It was a sensational Week 2 in the NFL – the surprising Raiders, Broncos and Panthers all moved to 2-0, Kyler stayed hot and the mighty Bucs continued to dominate – so now it’s time to take a look at my updated Power Rankings heading into a very intriguing Week 3 schedule.
32. Jets (0-2): They should probably be 31st, but I hate my favorite team so much right now that I have to rank them dead last. Just pitiful in all facets of the game, particularly coaching from Robert Saleh and Mike LaFleur.
31. Jacksonville (0-2): A better showing for a while in Week 2, but this team is a long way off from winning. It’s gonna be a long, long year in Jacksonville.
30. Atlanta (0-2): A franchise in limbo, going nowhere. They will continue to be a non-story throughout the year.
29. Houston (1-1): Would have ranked them higher had Tyrod not gone down; good energy and spunk from this club so far.
28. Indianapolis (0-2): Got a text from a good friend that referred to Carson Wentz as “Mr. Glass”, and it’s true in a lot of ways. Better showing against the Rams, but they gotta start putting up some Ws.
27. Detroit (0-2): It’s been an impressive 0-2, though. Seriously. Goff has looked solid, Dan Campbell has these guys playing hard and Swift, Williams, Hockenson and Cephus bring surprisingly strong offensive talent.
26. Miami (1-1): Don’t wanna get into a situation where Tua is banged up throughout the year; it was pretty damn ugly after he went down this past week.
25. Cincinnati (1-1): Very, very disappointed in them. This franchise just doesn’t know how to win. Golden opportunity to start fresh at 2-0, but they totally dropped the ball against a shaky Bears team.
24. Giants (0-2): Helluva game vs. Washington – just a lot of fun to watch for so many reasons. New York just has to limit the dumb mistakes and we know they can compete, ultimately, in this wide-open division.
23. Chicago (1-1): And the Justin Fields era is underway? Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see on those Red Rifle injury reports. Regardless, hey, Chicago finds ways to win ugly games under much-maligned Matt Nagy.
22. Minnesota (0-2): Another “pretty” 0-2. Hard to write this team off with Cook, Thielen, Jefferson and now Osborn emerging. Lot of weapons for a team ranked in the 20s.
21. Washington (1-1): I’m a huge Taylor Heinicke guy! But, what happened to this supposedly vaunted defense?
20. Chargers (1-1): I dunno, man. Just another one of those franchises that just can’t seem to get over the hump. Like Cincy, they had a golden opportunity to go 2-0. Like Cincy, they blew it like always.
19. New England (1-1): As you’d expect, Belichick and McDaniels are coaching Mac Jones perfectly in the early going. Also, this defense looks fast right now – locked and loaded.
18. New Orleans (1-1): Stalemate going into their matchup with New England this week; they are essentially the same team right now. It’ll be one of the most interesting games on the board, for sure.
17. Philadelphia (1-1): They just “feel” better than the Giants and Washington right now. You love what Jalen Hurts brings with athleticism, like multi-talented Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray and Josh Allen. The winning potential is surely there.
16. Denver (2-0): Can’t say I’m a full believer, but I like what I’m seeing thus far. Should have a cakewalk to 3-0 over my lowly, pathetic, disgusting Jets.
15. Pittsburgh (1-1): I hate to say it, but… you wish they’d have a stronger QB as Smith-Schuster, Claypool and Johnson get wasted to some extent. We’ll see about Johnson’s health status this week, too.
14. Dallas (1-1): Big win over the Chargers; falling to 0-2 would have been rough, given how competitive they were in the opening two games. Dak is back, Zeke can continue getting back on track and you have the Cooper/Lamb combo in your back pocket.
13. Las Vegas (2-0): Derek Carr is The Man right now – he said something along these lines before the season, “I am a Raider for life. If they trade me, I’ll probably retire.” Well, the troops have rallied behind him to the tune of an impressive 2-0 record, with high levels of consistent effort on both sides of the ball right now.
12. Carolina (2-0): It pains me to rank them this high, because obviously Sam Darnold sucked on my Jets, and now he is awesome. Much credit to OC Joe Brady (whom the Jets should have hired as their head coach) and HC Matt Rhule. The latter is a good dude. Easy to root for Rhule, another guy the Jets should have hired as their head coach.
11. Seattle (1-1): Not really a game you wanna blow against Tennessee, but we knew the Titans weren’t going to go quietly into the night. Mike Vrabel’s guys play for him. Once again, Seattle is all offense behind Russ/Carson/Metcalf and Lockett. Where’s the D, gents?
10. Tennessee (1-1): Speak of the Devil. Well, not really, just… speak of the Tennessee Titans. Pun intended, that was a “hell”uva comeback on Sunday. What was looking like a possible lost season, turned around in a monster second half of high-quality football.
9. Green Bay (1-1): Similar boat to Tennessee, obviously. It stings real bad without Za’Darius Smith, but like Seattle this team will be predicated on offense. A-Rod, Davante and Aaron Jones continue to lead the way. Jones was an absolute BEAST on MNF.
8. Rams (2-0): Is it sketchy to almost lose to the Colts? 27-24 just doesn’t look right against them. Feels like it should have been a more convincing performance in the second half, one we didn’t actually get from the Rams. Still, spotless on paper. Not the best team in this division, though.
7. Baltimore (1-1): Dramatic, signature win over KC. I was worried about their running game without JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards, but Latavius Murray and Ty’Son Williams appear to have things under control for now.
6. Cleveland (1-1): A good, solid team on both sides of the ball. Top-tier coaching, right now.
5. Buffalo (1-1): Pickin’ themselves up out of the mud like Green Bay, Tennessee and Dallas. Buffalo is “supposed” to be one of the best in the league, so we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt for now. I’ll be patient with Josh Allen, Sean McDermott and Tre’Davious White.
4. Arizona (2-0): Ooooooohhh weeeeee! Gotta have one “hot” team. Gotta have one storyline team. Kliff Kingsbury, Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, Rondale Moore, Chandler Jones… it’s all coming together. I hope they make a Super Bowl run because Kyler is such an exciting player on an individual level.
3. San Francisco (2-0): Philly is no joke. They are a spunky bunch. But the Niners fought the good fight and did what they do – they adapted to the circumstances and played a different style. The only thing that matters to them in the end is the “W”. And they got it.
2. Kansas City (1-1): Ya’ll know how I feel about this team – toughness is an issue. They got out gritted and grinded by Baltimore when it mattered. Still the class of the AFC, but the ground is shaky. Teams like Buffalo, Cleveland, Baltimore and Tennessee can compete if KC doesn’t buckle down and toughen up.
1. Tampa Bay (2-0): They have the GOAT. They have the offense. They have the defense. They have the coaching. They have the toughness.
Right now, they have it ALL.
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