After just two weeks of the 2026 season, sorting out all 16 NFC teams is incredibly difficult.
How much weight do you put on each team's reputation as of last season? How much stock do you truly put into the performances we've seen so far in 2026?
The beauty of NFL Power Rankings is that everything is subject to change on a week-to-week basis, and that change can be drastic and sometimes dramatic.
We're going to attempt to sort out the loaded NFC heading into Week 3, what we've seen from each team so far this season, and how all 16 teams stack up after two games. Things might look a lot different at the end of the season, but we're going to rank teams as best we can based on the eye test after Week 2.
NFL Power Rankings, Week 3: 49ers keep rolling, Lions and Bucs falling fast
16. Atlanta Falcons (0-2)
The Falcons might be dead last on this week's NFC Power Rankings (and dead last on the full 32-team rankings as well), but things might finally be looking up for them.
That's still very much TBD, because we have no idea what to expect from Michael Penix Jr. when he returns to the lineup in Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers (on Thursday night). It simply cannot possibly be any worse than what we've seen so far from the likes of Cooper Rush and even Jack Strand.
Coming out of the offseason, it was looking like the Falcons had as good of a chance as any team in the NFC South to make a jump, but the quarterback situation alone is impossible to overcome. On top of that, the Falcons are dealing with the suspension to James Pearce Jr., a season-ending injury to Jalon Walker, and plenty of other issues on both sides of the ball.
It hasn't been the easiest start for Kevin Stefanski, and having Penix make his debut on a short week against the Green Bay Packers won't be any easier.
15. Arizona Cardinals (1-1)
The Arizona Cardinals were undoubtedly one of the most impressive teams in the NFL in Week 1. We've all come to expect some strange things to happen in Week 1, but the Cardinals' win over the Los Angeles Chargers didn't feel as lucky as it did impressive.
Jacoby Brissett played really well, the defense rose to the occasion, and Arizona was well-prepared situationally to steal that Week 1 win.
I was as optimistic as anybody heading into Week 2, picking the Cardinals to upset the Seattle Seahawks with Drew Lock taking over for the injured Sam Darnold. They barely even put up a fight.
The Cardinals came crashing back to reality in a 31-7 drubbing at the hands of Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the Seahawks, and that's more of what we expected this team to look like coming into the season. The thrill of victory in Week 1 was short-lived, so we'll see how the Cardinals respond with a road trip to face off against the San Francisco 49ers.
Yikes.
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