NFL Power Rankings Week 2: Initial Standings Post-Thursday Night Football

The New York Jets claiming a 37-31 victory against the Buffalo Bills on the Week 2 edition of Thursday Night Football didn't cause the biggest shift in NFL power rankings, but it still shuffled things in an interesting manner.

It's been an odd week and change, to say the least. Notable contenders thought temporarily dead in the water (New England Patriots) have looked great, while expected contenders (Arizona Cardinals) have disappointed, and former contenders have done a full-on face-plant (Indianapolis Colts).

Before Week 2 gets fully underway and the odd early shakeups continue, fans can brush up on league hierarchy with a fresh batch of power rankings.

Week 2 NFL Power Rankings

Rank	Team
1	New England Patriots
2	Carolina Panthers
3	Cincinnati Bengals
4	Pittsburgh Steelers
5	Denver Broncos
6	Arizona Cardinals
7	Seattle Seahawks
8	Green Bay Packers
9	Kansas City Chiefs
10	Minnesota Vikings
11	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
12	New York Giants
13	Oakland Raiders
14	Houston Texans
15	Jacksonville Jaguars
16	New York Jets
17	Detroit Lions
18	Dallas Cowboys
19	Washington
20	Philadelphia Eagles
21	Miami Dolphins
22	Baltimore Ravens
23	Buffalo Bills
24	New Orleans Saints
25	Atlanta Falcons
26	Indianapolis Colts
27	Chicago Bears
28	San Diego Chargers
29	Tennessee Titans
30	San Francisco 49ers
31	Cleveland Browns
32	Los Angeles Rams

Arizona Cardinals

Those Cardinals were a few Larry Fitzgerald monster catches from falling even farther in the rankings.

Fitzgerald couldn't save the Cardinals from the Patriots in Week 1, even without Tom Brady. He caught eight passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns, and David Johnson added 89 yards and a score on the ground, yet the team fell 23-21.

More concerning, though, is the fact the Cardinals coughed up 264 passing yards and a score to Jimmy Garoppolo while only sacking him twice. Feel free to add in the 70 rushing yards and a score by LeGarrette Blount.

"We should have won the game," Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said, according to ESPN.com. "As poorly as we played, we should have still won."

Despite the odd loss, Arizona can climb back up the ranks in a hurry with a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2. That means shutting down the quarterback-running back duo of Jameis Winston and Doug Martin, though, perhaps a more effective one than what New England trotted out.

If the Cardinals want to receive praise as Super Bowl contenders, putting the ugly start to the season behind them in emphatic fashion is a must.

Denver Broncos

Honestly, it's hard to imagine many gave the Denver Broncos great odds against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1.

Defending champs or not, the Broncos flirted with the idea of Mark Sanchez at quarterback before handing the job over to a guy by the name of Trevor Siemian. The Panthers hadn't changed much and even got star wideout Kelvin Benjamin back in the fold.

Yet there were the Broncos, seeing a late kick whiff and getting a 21-20 season-opening victory.

There, Siemian managed 178 yards with a touchdown and a pair of interceptions, yet it didn't much matter, as the Broncos found room against the Carolina defense for 148 rushing yards and two scores on a 5.1 per-carry average.

If the Broncos keep running the ball like that, the team's standing in the power rankings won't falter much. Next up is a Week 2 encounter with the Colts, a team that coughed up 39 points and two rushing touchdowns to start the season.

With no Peyton Manning on either side of the contest, it looks like one of the week's top matchups, not to mention the potential for a major shuffling of the power rankings.

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins almost pulled off the upset of the week to start the season, just missing on entering one of the league's most hostile environments and taking down the Seattle Seahawks.

Just missing and winding up as a loser doesn't mean much ground gained in the power rankings.

Still, it's clear the Dolphins are one of the top teams to watch when it comes to a potential major leap in the power rankings. The Ndamukong Suh-led defense limited Russell Wilson to 258 yards and one touchdown and held all Seattle rushers to a 3.5 per-carry average.

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Dolphins have another chance to make a major statement in Week 2 thanks to a dance with the Patriots. This didn't seem like such an opportunity before the season, but New England scored that win over Arizona, and now the complexion has altered by quite a bit.

Suh and the defense have already noticed what Garoppolo has been able to accomplish as a starter.

"At the end of the day, we have to make sure we go in there and get him rattled," Suh said, according to ESPN.com's James Walker. "Get him moving around, get him off his spot and make him uncomfortable."

Remember, Miami beat Brady and the Patriots last year while New England wanted to secure a top seed to end the season. If the Dolphins can do the same this year early on, it'll cause a major shift in the rankings.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.