NFL Power Rankings 2016: Week 2 Edition
Photo by: USA Today Sports.
The first week of the 2016 NFL schedule is over. Now it’s time to rank all 32 teams from best to worst. That’s right, it’s time for NFL power rankings. Let’s dive right in.
WEEK 2 POWER RANKINGS
1 – Denver Broncos – The reigning Super Bowl 50 champions remain on top after winning their rematch with the Panthers. The Denver defense is still for real. Trevor Siemian doesn’t look great by any means but he looks better than expected.
2 – New England Patriots – No Tom Brady, no Rob Gronkowski, no problem. The short-handed Pats found a way to go into the desert and come out with a win.
3 – Pittsburgh Steelers – The Steelers averaged 32 points per game in the second half of the 2015 season. They scored 38 in their first game this season despite missing Le’Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant.
4 – Carolina Panthers – The Panthers were so close to getting revenge on the Broncos. Unfortunately for them, Graham Gano missed a 50-yard attempt that would have won the game for Carolina.
5 – Green Bay Packers – Aaron Rodgers is still one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
6 – Seattle Seahawks – Not a very impressive opening win. The Seahawks only won by two points at home against Miami. Russell Wilson sprained his ankle.
7 – Kansas City Chiefs – Andy Reid’s team staged a big comeback against their division rivals.
8 – Minnesota Vikings – Minny’s defense was able to carry the Vikes to a win by forcing three turnovers. Sam Bradford will soon be taking over as starter as sitting on the bench in Week 1.
9 – Cincinnati Bengals – Solid road win against a Jets team that won 10 games last season.
10 – Arizona Cardinals – This team is probably still one of the best in the NFC but losing at home to a Patriots team missing some of their best players isn’t a great look.
11 – Oakland Raiders – You have to love Jack Del Rio’s aggressive call to go for the two-point conversion and the win in New Orleans. Bold.
12 – Houston Texans – Brock Osweiler wasn’t spectacular but he just might be an upgrade on what the Texans had at quarterback last year … which isn’t saying much.
13 – Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens could be back on the rise after having a lot of bad luck in 2015.
14 – Detroit Lions – Matthew Stafford shredded the Colts’ defense: 31/39, 340 yards, 3 TD, 128.6 rating. Nice comeback win for Detroit.
15 – New York Jets – The Jets only lost by one point so it could be worse.
16 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Jameis Winston is looking like the real deal.
17 – Philadelphia Eagles – Speaking of real deal, how about that debut for Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz? The North Dakota State alumnus threw two gorgeous touchdown passes in his first career NFL start. Yes, he was only going against the Browns, but the 23-year-old flashed serious franchise quarterback potential. It’ll be interesting to see how he builds on this performance.
18 – New York Giants – The G-Men might have lost their opening game if Terrance Williams managed to get out of bounds and allowed Dallas to kick a long field goal.
19 – Buffalo Bills – Their offense only scored seven points, but their defense allowed only 13.
20 – Washington Redskins – The reigning NFC East champions didn’t look so great in their home opener. Washington didn’t beat a single team with a winning record all last year. Monday night’s loss adds more evidence to the idea Washington can’t beat good teams.
21 – Miami Dolphins – Only losing to the Seahawks by two points in Seattle has to be some kind of moral victory, I think.
22 – New Orleans Saints – The Saints can still score but their defense is still bad. 34 points allowed in Week 1.
23 – Indianapolis Colts – Indy’s defense allowed 39 points in their first game.
24 – Jacksonville Jaguars – The Jags kept it close against the Packers but no cigar.
25 – Dallas Cowboys – The Cowboys lost in incredibly stupid fashion. Rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott struggled against a Giants defense that was historically bad last season.
26 – San Diego Chargers – Blew their big lead on the Chiefs and then lost their best wide receiver for the season. Not an ideal start for the Bolts.
27 – Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons’ defense got shredded in the Georgia Dome. Dating back to last season, Atlanta is 2-8 in their last 10 games.
28 – Chicago Bears – Adam Gase is gone and that’s not good news for Jay Cutler.
29 – Tennessee Titans – Couldn’t beat Shaun Hill despite opening the season at home.
30 – San Francisco 49ers – The 49ers’ 21-0 win over the Rams wasn’t about Chip Kelly’s team looking good as much as it was about the Rams just being downright awful. Still hard to imagine this team is going places with Blaine Gabbert as their starting quarterback.
31 – Cleveland Browns – The Browns had a chance to draft Wentz but opted not to because they didn’t think he projected as a top 20 quarterback. On Sunday, the Browns saw why they might regret that decision as Wentz shined against them. Meanwhile, Cleveland had to place Robert Griffin III on injured reserve.
32 – Los Angeles Rams – Jeff Fisher was probably right when he said the Rams weren’t going 7-9 this year. Instead they might go 2-14 if they continue to look this bad. It’s crazy to think No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff can’t get ahead of Case Keenum and Sean Mannion on the depth chart.