With Week 3 of the 2026 NFL Season about in the books, the main months of the season are now here. October and November is when most of the football happens in this league, and as we will see in the coming weeks, the time will soon come for teams to truly decide whether they are a contender or not.
As we have done each week thus far, we have outlined and ranked the top Super Bowl contenders in the NFL. While this might not truly change all that much week to week, there is still a bit of movement, as we have seen some heavyweight bouts thus far.
Let's power-rank the top contenders in the NFL as Week 3 comes to an end.
AFC loaded with top Super Bowl contenders in updated rankings as Week 3 ends
9. Jacksonville Jaguars, 2-1
The Jacksonville Jaguars have two blowout wins in three weeks, as they defeated the New England Patriots in Week 3. The Jaguars are simply better than most teams, as Trevor Lawrence continues to play extremely efficient football, but the one thing I keep coming back to is the overall roster talent.
The Jaguars don't have a ton of top-end roster talent, but this regime is also only in year two, so that could take some time.
8. Seattle Seahawks, 2-1
The Seattle Seahawks surely didn't expect that to happen in Week 3. The Washington Commanders pulled off the upset in Sam Darnold's return to the lineup. It wasn't a pretty outing for the defense by any means, and these types of losses simply happen in the NFL.
You also shouldn't bury a team just because they lost an early-season game that should have gone the other way. Seattle is still among the best in the NFL and have the horses to repeat as champions. Rebounding from this loss is going to be key, and with how well-coached this team is, you can expect a much more complete performance going forward.
7. Cincinnati Bengals, 2-1
Another game that I believe carried a suprising result, the Cincinnati Bengals fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3. Cincy has significantly more talent than Pittsburgh, but that clearly did not matter. After two encouraging defensive performances in Weeks 1 and 2, the Bengals defense looked 'human' in Week 3.
With the team having started 2-1, a loss does keep them tied for the top spot in the AFC North with literally every other team, as Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland are all 2-1. The Bengals have the necessary players on the roster to win it all this year and should be able to remain as a legitimate Super Bowl contender in 2026.
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