Welcome to the post-Week 1 edition of triggering power rankings.
Check here for last week’s edition. The numbers in parenthesis are based on last week’s power rankings.
No. 32: New York Giants (-1)
While the Giants played one of the best defenses in the NFL, they made inexcusable errors. Daniel Jones cost the Giants points with a pair of atrocious interceptions, and New York forfeited chances when Pittsburgh made mistakes.
No. 31: Atlanta Falcons (-2)
The final score is an illusion. Atlanta was manhandled for much of the game. As with the Giants, they played a vastly superior team, but garbage time stats only help in fantasy football.
No. 30: New York Jets (-3)
Mekhi Becton and Marcus Maye are gold bars in a Gotham green trash can. Buffalo is not a great matchup, but Sam Darnold and the offense struggled even when they were given two Josh Allen fumbles.
No. 29: Carolina Panthers (-1)
Despite the loss, Carolina showed the NFL what they would be: all offense and no defense. Teddy Bridgewater and Christian McCaffrey were great, and Robby Anderson exploited a broken coverage, but the defense is not good.
No. 28: Miami Dolphins (-3)
Miami kept it competitive against the Patriots for the most part, but Ryan Fitzpatrick’s three interceptions ended any real chance at victory. Fitzpatrick is an anchor keeping the team from rising.
No. 27: Jacksonville Jaguars (+5)
The offense was good. The defense did enough. Indianapolis likely penciled in a “W” on their schedule, and the Jaguars made them pay. Gardner Minshew was one of the best quarterbacks of the week.
No. 26: Cincinnati Bengals (+0)
Outside of an egregious interception, Joe Burrow played reasonably well in his debut. The defense exceeded expectations, and the Bengals were unfortunate to not win the game (based on an A.J. Green pass interference) or at least send the game to overtime (by a missed Randy Bullock field goal).
No. 25: Cleveland Browns (-7)
For as dominant as Baltimore looked based on the final score, Cleveland simply self-destructed. Baker Mayfield threw an interception on the first possession, and the Cleveland special teams were abysmal. Austin Seibert missed a pair of kicks, and a failed fake punt gave Baltimore great field position.
No. 24: Los Angeles Chargers (-8)
The Chargers offense was anemic. Their defense was good, but they buckled on the biggest drive of the game, getting bailed out by the aforementioned pass interference and missed field goal. The Chargers are frauds.
No. 23: Denver Broncos (-6)
Denver led with 30 seconds to play, but they were thoroughly outclassed by Tennessee. The defense was exceptional, but a combination of bad playcalling and Jerry Jeudy drops lost the game. Denver needed Stephen Gostkowski to miss three field goals and an extra point just to lose by two points.
No. 22: Indianapolis Colts (-8)
The Colts were the most disappointing team of Week 1. Despite being the better team and having a mostly healthy team, the Colts folded. Philip Rivers tossed yet another fourth-quarter interception, and the Colts lost to Jacksonville.
No. 21: Detroit Lions (+1)
While the Lions were down Kenny Golladay and rookie Jeff Okudah, it is inexcusable to blow a 17-point lead to Mitch Trubisky. Detroit’s fourth quarter was the worst quarter by any team in Week 1. D’Andre Swift is a partial scapegoat because of a bad drop on the final play of the game, but Detroit should not have been in that situation.
No. 20: Las Vegas Raiders (+4)
The defense is a work in progress, but the offense was sufficient enough. Josh Jacobs scored three times, and Henry Ruggs made a splash play in his debut. The Raiders could take a huge leap if they can upset the Saints on Monday Night Football.
No. 19: Washington Football Team (+11)
The offense was not great, but the defense was ferocious. Chase Young and Ryan Kerrigan were in the Philadelphia backfield on nearly every play, and the Football Team out-footballed the Eagles. They have a stiff offensive ceiling, but the defense has elite potential.
No. 18: Chicago Bears (+5)
Despite falling down by 17, Trubisky and the Bears recovered well. Trubisky fired three touchdowns including a beautiful game-winning throw to Anthony Miller. The Bears were bailed out by Swift’s drop, but they are the better team.
No. 17: Philadelphia Eagles (-6)
Philadelphia’s offensive line was decimated with injuries, letting Washington run wild, but the defense was also concerning. They had good drives, but they allowed Washington to score on all five drives that began in Eagles territory. Offensively, they went scoreless for 37 minutes.
No. 16: Houston Texans (+4)
Yes, Houston lost. However, David Johnson looked explosive. There are some kinks in the offense that should be ironed out. The defense was eaten alive by Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but Houston is better than the 16 teams behind them.
No. 15: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-6)
The Buccaneers were not great on Sunday, but many of their problems stem from all of the new pieces on the team. They also happened to play one of the best teams in the league. They will be in the top 10 again soon.
No. 14: Minnesota Vikings (-1)
Minnesota matches up poorly with Green Bay. The likes of Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling clobbered Minnesota’s overmatched corners. Minnesota is better than most, but the Packers are better.
No. 13: Dallas Cowboys (-6)
Many will point to the late pass interference against Michael Gallup, but the Cowboys should not have been in a “down by three” situation. The offensive line was destroyed by Aaron Donald. The overall word to describe Dallas’s performance is “meh.”
No. 12: Arizona Cardinals (+9)
After coming up close in their 2019 matchups with San Francisco, the Cardinals rose to the occasion and knocked off the reigning NFC champs. DeAndre Hopkins was one of the best players of Week 1, and Byron Murphy came up big on San Francisco’s final few plays.
No. 11: New England Patriots (+4)
They only won by 10 points despite the benefit of three Fitzpatrick interceptions, but the Patriots were efficient and poised. The dynasty is not over quite yet.
No. 10: Los Angeles Rams (+9)
Outside of the occasional Aldon Smith pressure, Los Angeles had stellar line play. Jared Goff looked like a good quarterback, Aaron Donald was dominant, and Malcolm Brown seamlessly replaced the ghost of good Todd Gurley. They were impressive without being flashy.
No. 9: Buffalo Bills (-1)
The Bills were very good for most of the day, but a pair of Josh Allen fumbles and the inability to tackle Jamison Crowder keep the Bills from moving up. Against better teams, the Bills will likely lack the necessary edge to win.
No. 8: San Francisco 49ers (-4)
The 49ers have been beaten up with injuries to the likes of Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, but when they are healthy, the 49ers are dynamic. If it had been Samuel instead of Trent Taylor in the final moments, the 49ers likely win.
No. 7: Tennessee Titans (+3)
The scoreboard disagrees, but the Titans dominated the Broncos. If Tennessee’s kicking situation was not the worst of any 21st-century team, they win by two scores. The 2019 Titans were the only team of the millennium to convert on fewer than 60 percent of their field goals; they made about 45 percent.
No. 6: Green Bay Packers (+6)
Aaron Rodgers flashed back to his 2014 version to dismantle Minnesota’s secondary. Rodgers was phenomenal, and elite quarterback play leads to wins.
No. 5: Pittsburgh Steelers (+1)
There were some touchy moments including a Diontae Johnson muffed punt, but the Steelers played well. Ben Roethlisberger and JuJu Smith-Schuster looked like their 2018 selves while the defense (besides Steven Nelson) looked like their 2019 selves.
No. 4: Seattle Seahawks (+1)
As mentioned in the Atlanta blurb, the final scoreline is misleading. Seattle dominated most of the game. Jamal Adams was stellar. Russell Wilson had the best quarterback performance of the week with a 31-for-35 showing, and Seattle won.
No. 3: New Orleans Saints (+0)
Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas struggled, and Thomas is now injured. However, the defense was great. The offense will need to bounce back, but the defense appears to be in mid-season form.
No. 2: Baltimore Ravens (+0)
Baltimore was not flawless, but they capitalized on the many mistakes Cleveland made. Baltimore scored the second-most points and allowed the fewest. They were the only team to win by more than 14 points, winning by 32.
No. 1: Kansas City Chiefs (+0)
The Chiefs had the second-largest margin of victory despite Patrick Mahomes looking like a mortal with a handful of throws that should have been intercepted. Mahomes will round into form, and the Chiefs will be an unstoppable juggernaut beginning on Sunday.
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