National Football League

Herd Hierarchy: Dolphins claim top spot from 49ers; Eagles take a dip

Published Sep. 19, 2023 5:24 p.m. ET

The second week of the NFL season is in the book.

Week 2 featured a few exciting finishes and results, leading to nine teams remaining undefeated — while another nine teams are still winless.

Colin Cowherd worked his way through those undefeated teams and some of the best 1-1 teams to rank his top 10 teams in the league entering Week 3 in the latest edition of the "Herd Hierarchy."

10. Washington Commanders (Last week: Unranked)

Overall record: 2-0 | Last week: Commanders won 35-33 @ Denver Broncos

Cowherd's thoughts: "I gotta be honest, I was blown away by the Washington Commanders. Take out that nonsense Hail Mary, they dominated the second and third quarters on the road. … Sam Howell's 3-0. I like what I saw. I said this before the season: We like their personnel. We're not sure about the coach and the quarterback, but Howell's played well."

Up next: Commanders vs. Bills (1 p.m. ET)

Herd Hierarchy: Rams, Commanders leap into Colin's Top 10 heading into Week 3

9. Los Angeles Rams (Last week: Unranked)

Overall record: 1-1 | Last week: Rams lost 27-20 vs. San Francisco 49ers

Cowherd's thoughts: "The Rams are shocking. No. 2 offensively, [Matthew] Stafford has been sacked only once. Stafford's one of two quarterbacks with 300-plus passing yards in each of the first two games, and that's against Seattle and the Niners. I don't care what the preseason people said, this defense is young and fast. … Cooper Kupp's coming [back] in a couple of weeks. I like what I see."

Up next: Rams @ Bengals (Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET)

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8. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 8)

Overall record: 1-1 | Last week: Jaguars lost 17-9 vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Cowherd's thoughts: "They're gonna be OK. Listen, they can't beat the Chiefs. Baltimore can't beat the Chiefs. OK, that's a problem for virtually everybody. This is a really good roster. Tough game, indeed. They … were in this game, just bad in the red zone."

Up next: Jaguars vs. Texans (1 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

7. Buffalo Bills (Last week: Unranked)

Overall record: 1-1 | Last week: Bills won 38-10 vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Cowherd's thoughts: "Buffalo is going to be fine. They lead the NFL since 2020 with 27 wins by 10-plus points. … They roll downhill if they get a lead on you with that pass rush. But the other thing to remember: no giveaways against the Raiders. They shortened the routes. Josh Allen leads the NFL right now, believe it or not, [in completions percentage]."

Up next: Bills @ Commanders (1 p.m. ET)

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6. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 7)

Overall record: 2-0 | Last week: Ravens won 27-24 vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Cowherd's thoughts: "They're banged up, but they had 25-plus points in their first two games. … Lamar Jackson is 7-1 in his career against the Bengals. It's hard to prepare for him. There is no other Lamar Jackson in the league, and they had 178 rushing yards against the Bengals. When they start getting the lead, they're running the football. You're running out of time. Their defense is better than I thought."

Up next: Ravens vs. Colts (1 p.m. ET)

5. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 4)

Overall record: 2-0 | Last week: Eagles won 34-28 vs. Minnesota Vikings

Cowherd's thoughts: "Philadelphia has an identity crisis. Just run the ball with Jalen Hurts. He's a power running quarterback. That's what you are. D'Andre Swift had a good weekend. … Let's not try to make this offense anything other than what it is: a power run game with a great O-line."

Up next: Eagles @ Buccaneers (Monday, 7:15 p.m. ET)

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4. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 5)

Overall record: 1-1 | Last week: Chiefs won 17-9 @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Cowherd's thoughts: "Patrick Mahomes has been sacked only once this season. The story with this team is Mahomes is getting good protection and their young defense is inexpensive and really good. Fourteen different players, though, have had one catch. I think they're trying to figure out their receiving corps. Travis Kelce, let's be honest, that's the No. 1 target and then everybody else is getting one or two catches."

Up next: Chiefs vs. Bears (4:25 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

3. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 3)

Overall record: 2-0 | Last week: Cowboys won 30-10 vs. New York Jets

Cowherd's thoughts: "They lead the NFL in point differential. They're one of five offenses without a giveaway. Their defense has seven [takeaways]. The recipe is rinse and repeat: conservative offense and Micah Parsons is unblockable. Forced fumbles, make picks and a hyper-aggressive backend."

Up next: Cowboys @ Cardinals (4:25 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

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2. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 1)

Overall record: 2-0 | Last week: 49ers won 27-20 @ Los Angeles Rams

Cowherd's thoughts: "Brock Purdy is 9-0 with 19 touchdowns and two interceptions if you take out the NFC Championship Game due to an injury. Bottom line is Purdy moves better than [Jimmy] Garoppolo, so they moved the pocket better. They have never lost with Christian McCaffrey in the regular season — 12-0. They're loaded. That's the best roster in the NFL."

Up next: 49ers vs. Giants (Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET)

1. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 2)

Overall record: 2-0 | Last week: Dolphins won 24-17 vs. New England Patriots

Cowherd's thoughts: "Miami has blown me away — 2-0 [with both wins] on the road. They've scored on 11 of their 22 drives. They're really good. They can play power football. They can do finesse. They do speed. Tyreek Hill — three touchdown catches already. Again, it's really dependent on the health of [Tua] Tagovailoa. You cross your fingers on that. But I gotta be honest, watching them go on the road, and just [win] — they are so creative."

Up next: Dolphins vs. Broncos (1 p.m. ET)

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