From Florida’s upset win over Tennessee on Saturday to two NFL games that went to overtime on Sunday, this past weekend in football kept us all entertained. Here’s all you need to know for the upcoming week of football.
NFL power rankings:
The cellar dwellers:
#32. Chicago Bears (0-2, 32)
#31. Houston Texans (0-2, 30)
#30. Arizona Cardinals (0-2, 30)
The scrappy underdogs:
#29. Carolina Panthers (0-2, 27)
#28. Indianapolis Colts (1-1, 29)
#27. Washington Commanders (2-0, 28)
#26. Las Vegas Raiders (1-1, 22)
#25. Denver Broncos (1-1, 23)
Playoff longshots:
#24. New Orleans Saints (2-0, 25)
#23. Los Angeles Rams (1-1, 26)
#22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0, 21)
#21. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1, 20)
#20. New York Jets (1-1, 15)
#19. New York Giants (1-1, 16)
#18. Tennessee Titans (1-1, 24)
#17. Green Bay Packers (1-1, 18)
Playoff contenders:
#16. Atlanta Falcons (2-0, 19)
#15. Minnesota Vikings (0-2, 13)
#14. Detroit Lions (1-1, 12)
#13. Seattle Seahawks (1-1, 17)
#12. Cleveland Browns (1-1, 8)
#11. Los Angeles Chargers (0-2, 11)
#10. New England Patriots (0-2, 14)
Super Bowl contenders:
#9. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1, 10)
#8. Cincinnati Bengals (0-2, 5)
#7. Philadelphia Eagles (2-0, 4)
#6. Baltimore Ravens (2-0, 7)
#5. Buffalo Bills (1-1, 9)
#4. Miami Dolphins (2-0, 6)
Super Bowl favorites:
#3. Kansas City Chiefs (1-1, 3)
#2. San Francisco 49ers (2-0, 1)
#1. Dallas Cowboys (2-0, 2)
College football top 10:
Honorable mentions: Utah, Penny State, Colorado
#10. Notre Dame 3-0
#9. LSU 2-1
#8. Oregon (3-0
#7. Washington 3-0
#6. Ohio State 3-0
#5. Texas 3-0
#4. Florida State 3-0
#3. USC 3-0
#2. Georgia 3-0
#1. Michigan 3-0
NFL games of the week:
Los Angeles Chargers @ Minnesota Vikings:
This is the most interesting game of the week. Both the Chargers and Vikings were expected to be contenders coming into the season, but they have both lost their first two games. I think the Vikings have played better than the Chargers so far, but their good luck from last year has completely reversed course. They probably would have beat the Eagles last week if not for four lost fumbles. On the other hand, the Chargers are a bit more worrisome. Their offense has mostly lived up to expectations, but their defense is not good. Both teams have great offenses and not so great defenses, so this one should be a shootout. However, the Vikings have far superior defensive coaching that I think will swing this game slightly in their favor.
Atlanta Falcons @ Detroit Lions:
The Falcons are off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2017. A great running game led by sensational rookie Bijan Robinson is the main reason why. The Lions are 1-1, as they beat the Chiefs by one in week one and lost to the Seahawks in overtime in a week two shootout. This game should be relatively high scoring as neither team has a great defense. The Lions have the better quarterback and offensive line, so I think they will be able to have more success through the air. Atlanta could win this game if they can establish the run and control the clock. However, if Detroit can take an early lead and force Atlanta into a pass heavy game script, then the Lions would probably win pretty easily.
Tennessee Titans @ Cleveland Browns:
This one might not seem very interesting on the surface, but I think both teams will learn a lot from this matchup. The Titans rebounded from a week one clunker against the Saints to beat the Chargers in week two, and it will be interesting to see how they fair this week against a great Cleveland defense. Can Ryan Tannehill stay composed under pressure or will he faceplant like he did against New Orleans? For the Browns, how good will this offense be after Nick Chubb’s brutal season ending knee injury? Against a physical defensive line, will they have any success in the run game? Can DeShaun Watson step up as a passer after struggling in weeks one and two? I really don’t know how this game will play out, but it will be very interesting no matter what happens.
Los Angeles Rams @ Cincinnati Bengals:
This Monday night showdown will only be interesting if Joe Burrow plays. The Bengals are 0-2 and Burrow aggravated his pre-season calf injury in week two against the Ravens. If Burrow plays I would expect Cincinnati to win, but the Rams have been much better than expected thus far. Matthew Stafford is healthy and playing like a fringe top 10 quarterback again, and they seemingly found a diamond in the rough in sixth round pick Puka Nacua, who has caught a record 25 passes for 266 yards in his first two NFL games. The Bengals are still far superior to the Rams in talent, but they have been struggling while Los Angeles has been surging.
College games of the week:
Ohio State @ Notre Dame:
This game has the biggest stakes of any this weekend, as both teams come in ranked in the top 10. Ohio State will be favored, but quarterback Kyle McCord will have to step up if they hope to win on the road. We know they have the most dynamic receiving core in the country, but McCord, a junior in his first year as the full time starter, will have to be accurate and able to evade pressure against a good Notre Dame defense. Defense is not usually Ohio State’s calling card, but they are solid on that side of the ball as well. Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman, a sixth year senior and Wake Forest transfer, has elevated the Notre Dame offense to a new level this year. I expect both offenses to have success, but Notre Dame has the better quarterback and defense. If I had to pick a winner in this one, I would take the Irish.
Colorado @ Oregon:
While not as high profile as Ohio State Notre Dame, there is probably more excitement for this one. Oregon is a top 10 team that has dominated their first three opponents. Deion Sanders and Colorado are also 3-0, but it took them until double overtime to outlast rival Colorado State last week. Moreover, superstar wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter will miss the next three games with an injury suffered on a late hit against Colorado State. Hunter was Colorado’s best player on a defense that is otherwise subpar, so I expect Oregon to run and pass their way up and down the field with ease. However, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is a star and will do everything he can to keep the Buffalos in the game. Both offenses should put up huge numbers, but Oregon has home field advantage and the better defense. I think the Ducks win, but I think Colorado will cover the 21 point spread.
Ole Miss @ Alabama:
This is a top 25 SEC matchup, so it should be a very competitive game. Alabama is not as good as usual this year, as an uncharacteristic weakness at quarterback has led to a mediocre offense. The Tide struggled to 17 points last week in a win over USF, and they lost to Texas the week prior. Their defense on the other hand is as good as ever. Head coach Lane Kiffin, a polarizing figure in the football world, has returned Ole Miss to national relevance since he took the job in late 2019. Kiffin knows Alabama well, as he served as an assistant under Nick Saben prior to taking the Ole Miss job. While he hasn’t beaten the Tide yet, this could be his year. Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart is an NFL draft prospect, and he has a host of playmakers at his disposal. While Alabama is the home team and is favored to win, it would not be surprising at all to see the Rebels pull off the upset.
Florida State @ Clemson:
This is a battle between two rivals and the top two teams in the ACC. It looked like FSU would be heavy favorites in this game after week one, when the Noles blew out LSU and Clemson lost to Duke, but Clemson has rebounded with back-to-back wins and Florida State barely held on to beat Boston College last week. Florida State hasn’t beat Clemson since 2015, and it’s not going to be easy to end the losing streak this year. Clemson is at home and seemingly has more momentum. With that being said, FSU is still ranked fourth in the country by both me and the Associated Press. If they can correct the mistakes they made against Boston College, they should be able to win. It’s not a matter of who is the better team when both teams are at their best; it’s who is playing better right now.
