Sep 11, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) carries the ball against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean-USA TODAY Sports /
The NFL season got off to a crazy start in Week 1. Last-second finishes, injuries, and upsets rocked the football world. With the dust settled, here at the NFL Power Rankings.
Here are the power rankings going into Week 2:
New England Patriots – New England goes into Arizona and beats the Cardinals without Gronk and Brady? Unbelievable accomplishment for Jimmy Garoppolo, Bill Belichick and the rest of the team.
Denver Broncos – A come-from-behind win against Carolina was very impressive. The defense turned it on in the second half despite some questionable hits.
Pittsburgh Steelers – Probably the best offense in the league. Antonio Brown might be unguardable and Le’Veon Bell hasn’t even taken the field yet.
Carolina Panthers – Despite the loss, the Panthers are still a top team. They were a missed field goal away from being at No. 1. Defense is great and the offense is full of weapons. They need to keep Cam Newton upright.
Green Bay Packers – With Aaron Rodgers they will always be in the top 10. Jacksonville is an up-and-coming team and the Packers were able to hold on for the win.
Arizona Cardinals – Very surprising week 1 loss. No Tom Brady or Rob Gronkowski seemed to secure the win for the Cardinals. However, that’s why the games are played. Still a great team that should make the playoffs.
Seattle Seahawks – Last year everyone was worried Seattle had lost their magic. It was surprising to see Miami right there in Seattle, but this team has plenty of talent and should stay towards the top of the list.
Cincinnati Bengals – A win in New York was very impressive. Despite the suspensions the Bengals were able to get a Week 1 victory. A.J. Green may be on his way to career season.
Minnesota Vikings – The offense did not look good. Defense bailed the team out with two touchdowns. This team will be put to the test Sunday night. Expect Sam Bradford to start.
Kansas City Chiefs – Jamaal Charles? Spencer Ware stole the show in the Chiefs’ epic come-from-behind victory. It will be interesting to see how the running back situation plays out.
New York Jets – This is a good football team. If Ryan Fitzpatrick steps up they will make some noise.
Houston Texans – Lamar Miller and Will Fuller had impressive debuts. The defense is there, it all falls on Brock Osweiler. With the weapons he has around him, he should be able to be productive.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Jameis Winston has definitely improved. The Bucs dominated the Falcons and are another one of the up-and-coming teams in the league. A playoff run is in store for Tampa Bay.
Oakland Raiders – Speaking of up-and-coming teams. What a gutsy call by Jack Del Rio. The Raiders won their shootout in New Orleans and are finally back to relevancy.
New York Giants – The Giants’ passing game could be special. If the defense is able to improve, the Giants should win their division.
Jacksonville Jaguars – The Jaguars hung in their with Green Bay all game and had a chance to win. The next step for them is to find a way to come out on top against the premiere teams.
Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens defense held Buffalo to seven points and got their season off to a good start. Need to see more from the offense.
Detroit Lions – The Lions surprised me with their win in Indianapolis. Matthew Stafford will have to play great this year for a chance at the playoffs.
Miami Dolphins – Even though they lost, this was still impressive from Miami. Seattle is not an easy place to play, and they almost won. A dark horse team last year, maybe Miami has a playoff run in them.
Washington Redskins – Washington got blown out in their season opener. Pittsburgh is a tough team, but Washington has to play better.
Indianapolis Colts – The Colts lost a high-scoring affair to the Lions to start their season. The good news: Andrew Luck is back. The Colts will compete for the division this year.
New Orleans Saints – Drew Brees has still got it. New Orleans looked good in their season opener. They can’t afford to get in shootouts every week.
Buffalo Bills – Something doesn’t seem in the same about the Bills. The offense is less explosive and the defense has been allowing a lot of points lately.
Philadelphia Eagles – Carson Wentz looked good. Eagles fans are feeling very happy this week.
Dallas Cowboys – Dak Prescott looked alright, but this team will struggle this year. Tony Romo may be done in Dallas.
San Francisco 49ers – 49ers looked great, but the Rams played really bad. Week 2 against Carolina is their chance to show what they’ve got.
Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons lost badly to Tampa and need to start winning soon. This team was 5-0 last year.
Chicago Bears – The Bears are not an awful team, but Jay Cutler has to be good for them to have a chance.
San Diego Chargers – Losing Keenan Allen stinks. Melvin Gordon looked better and this team could move up the ranks.
Tennessee Titans – For the first half it seemed the Titans were going to win. When the Vikings defense applied more pressure in the second half, they had troubles.
Los Angeles Rams – The Rams lost 28-0 to the 49ers. Todd Gurley is a great running back, but he will have to be great for them to win games.
Cleveland Browns – Losing Robert Griffin III hurts and it looks like this might be another lost season. Hopefully, I’m wrong, the Browns deserve to win.
