Our NFL Team Rankings are based entirely on the The Trench Counter, which is an objective formula measuring average yards per pass and run on both offense and defense, along with first downs registered and given up, turnovers for and against, and total penalty yards. 

Over time, The Trench Counter rankings begin to closely resemble the standings but goes even further to determine which teams are truly the best when on the line of scrimmage. 

The chief aim of the Trench Counter is to take the subjective out of the equation and even the somewhat fluky nature of teams actually scoring points, which is of course the whole point on a game-by-game basis.

The Cincinnati Bengals retained the top overall ranking, while the Arizona Cardinals moved up from No. 3 to No. 2 and the Seattle Seahawks jumped from No. 6 to No. 3.

Week 3 Rankings

1. Cincinnati Bengals: 10.5
2. Arizona Cardinals: 8.1
3. Seattle Seahawks: 7.4
4. Chicago Bears: 6.7
5. Washington Redskins: 5.3
6. New Orleans Saints: 5.2
7. Baltimore Ravens: 5.0
8. Atlanta Falcons: 3.9
9. Philadelphia Eagles: 3.5
10. Dallas Cowboys: 3.3
11. Miami Dolphins: 2.5
12. Detroit Lions: 2.3
13. San Diego Chargers: 0.8
14. Green Bay Packers: 0.6
15. Cleveland Browns: 0.6
16. Indianapolis Colts: 0.5
17. New England Patriots: 0.2
18. Houston Texans: -0.5
19. Minnesota Vikings: -1.1
20. Tennessee Titans: -1.4
21. Carolina Panthers: -1.4
22. Pittsburgh Steelers: -1.5
23. Denver Broncos: -2.1
24. Kansas City Chiefs: -3.9
25. New York Giants: -3.9
26. San Francisco 49ers: -4.0
27. New York Jets: -4.1
28. Oakland Raiders: -4.1
29. Buffalo Bills: -4.6
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: -10.1
31. Jacksonville Jaguars: -11.5
32. St. Louis Rams: -12.4