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

4. New Orleans Saints - (2-0)

I bet none of us thought that we’d see the New Orleans Saints of all teams near the top of NFL power rankings.  I mean, what a team this has turned out to be through two weeks of the 2024 NFL Season.  Derek Carr is playing out of his mind and is clearly the front-runner for the NFL MVP award.  At this rate, the Saints may run away with the NFC South en route to a home playoff game.

Carr seems like he’s playing the best football of his career, and the defense has taken care of business thus far as well.  Through two weeks, the veteran Carr has 443 yards, five touchdowns, one interception, and a stellar 142.4 passer rating.  I mean, those are video game numbers.  Some of the Saints best players are aging veterans, so the current foundation they have is not going to be here for the long-term, but it’s working for now.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - (2-0)

How about Baker Mayfield and te Tampa Bay Buccaneers, man?  They are cruising and are 2-0 on the season, now surely looking at those New Orleans Saints as being their toughest competition in the division.  Both the Saints and Bucs are 2-0 with quarterbacks that we just did not think were all that special.

Baker Mayfield is playing the best football of his career, as he helped lead his Bucs teammates to a huge win in Detroit in Week 2.  It was quite an impressive victory, and on the 2024 NFL Season, Mayfield has tossed five touchdowns and has earned a 129.1 passer rating, so both Mayfield and Carr are MVP candidates through two weeks.

Could the NFC South come down to the Bucs and the Saints?

What would be kind of cool is to see these teams meet in the first round of the NFL playoffs.  I know that’s months away, but a potential matchup feels extremely even on paper.