Los Angeles Rams stay atop Review-Journal’s NFL rankings
Review-Journal NFL reporter Gilbert Manzano’s weekly rankings, with last week’s ranking in parentheses.
1. Rams 3-0 (1). There’s more to coach Sean McVay’s Rams offense than just his brain. Jared Goff is developing into one of the league’s best quarterbacks.
2. Chiefs 3-0 (4). Patrick Mahomes has the Chiefs averaging a league-high 39.3 points per game.
3. Eagles 2-1 (6). Carson Wentz is rusty, but he still led the Eagles to a victory Sunday over the Colts.
4. Jaguars 2-1 (2). Oh, the enigma that is Blake Bortles. Picks apart the Patriots one week, and the next, lays a stinker versus the Titans in a 9-6 loss.
5. Panthers 2-1 (10). Christian McCaffrey can run between the tackles. He proved that last week with 184 rushing yards on 28 carries against the Bengals.
6. Saints 2-1 (15). The Saints have woken up and probably have the best offensive trio in the NFL with Drew Brees, Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas.
7. Dolphins 3-0 (16). It might be time to buy what coach Adam Gase is selling. All he does is win with Ryan Tannehill under center.
8. Patriots 1-2 (7). No one is worried about the Patriots, right? It’s a pattern. Struggle in September, add a few players, win 10 straight games. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady always right the ship.
9. Packers 1-1-1 (5). Aaron Rodgers’ knee doesn’t appear to be getting better. He didn’t look right in a loss to the Redskins.
10. Vikings 1-1-1 (3). The Vikings expected the Bills to roll over while Minnesota looked ahead to its Thursday showdown against the Rams. Instead, the Bills smacked the Vikings in the mouth and beat them by 37.5 points on the Vegas scoreboard.
11. Steelers 1-1-1 (13). Pittsburgh might have to score 30-plus points every week to have a chance to win because of its poor defense.
12. Buccaneers 2-1 (9). Three first-half interceptions didn’t stop Ryan Fitzpatrick from shredding the Steelers’ defense. It’s decision time for the Bucs with Jameis Winston back in the fold.
13. Falcons 1-2 (8). Atlanta has two close losses to the Eagles and Saints. The schedule doesn’t get easier with the Bengals, Steelers and Buccaneers coming up.
14. Bengals 2-1 (11). Despite a loss to the Panthers, the Bengals had a lot of positives in their first game without Joe Mixon.
15. Ravens 2-1 (14). A dominant performance by the Ravens’ defense led to a victory over the Broncos.
16. Bears 2-1 (18). Khalil Mack might need to start getting consideration for league MVP.
17. Broncos 2-1 (12). Case Keenum will need to regroup after a poor performance in Baltimore.
18. Titans 2-1 (22). It wasn’t pretty, but Marcus Mariota saved the day against the Jags.
19. Redskins 2-1 (23). It was Adrian Peterson throwback day in a win over the Packers.
20. Chargers 1-2 (17). The Chargers desperately need Joey Bosa back.
21. Browns 1-1-1 (26). Baker Mayfield’s heroics gave the Browns their first win in almost two years.
22. Cowboys 1-2 (20). The Cowboys might want to give Ezekiel Elliott more than 16 carries per game.
23. Colts 1-2 (21). Andrew Luck is still not Andrew Luck.
24. Giants 1-2 (27). Eli Manning finally got the Giants’ offense going in Week 3.
25. Jets 1-2 (25). Rookie Sam Darnold had a shaky start against the Browns. He now gets the dominant Jaguars defense.
26. Lions 1-2 (30). Coach Matt Patricia got his first win, and it came against his mentor, Belichick.
27. Seahawks 1-2 (29). Doug Baldwin’s shouting on the sidelines might have motivated the Seahawks in a win over the Cowboys.
28. 49ers 1-2 (19). The Niners’ season is probably over with Jimmy Garoppolo out with a torn ACL.
29. Bills 1-2 (32). No, Vontae Davis, you can’t rejoin the Bills. They play better without you.
30. Texans 0-3 (24). Deshaun Watson found his rhythm last week, but it’s probably too late.
31. Raiders 0-3 (28). Jon Gruden can’t adjust, and Derek Carr can’t close in crunch time. The Raiders need their two most important people to step up.
32. Cardinals 0-3 (31). Good luck, Josh Rosen. You’re going to need it.
Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GManzano24 on Twitter.
