NFL Power Rankings, Week 3: Football Outsiders Goes For A More Objective Approach

Tuesday during the NFL season is traditionally when power rankings are released so the media can tell us what they think about the state of the league. Everybody and their brother (including me) will come out with rankings and their spin on them. For the most part they are all fairly subjective and riddled with our own biases.

One set of rankings are not really power rankings, but do provide a more objective look at the state of the league. Football Outsiders uses its DVOA stat to tell where each team stands in the grand scheme of things. They also have a state called DAVE, which combines DVOA with preseason projections to tell the broader picture of a team. A team playing over its head through the first two weeks will have a higher DVOA than DAVE rating.

FO released their week two ratings and they currently rate the San Francisco 49ers No. 11 in DVOA and No. 15 in DAVE. They've played a bit over their head so far primarily based on how well they hung with the Dallas Cowboys. These ratings don't mean a whole lot when you blow a lead like that.

FO rates the Oakland Raiders No. 15 in DVOA and No. 25 in DAVE. The Raiders low DAVE is based on a pretty abysmal preseason projection in which they had the Raiders winning five games. There is still a lot of football to be played, but the Raiders have not looked like a five win team thus far.

NFL Week 3 Power Rankings: CBS Sports Downgrades 49ers, Parks Raiders

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports released his latest NFL Power Rankings, and the damage is limited. The Oakland Raiders aren't going anywhere despite giving up a baffling five touchdowns (three in the fourth quarter) to the Buffalo Bills; moving from 19th to 19th. The Raiders have shown enough potential on offense that they can be considered a dangerous enough threat to contend in the AFC West, so it makes sense that there hasn't been much movement quite yet.

The San Francisco 49ers did drop from 20th to 23rd after blowing their fourth quarter lead to the Dallas Cowboys. There is less promise for SF in the moribund NFC West; the Niners offense is looking slightly more efficient, but it has stagnated too often in the second half of its first two games and the defense has also had its momentary lapses. Of the two Bay Area teams, the Niners seem the team most in need of greater improvement.

For more on the 49ers, head to Niners Nation. For more on the Raiders, head to Silver and Black Pride.

NFL Power Rankings Week 3: ESPN Nudges Raiders, 49ers

The latest ESPN NFL Power Rankings are out and as somewhat expected, both the 49ers and Raiders did not take huge hits following their respective losses. ESPN dropped the Raiders from No. 18 to No. 20 and dropped the 49ers from No. 22 to No. 23. In losing close games they likely bought a little bit of credibility with the voters.

ESPN includes a brief blurb with each team written by one of their divisional bloggers. For the Raiders, they said, "Loss to Buffalo was tough to swallow, but the Raiders have shown themselves to be quality team." The Raiders should really be 2-0 but couldn't hold on late to the Bills. Now they head home to face the New York Jets in their home opener a week before welcoming a Super Bowl favorite in the New England Patriots. It's safe to say the next two weeks will tell us a lot about the Raiders.

On the other side, for the 49ers Mike Sando said, "A trip to Cincinnati in Week 3 offers a chance to make up ground after tough defeat." The 49ers won't be the first to get that kind of comment before playing the Bengals. The 49ers also should be 2-0 but blew a ten point lead in the fourth quarter and fell in overtime.They've got a fairly brutal run coming up against the likes of the Eagles, Bucs and Lions leading into their bye week. A win over Cincinnati is a must.

Here is the top ten for ESPN's power rankings.

1. Packers
2. Patriots
3. Jets
4. Saints
5. Texans
6. Eagles
7. Ravens
8. Falcons
9. Steelers
10. Bears

Week 3 NFL Power Rankings: More Of The Same From 49ers, Raiders?

Now that Tuesday is upon us, the media will distribute their various power rankings following the conclusion of week two. There are still plenty of question marks around the league, but that won't stop folks from starting to make some conclusions early on.

For the Bay Area teams, both are shrouded in serious question marks following a pair of heart-breaking losses. The Oakland Raiders dropped a thriller to the Buffalo Bills in arguably the best game of the weekend. The Raiders led 21-3 at halftime but were overwhelmed by the explosive Bills offense. The San Francisco 49ers led 14-0 in the second quarter and by ten points in the fourth quarter, but could not hold off Tony Romo and company, punctured lung and all. They dropped a 27-24 defeat in overtime.

SB Nation released their NFL Power Rankings, Week 3 and the results for the 49ers and Raiders are about what I expected in terms of changes. The 49ers dropped one spot and the Raiders climbed one spot. I don't think either team will lose much ground if any due to their losses. They could be punished for blowing leads, but that kind of thing happens in the NFL.

I would argue that the Raiders are underrated in SB Nation's rankings. They are ranked No. 23 while the 49ers are No. 20. I happen to be a 49ers fan but I ranked the Raiders higher by one spot in my own week three NFL power rankings. I think they're fairly close for now, but we'll see if they get any separation in coming weeks.

Week 3 NFL Power Rankings: If You Had The Bills High In Your Power Rankings, Quit Lying

Green Bay and New England sit at the top of our week three NFL Power Rankings, but Detroit, Buffalo and Washington are all making some noise. We break down the state of the NFL with always popular power rankings.