The 2017 NFL power rankings have been released for Week 3 and the shuffling in the top ten continues at a dramatic rate. The Denver Broncos are the new team at the top of the rankings, followed by the Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs. Following their Monday night win over the New York Giants, the Detroit Lions were the biggest movers upward on the week as they jumped up from No. 13 to No. 6 overall in this week’s rankings.

Denver Broncos take over as new No. 1

The Denver Broncos were supposed to be on their way out in terms of being one of the big boys in the AFC West.

Many experts believed that this division was going to be a battle between the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. While that may still happen, right now the Broncos are showing that they are still a force to be reckoned with.

Denver improved to 2-0 on the season after destroying the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday 42-17. The Broncos defense looked just as strong as it did two seasons ago when they defeated the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. So far, the AFC West is shaping up as the toughest division in football and may actually see three of its four teams become postseason bound.

Sure, the season is only heading to Week 3, but the Broncos, Raiders, and Chiefs all look like Super Bowl material early on.

Detroit Lions look hungry

The Detroit Lions have never been to the Super Bowl. Ever. Is this the year they finally break through? Detroit’s 2-0 start has fans in Motown dreaming of a Super Bowl title, but first things first - a division title and a guaranteed home game would be something fans in Detroit haven’t seen in the Matt Stafford era.

That could change this season.

The Lions defense smothered Eli Manning and the New York Giants last night at MetLife Stadium by the final score of 24-10. The Lions "D" has been great through the first two games of the season, however, if there's one thing the Lions need to address heading into a huge battle this weekend against the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons, it is the lack of being able to sustain offensive drives.

Last Week vs Arizona, Detroit looked like they were in quicksand on offense for the first three-quarters of the game. Last night against the Giants, Detroit looked unstoppable for the first 20 minutes or so, moving the ball at will. However, outside of a punt return in the second half by rookie Jamal Agnew, the Lions failed to score.

Nevertheless, Detroit has nothing to be negative about heading into Week 3. If they can become more consistent on offense, and they have the weapons to do so, they should be fighting for that NFC North title in December.

Here is a look at the updated Power Rankings for Week 3.

2017 NFL Power Rankings Week 3

  1. Denver Broncos
  2. Atlanta Falcons
  3. Kansas City Chiefs
  4. Oakland Raiders
  5. Pittsburgh Steelers
  6. Detroit Lions
  7. New England Patriots
  8. Baltimore Ravens
  9. Green Bay Packers
  10. Dallas Cowboys
  11. Seattle Seahawks
  12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  13. Carolina Panthers
  14. Minnesota Vikings
  15. Washington Redskins
  16. Tennessee Titans
  17. Philadelphia Eagles
  18. Miami Dolphins
  19. LA Rams
  20. Arizona Cardinals
  21. New Orleans Saints
  22. Buffalo Bills
  23. Houston Texans
  24. Cleveland Browns
  25. Cincinnati Bengals
  26. Jacksonville Jaguars
  27. Indianapolis Colts
  28. Chicago Bears
  29. NY Giants
  30. LA Chargers
  31. San Francisco 49ers
  32. NY Jets
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