NFL Week 3 Power Rankings: Jaguars claim top spot; Buccaneers, Dolphins climbing

The state of Florida is a combined 6-0 so far in the first two weeks of the NFL season.

The 2-0 Jacksonville Jaguars are not the surprise team in that group. But the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins sure are shocking at 2-0.

The Bucs are the biggest stunner, going 2-0 behind Ryan Fitzpatrick's hot start. Fitzpatrick, playing in place of the suspended Jameis Winston, has been special so far in throwing eight touchdown passes in two games, and leading to an oft-asked question:

Does he keep the job when Winston returns in Week 4?

My belief is that next Monday night's game with the Pittsburgh Steelers will decide that. If he plays like he has so far, how do the Bucs take him out of the lineup?

As for the Dolphins, coach Adam Gase thought all offseason his team was better than expected. He's right. Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill is 11-3 in his last 14 starts (counting playoffs), including this year's two victories. He's played well so far.

In a weak AFC East, the Dolphins can push for a playoff spot, if not the division.

The Jaguars are now No. 1 in my Power Rankings, with the Bucs at No. 9 and the Dolphins at No. 12. The Jaguars and Dolphins are favored in their games this week, while the Bucs have a winnable home game. So a 9-0 start for the three teams seems possible.

Who the heck saw that coming, especially in Tampa Bay and Miami?

Biggest Movers

8 Steelers


1	Jaguars	They earned this spot dominating the Patriots. If Blake Bortles plays like he did against New England, they should be a playoff team.	1	2-0-0
2	Rams	They are off to the type of start many expected. But they haven't played a good team yet, but will when they face the Chargers in the battle of LA this week.	4	2-0-0
3	Chiefs	Patrick Mahomes is on fire. He has to be, too, because the Chiefs defense isn't very good.	5	2-0-0
4	Packers	Aaron Rodgers toughed it out against the Vikings in a game they should have won. But he's still not close to 100-percent.	3	1-0-1
5	Vikings	Kirk Cousins was sensational against the Packers. Maybe he was worth all that money.	--	1-0-1
6	Broncos	They've won two games, but they need Case Keenum to play better. He was bad for much of the Oakland game.	1	2-0-0
7	Patriots	Their defense made Blake Bortles look like Tom Brady. They have issues on that side of the ball.	4	1-1-0
8	Bengals	At 2-0, they are alone in first place in the division. They are starting to look like a playoff contender.	6	2-0-0
9	Buccaneers	Can Ryan Fitzpatrick be stopped? Now he gets to go against that bad Steelers defense.	10	2-0-0
10	Eagles	They might get Carson Wentz back this week, which they need. But they have other issues that showed up against Tampa Bay.	6	1-1-0
11	Falcons	Matt Ryan got back on track against the Panthers, and the Red Zone woes seemed to disappear. Can they keep it going against the Saints?	--	1-1-0
12	Dolphins	They are off to a 2-0 start and have a winnable game at home against Oakland. Adam Gase has this team playing good football.	5	2-0-0
13	Panthers	The banged-up offensive line was an issue against Atlanta and now they face a tough Bengals front.	3	1-1-0
14	Ravens	They had defensive issues against the Bengals, which is not a good sign. They did show some fight coming back.	2	1-1-0
15	Saints	They haven't looked like a Super Bowl team in either game. They better this week against the Falcons in Atlanta.	2	1-1-0
16	Chargers	They looked like a dominant team against the Bills, but now face a major step up in competition against the Rams. Philip Rivers against the Rams defense will be fun.	--	1-1-0
17	Steelers	Their defense is awful. Something has to change this week against Tampa Bay - or else.	8	0-1-1
18	Colts	The defense showed up against the Redskins. They'll need more of that this week against the Eagles.	13	1-1-0
19	Redskins	What happened to the offense against the Colts? The running game disappeared.	4	1-1-0
20	Titans	They found a way to win a game without a quarterback. That's impressive. But now comes a big division game with Jacksonville.	--	1-1-0
21	Cowboys	Their defense has impressed in two games. The offense showed growth against the Giants, but needs more.	1	1-1-0
22	49ers	They held on against the Lions, but now comes a brutal road trip against a hot Patrick Mahomes. The defense has to be better.	1	1-1-0
23	Jets	Sam Darnold came back down to reality against the Dolphins. Now he plays on a short week on the road, which will be a challenge.	1	1-1-0
24	Bears	They could easily be 2-0, so they have to be happy with their start. They are a team on the rise.	1	1-1-0
25	Texans	They are 0-2 and haven't done anything on offense. If they don't get it going, they won't be a playoff team.	7	0-2-0
26	Raiders	They are 0-2 under Jon Gruden after blowing a lead at Denver. Next up is a long road trip to Miami.	5	0-2-0
27	Seahawks	This is a different looking Seattle team. They just lack talent.	1	0-2-0
28	Cardinals	How much longer can they stay with Sam Bradford at quarterback? He just can't drive the ball like Josh Rosen can.	1	0-2-0
29	Giants	At 0-2, it's going to be a tough climb to get back out of that hole. They just don't look like a good team right now.	1	0-2-0
30	Lions	The defense is awful and now they face Tom Brady. Good luck with that.	1	0-2-0
31	Browns	They lose games the way you would expect the Browns to lose games. They just can't get past their own issues.	1	0-1-1
32	Bills	It's going to be a long season for this team. I would be shocked if they ever leave this spot.	--	0-2-0