NFL RODS Rankings: Week 3

Rams consolidate top spot after a crazy week of NFL games

By Paddi Cooper@PaddiCooper Sep 27, 2018, 1:00pm EDT

Hands up if you know anything about football? What I continue to learn is that the only certainty in the NFL is uncertainty. I would imagine about 98% of survivor pools were decimated by the upsets in Minnesota, Jacksonville and Detroit this week but quite frankly, it’s what I love about this crazy game.

Onto the rankings and its the Rams who remain top of the rankings as they continue their unbeaten start to 2018 after defeating the Chargers in the ‘battle of LA’ 35-23. The result earned the Rams a +35.7% grade and after three weeks they have a season grade of +49.5%. In second place the Ravens bounced back from the defeat to the Bengals as they put the Broncos to the sword with a 27-14 win and the joint top grade of Week 3 with +45.7%. The Rams and Ravens are the only two teams who currently have a top-10 rated offense and defense, and also boast top-10 special teams as well, which gives both teams a significant gap over the chasing pack.

Last season’s RODS champions, the Jaguars (+21.4%), lead the chasing pack and posted a +20% grade in Week 3 despite losing 6-9 to the Titans (-20%). Their defense continues to be dominant (4th overall), and even with a slightly above average offense (14th), they will continue to be the favourites to win the AFC South.

At the bottom, the Bills move out of the basement spot after their extraordinary win over the Vikings on the road, though the victory only earned them a +2.9% rating. That leaves the Cardinals as the worst team in the NFL, something I think we all would agree with based on the tape so far in 2018. The Cardinals’ offense is by far the worst in the NFL thus far, with a rating of just +5.0%. When you consider the Browns finished 2017 with the worst offense in the NFL with a +19.8% rating, you can see what a poor start the Cardinals have made. The switch to Josh Rosen at quarterback is the only sensible option if the Cardinals want to be competitive in 2018.

Somewhat crazily given the relative level of competition faced, the Falcons currently rank as the third worst team in the NFL through three games. They’re ranked this low due to their defense currently grading as the worst in the NFL and now having lost three key defensive starters for the season, it could be long season for Dan Quinn’s defense.