NFL Power Rankings 2021: Where does Washington rank heading into Week 3?

The Washington Football Team entered the season with high hopes and expectations of repeating as the NFC East champions. The first game vs the Los Angeles Chargers was a big reality check for a team that is still rebuilding from decades of mismanagement. Washington bounced back with a division win against the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football. That game added more questions despite the win, and now Washington heads to Buffalo for QB Taylor Heinicke’s first road start.

High: 9

Low: 23

Average: 20.1

#9

Oddshark - Last Week: 10

#18

Sporting News(Iyer)

Taylor Heinicke looks like the better choice to help WFT meet its immense offensive potential under Scott Turner and Ron Rivera. Now Washington needs to figure out why the defensive backbone is breaking down for Jack Del Rio. Last Week: 20

#20

Washington Post(Maske)

Taylor Heinicke makes things happen. The Washington coaching staff perhaps has ended up with the right QB by happenstance rather than by design. But no one should get carried away just yet about the team’s prospects. That victory Thursday night was largely a giveaway by the Giants. Last Week: 23

Touchdown Wire(Wojton)

Washington did get the win but barely escaped with a Thursday Night Football vs. the Giants. Taylor Heinicke looked good in relief as will hope to do so moving forward as Ryan Fitzpatrick is now out with a hip injury.

At least they’re in first place after Week 2? Last Week: 21

Sportsnaut(Johnson)

A last-second win against a division rival is nice, but this was ugly for the Washington Football Team. A vaunted defense was picked apart by Daniel Jones and the coaching staff almost gave the game away. Taylor Heinicke, Terry McLaurin and Antonio Gibson can still win this division, but Washington didn’t earn a higher spot in our Week 3 NFL power rankings. Last Week: 16

The Ringer(Kelly) - Last Week: 17

NumberFire - Last week: 22

#21

NFL.com(Hanzus)

The Washington Football Team may not have Ryan Fitzpatrick, but they still have hope in the form of Taylor Heinicke, who moved the offense with purpose in a 30-29 win over the Giants on Thursday Night Football. Washington was greatly aided by several huge miscues from New York, but Ron Rivera and Co. deserve credit for walking through the door the opponent held open for them. Heinicke wasn’t perfect in the win, but he made enough big throws to make you think he can turn himself into Washington’s season-long starter — regardless of Fitzpatrick’s health. “He’s always ready for his moment,” Terry McLaurin said of Heinicke. “I love the guy.” Last Week: 20

CBS Sports(Prisco)

The surprise so far to their season has been the so-so play of the defense. They should be better than they’ve showed, something that has to change this week against the Bills. Last week: 17

Yahoo Sports(Schwab)

It was a heck of a win against the Giants, but we need to start wondering when the defense will show up. Daniel Jones had way too much time in the pocket. We’ll see what it does Sunday at Buffalo. Washington isn’t competing for an NFC East title unless the defense is really good, and it hasn’t been yet. Last Week: 20

Yahoo Sports(Davis)

Breaking a five-game losing streak to the Giants means the WFT will be undefeated in NFC East play for the next 12 weeks, at which point they’ll conclude the regular season with five consecutive divisional matchups. Last Week: 21

Bleacher Report

Heading into Week 2, the Washington Football Team was reeling. Not only did Washington lose at home in Week 1 to the Los Angeles Chargers, but quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick also suffered a hip injury that landed him on injured reserve.

That injury inserted Taylor Heinicke into the starting lineup under center, And just as he did in last year’s Wild Card Game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Heinicke went out and had had himself a day in a one-point win: 336 passing yards, two touchdowns and a passer rating of 99.5.

That Washington got the win on a last-second field goal is the most important thing. But even in the victory, there were concerns. The presumption was that Washington would field one of the league’s best defenses. But that defense has struggled somewhat over the first two games of the season, allowing 391 yards to the Giants a week after giving up 424 yards to the Chargers.

“What’s up with the defense? I really thought this unit would be one of the two or three best in football this season, but they’ve given up 48 first downs and more than 800 yards in two games,” Gagnon said. “The good news is they’re still 1-1 thanks to the Giants being the Giants, they’re still in the NFC Least, and the offense is in good shape with Heinicke under center. When the D eventually gets on track, they could do a lot of damage. But there’s no guarantee that’ll happen.”

Last Week: 20

Fansided(Baxter)

Ron Rivera’s club looked to bounce back from a Week 1 loss to the Chargers and hosted the rival Giants on a Thursday night. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick went down with a hip injury (see Nick Shook of NFL.com) so enter Taylor Heinicke.

He overcame an interception and threw for 336 yards and two scores. Dustin Hopkins missed a 48-yard field goal on the final play of the game, got a reprieve and nailed the game-winner from 43 yards out. Last week: 26

#22

ESPN

Fantasy surprise: QB Taylor Heinicke

It has to be Heinicke, considering that the others making plays — Terry McLaurin, Logan Thomas, Antonio Gibson — aren’t surprising. But Heinicke came in for injured starter Ryan Fitzpatrick and threw for 336 yards and two touchdowns in a comeback win over the New York Giants. The only issue for fantasy — and it’s a pivotal one — is that while Heinicke can run, it’s not smart for him to do so. That’s why he has only carried seven times for 23 yards. But Heinicke will remain the starter for at least the next five or six weeks — the earliest that Fitzpatrick might return. There’s a lot to still learn about him, but in his two starts with Washington, Heinicke has thrown for a combined 642 yards and three touchdowns. — John Keim. Last Week: 22

Pro Football Network

The Washington Football Team is 1-1. Honestly, they look about as average a team as they come. Their defense seems to be underperforming, given the amount of talent they have invested into it. Offensively, they’ve looked better than expected, but this team won’t get consistent quarterback play to compete in shootouts.

With the Buffalo Bills up next, there’s a good chance they’re 1-2 heading into Week 4. Last Week: 17

New York Post - Last Week: 24

#23

The Lines

Terry McLaurin went nuts last Thursday night with Taylor Heinicke leading Washington to an opportunistic win over the Giants. Heinicke’s youthful bravado might galvanize his team and potentially help him keep the starting job even if Ryan Fitzpatrick (hip) is healthy in a few weeks. Last Week: 19