Week 2 NFL Power Rankings

Brad Curnow

September 22, 2016

schedule 10 min read

Photo courtesy Bleacher Report

We have our Week 2 power rankings together just in time for Week 3 to get underway. This week we saw the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins take major falls in the rankings, while the Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans, San Diego Chargers and Tennessee Titans all took massive leaps.

Note: You will see an italicized number next to the team that notes how far the team has risen or fallen from the previous week. A dash with no number indicates no movement.

  1. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) +2

The Steelers have been a pleasant surprise to start the season by overcoming suspensions to Le’Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant and maintaining an average of 31.0 points per game, eighth in the league. It’s still very early, but this is a team that could be very scary at full strength in December and January.

  1. New England Patriots (2-0) -1

Can you hold a clipboard? Are you familiar with Gatorade? Can you throw a football a little bit? Well, the Patriots may have a spot for you on their roster for two games. The Patriots are severely depleted at the quarterback position after Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a sprained AC joint in Sunday’s win over the Dolphins. Fortunately for New England, Tom Brady’s vacation ends in two weeks.

  1. Denver Broncos (2-0) -1

Contrary to popular belief, the Broncos have found a way to win without a quarterback. All it takes is a running game to eat the clock and a suffocating defense that puts points on the board, including Aqib Talib’s ninth career interception returned for a touchdown against the Colts Week 2.

  1. Arizona Cardinals (1-1) –

The Cardinal defense brought Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston crashing back to earth Week 2 with four picks, including a 60-yard TD return by Marcus Cooper. Arizona will be hungry for more in Week 3 heading to New York to face a reeling Bills team, who fired their offensive coordinator after a 37-31 Week 2 loss to the Jets.

  1. Minnesota Vikings (2-0) +8

The Vikings tied for the largest jump in this week’s rankings as they opened U.S. Bank Stadium with a 17-14 win over the Green Bay Packers. Minnesota’s offense took a major hit when running back Adrian Peterson went down with a torn meniscus, but receiver Stefon Diggs has emerged as a force to be reckoned with averaging 142.5 yards through the first two weeks.

  1. Carolina Panthers (1-1) -1

Following a week of headache for Cam Newton in Denver, the team responded nicely against San Francisco. However, starting running back Jonathan Stewart will be sidelined by injury for a week or two. With Minnesota’s stout defense looming in Week 3, the Panthers will need another big game out of Newton.

  1. Cincinnati Bengals (1-1) +1

Although quarterback Andy Dalton leads the league in passing yards, the Bengals settled for three red zone field goals in their loss to Pittsburgh. It doesn’t get much easier for Cincinnati, as they host the undefeated Broncos in Week 3.

  1. Green Bay Packers (1-1) -2

In the surprise of the weekend, the Packers fell to the Vikings. Aaron Rodgers’ play was below average, but running back Eddie Lacy only chipped in 50 yards on the ground. Still the favorite to win the NFC North division, they look to get back on track this week against the Lions.

  1. Houston Texans (2-0) +6

One of six undefeated teams remaining, the Texans have multiple weapons on the offensive side of the ball. Rookie receiver Devin Fuller is looking like the real deal alongside Deandre Hopkins. Look for continued success in the passing game, as the Texans go up against a New England secondary that gave up 389 yards through the air in Week 2.

  1. Seattle Seahawks (1-1) -3

After managing just three points against Los Angeles in Week 2, there seems to be reason for concern in Seattle. With running back Thomas Rawls hobbled by injury, quarterback Russell Wilson hasn’t been able to establish a rhythm on offense. It looks as though the defense will have to pick up the slack until the offense gets going.

  1. New York Jets (1-1) –

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Buffalo in Week 2. The addition of running back Matt Forte has provided a much-needed boost, as he finished with three touchdowns against the Bills.

  1. New York Giants (2-0) –

Sterling Shepard is the real deal. In Week 2 the rookie caught all eight passes thrown his way for 117 yards. Combine him with the resurgence of Victor Cruz and superstar Odell Beckham Jr., and the Giants may have an argument for the best receiving corps in the league.

  1. Kansas City Chiefs (1-1) -4

Will the real Kansas City Chiefs please stand up? They fell into a 24-3 hole Week 1 before mounting a furious comeback capped by an Alex Smith touchdown run reminiscent of his Utah days. In Week 2, they fell down again, but were unable to come back against a more formidable Texans defense.

  1. Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) +4

Carson Wentz has looked great so far. But let’s pump the brakes and remember that he’s only played against two of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. After all, Ryan Leaf started his career 2-0 too. Having said that, Wentz’ numbers would be even better if he had some receivers who could catch the football consistently.

  1. Baltimore Ravens (2-0) +1

The Ravens fell behind the Browns 20-0 in the first half Sunday before an injury to Josh McCown opened the door for a comeback. They haven’t really beaten anyone yet this season, but the Mike Wallace Renaissance is a nice early season storyline.

  1. Oakland Raiders (1-1) -6

Coming off of the bold win over the Saints, the Raiders came tumbling back to Earth with a mediocre showing against an average Falcons team. For all the talk about the revamped defense, they’ve allowed the most passing yards in the league thus far.

  1. Dallas Cowboys (2-0) –2

Alfred Morris scored the game-winning TD against his old team Sunday as the Cowboys edged the Redskins. With an affective running game and a second quality performance from rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, the Cowboys are looking like fringe playoff contenders after two games. Their offense should be licking their chops heading into week their Week 3 tilt against a below-average Bears defense.

  1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1) -1

The Buccaneers want to put Week 2 squarely in the rearview mirror after getting thrashed by the Cardinals in Glendale, Arizona. Jameis Winston has his work cut out for him in Week 3, but at least the Tampa Bay defense will get a more favorable matchup when they face off against the Rams.

  1. Atlanta Falcons (1-1) +5

Matt Ryan and Julio Jones had their way with the Raiders secondary Sunday as the two hooked up for 102 yards and a TD on their way to a 35-28 Atlanta victory. The Falcons passing attack won’t likely be slowed down in Week 3 against the Saints in what figures to be a high-scoring contest.

  1. San Diego Chargers (1-1) +7

When Danny Woodhead went down with an ACL tear Sunday, the Chargers lost their second key offensive player in as many weeks. Yet Philip Rivers was still able to toss four TD passes en route to steamrolling the Jaguars. Rivers and the Chargers could get into a marathon with the Colts and Andrew Luck in Week 3 with neither defense looking exceptional this season.

  1. Tennessee Titans (1-1) +8

Second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota looked like a composed veteran as he led his team on a game-winning drive in the closing minutes of their surprising Week 2 win over the Lions. The Titans will rely heavily on Mariota again in Week 3 in an intriguing matchup against the Raiders.

  1. Detroit Lions (1-1) -3

The potent offensive attack we expected out of the Lions looked flat against the Titans in Week 2. If they can’t figure things out in Week 3 against the star-studded Packer defense, the Lions are in for a rough outing. Having lost starting running back Ameer Abdullah to a multi-week foot injury won’t help the situation either.

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) -1

That was ugly. The offseason heroes are looking bad so far this season. Blake Bortles doesn’t know how to start a game and that revamped defense shows flashes but still hasn’t played well. On the bright side, last year’s first-round pick Dante Fowler is looking like he’ll pan out to be a great player.

  1. Miami Dolphins (0-2) -3

The Dolphins are a hard team to judge. They almost held on to beat the Seahawks, then they almost made a comeback against the Patriots, both games on the road. Despite all of that, they’re still 0-2, and they look like an 0-2 team.

  1. Indianapolis Colts (0-2) +1

You’ve got to feel bad for Andrew Luck. The Broncos showed the NFL how to beat the Colts: blitz that awful offensive line and get to Luck. Yes, the game was close in score before those two defensive touchdowns, but make no mistake this game was never close. The Colts got outplayed in every aspect.

  1. New Orleans Saints (0-2) -1

I thought the Saints offense looked that good, I guess the Raiders defense is just that bad, or the Giants defense is legit this year? Just last season this exact matchup became a shootout for the ages, but this one was an ugly 16-13 game where special teams won it. I guess the Saints defense looked better.

  1. Washington Redskins (0-2) -7

Would you believe it if I told you Kirk Cousins is third in the league in passing yards? The Cowboys didn’t beat the Redskins on Sunday, the Redskins beat the Redskins. Cousins looks indecisive and he missed throws, frustrating his receivers. Hey Washington, you have a running back named Matt Jones, you should use him.

  1. L.A. Rams (1-1) +2

With a return to Los Angeles and a win at home last weekend against the Seahawks, the Rams look to improve their record to 2-1 when they face off against a much better suited Buccaneers team on Sunday.

  1. San Francisco 49ers (1-1) -1

The 49ers are currently 1-1 on the season, having defeated a lesser Rams team, but fallen victim to the much better and stronger Carolina Panthers last weekend. The 49ers have a tough schedule ahead, and with the main focus on Colin Kaepernick’s continual protest, the future doesn’t look bright for San Fran.

  1. Buffalo Bills (0-2) -7

With a rough 0-2 start on the season, the Bills look to right their ship when they face their toughest opponent to date in the Arizona Cardinals. Rex Ryan is on his last leg, and his bold season predictions of Super Bowl appearances and Divisional Championships are starting to lose steam as each season passes by.

  1. Chicago Bears (0-2) –

The Bears have a tendency to start the season as a big question mark. We never know which Bears team will show up for the season, or which Jay Cutler we will see during each game. So far, things aren’t looking bright for the 0-2 team. Next they face a better Cowboys team who will likely hand them their third straight loss of the season.

  1. Cleveland Browns (0-2) –

A team that can’t seem to get things right no matter how many changes they try to make. With yet another 0-2 record to start the season, the Browns go up against another 0-2 team in the Miami Dolphins. The Browns will have to look to April yet again to try and make more changes in the draft.

Reporting by Brad Curnow, Mark Wait, Kaleb Searle, Devin Olsen, Adam Cichoski and David Roura