Week 3 has come and gone, and we still have seven unbeaten teams and four winless teams. Let’s rank the 3-0 teams in terms of their Super Bowl chances…
1. New England Patriots: They’re outscoring their opponents by 16.3 points per game in a start that is evoking memories of 2007.
2. Green Bay Packers: As long as you’ve got the highest-rated passer in NFL history and the support of a great line and a great back, you’re a championship contender.
3. Cincinnati Bengals: John Harbaugh might have been onto something when he suggested this was the most talented team in football. The well-balanced Bengals have studs everywhere on both sides of the ball and a clear early edge in the AFC North.
4. Arizona Cardinals: Arizona has won its first three games by a combined 77 points. We all know the defense is good, but that old-school offensive trio of Carson Palmer, Chris Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald is scary. Now they just have to stay healthy.
5. Denver Broncos: The killer defense can’t be overlooked, but there are legitimate concerns about Peyton Manning as well as the running game.
6. Atlanta Falcons: Dan Quinn has done some phenomenal things to that defense and the Matt Ryan-Julio Jones battery is clicking big-time. The Falcons are sneaky-good.
7. Carolina Panthers: Carolina doesn’t have as much firepower as Atlanta, with Cam Newton left with a scarcity of weapons. Still, they have the ability on defense to make a run.
I’d predict that all seven 3-0 teams will make the playoffs, with Buffalo, Indy, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Minnesota and whoever wins the wild NFC East also factoring in and Oakland, Kansas City and San Diego serving as darkhorses.
And considering that the last 82 teams that started 0-3 didn’t make the playoffs, let’s rank the 0-3 teams in terms of their postseason chances…
1. Baltimore Ravens: The bad news is the Ravens — who are 0-3 for the first time in franchise history — now have to travel to Pittsburgh on short rest. The good news is they won’t have to face Ben Roethlisberger. A wild-card isn’t out of the question for this team, but there’s a bit of a mess there and they’re without Terrell Suggs.
2. Detroit Lions: They were right there with the Chargers and Broncos and it’s not as though they were dominated by Minnesota, but they fell short on all three occasions and now face questions on both sides of the ball in an impossible division. They won’t likely be able to compete with wild-card teams in the NFC East, South and West, as well as the Vikes.
3. New Orleans Saints: Even with Drew Brees, the Saints would be in trouble. Without him, and in a division that features two 3-0 teams in the deep NFC, they’re screwed. This team just isn’t what it used to be.
4. Chicago Bears: They’re already selling off parts and Jimmy Clausen is the starting quarterback. Enough said.
