NFL Power Rankings: Teams That Desperately Need a Week 2 Victory

With Week 1 of the 2012 NFL season finally in the books, it's time to move on with our lives and start speculating about this upcoming week's action.

For some teams, it's all about continuing established momentum and continuing to fire on all cylinders going forward. For others, Week 2 is about desperately needing a win, as the fate of the season already rests in the balance. 

Today, we're focusing on the latter. Here's a look at how every team stacks up heading into Week 2, including expansive looks into those teams in search of a huge win in upcoming games. 

1. New England Patriots (1-0)

If Stevan Ridley's 125 yards and the defense's top-tier performance against the Tennessee Titans last week are any indication, the Patriots could storm through the NFL this season. 

It has been since Corey Dillon's heyday that New England had any semblance of balance. With Ridley, the two tight ends and a strong receiving corps, the Patriots easily have the best offense in the league.

We'll just have to see whether the trend keeps up. 

2. San Francisco 49ers (1-0)

After dominating both sides of the ball against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday, San Francisco proved itself as the best team in the NFC.

If Alex Smith can stay consistent on a week-to-week basis, the 49ers may usurp New England atop the rankings in the coming weeks. 

3. Baltimore Ravens (1-0)

After years of conservative offensive strategies, the Ravens are seemingly all-in on 2012 being Joe Flacco's breakout year.

The Baltimore signal-caller went 21-of-29 for 299 yards and two touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals Monday night, while the team ran the ball just 10 times with Ray Rice. 

That may scare fantasy owners, but it could be the key to success for a rising Ravens team. 

4. Houston Texans (1-0)

The Texans picked right back up where they left off before Matt Schaub's injury last season. The aerial attack, led by Schaub and Andre Johnson, looked in midseason form, and running back Arian Foster scampered in two touchdowns of his own.

If there's one area that needs improvement going forward, it has to be on the offensive line. Foster gained just 79 yards on 26 carries as the new linemen struggled to open up holes. 

It could be a problem going forward, but it certainly wasn't on Sunday. 

5. Green Bay Packers (0-1)

The scoreboard says the Packers only lost to the 49ers 30-22. However, anyone who actually watched all 60 minutes could tell how superior San Francisco was in nearly every facet of the game.

It seems that where San Francisco got better in all of its weaknesses, Green Bay stayed the same—or even got worse.

Green Bay's running game, which was the bane of the team's offense 2011, is one of those areas that fit into the latter category. Cedric Benson ran the ball for just 18 yards on nine carries on Sunday and seemingly stalled the offense anytime he touched the ball

Also unimproved is the Packers' pass defense, which made Alex Smith look like Joe Montana at times. 

A nationally televised game against a weak Chicago Bears defense is on deck, so it's vital for Green Bay to show improvement in those areas and come out on top. 

6. Atlanta Falcons (1-0)

Atlanta was getting top-three consideration in my rankings before news about Brent Grimes being out for the season hit the wire.

The Falcons have struggled recently in pass coverage and have spent heavily to fix it. Asante Samuel and Dunta Robinson should be fine, but defensive coordinator Mike Nolan's system is predicated on a three-corner attack.

For now, we'll hit the pause button on the Falcons' Super Bowl hype. 

7. Dallas Cowboys (1-0)

If Week 1 is any indication of future performance, 2012 may finally be the breakout season for the Cowboys.

Quarterback Tony Romo and running back DeMarco Murray both looked fantastic on Wednesday and should lead one of the NFL's best offenses if they stay healthy.

And the Achilles heel of the defense, secondary play, looked vastly improved against Eli Manning and his strong core of receivers.

All signs are pointing upward in JerryWorld this week. 

8. Denver Broncos (1-0)

Questions remain about his long-term health, but Peyton Manning certainly nipped the performance speculation in the bud on Sunday night. 

No. 18 picked apart 2011's best passing defense, completing 19-of-26 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns. 

For its part, the defense looked every bit as formidable of a unit as it was during the height of Tebowmania. 

If the Broncos stay healthy, they're the unquestioned AFC West favorites going forward. 

9. New York Giants (0-1)

Though they are a victim of the early-season overreaction machine, the Giants will need a Week 2 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to curb speculation of a Super Bowl hangover.

And despite the Giants coming into Sunday's contest as nine-point favorites (via Bovada), don't look for it to be an easy win.

The Bucs held Cam Newton and the explosive Carolina Panthers to just 10 points in Week 1, and they could very well do the same in New York if the Giants don't correct their problems.

Most noticeably, the team lacked nearly its entire downfield explosion from 2011. New York's longest play of the night was a 39-yard throw to Domenik Hixon, but both Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks averaged fewer than 10 yards per reception against Dallas.

With the running game struggling as well, it's necessary that the Giants get their offensive game plan in order for an underrated Bucs defense. 

10. New York Jets (1-0)

I don't care how great Robert Griffin III was in Week 1. There was no better performance or more shocking occurrence than the Mark Sanchez-led Jets dropping 48 points on the preseason-darling Buffalo Bills on Sunday. 

11. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1)

The Steelers get a relative pass until they can figure out the running game and offensive line, but these were problems that plagued the team last season.

If Pittsburgh loses at home against the Jets this week, expect the team to have a shining place atop this column next week. 

12. Chicago Bears (1-0)

After years of toiling with below-average offensive talent, Jay Cutler may finally have a solid nucleus in Chicago. 

Alshon Jeffery looks like a revelation, and Brandon Marshall has always been great despite his personality issues. 

If the age of the Bears defense doesn't come back to bite them, Chicago could be a sleeper playoff team in 2012. 

13. Detroit Lions (1-0)

A mistake-prone Matthew Stafford almost caused the Lions to be Week 1's biggest upset, against the St. Louis Rams.

Stafford led the NFL in dropped interceptions in 2011 with nine, so this is a problem that bears monitoring going forward. 

14. San Diego Chargers (1-0)

The Chargers got a win on Monday night, but it was mostly due to some costly mistakes from the Raiders.

Defensively, San Diego looked stingy and held Darren McFadden to just 32 yards on 15 carries. However, the offense seemed to desperately miss injured running back Ryan Mathews and departed wide receiver Vincent Jackson. 

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0)

After a shocking win over Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers, the Bucs could be getting some love as a sleeper team in the NFC.

The offense lacks big-time firepower, but defensively Tampa Bay looked vastly improved over last season's anemic performance. 

16. Washington Redskins (1-0)

Robert Griffin III was nothing short of sensational against the New Orleans Saints, and no one was more excited about it than I was.

None of that matters going forward. The Saints have one of the worst defenses in football, and teams will be able to scheme against Griffin better in the coming weeks. How he handles that will truly answer his hype worthiness. 

17. New Orleans Saints (0-1)

With all of the doom-and-gloom talk seemingly gathering like a storm cloud around the Saints, there is nothing more important than coming away victorious over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

The Saints offense, a yearly contender for the best in the league, looked anemic until midway through the third quarter. By then, the power of Griffin had given the Redskins enough confidence to fight through the comeback attempt and come out on top.

A similarly skilled quarterback in Cam Newton awaits New Orleans on Sunday, so the depleted coaching staff needs to figure out how to solve the team's defensive inefficiencies.

If the Saints are able to get even a middling performance on defense, their offense should be able to put up enough points to outscore the Panthers.

18. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)

Sure, the Eagles came away with a 17-16 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 and could probably survive a home loss this week to a top-tier team like the Baltimore Ravens. 

Nonetheless, no team looked worse in victory than Philadelphia last week. And for a team with deep playoff aspirations, the NFL's opening week opened up myriad concerns.

First and foremost, you have to wonder about Michael Vick's status as even a good professional quarterback. He has just one elite season under his belt, is consistently on the injury report and makes more heart-stopping throws than almost any quarterback in the league—in both the good and bad way.

There's also the Andy Reid debate that happens every year about this time. How Reid could completely abandon the run when LeSean McCoy was tearing up the Cleveland defense is still baffling.

That's a trait that's followed Reid throughout his time in the NFL, so despite it being frustrating, you can expect to see more McCoy abandonment going forward. 

A tough Baltimore team awaits on Sunday, but this game is more about answering concerns than anything. 

19. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)

If we want to speak in generalities, things just fell apart for Cincinnati on Monday. One mistake led to another, which led to another—all of which seemingly ended with the Ravens in the end zone. 

Look for a quick bounce-back this week from an underrated Bengals squad. 

20. Carolina Panthers (0-1)

Simply put, head coach Ron Rivera has to re-commit to the run. He cannot put the entire onus of victory on Cam Newton's shoulders and expect him to vault the team on a weekly basis.

Newton is brilliant, but the Panthers have three running backs capable of giving the team balance. 

21. Arizona Cardinals (1-0)

Maybe Kevin Kolb is just the quintessential career backup. He looked fantastic during his time coming off the bench in Philadelphia, and his comeback performance with the Cardinals last week drove them to victory.

It's just too bad for Arizona that you don't usually give $60 million to a star clipboard holder. 

22. Minnesota Vikings (1-0)

 Good news: Adrian Peterson is back, Christian Ponder wasn't terrible and the Vikings came out victorious. 

Bad news: All of that came against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

23. Oakland Raiders (0-1)

Despite losing to the Chargers on Monday night, things could be looking up for the Raiders in 2012.

Carson Palmer looked vastly improved from the train wreck we saw last season, completing 32-of-46 passes for 297 yards and a touchdown. Most importantly, he didn't toss a single interception.

The defense also looked fierce, holding the Chargers' running backs to just 17 yards on 15 carries and limiting the explosion from Philip Rivers' passing attack. 

On the other hand, it was a story of the same boneheaded mistakes that cost Oakland against San Diego. Tied 3-3 late in the second quarter, the Raiders committed three penalties that extended a vital drive for the Chargers.

San Diego wound up scoring on the drive when Rivers found Malcom Floyd for a seven-yard touchdown. Oakland never saw anything resembling the lead again and now sit staring up at the Chargers and Broncos in the AFC West.

If the possible division championship hype is going to come true, an emphasis on discipline is needed. 

24. Kansas City Chiefs (0-1)

Kansas City will need to decide whether it's the team we saw in the first half against Atlanta (a potential playoff sleeper) or the team it was in the second half (a contender for the first pick in the draft).

The answer is likely somewhere in the middle, but we saw both extremes in Week 1. 

25. St. Louis Rams (0-1)

It is obvious how much having an actual football coach leading the team has helped the Rams. Jeff Fisher's version looks crisper, more disciplined and frankly better than the team his predecessor Steve Spagnuolo put on the field.

St. Louis is still among the league's worst, but it's an improving franchise. 

26. Buffalo Bills (0-1)

So much for the rib injury that supposedly influenced Ryan Fitzpatrick's poor performance in the second half of last season, eh Bills fans?

Let's just say that $59 million contract is looking less stellar by the throw for Buffalo. 

27. Seattle Seahawks (0-1)

Despite Russell Wilson's struggles last week against the Cardinals, the Seahawks still win the game if his receivers hold onto the ball. 

I'm still aboard the Wilson bandwagon unless the wheels start falling off this week at home against Dallas. 

28. Tennessee Titans (0-1)

A bad sign for Chris Johnson's fantasy owners in Week 1 is even worse for the Titans. For Tennessee to have any chance the rest of the season, it will need CJ2K instead of CJ.2K. 

29. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)

Blaine Gabbert looked improved, Maurice Jones-Drew ran the ball well and the rest of the team performed up to expectations.

Unfortunately, there's just not enough talent there for Jacksonville to repeat yet.

30. Indianapolis Colts (0-1)

Andrew Luck wasn't nearly as good as Robert Griffin III on Sunday, and that's mainly because the Colts have nowhere near the Redskins' talent level.  

We saw all of the tools that made Luck the top pick in April's draft. The only problem is that we saw them way too many times. Throwing the ball 45 times is a recipe for getting your quarterback annihilated and cannot be the norm if Luck wants to stay healthy. 

31. Miami Dolphins (0-1)

Positives: Reggie Bush's 2011 season doesn't look like a fluke. 

Negatives: Just about everything else. 

32. Cleveland Browns (0-1)

There are two evaluation camps for Brandon Weeden: Either you openly laughed at some of his throws or you felt bad for an overmatched quarterback.

For Browns fans, it doesn't matter which camp you were in, because both are awful signs for the franchise. 

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