NFL Power Rankings: Most Intriguing Teams After Second Week of Season

The best part of the NFL is the fact that it can surprise you every week. Unfortunately, that leaves some confusion at the start of the year as to who is actually good or bad.

A number of teams who looked quite impressive in Week 1 looked awful in Week 2, and vice versa. At this point, we do not know which one was the fluke and which was real, or if it is somewhere in between.

This means that different sets of power rankings might look very similar at the top and bottom, but there are plenty of squads in the middle who still have a lot to prove. Here is a full list of where each team stands, with extra analysis on the most intriguing teams in the NFL.

1. Seattle Seahawks (2-0)

Just like they did last year, the Seahawks dominated the division-rival 49ers at home, this time by a score of 29-3. The question—as always—is can the team be as successful on the road?

With top talent at virtually every position, it is hard to imagine too many poor showings this season.

2. Denver Broncos (2-0)

While Peyton Manning did not throw seven touchdowns again, he still helped his team score over 40 points for the second game in a row. The defense is still giving up a lot of yards through the air, but that will not matter until someone figures out a way to stop the offense.

3. New England Patriots (2-0)

Neither win was pretty, but the Patriots are now 2-0 despite having little offensive help around Tom Brady.

When Rob Gronkowski returns and the young receivers get more acclimated with the offense, this could once again be one of the top units in the league. Until then, the squad simply has to survive and advance like it has been doing.

4. San Francisco 49ers (1-1)

The Sunday night loss to Seattle was not pretty, but this team proved last season that it is capable of shaking it off and moving on. 

While the schedule remains difficult, arguably the two toughest games are already out of the way. With a home matchup against a struggling Colts squad, San Francisco can look to get back to its winning ways in Week 3.

5. Green Bay Packers (1-1)

Not many teams were genuinely impressive in Week 2, but the Packers were one of them. Aaron Rodgers had one of the best games of his career and looked like he was playing a video game on easy mode.

There will be a lot more blowouts this year as the Green Bay offense looks as good as ever.

6. Chicago Bears (2-0)

Although Chicago needed a last-minute touchdown to beat the Vikings, it showed plenty of resilience in the win.

More importantly, the offensive line played well once again while protecting Jay Cutler, and the defense continues to force turnovers in key situations. As long as these two things happen, the Bears will win a lot of games.

7. New Orleans Saints (2-0)

After two games, we still do not know what to expect out of the Saints this year. Will this be the 2012 version that got off to a terrible start and finished 7-0 or the 2011 version that finished the regular season with a 13-3 record?

They certainly did not look good in the win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If not for a few fortunate calls during the game, New Orleans could have lost by double digits.

Still, the team has two wins over division rivals to put it a leg up in the standings going forward. There are also few teams in the NFL that have a chance of winning in the Superdome.

Over the course of the season, the Saints will have many more good days than bad ones.

8. Atlanta Falcons (1-1)

Losing Steven Jackson could hurt the offensive balance, but this is still one of the best teams in the league when healthy. As deep as the NFC is this season, the Falcons should reach the playoffs without issue for the fourth year in a row.

9. Houston Texans (2-0)

Ben Tate continues to prove he deserves more carries, but it does not seem like Arian Foster is willing to give them up any time soon. At least DeAndre Hopkins is proving to be a legitimate star in the making at wide receiver.

10. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)

Despite the opening loss to the Bears, Cincinnati is still one of the more complete teams in the NFL. Andy Dalton simply has to prove he can avoid turnovers and utilize his weapons around him to have a great year.

11. Miami Dolphins (2-0)

No matter who you play, winning two road games to start the year is impressive. The fact that Miami won only two road games all of last season makes it even better.

Miami will look to build off this momentum with a big game against the Falcons next week, hoping to prove that the early success is for real.

12. Baltimore Ravens (1-1)

After getting blown out by the Broncos in Week 1, the Ravens were basically shut down against the Browns in Week 2. However, Bernard Pierce appears ready to take over the reins from Ray Rice, giving the offense one more weapon to succeed this season.

13. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0)

It took only two games for the Chiefs to match their win total from last season. However, the squad is expecting much more success in 2013.

Even without getting Jamaal Charles going on the ground, Andy Reid found a way to get him involved in the passing game. This dynamic play will serve the squad well all season as teams struggle to stop the offense.

Additionally, the efficiency of Alex Smith is a nice change of pace after the quarterbacks combined for eight touchdowns and 20 interceptions last season. The veteran knows how to control the ball, and this will allow the squad to be quite successful all year.

While some might question if the Chiefs can turn things around this quickly, the truth is that this team is for real.

14. St. Louis Rams (1-1)

The Rams are better than most people think, with a top defense and young offense. However, a difficult schedule will likely prevent the squad from doing much damage this season in a tough NFC West. 

15. Tennessee Titans (1-1)

Although the defense played extremely well against the Texans, the team still could not get the run game going and ended up losing in overtime.

This is something that needs to be fixed quickly because Jake Locker cannot be trusted to win games on his own.

16. Washington Redskins (0-2)

After two games, the Redskins might have a case for the worst defense in the league. They have already given up 71 points and over 1,000 total yards.

Robert Griffin III will still win some games on his own, but the secondary will have to pick it up in order to turn things around in Washington.

17. Arizona Cardinals (1-1)

The Cardinals were supposed to be much better with the addition of Carson Palmer compared to the train wreck at quarterback last season. Unfortunately, the jury is still out as to how good this squad can be.

Arizona made it a priority to get Larry Fitzgerald involved in Week 1, and he scored two touchdowns. In the second game, the team did a better job of spreading the ball around as 10 different players caught passes, none of them totaling more than 50 receiving yards.

Both strategies can be effective, but none of it will matter if Palmer continues to throw interceptions in every game.

Every game will probably be close this year, and a couple of plays will make the difference in each. It will be up to the quarterback to make a positive contribution in these instances, and he has not proven that he can do it.

18. Indianapolis Colts (1-1)

Last season, the Colts had one of the best stories in football as Andrew Luck and Co. made a surprising playoff run. However, this has raised expectations that have not been met so far this season.

The squad is struggling in winnable games, and it has not shown it is ready for another trip to the postseason.

19. Detroit Lions (1-1)

The Lions remain exactly what they were last season: an extremely talented team that makes too many mistakes to trust on a weekly basis. Until Detroit is able to string a couple of wins together, there is no reason to raise expectations.

20. Dallas Cowboys (1-1)

If the offensive line cannot protect the quarterback or clear space for running backs, it is hard to imagine any long-term success for the Cowboys. 

While the defense has been solid in the switch back to a 4-3, there are too many questions to believe this is a playoff team.

21. San Diego Chargers (1-1)

Traveling across the country on short rest to play an early game is tough on any team. The Chargers showed a lot by defeating the Eagles in this situation with a late field goal.

If Philip Rivers can continue to play mistake-free football, this team has a lot of potential.

22. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)

No one really knew what to expect out of the Eagles entering the season, and things are not much clearer now. The squad looked impressive in an opening win against the Redskins, but it could not finish things off against the Chargers.

Even the hurry-up offense still has not proved itself to be a positive thing. While it keeps the defense off-guard, it leads to a lowered time of possession and seems to hurt in time management late in halves.

Additionally, the defense has struggled to defend the pass in both games so far.

The team still has the talent to put together a big season, but the first two weeks show more negatives than positives.

23. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1)

Without any real rushing attack, there is a lot of pressure on Ben Roethlisberger to carry the offense. He has the receiving talent to help him out, but the offensive line will doom him this season.

24. New York Giants (0-2)

The first two games can be defined simply by turnovers. The Giants have already given the ball away 10 times, including seven interceptions thrown by Eli Manning.

It does not matter how many yards he throws this season; the team will continue to lose if it cannot hold onto the ball.

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2)

Tampa Bay could easily be 2-0 after the first two games if not for a handful of mistakes in each game. That being said, avoiding mistakes is part of football.

Inefficient quarterback play and bad penalties will continue to cost this team games this year, even with a solid supporting cast.

26. Minnesota Vikings (0-2)

Adrian Peterson has been good in both games this year, but he needs to be great in order to carry this team like he did last year.

Christian Ponder cannot be trusted to run this offense much longer, and the Vikings will likely be looking for a new quarterback this offseason.

27. Buffalo Bills (1-1)

E.J. Manuel got his first win in dramatic fashion Sunday, throwing a game-winning touchdown pass to Stevie Johnson with only two seconds remaining on the clock.

After narrowly losing to the Patriots in Week 1, there is certainly hope in Buffalo for the first time in a while.

However, the quarterback is certain to continue making rookie mistakes this year, and the defense is not as good as it has been in the first two games.

Buffalo could make a surprising run to playoff contention this season, but it's more likely they won't reach the postseason until a couple of years down the road.

28. New York Jets (1-1)

Like Buffalo, the Jets should be proud of one win and one narrow loss to the Patriots to start the season. The problem is that the offense will struggle to top 20 points in any game this year. 

29. Carolina Panthers (0-2)

Only two years ago, Cam Newton had a great offensive attack while the defense could not stop anyone. This season, the defense is good, but the offense cannot carry its weight.

Either way, you need both to succeed, and the lack of one will lead to more losses in Carolina.

30. Oakland Raiders (1-1)

The Raiders got the win, but they did it against the worst team in the NFL. It will take more to convert non-believers into thinking that the Terrelle Pryor era will be a success.

31. Cleveland Browns (0-2)

There certainly have been positives in each game, but the Browns still only have 16 total points this season. This will not earn them too many wins this season.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2)

This year will be a chance for Gus Bradley to decide which players should be part of the future. It is still early, but not too many are standing out.

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