NFL 2014 Sunday Night Football

1. Cincinnati Bengals (3-0) | Previous Rank: 2
The Bengals lost both their coordinators, Mike Zimmer and Jay Gruden, to head coaching jobs in the offseason. Their top offensive threat, WR A.J. Green, has been hampered by a toe injury. But they haven’t missed a step and they’ve been impressive in winning their first three games by a wider margin each week. They have a bye week to savor their good start, but the schedule toughens when they return with games against the Patriots, Panthers, Colts and Ravens.Packers vs Bears Live Stream
2. Philadelphia Eagles (3-0) | Previous Rank: 3
They were pushed to the limit Sunday by Kirk Cousins and the Redskins and they’ve been living on the edge, with a pair of three-point victories after overcoming a 17-point deficit to win the opener against the Jaguars. Cousins shredded the Philadelphia defense and the triumph came at a cost to the offense, with center Jason Kelce now sidelined because of a sports hernia. The offensive line is minus three starters with Kelce joining suspended right tackle Lane Johnson and injured left guard Evan Mathis on the shelf.
3. Arizona Cardinals (3-0) | Previous Rank: 4
How about a Cardinals-Bengals Super Bowl? Both once-downtrodden franchises have been among the league’s best teams so far. The Cardinals are building on last season’s 10-6 playoff near-miss. They have the highly regarded Seahawks and 49ers chasing them in the NFC West and they’re getting it done with backup QB Drew Stanton starting the past two games. Bruce Arians is showing he’s one of the NFL’s better coaches, with relatively little fanfare. He’s now 22-9 including his 12-game stretch filling in for Chuck Pagano in Indianapolis.
4. San Diego Chargers (2-1) | Previous Rank: 6
The Chargers handed the Bills their first loss of the season and now find themselves in a tie with the Broncos atop the AFC West. With their next four games against the Jaguars, Jets, Raiders and Chiefs, San Diego easily could be 6-1 by the time it plays at Denver on Oct. 23.
5. New England Patriots (2-1) | Previous Rank: 5
The win over the Raiders wasn’t particularly impressive but the Patriots managed to improve to 2-1. They haven’t really gotten going yet but the play of the revamped secondary has been a bright spot. New England ranks first in the league in pass defense.
6. Seattle Seahawks (2-1) | Previous Rank: 7
The Seahawks won the Super Bowl rematch but it was far more difficult against the Broncos this time. The blown fourth-quarter lead should be somewhat concerning to the defending champs. But QB Russell Wilson and RB Marshawn Lynch made the big plays in OT. Wilson is now 7-0 against Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers.
7. Denver Broncos (2-1) | Previous Rank: 1
The Broncos have an early bye week to regroup following their overtime defeat at Seattle. They should feel good about their improved effort on defense, about QB Peyton Manning reaffirming his greatness and about the production of WR Emmanuel Sanders against the Seahawks. They do need to run the ball better, though. Denver is averaging only 3.2 yards per rushing attempt this season after saying farewell to RB Knowshon Moreno in the offseason. Only one of Manning’s eight TD passes so far has gone to a WR.