Welcome to the post-Week 2 edition of triggering power rankings.
Check here for last week’s edition.
No. 32: New York Jets (-2)
Outside of Mekhi Becton, Marcus Maye, and the occasional throw from Sam Darnold, the Jets are an organization without a direction.
No. 31: New York Giants (+1)
Despite losing Saquon Barkley for the season, the Giants have shown some potential, unlike the Jets. They were a play away from knocking off the Bears.
No. 30: Carolina Panthers (-1)
With Christian McCaffrey sidelined for a few weeks and a porous defense, the Panthers do not have much going for them. Teddy Bridgewater has been fine, but the loss of McCaffrey hurts.
No. 29: Atlanta Falcons (+2)
Calvin Ridley has been one of the best receivers in the NFL, but he has been the only bright spot on an otherwise disappointing team. They were up 20 against the Cowboys, but they dissolved down the stretch. Yikes.
No. 28: Miami Dolphins (+0)
The Dolphins had some hype heading into the season, but they look to be a team focused on 2021 rather than 2020.
No. 27: Denver Broncos (-4)
After losing Von Miller just before the season, Denver has sustained injuries to Drew Lock and Courtland Sutton. Sutton will be out for the entire season, and the Bronco passing attack will rely on either Jeff Driskel or Blake Bortles while Lock recovers.
No. 26: Washington Football Team (-7)
In a nutshell, a 1-1 start is better than what one might have imagined for the Football Team, but their win over the Eagles looks less and less impressive with each off-target throw from Carson Wentz.
No. 25: Detroit Lions (-4)
After coming up one play away from knocking off the Bears, the Lions stood no chance against the Packers.
No. 24: Cincinnati Bengals (+2)
Joe Burrow is a star in the making, and that is more valuable than any win or any power ranking position.
No. 23: Minnesota Vikings (-9)
Calling Kirk Cousins trash would be a compliment considering how poorly he has played. Danielle Hunter will be back soon, but it might be too late as the Bears and Packers are 2-0.
No. 22: Philadelphia Eagles (-5)
Week 1 Philadelphia could be explained by a debilitated offensive line. However, Week 2 Philadelphia stems from the consistently putrid play from Wentz. The protection was strong, but Wentz repeatedly missed his targets.
No. 21: Cleveland Browns (+4)
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are as dynamic as they come, and the defensive line is fierce. Myles Garrett has thrown his hat into the ring of best defensive players in football.
No. 20: Jacksonville Jaguars (+7)
Gardner Minshew Mania is back. A late Minshew interception ended Jacksonville’s hope of 2-0, but the Jaguars have a winnable stretch of games coming, and they could contend for the third Wild Card spot in the AFC.
No. 19: Los Angeles Chargers (+5)
Justin Herbert made the Chargers watchable. He had his rookie errors, including a back-breaking interception, but the Chargers lost because of Anthony Lynn’s brainless decision to punt in overtime. Notably, Joey Bosa turned the elite Mitchell Schwartz into a tackling dummy.
No. 18: Houston Texans (-2)
The Texans played 60 minutes of uninspired football. They went through the motions and forgot how to tackle Mark Ingram.
No. 17: Chicago Bears (+1)
While the Bears are 2-0, they won both games in the dying seconds. Mitchell Trubisky has been markedly better at throwing the football, but the Bears are shaky.
No. 16: Las Vegas Raiders (+4)
The Raiders had an impressive win over the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. The defensive line was awful, but Las Vegas kept the likes of Alvin Kamara and Tre’Quan Smith from breaking big plays. The offense was efficient, and the Raiders could make the playoffs.
No. 15: Indianapolis Colts (+7)
In an inverse scenario to Washington, Indianapolis’s first loss is not as jarring because the Jaguars were initially underrated. Philip Rivers may have the arm strength of a stiff pole, but the Colts have an electric defense.
No. 14: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+1)
They did not dominate a vastly inferior Panthers team, but Tom Brady and Mike Evans found a groove that could spell disaster for the rest of the NFC. Tampa Bay also has an opportunistic defense, and Carlton Davis is a superstar in the making.
No. 13: Dallas Cowboys (+0)
Even if the Cowboys had lost in Atlanta, they likely would have stayed in the same spot. The offense was unstoppable for three quarters, and the defense was not as bad as the scoreboard would indicate. Dallas is a wickedly talented team that is prone to tripping over itself.
No. 12: New Orleans Saints (-9)
The Saints will rebound. They faced an energized Raiders team in their home debut, and the Saints were down their best player in Michael Thomas. If anything, the Saints fell prey to a schedule loss.
No. 11: San Francisco 49ers (-3)
The 49ers sustained so many injuries on Sunday that the MRI machine broke down. Nick Mullens limits the upside of the offense, but Kyle Shanahan schemed Matt Ryan and Jimmy Garoppolo to Super Bowl appearances. They could slip behind their NFC West counterparts, but Mullens will keep them afloat for a few weeks.
No. 10: Arizona Cardinals (+2)
Kyler Murray has been jaw-dropping. The defense has been terrific in tandem, and the Cardinals are one of the scariest teams in the league.
No. 9: New England Patriots (+2)
Despite losing on Sunday, the Patriots were one of the most impressive teams. Cam Newton was phenomenal. The secondary was eaten alive by Russell Wilson, but he is currently the best quarterback on the planet.
No. 8: Los Angeles Rams (+2)
Wentz bailed out the Rams with his abysmal play, but Los Angeles has dominated Dallas and Philadelphia at the point of attack. On the offensive line, Andrew Whitworth has been the best-left tackle in the NFL. Defensively, they have been sturdy enough.
No. 7: Buffalo Bills (+2)
Josh Allen played a clean game, and he was surprisingly efficient down the field. He was not pinpoint accurate, but the likes of John Brown and Stefon Diggs were so wide open that Allen’s improvement from way-off-target to slightly-off-target made the difference.
No. 6: Tennessee Titans (+1)
The Broncos and Jaguars have contained Derrick Henry, but Ryan Tannehill has been every bit as elite as he was in 2019. The defense has been buzzing, and Tennessee has burgeoning superstars in Jonnu Smith at tight end and Jeffery Simmons on the interior of the defensive line.
No. 5: Pittsburgh Steelers (+0)
Cameron Heyward has been the best defensive player in the NFL. As a whole, the Pittsburgh pass rush has turned New York and Denver into turnstiles. The offense has been explosive, and the Steelers are Super Bowl contenders.
No. 4: Seattle Seahawks (+0)
Wilson is not human. His only mistake on Sunday night was a slightly misplaced ball to Greg Olsen that turned into a pick-six. Wilson is completing 80 percent of his passes, and he has an otherworldly nine touchdowns in eight quarters. His deep ball is the single most unstoppable play in NFL history.
No. 3: Green Bay Packers (+3)
Aaron Rodgers took a time machine back to 2011. He has incredible zip on his passes, and his accuracy down the field has been tremendous. Aaron Jones went berserk against Detroit, and the Packers coasted to a second blowout win. Green Bay has scored 85 points in two weeks. New Orleans could offer a steep test, but Green Bay has been terrific in every aspect.
No. 2: Baltimore Ravens (+0)
Baltimore did not break a sweat, clobbering the Texans for the second-straight season. Lamar Jackson was not at his MVP-level, but the rushing offense got back on track. Baltimore has issues in the trenches in pass protection, but they have had to face the likes of Myles Garrett and J.J. Watt to this point.
No. 1: Kansas City Chiefs (+0)
The Chiefs have been sluggish for the first two weeks, but an overtime win in Los Angeles will likely wake the Chiefs up enough to stun the Ravens on Monday Night Football in Baltimore.
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