NFL Power Rankings - Week 2

Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots high fives Jacoby Brissett #7 during the second half against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on September 18, 2016 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Sept. 18, 2016 - Source: Jim Rogash/Getty Images North America)

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

HC Bill Belichik tends to make backup quarterbacks look good (even Matt Cassel looked like a superstar in 2008). The Patriots will be all right with rookie QB Jacoby Brissett for a game or two.

2. (3.) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0)

RB DeAngelo Williams has been outstanding so far. Imagine this offensive backfield when RB Le’Veon Bell returns from suspension in week 4.

3. (7.) Arizona Cardinals (1-1)

The Cardinals bounced back in style by thrashing the Buccaneers 40-7. QB Carson Palmer passed for 308 yards, 3 touchdowns and a QBR of 124.1.

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

The offensive line will be QB Aaron Rodgers’ greatest challenge this season. He went down five times in the loss at Minnesota.

5. (5.) Carolina Panthers (1-1)

The offense was on fire against the 49ers, accounting for 176 yards on the ground and 353 yards through the air. QB Cam Newton was better protected as well.

6. (4.) Seattle Seahawks (1-1)

Let’s not talk about the offense, which didn’t manage to score a touchdown at the Rams, but keep an eye on second-year DE Frank Clark, who may be on his way to becoming a great pass rusher.

7. (6.) Denver Broncos (2-0)

Speaking of elite pass rushers, LB Von Miller recorded 3.0 sacks against the Colts and leads the league with 4.0 sacks after two games.

8. (11.) Minnesota Vikings (2-0)

QB Sam Bradford learned the playbook in time to beat division rivals Green Bay. The fans will love him for this. RB Adrian Peterson’s meniscus injury will keep him out for at least 3-4 months.

9. (13.) Houston Texans (2-0)

The Texans won both of their home games but Thursday’s game at the Brady-less and Garoppolo-less Patriots will tell us whether they are contenders or pretenders.

10. (10.) New York Giants (2-0)

QB Eli Manning passed for 353 yards, 106 yards more than QB Drew Brees, and the Giants are one of only three unbeaten teams in the NFC.

11. (9.) Cincinnati Bengals (1-1)

The Bengals couldn’t establish a running game and the passing game lacked accuracy. Now you know why they lost at Pittsburgh.

12. (14.) Dallas Cowboys (1-1)

The Cowboys wouldn’t lose another hard fought game againt a division rival and won at Washington. QB Dak Prescott completed 22-of-30 passes for 292 yards but has yet to throw a touchdown pass.

13. (20.) Philadelphia Eagles (2-0)

Philadelphia’s one-two punch with RB Ryan Mathews and RB Darren Sproles is pretty strong but Mathews should get more touches than Sproles.

14. (8.) Kansas City Chiefs (1-1)

It’s no shame to lose at Houston but with so much talent on the team the Chiefs should be able to score at least one touchdown. Running backs Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware combined for 118 yards on 16 carries.

15. (15.) Baltimore Ravens (2-0)

The Ravens came back from a 20-point deficit and scored 25 unanswered points at Cleveland. WR Mike Wallace caught only 4 passes for 41 yards but two of them were for touchdowns.

16. (21.) New York Jets (1-1)

With RB Matt Forte the Jets won’t have the slightest problems establishing a running game. He rushed for 100 yards and 3 touchdowns. And when QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has a good day the Jets can light up the scoreboard like they did in Buffalo.

17. (23.) San Diego Chargers (1-1)

After primarily catching passes for short gains in week 1, WR Trevor Benjamin had 6 receptions for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Jaguars. He is QB Philip Rivers’ go-to guy.

18. (12.) Oakland Raiders (1-1)

Two shootouts to begin the season with have left the Raiders with the best offense (470 total yards per game) in the league and the worst defense (517.5 total yards per game).

19. (17.) Indianapolis Colts (0-2)

Last week I said that the Colts don’t have much of a defense. This week I say they don’t have a good offensive line either.

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

Welcome back to earth, Tampa Bay. As talented as the team may be they still have a lot of work to do before they are a contender.

21. (28.) Atlanta Falcons (1-1)

The Falcons now have the second best offense with 451 yards per game. WR Julio Jones caught 5 passes for 106 yards and 1 touchdown. They still seem to be missing a defense.

22. (16.) Detroit Lions (1-1)

The Lions took a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter and squandered it against the Titans. There seem to be issues on defense but fourth-year DE Devin Taylor is emerging as a key pass rusher.

23. (30.) Los Angeles Rams (1-1)

After last week’s disaster the Rams limited the Seahawks to one field goal but they need to get a running game going. RB Todd Gurley amassed 98 yards on 36 carries so far.

24. (25.) New Orleans Saints (0-2)

The defense actually played well but special teams let them down. I wonder why the Saints aren’t calling more running plays. They are averaging 3.7 yards on 35 carries.

25. (31.) Tennessee Titans (1-1)

Both of QB Marcus Mariota’s touchdown passes came in the fourth quarter when the Titans turned a 12-point deficit into a 16-15 win at Detroit. The defense played well against the pass but the run defense missed some tackles.

26. (19.) Washington Redskins (0-2)

QB Kirk Cousins had a good game going until his costly interception in the fourth quarter. At 0-2 it’s too early to panic but not too late to worry about a playoff berth.

27. (26.) Chicago Bears (0-2)

The Bears were competitive for 27:29 minutes, and then gave up 23 unanswered points. QB Jay Cutler is expected to miss 2-3 weeks with a thumb injury.

28. (24.) Miami Dolphins (0-2)

Yes, the Dolphins came within a touchdown from 28 points down but the Patriots were only trying to control the clock in the second half with QB Jimmy Garoppolo out and up 31-3.

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

The fourth quarter was quite exciting, wasn’t it? 49ers and Panthers combined for 32 points and San Francisco came within a touchdown at some point but they never realistically stood a chance against the Super Bowl runner-up.

30. (27.) Buffalo Bills (0-2)

If you want to take something positive from the game; the Bills did not surrender a sack against the Jets.

31. (22.) Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2)

On Sunday we saw the kind of Jaguars we’ve come accustomed to over the years; no offense, no defense and a blowout loss. Are they ever going to make any progress?

32. (32.) Cleveland Browns (0-2)

The Browns could have beaten the Ravens on Sunday, should have beaten the Ravens and maybe even would have beaten the Ravens if it hadn’t been for the interception with 20 seconds to go. Coulda, shoulda, woulda.