Here’s the mostly updated power rankings for the week.
Of note, it’s pretty much guaranteed that starting 0-2 means no playoffs. “Only 23 teams out of 198 have advanced to the postseason (11.6 percent) when starting 0-2 since 1990, according to Fox Sports. Only four of those teams (2.0 percent) advanced to the Super Bowl, with three of those teams actually winning the NFL’s prized possession (1993 Cowboys, 2001 Patriots, 2007 Giants),” reads an excerpt from anNOLA article on the matter.
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1. Denver Broncos (2-0) – The only complaint against the Broncos is they’ve allowed both the Colts and Chiefs to climb back after taking early leads.
2. Seattle Seahawks (1-1) – Seattle lost against the Chargers Sunday, but that’s not enough to bump this team down past No. 2.
3. Cincinatti Bengals (2-o) – The Bengals might have the best defense in the AFC. They crushed Matt Ryan and the Falcons, who put up the best offensive stats last week, and made it look easy.
4. Carolina Panthers (2-0) – The Panthers’ D hasn’t missed a beat. Cam Newton’s first start of the season went well, throwing for 281 yards on 22 of 34 pass attempts and a touchdown.
5. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) – The Eagles play Monday.
6. New England Patriots (1-1) – The Patriots looked like themselves against the Vikings.
7. San Francisco 49ers (1-1) – There questions and criticism against 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick coming into the season. Throwing three picks against the Bears won’t silence them.
8. Arizona Cardinals (2-0) – The Cardinals have lost four defensive starters after the 2013 season, including Karlos Dansby and Darnell Dockett, but that hasn’t stopped them.
9. San Diego Chargers (1-1) – Beating the Seahawks will be a massive confidence-booster going into Buffalo next week.
10. Indianapolis Colts (0-1) – The Colts play the Eagles Monday night.
11. Houston Texans (2-0) – Sure, they beat the lowly Raiders, but it appears that both the Houston defense and running game are to be reckoned with. Houston fans hope they don’t lose 14 straight like last year.
12. Atlanta Falcons (1-1) – In the NFC South, it looks like a two-horse race between the Panthers and Falcons.
13. Green Bay Packers (1-1) – In a nail-biter, a botched timeout from the Jets essentially saved this game from going into OT. The Packers still have issues with their defense, but stopping the Jets’ final drive was significant. Aaron Rodgers is 28-3 at home as a starter.
14. Detroit Lions (1-1) – After putting on an offensive clinic against the Giants, the Lions were constantly flustered and battered. Calvin Johnson also missed a gimme touchdown.
15. New York Jets (1-1) Jets offensive coordinator Marty Morhinweg has to be kicking himself right now. But the defense collapsed: the Jets were up 21-3 at one point and lost 31-24.
16. Buffalo Bills (2-0) – For the fist time in forever, the Bills are on top of the AFC East.
17. Chicago Bears (1-1) - After looking like the worst team in the NFC North last week, the Bears beat the SF 49ers at home after mounting a huge comeback. Isn’t the NFL great?
18. Baltimore Ravens (1-1) – The defense returned to form, but there’s still too many offensive hiccups.
19 New Orleans (0-2) – The Saints are the best 0-2 team in the league, but teams that start 0-2 usually don’t make the playoffs.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) – The same complaints levied against this team last season apply to Thursday’s game: no offensive rhythm and an aging defense.
21. Cleveland Browns (1-1) – Brilliant win over the Saints. The Browns won their first home-opener in a decade; is it sign that Cleveland’s finally turned the page?
22. Miami Dolphins (1-1) – The Dolphins can’t seem to shake the Bills. They’re 1-4 in their past five meetings.
23. Dallas Cowboys (1-1) – Much, much needed win over the Titans. Expect more heavy doses of DeMarco Murray (29 carries for 167 yards; 1 TD) in the future.
24. Tennessee Titans (1-1) – Tennessee has a lot of potential but the run defense looks suspect.
25. Minnesota Vikings (1-1) – The Vikings utterly demolished the Rams in the season opener but were brought back down to earth playing the Patriots at home.
26. Washington Redskins (1-1) – Nice win but losing DeSean Jackson is rough. Kirk Cousins played extremely well but next week could be different.
27. St. Louis Rams (1-1) – Austin Davis was effective and efficient in his first start with the Rams.
28. KC Chiefs (0-2) – Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry were injured against the Broncos, continuing the brutal season for the Chiefs that’s been racked by injuries. Five of the Chiefs’ 22 starters–including LB Derrick Johnson–are out. They’re also playing likely one of the toughest schedules this season.
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2) – Not a good start to the Lovie Smith-Josh McCown era.
30. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) – Last week’s almost-win was eclipsed by Week 2′s drubbing by the Redskins.
31. New York Giants (0-2) – It might be time for the Giants to move on from pick-machine Eli Manning and the Tom Coughlin era.
32. Oakland Raiders (0-2) – Oakland doesn’t have many bright spots–too many penalties, turnovers, and a weak defense.
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Last week AP Pro32 update:
The beat-down persuaded everybody in the 12-member media panel that regularly covers the league to put Seattle on top. Denver had received one first-place vote in the preseason poll.
“No complacency for the defending champs, who pick up right where they left off with a dominating performance on both sides of the ball,” said Bob Glauber of Newsday.
The Seahawks held Aaron Rodgers to just 189 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson threw for two scores without a pick. The Seahawks finished with nearly 400 yards of offense, putting the game away with 19 straight points spanning halftime.
“You’ve been warned,” said Ira Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune. “The Seahawks are prying open their offensive playbook.”
The Broncos were the clear-cut second choice, garnering all but one second-place vote. The San Francisco 49ers were third, followed by the Cincinnati Bengals — a big mover after their win at Baltimore — and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Denver raced out to a 24-7 halftime lead against Indianapolis on Sunday, and then had to hold on after a frantic Colts comeback. The Broncos wound up winning 31-24.
“Little concerning that the defense gave up some late points,” said former NFL coach Herm Edwards, now with ESPN, “but that offense looks in postseason form.”
The 49ers rolled to a 28-17 victory in Dallas, getting a near-flawless performance from quarterback Colin Kaepernick and balance from running backs Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde.
“The best news out of the 49ers win was that its defense didn’t play like a unit missing key players due to injuries and suspensions,” Sports Illustrated’s Jenny Vrentas said.
Cincinnati moved from a tie for 10th into fourth place after its own road win, while the Eagles rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit with 34 unanswered points against Jacksonville. The performance left the Eagles with some mixed reviews.
Kaufman, who had them fourth on his ballot, wrote that “Darren Sproles and Chip Kelly constitute a marriage made in NFL heaven,” while Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News had them sixth, pointing out that “Nick Foles is on pace to get sacked 95 times this season.”
The Packers and New Orleans Saints were tied for sixth, followed by the New England Patriots and the Colts. The Arizona Cardinals rounded out the top 10, getting plenty of love after scoring 12 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to steal an 18-17 win over San Diego.
“I like the way this team fought through adversity,” said ESPN’s Herm Edwards.
The Kansas City Chiefs, who made the playoffs last season, tumbled all the way to No. 24 after getting blown out by Tennessee. The Washington Redskins were No. 28, followed by the New York Giants, the Cowboys, the Oakland Raiders and the St. Louis Rams.
St. Louis lost quarterback Sam Bradford to injury before the season, and fill-in Shaun Hill during the first half of a 34-6 home loss to Minnesota. Austin Davis finished out the game.
“No Sam Bradford. No Shaun Hill,” Glauber wrote. “No chance of anything except a high draft pick in 2015.”
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