NFL Power Rankings Week 3: Updated Records, 2016-17 Super Bowl Odds

Sam Bradford just won an encounter with Aaron Rodgers when his Minnesota Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers 17-14, so fans can understand why major shake-ups will go down in power rankings this week.

The opening weeks of a season always seem odd, but it doesn’t get much stranger than Bradford throwing for two scores with no picks while Rodgers posted one touchdown and one interception.

Among other oddities, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Seattle Seahawks (9-3), and the Tom Brady-less New England Patriots continued to roll by holding off the Miami Dolphins (31-24). The power rankings scene, as such, remains in flux.

Week 3 NFL Power Rankings

2016-17 Super Bowl Odds

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

Time to Believe: Houston Texans (33-1)

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It looks like bettors need to consider riding with the Houston Texans.

Houston looked like a good bet in the preseason. The AFC South is something of a running joke these days, and the additions of Brock Osweiler and Lamar Miller pointed to an improvement and deep playoff run.

So far, so good. Houston took care of business in a bit of a warm-up against the Chicago Bears in Week 1 before surviving the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2, 19-12. It was ugly, with Osweiler throwing for one score and a pair of interceptions and Miller rushing for only 3.3 yards per carry, but the defense held the Chiefs to less than 200 yards passing and just 291 total yards.

Long story short, it was a clinic for what good teams do: When the offense has a down day, the defense picks up the slack. Next week is a date with the Patriots, and thanks to the AFC South, the schedule as a whole doesn’t look bad this season.

As the weeks go by, Houston keeps looking better and better from a betting standpoint.

Time to Panic: …

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