NFL Week 2 Power Rankings

The first week of the NFL season is in the books, and there have already been fireworks and surprises. The Eagles look strong, while the Chiefs look mortal. The Ravens and Bills are already in playoff form. The Bengals finally won on opening day. The loss of Ben Johnson seems to have hurt the Lions…but hasn’t helped Celeb Williams or the Bears yet. Pete Carroll’s debut was a success while Mike Vrabel’s was a dud. Aaron Rodgers looks engaged in Pittsburgh. Miami HC Mike McDaniel is the odds-on favorite to get the first pink slip this season.

With that in mind, here is this week’s ranking heading into the week.2:

1. Philadelphia Eagles: Until they lose, I’m going to keep saying it…To Be The Best, You Have To Beat The Best…WOOOOOOO!!! (In my best Ric Flair voice). Everyone thinks the Chiefs will bounce back this week in their home opener against the Eagles. Nope! The Eagles are going to thrash them…again.
2. Buffalo Bills: These top two teams may very well be the Super Bowl participants this year. Josh Allen is the best player in the game, and I am so glad I drafted him.
3. Baltimore Ravens: It’s very rare that a team moves up this list after a loss, but the Ravens moved up one spot after their heartbreaking one-point loss in Buffalo.
4. Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love was great, as was his defense. They basically held the high-flying Lions to no TDs. Ben Johnson’s loss has proven to be a major negative to the Lions offense…at least for one game.
5. Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels and the Commanders have carried over their success in 2024 to the start of this season. It’s a shame they don’t face the Eagles until December.
6. Cincinnati Bengals: It wasn’t pretty, but the Bengals got the monkey off their backs, beating the Browns 17-16. Considering how they normally start the year, this is like winning the Super Bowl.
7. Denver Broncos: Jayden Daniels is clearly the best QB to come out of the 2024 draft…but Bo Nix is fast becoming the second best.
8. Los Angeles Chargers: Is this the year that QB Justin Herbert FINALLY takes the next step? If Friday night’s game in Brazil against the Chiefs is any indication, the answer is…YES!
9. Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs are going to begin this year 0-2. The Eagles are going to take it to them. This isn’t the beginning of the end for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, but they are definitely in a lull.
10. Detroit Lions: Speaking of lulls…it will be very interesting to see what direction the Lions go, with the loss of their OC.
11. Minnesota Vikings: Rookie QB JJ McCarthy’s first game was shaping up to be a dud, along with second-guessing the loss of Sam Darnold. Their comeback may not have been the same as Tom Brady coming back from 28-3, but they were down by double-digits in the second half, on the road. It was an impressive win.
12. San Francisco 49ers: You know it’s bad when Christian McCaffrey isn’t the most banged-up player on the 49ers. Losing TE George Kittle for at least four weeks on the IR is a huge loss. And Mac Jones may get the start on Sunday, with Brock Purdy banged up.
13. Houston Texans: The Colts were impressive, as were the Jaguars. The Texans will not just walk into a division title this year, especially if they don’t play any better than they did on Sunday.
14. Las Vegas Raiders: The Raiders are my guilty pleasure this year. They are my sneaky, long shot to make the playoffs. To do that, winning against sub-par opponents is paramount…and the Patriots are a sub-par opponent. I love Brock Bowers, I love Maxx Crosby, and Geno Smith is the perfect QB for them.
15. Indianapolis Colts: Every year, some retread QB rises like a Phoenix. A few years ago it was Geno Smith. Last year it was Sam Darnold. This year looks like it will be Daniel Jones.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: For a team that already has Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, drafting WR Emeka Egbuka seems gratuitous. What a pick…he will prove to be the best WR to come out of this year’s draft.
17. Los Angeles Rams: The Rams are constantly overlooked, but they are a well-coached team with Sean McVay at the helm. They are solid, if not spectacular, on both sides of the ball. If Matt Stafford stays healthy, they will stay in the mix.
18. Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks lost a very winnable game against the 49ers, and in a division with no definitive frontrunner, every loss is magnified, especially a divisional loss.
19. Pittsburgh Steelers: Aaron Rodgers hasn’t been motivated for years. This is supposedly his swan song…and Mike Tomlin is always over 500. This was a solid, momentum-building win against the Jets. The Steelers will be in the playoffs again.
20. Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys played with some heart against the defending champs on the road.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags moved up two spots after their relatively easy victory against the Panthers. Travis Etienne was dominant, gaining 143 yds on only 16 carries. He was so dominant that the team traded away Tank Bigsby after the game.
22. Carolina Panthers: Everyone, including me, bought into the Panthers’ hype, with Bryce Young ending last season on a high note. It looks like we were all wrong. Young had another lousy start, only completing about 50%, throwing two interceptions.
23. Chicago Bears: The Bears and Caleb Williams looked great to start the game. Williams completed his first 10 passes and was impressive…dare I say, he looked like vintage Patrick Mahomes. But after a third quarter, pick 6, giving them a 17-6 lead, it was all downhill from there. They gave up 21 unanswered fourth-quarter pts to the dismay of their fans.
24. Arizona Cardinals: A win is a win, and they do all count the same, but it will be interesting to see how they do against a team not named the Saints.
25. New York Jets: The Jets played very well against the Steelers, and it took a 60 yd. FG to beat them 34-32. I stand by my preseason take…I like Justin Fields this year, and I like the Jets.
26. Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons snatched a loss from the arms of victory, with a last second missed FG. They played well enough to win. They will be in the mix for the NFC South Division Title.
27. Miami Dolphins: If they repeat their performance this week in Miami against the Patriots they will end wk.2 ranked 32^nd .
28. New York Giants: HC Brian Daboll said he’s sticking with Russell Wilson. That is not a great spot to be in when you are trying to save your job.
29. New England Patriots: They missed out on the no.1 pick last year with an inopportune victory in wk.18…they may make amends and actually get the no.1 pick this season.
30. Tennessee Titans: They will be contending for the no.1 pick in the draft again.
31. New Orleans Saints: They are a terrible group…but is Arch Manning still their target?
32. Cleveland Browns: They played the Bengals at the perfect time, but still lost. This is a woeful team.