NFL Power Rankings, Week 3: Biggest risers and fallers after Week 2

8. Los Angeles Chargers (2-0)

The Los Angeles Chargers have beaten the Week 1 Las Vegas Raiders and took down the Carolina Panthers in Week 2.  It’s not like they are playing great teams, but they’re playing smart, sound football and are winning the games they should.  Head coach Jim Harbaugh, who makes his return to the NFL after a decade away from it, has this team in a great spot thus far.  It’s not a shock at this point to think that the LA Chargers can indeed make the playoffs.

This team is not going to make a deep run or anything, but they’re well-coached enough to make a run and perhaps win 10-ish games.  You have to take a sigh of relief if you’re a Chargers fan given how incompetent the team has been in recent years under former head coach Brandon Staley.

Perhaps this is the head coach that is finally going to unlock whatever we have yet to see from a team QB’d by Justin Herbert?

7. San Francisco 49ers (1-1)

The San Francisco 49ers do this weird thing every year where they win a great game and lay an egg soon after.  The Niners lost to the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota during the 2023 NFL Season and did it again in 2024.  Now yes, the Niners are going to rank high in these NFL power rankings all season, but this weird quirk they have may come back to bite them deep in the season.

Brock Purdy did not look great in the loss and it was just a brutal effort from San Fran on both sides of the ball, and now they may be without Christian McCaffrey for at least half of the season.  Is the “Madden Curse” actually legitimate?

I envision that head coach Kyle Shanahan is going to have his team ready to go next week and will find a way to win at least 11 games this season.  It’s just what they do.