So how's the season going for each team? Well, depending on which team's kicker you ask, it's either great or the end of the world. This weekend was defined by kicking as 4 games ended as time expired due to kicking. Other teams had kicking woes that eventually led to their losses.
This being only the second week there are some major shifts in the the overall rankings (since we need to overreact, obviously). The Rams, Jaguars, and Chiefs all had big jumps with the Ravens and Jets among the biggest droppers. We still haven't learned a lot about each team yet since it is so early on in the season, but we can slowly start to make some predictions based off of two week trends. For example, the Cardinals are a bad team offensively and the Patriots' receivers are struggling without Julian Edelman. Other teams are unfolding and coming into place, but it is still difficult to place a finger on who some certain teams are. Another example, are the Saints hurting themselves with all of these turnovers? Or is this just who they are and last year was a lucky year for them? We'll find out, but they certainly haven't had any encouraging signs to start the season.
With that teaser, let's check out the full rankings:
32. Arizona Cardinals. Simply put, they got their clock cleaned by the Rams in LA. The Cardinals couldn't move the ball at all on offense and the Rams did whatever they want whenever they wanted to. I said it before and I'll say it again. Just start Josh Rosen and give him his reps because you aren't getting anything out of Sam Bradford.
31. Buffalo Bills. This team remains at the bottom of the power rankings because of another tough loss at home. However, they have some positives about their loss to the Chargers. Josh Allen's performance was encouraging, although he definitely looked like a rookie (bad interceptions, held on to the ball too long), he made some good throws and had a great demeanor acting like a leader on the sideline. Vontae Davis retiring at halftime is definitely problematic for them because he was expected to be an impact player this year and his contract is fully guaranteed. Either way it is still a tough loss, and as a result, they're at the bottom again.
30. New York Giants. So much for fixing the offensive line. Eli Manning was sacked 6 times and they couldn't protect Manning long enough to get the ball to Odell Beckham Jr so he was practically taken out of the offense. I was convinced the Giants would take care of business at AT&T Stadium because the Cowboys' defense wasn't good enough. Boy was I wrong...
29. Houston Texans. The Texans were a hot team to pick to win the division (including us) coming into this year, but if the first two weeks are any indication of the team as a whole, they may not be as good as we thought. Deshaun Watson struggled to take care of the ball and the Texans special teams were duped by a (clever albeit) fake punt. It's only Week 2 and I don't want to overreact too much, but we may have overrated the Texans coming into this season.
28. Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks go as Russell Wilson goes. This week though, he did not go very far, and as a result neither did his team. Their offense struggled to score points again and their offensive line consistently allowed Khalil Mack to get to Wilson. Their most exciting offensive player continues to be their punter who had multiple punts pinned down within the Bears own 5 yard line and a phenomenal shank that did not go far at all (net 10 yard punt). You never know with this punter or this team if it will be boom or bust for them.
27. Detroit Lions. This was a classic QB duel between two Quarterbacks who put up great numbers and have no defenses who can stop them. Stafford put up a great fight and almost made a significant comeback, but in the end, the Lions couldn't get a stop when they needed it (they also weren't helped by a late flag that cancelled out an interception by Garoppolo). Golden Tate continued his hot start to the season as well. Like usual, the Lion's offense is good. Defense, not as much.
26. Oakland Raiders. Tell me if you've heard this one before. The Raider's pass rush couldn't put any pressure on the defense. Combined with a lack of Khalil Mack, the altitude clearly got to the Raiders' defense at the end of the game as they couldn't substitute in and out enough to get fresh bodies on the field for the final drive. Derek Carr played a really good game though! He was accurate all game long and got Amari Cooper involved in the offense which allowed it to get a lead early on in the game. Too bad they lost on a last second field goal.
25. Indianapolis Colts. Like I said before, the only good part about this game is that Andrew Luck made some good throws and is finally starting to look like his old self again. He didn't throw for many yards (179), but as long as he's throwing and healthy that's all Colts fans should care about.
24. Cleveland Browns. At least they were in the game. They were able to keep it close against a very turnover prone Saints and if not- wait for it - another missed field goal for the win, would have beaten the Saints at home. It's incredible the Browns are in some of these games considering how poorly Tyrod Taylor has played the first two weeks. They could be easily 2-0, 0-2 and 0-0-2 if not for some late game heroics by Drew Brees. Once again, I'll remind Browns fans, at least they won't go 0-16 this year!
23. Dallas Cowboys. How about them 'boys? Their defense stepped up and Dak Prescott made a great deep throw three plays into the game Sunday night! They got to Eli consistently throughout the game and the Cowboys didn't even need Ezekiel Elliot to put up a monstrous performance to win. I think this is one of those games where the Cowboys caught lightning in a bottle. Their defense played great and the Giants offense played poorly. I don't see Dallas doing this again next week in Seattle.
22. Tennessee Titans. Who could have predicted 3 years ago when Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota were drafted that they wouldn't be the teams starters in Week 2 of 2018? The Titans certainly looked good with Blaine Gabbert as their QB (in the first quarter). After that they struggled to run the ball on offense (another bad week for Derrick Henry) and squeezed by a win with the help of a Succop game winning field goal. How many of these games are going to end in field goals?
21. Washington Redskins. I'm not going to lie. This game was a tough one to sit through. Andrew Luck was healthy which was nice, but the Redskins couldn't move the ball to save their life. Adrian Peterson and Jamison Crowder were consistently stuffed at and behind the line of scrimmage and Alex Smith posted an abysmal QBR (36.2).
20. San Francisco 49ers. Jimmy G showed what he can do against team that isn't a top 5 defense this weekend and (besides a game changing interception taken away by the referees), had a pretty good game overall. I'm still not sure how good the 49ers can be because of their lack of playmakers, but they won this week so we'll make our analysis about them one week at a time.
19. Pittsburgh Steelers. Their defense was a mess this week as they missed Joe Haden again. Their defense was as bad as Mahomes' passing was good. Big Ben was great through the air which was good because Conners, who had a great Week 1, reverted back to the mean and played like a backup runningback this week. If their defense is going to be this bad and their offense is going to be so reliant on Big Ben, they should start to think about paying Le'veon Bell because he can help fix a lot of their offensive issues. He can't help the defensive ones, but he can try to hide them.
18. Carolina Panthers. Cam got hit with a cheap shot by Falcon's corner, Damontae Kazee early on and the Panthers didn't have enough offense to keep up with the Falcon's who showed how lethal it can be. Panther's runningback Christian McCaffrey had a great game and Cam Newton played well to despite getting hit in the head. Hopefully it was just a cheap hit and he doesn't have any long term head damage. They play the Bengals next week which will be another tough match up against a team who is playing as well as anyone.
17. Atlanta Falcons. Matt Ryan passed for 2 TD's, ran for 2 more, and you guessed it, not a single one was thrown to Julio Jones! Fortunately, this week for the Falcons, they didn't need to worry about getting him the ball since their offense was clicking all around. Luckily Matt Ryan was playing like Cam Newton taking on multiple defenders and rushing into the end zone. It was a good bounce back after a bad Week 1 (on Thursday night).
16. New Orleans Saints. Was last year just an aberration for the Saints? We all declared them dead after their 0-2 start last season, but at least last year they had a tough schedule (including playing the Patriots in Week 2). This year they lost to Fitzmagic in Week 1 and almost lost to the Browns in Week 2! Luckily for the Saints their turnovers are mistakes that are very correctable and these will probably go down as the season progresses. If not, then last season may have just been a lucky year for the Saints and they will have some problems winning games this year.
15. New York Jets. J-E-T-S! Jets, Jets, - oh wait... not this week? Sam Darnold looked like a rookie again which is fine. He shouldn't be the savior of New York just yet. He's only 21 years old and he's going to be good. He'll take his lumps and learn his lessons. The main reason I think they struggled is because they just couldn't establish a run game and, as a result, forced Darnold to throw 42 times. Something he shouldn't need to do this early in his career.
14. Baltimore Ravens. Thursday Night games are always weird and you can almost guarantee that one team will not show up or will play like an absolute dud. This week, it was the Ravens turn to do that. With a combination of Joe Flacco coming back down to Earth and the Ravens playing on Thursday night, they looked really, really bad. They'll be okay the rest of this season, it was just a tough time to play on Thursday. This will probably be one of the worst games they play this season because of how early in the season it is (no team chemistry yet), so no need to worry about their long term prospects of success.
13. Chicago Bears. It was nice to see the Bears not lose another Nationally televised game. That would have been brutal for their confidence and pride if they had lost in back to back tragic fashion like that. This week, their defense was able to maintain their lead that they had the entire game and stifled Russell Wilson on offense including a pick 6 to clinch the game in the 4th quarter. The Bears defense, headed by Khalil Mack and Danny Trevathan, is really good this year and one no Quarterback will want to face. What makes them so good is their ability to put pressure on the QB. Wilson looked rushed drop back after drop back against the Bear's defense. Trubisky looked average behind the helm this week throwing two interceptions and missing a couple open receivers down field. He did do a good job of getting Allen Robinson involved this week who I think is crucial to if they want to score points this year.
12. San Diego Chargers. A good bounce back win and an impressive performance (although against a well below average team) considering they had to travel west to east. The Chargers' defense made Josh Allen look like a rookie and the Charger's special teams actually helped them this time (They scored a touchdown for them)! Once they get Joey Bosa back next week that'll help their pass rush and defensive line which had a good week limiting the Bills' offense. The Chargers after this week seem to be on the upswing which is good because next week they play the Rams.
11. Green Bay Packers. Good news, Aaron Rodgers wasn't injured as badly as Week 1 made it seem! Bad news, you tied at home and would have lost if not for some back kicking by the Vikings. Luckily you're kicking game is looking good as Mason Crosby knocked down a career 5 field goals (he missed his game winner too). This will be a reoccurring theme throughout the season: Green Bay squeaks by in a win or loses a close won, but they wouldn't have been in the game without Aaron Rodgers.
10. Minnesota Vikings. I didn't realize we were playing soccer now! Two weeks in a row with ties?? If I was Minnesota I'd be looking for a new kicker this week or looking for answers to help their 5th round pick Daniel Carlson make some. He missed 2 in OT and 3 overall for the game. Besides a bad kicking game, the Vikings should be very optimistic about the rest of their offense. Adam Thielen had a phenomenal falling catch into the endzone from what was an ever better, threading the needle, throw from Kirk Cousins (who had 425 yards passing). If not for those missed field goals they'd be 2-0 with a victory in Lambeau. That's pretty promising. Just get a kicker and it'll all be good.
9. Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins are 2-0! Who could have seen this coming? Not me, that's for sure. They have shown some promise this year and maybe they could put together a respectable season like the Jets did last year when everyone thought they'd go 0-16. I doubt it, but it is something we should consider. They also played against a rookie QB who had his come to Earth game after a successful start last week. We should consider that too.
8. Philadelphia Eagles. These first couple weeks are going about how I imagined for the Eagles. They're having problems offensively and everyone is starting to realize that Carson Wentz is in fact, better than Nick Foles. Clearly, the Eagles troubles in the first two weeks of the year are offensive. Carson Wentz is cleared to play next week and he'll help fix many of those issues. The Eagles will be getting back on track when they play next week with Wentz (MVP front runner until his injury last year) under center instead of Foles.
7. Denver Broncos. This was a tale of two halves. The Broncos couldn't do anything in the 1st half. They made great adjustments in the 2nd and, Case Keenum, like Derek Carr played a very good game! This game, just like the reoccurring theme this week, ended on a game winning field goal. Denver kicking game? Check!
6. New England Patriots. I was surprised how many analysts and experts coming into this game, predicted the Pats would win. They discounted the Jaguars defense and Blake Bortles (which hopefully won't happen again). What really swung the game for the Jaguars though, was how bad the Patriots defense looked. This is not to discount the performance of Blake Bortles, but the Patriots defense couldn't get any stops especially when they mattered most. The most decisive play in the game was when Bill Belichick didn't go for the 1st down on 4th and inches midway through the 4th quarter. He assumed they would get the ball back two more times on offense, but clearly he miscalculated and trusted a defense that was playing well all game. Yes, it was from their own 18 yard line, but they needed something to swing the momentum since Bortles and the Jag's offense was matching down the field whenever they wanted. There is no need to overreact to this loss, but the Patriots have some concerns they need to address on the defensive side of the ball.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ryan Fitzmagic strikes again in Week 2! The only thing better than his passing was his post game wardrobe. The Buccaneers are officially better with Fitzpatrick than Winston and I am sure a comment like that will never come back to bite me! So far he's proven himself as a starter and has recaptured the magic he had a few years ago in New York for the Jets!
4. Cincinnati Bengals. Is Andy Dalton the best QB in the NFL? Are the Bengals the best team? Will they win the AFC North? Probably not, but after two weeks they have two impressive wins (on the road against Indianapolis, at home against Baltimore) and Andy Dalton has played really well! He's been smart with the football and found his open receivers consistently through two games. What's been their greatest strength though is their turnover differential.
They "rank 3rd in turnover differential at +3...with three interceptions and two forced fumbles". If Andy Dalton can continue to take care of the ball with this kind of defensive play then it'll be a recipe for success this season. I don't think these statistics are sustainable for the rest of the season, but I'd like to see them try to do it.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars. Blake Bortles outplayed Tom Brady (*pinches self) and led the Jags to a victory that, although it will not make up for their loss in the AFC title game last year, it was certainly a statement win for this team. Many will discount this win by saying that it's only Week 2 and that the Patriots don't care that much, but that totally discredits the Jaguars gameplan. What really made a difference in this game was how bad the Patriot's defense was and how good the Jag's defense was. I expected the Jag's defense to play a big presence in the game, but how well they put pressure on Tom Brady and limited Gronkowski's impact was awe-inspiring and a model any team trying to stop the Pat's should follow.
2. Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes is good. I mean like really, really good. He was shredding the Steelers' defense on deep routes, medium routes, and even short routes. He showed off his rocket arm, but also his incredible accuracy on display Sunday was even more impressive in my eyes, than his talented arm cannon. He now has the NFL record for most touchdowns by a QB in the first two weeks of the regular season and every 4th pass he's thrown has been a touchdown. It's a good thing he's doing that because the Chiefs have allowed 870 passing yards only two weeks into this season. Their defense is playing at a historically bad rate and their offensive explosions aren't sustainable for the entire season. They should get Eric Barry back next week (hopefully) which will help, but either way, this offensive start is something Chiefs fans should be happy with.
1. Angeles Rams. Their performance was 2nd only to the Chiefs this week and we once again saw that this team's unbelievable load of talent (6 #1 picks on the defensive side of the ball) makes them a force to be reckoned with. The Rams only had one sack and forced one interception yet they stymied the Cardinals in every way on offense. The Rams couldn't run the ball to save their lives (90 yards total), but it didn't matter since they threw the ball with ease on offense. Yes it's not a big deal that they beat the Cardinals, but still, it's an impressive job winning in such a fashion.
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