We are now two weeks in to the NFL season and things are starting to even out. Some of the teams who really impressed last week, like the Ravens, were big letdowns on Sunday. However, week one disappointments like Pittsburgh bounced back in a big way. Like last week, before you read our power rankings remember that we're weighting heavier on performance this season than preseason expectations. That's why you're going to see some big movers this early on and it's also why the Bills are a legit top five team right now. That may not be the case next week, but I don't see how you can objectively look at the performances and say they haven't been as impressive as anyone this season.
1) New England Patriots - Tom Brady follows up his 500 yard week one show with a 400+ yard performance in week two. The Pats defense has given a fair amount of points, but it doesn't really have to be dominant if their offense is going to put up 30+ every week. LW (2)
2) Green Bay Packers - The best team from last year faced the worst team from last year and frankly didn't look great doing it. There's serious questions about this defense especially after losing Nick Collins for the year. That said, this team does know how to win. LW (1)
3) Detroit Lions - They flat out ran up the score on the Chiefs in a 48-3 demolishing of the Chiefs this week. Yes, the Chiefs are probably the worst team in the NFL right now, but anytime you beat another NFL team that bad the league should be taking notice. The Lions are for real. (LW 9)
4) New York Jets - The Jets got a win in week one without looking very good. That was not the case in week two as they took apart the hapless Jags. The Jets now start a brutal run of three road games at Oakland, Baltimore and New England. (LW 10)
5) Buffalo Bills - People laughed when I had the Bills in the top 10 last week and while this may feel high, take a look at the overall offensive stats and tell me who the highest scoring team in the NFL is. They host the NFL's 3rd highest scoring offense next week when the Patriots come to town. Then we get to see what the Bills are made of. (LW 7)
6) New Orleans Saints - So far we've seen a predictable loss on the road to Green Bay and a predictable win at home over Chicago. This Saints team is good, but are they better than we think? Hard to say just yet. (LW 12)
7) Houston Texans - The Texans haven't had the toughest schedule to start the year, but they've looked good and what else can you ask of them? At just 10 points allowed per game, the Texans have the stingiest defense in the NFL so far. Things get much tougher as they face the Saints and Steelers in the next two weeks. (LW 6)
8) Philadelphia Eagles - Lost a very close game in Atlanta where you could reasonably say they looked like the better team. Obviously the question now is the health of Michael Vick and whether he'll be ready when the Giants come to Philly this weekend. (LW 3)
9) Baltimore Ravens - What a huge letdown by the Ravens. After an impressive week one blowout of the Steelers, the Ravens were just awful against the Titans. Joe Flacco was awful, their defense was poor... It was a very concerning week for them. (LW 4)
10) Pittsburgh Steelers - Seattle is arguably the worst team in the NFL, but the Steelers still impressed with a big shutout win. It doesn't erase the memory of getting blown out by the Ravens however. That said, things do stay pretty easy next week as the Steelers go on the road to face the Colts. (LW 20)
11) Atlanta Falcons - The Falcons avoided falling into an 0-2 hole with a big win over the Eagles this week, but their defense remains a real concern. They've given up the 2nd most points per game in the NFL so far this season. (LW 19)
12) Washington Redskins - The Redskins go to 2-0 yet drop four spots in our ranks. Rex Grossman threw a couple o picks and looked more like the guy we expected him to be. That said, if they keep winning who cares? And they have three winnable games ahead with Seattle, the Giants and Vikings. (LW 8)
13) Chicago Bears - That the Bears lost in New Orleans is not the worst thing, but they really didn't look very good doing it. The Bears will be around all year, but it's still hard to get a read on exactly how good they are. (LW 5)
14) San Diego Chargers - Made a game of it at the end last week against the Pats, but still lost the chance at what could have been a signature win. Much like the Bears, I'd feel better about the Chargers after seeing them get a good road win. (LW 11)
15) New York Giants - The final score of Monday night's game against the Rams looked like it was an impressive win, but it really didn't feel that way watching it. The Rams moved the ball at will on the Giants defense, but just struggled finishing drives. That's probably not something they can rely on next week against the Giants. (LW 21)
16) Dallas Cowboys - Looking at the description of Tony Romo's injuries sustained this week, it's hard to tell whether he was in a football game or a car accident. (LW 16)
17) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - I'm not sure whether to be impressed or a little discouraged by their comeback win against the Vikings. Yes, they needed a win, they got it and that's good, but this team doesn't have the look of a playoff contender. (LW 23)
18) Arizona Cardinals - The Cards are a work in progress and talent-wise I think they're near the level of where the Redskins are. So to lose a close game to them on the road isn't terrible. They'll be competitive in the NFC West. (LW 13)
19) Oakland Raiders - Their defense absolutely melted down against the Bills last week allowing five straight TD drives in the second half as Buffalo came back to beat them. Their offense has been pretty good though. (LW 14)
20) Cincinnati Bengals - I thought starting Andy Dalton this year would be a disaster, but he's really played well. Would have been more impressive if he got another win though. (LW 18)
21) San Francisco 49ers - Thy really had Dallas on the ropes and frankly choked the game away. Dallas is the kind of team the Niners should be beating at home if they see themselves as playoff contenders in the NFC West. (LW 15)
22) Tennessee Titans - Got a really good win over Baltimore this week. If they can get Chris Johnson going, they'll score some points this year. (LW 26)
23) Denver Broncos - The Broncos appear as though they'll be this years' running drama in the NFL... probably more interesting than watching them play. (LW 22)
24) Carolina Panthers - Cam Newton threw for a lot of yards again, but he came back to earth in a big way with three picks. That's ok though, because all young QBs are going to have bad weeks where they turn the ball over. What you need to see next from him is that bounces back and learns from it. (LW 17)
25) Miami Dolphins - They've had a rough schedule to start the season and it doesn't get much easier. They have three straight road games coming up, two of which are against the Chargers and Jets. (LW 24)
26) Jacksonville Jaguars - After watching them against the Jets, I have no idea how they got a win in week one. They were awful and it all started with Josh McCown. After seeing rookies Cam Newton and Andy Dalton have early success, Jags fans are wanting to see Blaine Gabbert sooner rather than later. (LW 22)
27) St. Louis Rams - The Rams have opened up the year with two pretty convincing losses. Combine that with all their injuries and they sure don't look like the sleeper team many predicted them to be. (LW 27)
28) Cleveland Browns - Got a win over the Colts this week which isn't too impressive, but Colt McCoy played well and Peyton Hillis got going so there were encouraging signs. (LW 30)
29) Minnesota Vikings - In each of the past two weeks the Vikings have built a first half lead and squandered in in the second half. On Sunday, they gave up 24 second half points to the Bucs. (LW 32)
30) Seattle Seahawks - Here's where we start figure who is the worst team in the NFL. Seattle is certainly in that conversation after getting shut out in Pittsburgh. (LW 28)
31) Indianapolis Colts - They're just awful. No doubt that Peyton Manning would make them better, but would he alone even make them a playoff contender? I don't think so. (LW 31)
32) Kansas City Chiefs - The Chiefs offense is scoring an average of five points per game. Their defense is giving up an average of forty-four points per game. It's shocking how bad they are. (LW 29)