NFL rankings: Week 2
By Ben Almquist
The NFL got things started with a very exciting week. Upsets, near upsets, and a few blowouts mixed in. It’s early, but never too early for overreactions. So here come your weekly NFL rankings to help fuel some of that overreaction.
Last week’s rankings can be found right here. Some big changes, as should be expected early in the year. Moving up on the list are the Bills and Titans. The Bills leaped over a number of teams by knocking off Super Bowl favorites, the Colts. The Titans pulled themselves out of my basement with a dominant performance against the Bucs. On the other end of things, the Eagles and Steelers are my big tumblers. The Eagles made a game of it late against the Falcons, but Atlanta could have gone back to Julio Jones at will. The Steelers were never even really competitive with the Pats. After talking a big game about stopping Gronk, they pretty much got embarrassed by him.
So how did the rest of the league play out?
The Steelers talked a big game about stopping Gronk…next time they should try actually playing a big game to stop him. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports
1. New England Patriots (1-0; W 28-21 vs PIT) – The Pats opened the season with a big win. Brady and Gronk look like they’re already in midseason form. Last week: 1
2. Green Bay Packers (1-0; W 31-23 vs CHI) – This team is very good. Jordy Nelson has been replaced. Last week: 2
3. Dallas Cowboys (1-0; W 27-26 vs NYG) – They won the battle, but with Dez going down, may have lost the war. Last week: 6
4. Denver Broncos (1-0; W 19-13 vs BAL) – They got the win, and that’s what counts. But this offense is suddenly a lot less scary than it was a year ago. Last week: 5
5. Seattle Seahawks (0-1; L 31-34 vs STL) – The Seahawks defense looked very lackluster without Kam Chancellor. Losing a home division game to start the season is a rough start. Last week: 3
6. Buffalo Bills (1-0; W 27-14 vs IND) – The Colts had no answers for the Bills defense. Some people didn’t like me ranking them ahead of the Chiefs last week…now you see why. Best roster in the NFL. Last week: 11
7. Indianapolis Colts (0-1; L 14-27 vs BUF) – Not the way a Super Bowl favorite wants to start the season. Rumors swirling that Chuck Pagano is already on the “hot seat”. Last week: 4
8. Arizona Cardinals (1-0; W 31-19 vs NO) – As long as Palmer is healthy, they’ll be dangerous. CJ2K gets yet another chance to resurrect his career. Last week: 9
9. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0; W 27-20 vs HOU) – The Chiefs just beat up the Texans. It was never as close as the final score. Last week: 12
10. Atlanta Falcons (1-0; W 26-24 vs PHI) – Julio Jones is the monster in the Eagles secondary’s closet. I’m not sure why Matt Ryan threw 23 passes that didn’t go his way. Last week: 13
Next: The middle of the pack