The craziness around the NFL continued in Week 2 and it is reflected in these power rankings. There are some big risers and fallers and I sense it's going to be a while before these rankings settle down. That said, my top three spots remain unchanged and the Buffalo Bills are in first place.
The ‘Super Bowl favourite’ tag is hardly weighing heavy around Buffalo’s necks. They won by 21 points in Week 1 and by 34 in Week 2. Josh Allen is in MVP form, completing 75 percent of his throws with seven TD passes in two games.
For the second week in a row, the Chiefs showed their post-Tyreek Hill hand. Patrick Mahomes hit nine different receivers once again but it was also striking that it took everyone to win a massive game against the Chargers in Week 2.
Tom Brady is smashing tablets and acting like he is six years old, so there are some frustrations on offense. But, here is the good news. The defense forced five turnovers in New Orleans and has allowed just 13 points in two games.
The Eagles have averaged 31 points and 470.5 yards per game in two victories this season. Week 1 was more based around the offense, but the defense stood up big against Minnesota with three interceptions of Kirk Cousins.
The Chargers are such an exciting team to watch and their defense is much-improved. But the injury bug continues to bite this contender. Receiver Keenan Allen was out last week but this week will all be about Justin Herbert and his injured ribs.
It was not pretty on Sunday Night Football, but the Packers righted the ship against the Chicago Bears. Aaron Rodgers played a clean game and the attack was helped by a running game that produced 203 yards and a touchdown.
The Rams lost by 21 in Week 1 and hung on for dear life as Atlanta mounted a serious comeback attempt and came up just short in Week 2. Everything feels like a bit of a struggle for the defending champs in these early-season exchanges.
Tua Tagovailoa was sensational in a 42-38 win over Baltimore, throwing for 469 yards and six touchdowns. Miami’s offensive plan was clear. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle were targeted 32 times and caught 22 passes for 361 yards and four scores.
No one is laughing in the Trey Lance household, but sport can be a funny old thing at times. After months of wondering when the San Francisco 49ers were going to trade away quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, this is now his team.
The Ravens are getting some sensational play from Lamar Jackson. He threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns against Miami and added nine runs for 119 yards and another score. But Baltimore’s defense must improve drastically.
The Vikings started the season in the middle of these rankings. They jumped into the top 10 last week but have fallen after a massive disappointment in Philadelphia on Monday Night Football. Consistency continues to evade this talented team.
The Saints won’t panic after their home loss to the Bucs. They had Tampa Bay where they wanted them, but mistakes hit New Orleans hard. The success of this club will come down to the connections between Jameis Winston and his receivers.
The Bengals are probably the biggest disappointment of this young season. Their offensive line has been a sieve, even after offseason additions, conceding 13 sacks. If Cincinnati keep Joe Burrow upright, they will win a lot of games.
There is early-season pressure building on rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett. There have been blown calls, players not being in the right place at the right time and play clock issues that resulted in the fans assisting with the countdown on Sunday.
Cooper Rush is now 2-0 as a starting quarterback in the NFL. Let that settle in. Led by Micah Parsons, Dallas’ defense was excellent against the Bengals and might just provide enough steel for this team to remain competitive until Dak Prescott returns.
There has to be structure and there have to be pre-designed plays called, but surely the Arizona Cardinals have to just let Kyler Murray go out there and play video game football. He was poor early but stunning late against the Raiders in Week 2.
The Raiders are a disappointing 0-2 and their offense continues to sputter and put a worn-out defense on the field too often. The Silver and Black scored just one field goal on four offensive drives against the Cardinals.
Giants players are talking about how much fun it is to go to work under head coach Brian Daboll. It was not pretty against Carolina on Sunday, but should we expect masterpieces from this team just yet? A 2-0 record is good enough.
I’m not convinced that the Patriots are going to be serious players in this 2022 season. They are a limited club from a talent point of view and I think their win on Sunday was a result of facing another middle-of-the-pack club.
And that brings me on to the Steelers, who are already starting to hear whispers about when rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett is going to replace Mitchell Trubisky. It’s understandable chatter – Pittsburgh have scored two offensive touchdowns in two games.
The Lions are fun to watch and it feels like Amon-Ra St. Brown and D’Andre Swift are going to be weekly headline-makers. Of course, the offense has to be fun to watch because the defense is not slowing anyone down.
Two weeks in and the Browns have already called a ‘players only’ meeting. Does that mean the locker room is losing trust in the coaching staff led by Kevin Stefanski? Sunday’s loss to the Jets was a painful one in a long and painful history.
Trevor Lawrence looks way more comfortable in Jacksonville in year two and I’m not just talking about the X’s and the O’s. He was thrown into a toxic situation as a rookie. Given the early-season form in the division, why not Jacksonville for the AFC South?
I’m so disappointed in the Colts that I wish I had dropped them further than this! It was supposed to be so different. Injuries have taken an early-season toll and getting Matt Ryan’s receivers back and Shaq Leonard on D would be huge.
The Titans’ whole operation centres around Derrick Henry, so when he rushes for 25 yards like he did in Week 2; that is a problem. Ryan Tannehill has limited passing game weapons to work with, making the draft night trade of A.J. Brown total folly.
The Commanders are going to be an up and down team all season long. The highs should come from the likes of Terry McLaurin and rookie Jahan Dotson. But the D that was once a strength under Ron Rivera is feeling some early-season heat.
Geno Smith has been trademarking his post-Week 1 statement ‘They wrote me off but I ain’t write back though.’ Prepare to be written off again, Geno, along with the rest of a Seahawks attack that was non-existent last weekend.
Joe Flacco leads the NFL with 103 pass attempts after two weeks and he was excellent in Sunday’s dramatic win over Cleveland. But he will, at some point, pass the baton back to Zach Wilson. What excited me the most was the play of rookie WR Garrett Wilson.
The Panthers are a relatively-bland and unimportant 0-2 and Baker Mayfield is a non-factor (he threw for just 145 yards and one touchdown against the Giants in Week 2). This team gets its only sparks when Christian McCaffrey touches the ball.
They don’t give out medals for trying hard in the NFL but if they did, the Falcons would be wearing two of them on their chests right now, despite being 0-2. Arthur Smith has his players fighting hard, but why does he also have just four catches for Kyle Pitts on the year?
The Texans have been competitive in both of their games this season but have not found a way to seal the deal. Davis Mills saw his play slide a little last week in Denver. I would like to see more of rookie running back Dameon Pierce.
A lack of receivers must be behind the decision to handcuff Justin Fields. He threw just 11 times in Sunday’s 27-10 loss to Green Bay. It’s clear the Bears are rebuilding this season, so surely it’s worth finding out what Fields can do?
