NFL Power Rankings, Week 2: Seahawks leapfrog Broncos and Rams into No. 1 spot; Chiefs hit top 10

What a tale of two halves for the defending champs. Prominent among my many notes on Wednesday was one line: Lumen Field is dead. That seemed to be the vibe in Seattle after one half -- with Sam Darnold's injury casting a pall over the home crowd -- but title winners don't go down without a fight. Three fourth-quarter takeaways and one signature Jaxon Smith-Njigba touchdown were enough to swing the opener in favor of the Seahawks, who officially have Patriots QB Drake Maye's number (and a tally in the win column).

The Bills exorcised the horned demon that has haunted them in Houston, lighting up the Texans' fearsome defense to the tune of 36 points and 409 yards, including a 96-yard touchdown drive with the game on the line. Josh Allen kicked off his latest MVP push with a signature performance, throwing for 334 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for two more scores, delivering a trademark Buffalo win in Joe Brady's debut as head coach. Good start, Bills Mafia.

Jesse Minter passed his first test as head coach with flying colors, directing a defense that forced two turnovers and weathered a strong showing from Colts RB Jonathan Taylor to run away with a resounding Week 1 win in Indianapolis. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle's Ravens debut was arguably even better: Baltimore piled up more than 500 yards, thriving on the ground and through the air. Derrick Henry reminded us he’s still a bulldozer who must be respected at all times.

The Bengals’ offseason defensive investments paid off in their first assignment against the Buccaneers, as Cincinnati forced four turnovers -- including three Baker Mayfield fumbles -- and cashed in one for a defensive score. Sure, the Bengals didn't force a punt, but the blend of aggressive, difference-making defense and respectable offensive production was refreshing for a fan base accustomed to hoping its team can outscore opponents.

The Jaguars began 2026 as if they had never taken an eight-month break between games that counted. Jacksonville jumped all over the Browns early and didn't relent until it was clear there was nothing left to prove, lighting up Cleveland's defense and suffocating the Browns' low-powered offense. Trevor Lawrence, Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers and Co. took care of business emphatically and set a standard for the rest of the AFC South to chase.

Denver's vaunted defense came prepared for Patrick Mahomes but didn't have a plan for Kenneth Walker III. Worst of all, the typically sound unit missed tackles all night, allowing the Chiefs to turn small gains into big plays. Bo Nix's struggles only added to the nightmare, sending the Broncos back to the practice field to work on the basics after a rough showing Monday night.

Is it a bit dramatic of me to drop the Rams six spots after a season-opening loss? You could make that case. But the offseason darlings certainly haven't done themselves any favors in the last week, appearing unprepared and somewhat fatigued in an important divisional showdown with the 49ers that ended in a lopsided defeat. Myles Garrett's placement on injured reserve only worsens things for them. Fortunately, there are still 17 weeks left to course correct.

Ben Johnson stated his intent to rewrite the offensive record books with his team in 2026. After one week, the Bears are on pace to do so. They detonated the Panthers in a style that mirrored their 2025 success, running the ball authoritatively and letting Caleb Williams make superstar plays in an incredible offensive explosion. The one drawback: They gave up 37 points, a concern tied to a defense that still might be a persistent weakness.

The 49ers spent a week in Australia and completely outclassed the Rams, playing with more discipline, desire and aggression than Los Angeles. It seemed as if Kyle Shanahan and Co. read the offseason puff pieces about Sean McVay's dream team and decided it was their duty to prove them wrong. They did just that for at least one week -- and proved all of us Niner doubters wrong, too.

For the first time this decade, the Chiefs have a legitimately fearsome rushing attack. Kenneth Walker III won’t run for a career-high total every week, but he brings a punch that Kansas City's backfield has lacked for most of the Patrick Mahomes era. That should make folks respect the Chiefs, even as Mahomes shakes off the rust accumulated by a lengthy recovery from knee surgery.

The Eagles didn't start the season like a well-oiled machine, but they were able to rely on their defense for a good portion of Sunday's opener and received some timely contributions from Jalen Hurts and the offense to outlast the Commanders. Philadelphia can be proud of starting 1-0, but the Eagles likely understand they'll need to be better over the long haul to achieve their goals.

Few teams experienced a more crushing heartbreak in Week 1 than the Texans, who fought back and forth with the Bills for four quarters. Houston had a chance to win the game in the final minute but saw it vanish in an all-too-familiar fashion, with a C.J. Stroud fumble. Stroud largely played well otherwise, and David Montgomery produced an excellent Houston debut, but the vaunted defense failed to live up to expectations, a disappointing result that should serve as an early wake-up call.

The Lions played with a level of sloppiness typical of Week 1 but still managed to build a comfortable lead before watching it evaporate in the second half and scrambling to hang on for an overtime win. It's not an ideal way to start the season, but credit Detroit for bouncing back from a dramatic collapse to record the victory.

Yes, the Buccaneers lost on Sunday. Yes, they turned the ball over four times. There's plenty to clean up. But there's also a lot to like. Tampa Bay never punted, its defense bowed up in the second half to keep Cincinnati out of the end zone and rookie LB Josiah Trotter turned in one of the best debuts I’ve ever seen. For a team coming off a loss, the Bucs could feel much, much worse. Baker Mayfield needs to protect the football, though.

It was incredibly refreshing to see the Giants act as the hammer instead of the nail in a prime-time contest. John Harbaugh's arrival might not have immediately fixed every issue, but he's clearly set a standard for toughness, and New York dominated in the physical battle against the big, bad Cowboys.

For roughly three quarters, Green Bay was the better team in Minneapolis on Sunday. But as has been the case too often over the last year, the Packers were unable to close. They failed to convert on fourth-and-1 early in the fourth quarter, fell victim to a few penalties and then completely collapsed beneath the weight of adversity. While the Packers have been excellent in a number of areas, they have routinely flunked the mental-toughness test. Sunday’s loss was the latest example.

The offseason optimism regarding Dallas' defense quickly faded on Sunday night. The Cowboys were bullied by the Giants’ bruising offense and didn't get the one stop they needed most in a one-score loss. It's only one week, but the 'Boys already need to reflect on their shortcomings and work to quickly fix them, or else they'll inspire the same criticisms that followed them to a 7-9-1 finish last season.

Drake Maye's three interceptions clearly contributed to New England's meltdown in Seattle, but the quarterback wasn't the lone culprit in the 13-10 defeat. The Patriots' defense allowed backup QB Drew Lock to lead the Seahawks on two fourth-quarter scoring drives, and Mike Vrabel’s team wilted under the pressure applied by the reigning champs. Now New England is staring at a month (or longer) without A.J. Brown. The Pats will need to bounce back quickly to fight off the allegations of being soft-schedule merchants.

The upset of the week belongs to Arizona, a team most everyone counted out in the opener at Los Angeles. As it turns out, we were all wrong; Mike LaFleur's group played inspired, fearless football, taking the fight to the Chargers and outplaying them in every facet. Enjoy the triumphant debut, Cardinals fans.

Did the Chargers take the Cardinals lightly? Perhaps. Their performance suggested they may have, but what I saw from Jim Harbaugh's crew was evidence of rust. It's not uncommon in Week 1 -- however, it is alarming for a club aiming to improve on its recent postseason one-and-dones. If anything, the uneven showing reminded the Bolts that they cannot underestimate any opponent in the NFL. They better take the field with more fire in the next few weeks.

I'll spend the quiet moments of the next few days wondering how Week 1 might have played out had the Saints woken up before the third quarter of Sunday's loss to the Lions. What if Jared Goff's fumble hadn't been overturned by replay, Jonas Sanker scored and it was a 7-7 game in the second quarter? But the "what if" game is a favorite of fools, and we're not court jesters. Tyler Shough and friends can build off this narrow defeat and hopefully produce results before halftime of Week 2.

The Vikings found a way to turn what was trending toward an ugly, disheartening season opener into a 17-point triumph. The result still seems absurd to me, given that the Packers led by 12 points late in the third quarter, but Brian Flores' defense (along with some penalties by the opposition) can swing a game that quickly. Now the Vikings have to hope Kyler Murray can return before long. With all due respect to Carson Wentz, Minnesota's ceiling is lower with him in the lineup.

Mike McCarthy's debut as Steelers coach didn't come with the explosive offense that was his trademark at prior NFL stops. Aaron Rodgers played with more freedom and aggression than he did last season, but the unit struggled to produce points against the Falcons. None of that matters all that much, though, when T.J. Watt is intercepting passes and turning them into defensive touchdowns.

The Jets looked like a professional, competent football team in Week 1. Geno Smith executed consistently, and Gang Green dominated in the trenches, shutting down the Titans' offense while cruising in a game that was more lopsided than the 23-10 final score indicates. Also, this is your invitation to hop onto the Adonai Mitchell bandwagon while seats are still available.

I heard the complaints from you, Commanders fans, about where I had placed Washington in my rankings last week, and your team had your back on Sunday. Dan Quinn’s squad came up short but battled for four quarters with the back-to-back reigning NFC East champion Eagles. The Commanders were a two-point conversion away from potentially forcing overtime in a game many expected them to lose by double-digits. I give credit where it's due, and while the passing attack was far from consistent, Washington showed much more fight than I anticipated.

Jonathan Taylor is still awesome, and the Colts' offense should be fine this season, even if I don't have as much faith in the unit's potential as it earned in the first half of last season. More concerning is Indy's defense, which was dominated in every department on Sunday, allowing 506 yards to a Baltimore offense that steamrolled the home team.

Panthers fans find themselves in an awkward situation in which they can tout Bryce Young's strong performance and improvement on previous showings ... but also must reconcile the fact that their defense surrendered 59 points and 552 yards of offense. The latter is untenable, no matter how well Young and the offense perform.

We knew the Falcons would be fighting an uphill battle without either of their top two quarterbacks available on Sunday, but I didn't expect it to become a Sisyphean effort. Despite trying their best to funnel the offense through Bijan Robinson, the Falcons came up short, scoring just 13 points via a Cooper Rush-led unit that finished with 118 net passing yards against the Steelers. Yes, it was as ugly as it sounds, even if the defense did its part to keep the game close.

The Raiders received the most favorable draw for Klint Kubiak’s head-coaching debut and handled business, overcoming two turnovers to build a two-score lead that was threatened but ultimately held through the final whistle. Most encouraging: Ashton Jeanty finally delivered a game that matched the expectations he brought with him from Boise State.

Yes, Miami began 2026 with a loss, but things could’ve gone worse for the Dolphins in their season opener. If they’re going to win any games this season, however, they’ll need more production from De’Von Achane. It’s not ideal for Malik Willis to outgain the team's top running back on the ground.

It was painful to watch Cam Ward attempt to operate the Titans’ offense, which was lifeless for most of their season-opening loss to the Jets. Tennessee never established a rhythm when possessing the ball, lost the time-of-possession battle by more than 17 minutes and didn’t find many gains until the game was out of reach. The defense struggled to hold up against the rush, too, losing the trench battle in a lopsided affair.

Last year, Cleveland’s defense managed to keep the Browns competitive in a bunch of games. Week 1 informed us that a different story will play out in 2026. The offense was horrendous with Deshaun Watson under center. The Browns hurt themselves by committing 11 penalties, and their defense resembled little more than a sieve against Trevor Lawrence's Jaguars. It’s looking like it’ll be a long season on the shore of Lake Erie.