Early portions of the NFL season have gotten weird. We’re seeing some sloppy football and plenty of unexpected results. And, oh, so many freaking injuries that change the landscape. We’re used to a certain grouping in the top 10, but that’s being shuffled after what has happened in two weeks.

Power rankings are somewhat of an echo chamber, with little variation in the selections between one ranking and another. Maybe not this week

RELATED CONTENT:

• Instant Analysis: Breaking down Bears performance in 19-13 loss to Houston Texans
• Vibe check: Offensive players lament squandering excellent defensive performance in Texans loss
• Analysis: Why Bears must get run game right, right away
• By the numbers: Heavy pressure proved dibilitating for Bears offense

The elites may revert the pecking order back to a more traditional grouping. That’s why we’re seeing some fluctuation early on. You’ll also see differing opinions on where teams like the Buccaneers, Saints, Browns and Bengals will land. That’s okay. Variety’s the spice of something or other.

Enough preamble. Let’s get right to our NFL hierarchy heading into Week 3:

1. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0): Patrick Mahomes cares about winning so much. Every game matters. That’s why he never stops coming at you.

2. Buffalo Bills (2-0): This team looks complete. The Bills dominated Miami through and through.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0): The Bucs at this high ranking seems crazy, but Baker Mayfield has his guys going strong right now.

4. Houston Texans (2-0): C.J. Stroud is awesome. So is Nico Collins. Oh, and that defense is legit. We hold Houston in higher regard after seeing that team in person.

5. San Francisco 49ers (1-1): Kyle Shanahan gets so much out of unheralded players. Can the 49ers keep going strong without Christian McCaffrey and maybe Deebo Samuel for an extended stretch?

6. Detroit Lions (1-1): We still seeing some weird early-season results. Jared Goff throwing three picks counts as one.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1): Saquon Barkley has been so good in Philly. He can’t be happy that third-down pass clanked off his hands.

8. Dallas Cowboys (1-1): What in the world happened against New Orleans? Every now and then, the Cowboys lay an egg.

9. Miami Dolphins (1-1): Hate to see what has happened to Tua. Such a gamer.

10. Baltimore Ravens (0-2): We know the Ravens are winless and still in the top 10. Don’t care. They won’t be down for long.

11. Los Angeles Chargers (2-0): Jim Harbaugh was a quarterback, but he loves to run the ball. And run the ball well. Chargers are playing in his image. That’s a good thing.

12. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0): Is Justin Fields gonna steal the starting job in Pitt? Maybe. Just maybe.

13. New Orleans Saints (2-0): Never in a million did we think the Saints would demolish the Cowboys like that. New OC Klint Kubiak for mayor of New Orleans.

14. Minnesota Vikings (2-0): Sam Darnold. Justin Jefferson. What a combo.

15. Atlanta Falcons (1-1): New-look Falcons showed us something on Monday night. They both earned the win and were handed the right to get it by a crazy Eagles drop.

16. Green Bay Packers (1-1): Josh Jacobs more than made up for the fact that Jordan Love is out.

17. New York Jets (1-1): Lots of questions about these Jets, despite Aaron Rodgers being their public face.

18. Seattle Seahawks (2-0): Why do folks still doubt Geno Smith? He’s not the same dude he was with the Jets. Not even close

19. Arizona Cardinals (1-1): Marvin Harrison Jr. did something spectacular in Week 2 that no one has done…since his dad did it. Gotta love that stuff.

20. Chicago Bears (1-1): Bears have tons of potential, but that won’t matter if they can get their protection right. And their run game.

21. Cincinnati Bengals (0-2): Can’t get the contract he deserves and now the Bengals are struggling. Ja’Marr Chase should be upset. Bengals should’ve paid him long ago.

22. Los Angeles Rams (0-2): Injury plague gets used too much by sports writer folks like me. It fits with the Rams. My goodness.

23. Cleveland Browns (1-1): Browns snuck out or Jacksonville with a win, but they’ve still got a quarterback problem.

24. Las Vegas Raiders (1-1): Raiders were down two scores late and managed to beat the Ravens. The Davante Adams/Brock Bowers combo could be big for the Raiders.

25. Indianapolis Colts (0-2): I had the Colts at No. 13 after Week 1. Oops. My bad.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2): Trevor Lawrence publicly criticized himself pretty good. It was warranted. The shine has come of the Jags, like, really fast.

27. New England Patriots (1-1): How long can this Jacoby Brissett experiment go?

28. Washington Commanders (1-1): No way they beat anyone else but the Giants last week. Okay, the Panthers, too.

29. Tennessee Titans (0-2): Brian Callahan was publicly frustrated with silly Will Levis turnovers and didn’t apologize for it. Don’t worry about it, Brian. Titans fans feel the same way.

30. Denver Broncos (0-2): Bo Nix might be in for a long season. First-round pick doesn’t have much to work with.

31. New York Giants (0-2): The Giants scored three offensive touchdowns, didn’t give one up and still lost. Wrap your brain around that.

32. Carolina Panthers (0-2): Bryce Young’ got benched. For Andy Dalton. Yep. That’ll solve all the Panthers problems.

Follow Bears Insider Scott Bair on X @ScottBairNFL. Also, Bair Mail is coming! Join the conversation by submitting a mailbag question or comment to mailbag@marqueesportsnetwork.com for a chance to be included in this new content series.