2026 NFL Power Rankings: How all 32 teams stack up for Week 3 - ESPN

Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season marked a return to defensive dominance one week after record scoring numbers. This season, NFL defenses have a 35% pressure percentage (the highest through two weeks since ESPN began tracking pressures in 2009) and a 25% pass rush win rate (highest since 2017).

How is this impacting quarterbacks around the league? In our Power Rankings ahead of Week 3, we asked our NFL Nation reporters to name the one thing we've learned so far from each team's QB situation. Which quarterbacks are handling the pressure? How are teams such as the Giants, Bears, Commanders, Seahawks and Vikings dealing with early injuries to their QB1s?

To form the list, our power panel of more than a dozen NFL analysts evaluates how all 32 teams stack up against one another, ranking them from No. 1 to 32. And here are a few highlights from this week's rankings:

The 49ers climbed into the top three, led by a near-perfect two weeks from quarterback Brock Purdy. He became the fifth QB in NFL history to record multiple games with 90% completion percentage, per ESPN Research. And San Francisco gets to stay at home for two more weeks, starting with the Cardinals this Sunday.

The Chargers are down to No. 22 after falling to 0-2. According to ESPN Research, they are the second team in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to be favored by at least 6.5 points in each of their first two games and lose both. The Raiders, who most recently beat the Chargers, are at No. 20 and are 2-0 for the first time since 2021.

Meanwhile, the Falcons and Dolphins are squarely at the bottom of the rankings. The Dolphins are the only team to not lead at any point this season, and ESPN's Football Power Index already gives them a 43% chance at the No. 1 pick.