0 (T25)

T24. Minnesota Vikings [79.0]
Record: 1-3 (Won 34-27 vs. Pittsburgh, in London)
Week 3 power ranking: 78.0 (T28)

T27. Pittsburgh Steelers [78.5]
Record: 0-4 (Lost 34-27 vs. Minnesota, in London)
Week 3 power ranking: 80.5 (T21)

T27. New York Jets [78.5]
Record: 2-2 (Lost 38-13 at Tennessee)
Week 3 power ranking: 79.0 (T25)

T29. Buffalo Bills [78.0]
Record: 2-2 (Won 23-20 vs. Baltimore)
Week 3 power ranking: 77.0 (T30)

T29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [78.0]
Record: 0-4 (Lost 13-10 vs. Arizona)
Week 3 power ranking: 78.0 (T28)

31. Oakland Raiders [77.0]
Record: 1-3 (Lost 24-14 vs. Washington)
Week 3 power ranking: 77.0 (T30)

32. Jacksonville Jaguars [72.5]
Record: 0-4 (Lost 37-3 vs. Indianapolis)
Week 3 power ranking: 73.5 (32)

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