NFL Power Rankings Week 2: Initial Post-Sunday Breakdown

Much has been revealed about the landscape of the NFL as the dust settles on the first Sunday of the 2014 season. 

Power rankings, of course, are a must to review the lessons.

Whether it was New England colossally flopping or St. Louis performing about as expected, the Week 1 slate was about as diverse in its reveals as NFL fans have come to expect. With Week 2 right around the corner thanks to Thursday Night Football, fans have very little time to sift through where each team stacks up.

Let's take out the legwork by going worst to first with all but two Week 1 contests in the books.

32. St. Louis Rams

How quickly the mighty fall.

Alright, not really, but before Sunday, many thought the loss of quarterback Sam Bradford would not prohibit the St. Louis Rams from at least being respectable this year, good defense and star running back taken into consideration.

Instead, Jeff Fisher saw it fit to give Austin Davis most of the snaps under center and only 11 carries went to Zac Stacy. The defense surrendered 186 rushing yards.

It's going to be a long year.

31. Oakland Raiders

To Oakland's credit, the decision to hand the reins to rookie quarterback Derek Carr looks great. He went for 151 yards and two touchdowns Sunday. Sports Illustrated's Aaron Nagler put it best: 

Still, it does not change the fact Oakland touts one of the worst overall rosters in the NFL.

The 19-14 loss to New York saw the defense give up more than 200 rushing yards, an easy formula for most of Oakland's opponents to follow the rest of the season.

30. Washington

The debut for new head coach Jay Gruden did not exactly go as planned.

In Houston, Gruden's team lost two fumbles, quarterback Robert Griffin III was quiet through the air with 267 yards and he rushed three times for two yards.

So much for that innovative offense. Gruden's defense was beaten up by journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick.

There is certainly time for the ship to correct itself, but RGIII's woes in a somewhat new offense continue to be a major concern.

29. Houston Texans

Sorry, Houston fans, a win over Washington does not earn a major promotion.

The best news to come out of a win over a miserable franchise, outside of that whole snapping a 14-game losing streak thing, is the form of running back Arian Foster—fully healthy, he carried it 27 times for 103 yards.

Coach Bill O'Brien was pleased with the effort after the fact, as captured by John McClain of the Houston Chronicle:

With a sound running game and a good defense, Houston might be one of this year's bigger surprises.

28. Cleveland Browns

An opening-week loss was all too predictable for Cleveland—Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is now 18-1 against the Browns for his career.

It's really no excuse, though. An apparently overrated secondary that includes Joe Haden and first-round rookie Justin Gilbert got torched for 363 passing yards, while Le'Veon Bell rumbled for 109 yards and a score on the ground.

Sorry, but when a strength turns out to be such an issue, nothing but close to the bottom of the barrel makes sense.

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

So Tampa Bay has defensive mastermind Lovie Smith in town. A litany of quality defensive players. Two massive wideouts.

The Buccaneers even managed to avoid Carolina quarterback Cam Newton.

They still lost. Josh McCown threw two picks. The defense gave up 230 passing yards to Derek Anderson. The offense's leading rusher was Jorvorskie Lane.

Enough said.

26. Buffalo Bills

Credit where it's due—the Bills pulled out an overtime win against Chicago Sunday. Shocking, yes. A tweet from center Eric Wood says it all:

Buffalo had three players rush for 50 or more yards, although the play of quarterback EJ Manuel was uninspiring, to say the least. Despite the ground game behind him, he threw for 173 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Until Buffalo goes streaking, it is hard to rank them any higher.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars

For just a second, it appeared Gus Bradley's excellent rebuild was set to finally pay off in a very premature manner.

The Jaguars wound up blowing a massive lead in Philadelphia to lose, 34-17, but the signs of progress were certainly there.

Rookie wideout Marqise Lee snagged six passes for 62 yards, while relative unknown Allen Hurns led the team in receiving with four catches for 110 yards and two scores.

Now, if only the team had a young franchise quarterback to put out there and grow with the developing supporting cast.

Wait...

24. New York Jets

At home, the New York Jets hardly beat a rookie quarterback.

Like Buffalo, it is quite difficult to be too encouraged with the progress the offense has shown. Geno Smith threw for 221 yards with a touchdown and interception and also fumbled twice.

Free-agent acquisition Eric Decker looked good with five grabs for 74 yards to lead the team and the stable of backs rushed for more than 200 yards on the ground, but if Smith continues to struggle with turnovers, Michael Vick will eventually be in the lineup.

23. Kansas City Chiefs

The most disappointing performance from Sunday goes to Kansas City, a team that had the wheels fall all the way off after leader Derrick Johnson went down with a serious injury, as noted by SportsCenter:

Fresh off his new deal, quarterback Alex Smith tossed three picks and averaged less than six yards per attempt, but hey, he led the team in rushing with six carries for 36 yards.

Is the ship sinking? Possibly.

22. Dallas Cowboys

In one of the more predictable performances of Week 1, the Dallas defense got absolutely lambasted by San Francisco's offense.

The unit allowed the 49ers to convert seven of its 12 attempts on third down, gave up 319 total yards and forced no turnovers.

What was not expected was the giant egg laid by Tony Romo, who threw three picks to one touchdown. It was a classic Romo game, as a quote from San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis, via Clarence Hill of the Dallas Star-Telegram, illustrates:

If Romo cannot consistently bail out his horrible defense, it's going to be one long season in Dallas.

21. Tennessee Titans

Talk about a fun surprise. 

Tennessee quarterback Jake Locker, who has looked great when he is actually on the field, played a full game Sunday and threw for 266 yards and two scores.

More encouraging for the Titans moving forward is the state of the defense, which grabbed four sacks, allowed just one third-down conversion on 12 attempts and nabbed three interceptions.

Two of those picks went to corner Jason McCourty—the guy who has not skipped a beat since ranking as the No. 11 overall player at his position last season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Tennessee is built to last if Locker can stay healthy.

20. New York Giants

Eli Manning and the New York Giants do not take the field until Monday night, and they sure need the extra prep time.

The offensive line is a mess, Manning is coming off a year in which he threw more interceptions than any other player in the league and worst of all, he and his wideouts are still trying to digest a new offense.

Don't expect a whole lot from the Giants Monday.

19. Baltimore Ravens

For one half of football, the Baltimore Ravens managed to look like one of the worst teams in football.

Joe Flacco and the offense eventually turned things around, but any time he is asked to throw 62 times, the team is probably in trouble.

Without Ray Rice, the team's leading rusher was Justin Forsett. The silver lining is that free-agent acquisition Steve Smith went off for 118 yards and a score, while Dennis Pitta looks healthy after 10 catches for 83 yards. 

Baltimore won't have to face an elite Cincinnati defense each week, but a division loss at home to start the season hurts. Bad.

18. Atlanta Falcons

It took 448 passing yards and three scores from Matt Ryan, but the Atlanta Falcons were able to overcome the New Orleans Saints Sunday and announce to the league that last year's miserable finish is very much in the past.

Now, the running game was still a mess and the defense gave up 472 yards of total offense, but the important thing is that the Falcons won a tough divisional battle to start the season.

As long as the offense balances out and the defense can better jell to actually produce stops, the Falcons should be in the playoff hunt.

17. Minnesota Vikings

On one hand, it is easy to overlook Minnesota's accomplishments Sunday as they came against the hapless Rams.

On another, that completely discredits a potent new-look offense led by Norv Turner and the NFL's next big star, Cordarrelle Patterson. ESPN.com's Ben Goessling put it best:

Patterson caught three passes for 26 yards. He also rushed three times—for 102 yards and a touchdown.

With Mike Zimmer leading a strong defense and Patterson seemingly unstoppable, the Vikings might be going places.

16. Miami Dolphins

Owners of possibly the biggest of Sunday's upsets, the Miami Dolphins appear to have finally turned a corner.

After a season in which he was the NFL's most-sacked quarterback, Ryan Tannehill was sacked just once and threw two scores. Free-agent acquisition Knowshon Moreno silenced his many doubters with 134 yards and a touchdown on 24 totes.

Most impressive of all, though, was a strong defensive showing led by elite corner Brent Grimes. If the Dolphins can continue to run the ball and play good defense, Tannehill's job will be that much easier.

15. Indianapolis Colts

Try as he may, Andrew Luck could not get a win out of those around him Sunday night.

Luck threw a pair of touchdowns and interceptions to go with 370 yards, but the talent around him once again continues to be an issue as he has little help from the running game and the defense continues to struggle.

To be fair, going against a team that appeared in the Super Bowl a season ago is no easy task. The fact the Colts even made a comeback attempt late speaks volumes to how far the team can go if Luck stays healthy.

14. Pittsburgh Steelers

The old Steelers are back.

No, not the kind that annually beats up on Cleveland, which never left.

Instead, the Steelers are running hard and playing solid defense. Bell rushed 21 times for 109 yards and a touchdown, with the scoring play a particularly impressive moment, as noted by Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

While the defense did give up almost 400 total yards, Pittsburgh seems to have started on the right foot and the old foundation is certainly there in a division that is up for grabs.

13. Philadelphia Eagles

Will the real Nick Foles please stand up?

Chip Kelly's Eagles did much to pad the box score near the tail end of its win over Jacksonville Sunday, but the offensive line was a mess, Foles could not hang on to the ball and the defense predictably struggled after an offseason of minimal upgrades.

It matters little how fast the Philadelphia offense can play if Foles gets sacked five times a game. It is safe to presume the issues get ironed out, but for now, a stumble out of the opening gate keeps the Eagles hanging around these parts. 

12. Arizona Cardinals

Bruce Arians' team gets to relax in the desert and welcome San Diego to town on Monday Night Football, a major test that will speak volumes as to how his team will perform the rest of the way.

After the loss of Darnell Dockett, few better tests exist for a defense than a date with Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers beneath a national microscope.

Veteran quarterback Carson Palmer also has to prove that he can still play at a high level when surrounded by a wealth of weapons.

11. Detroit Lions

Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions seem to have a rather easy opening-week task on their hands Monday night against the New York Giants.

Stafford now has a first-round tight end in Eric Ebron to work with, as well as a sure-handed No. 2 wideout in Golden Tate.

The potential issues still rest on the defensive side of the football, although the unit should once again be strong against the run at the very least.

10. Chicago Bears

Sunday, it seemed the Bears did everything they could to lose the game.

Quarterback Jay Cutler threw for 349 yards and a pair of touchdowns and interceptions. Back Matt Forte had 87 receiving yards and 82 rushing yards. Wideouts Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery had 71 yards apiece, with the former finding the end zone once.

Yet, the defense gave it away. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribute solemnly details this notion:

If the Chicago defense does not show a sign of life, this rank will plummet fast.

9. San Diego Chargers

The last of the four teams resting up for Monday Night Football, the Chargers also happen to be the best.

Last year, Rivers got hit with the Comeback Player of the Year award under the guidance of offensive guru Mike McCoy and the team went on to win a playoff game.

This season, the thought is that a better rush on the defensive side of the ball will take the team even further. The journey starts Monday.

8. Green Bay Packers

Green Bay is 0-1, yes, but it is hard to fault a team too much for going to Seattle and losing.

Aaron Rodgers only found enough room for 189 passing yards, but a healthy stable of targets that includes Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb proved to be an encouraging sign.

As seems to always be the case, though, the line in front of Rodgers was a major issue. Until that problem is somehow shored up, the Packers will be stuck in a holding pattern.

7. Carolina Panthers

Carolina won Thursday with the aforementioned Anderson under center.

Enough said, right?

With the pair of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart running strong out of the backfield and the defense once again playing at a high level while led by Luke Kuechly, the team might just get by until Newton's eventual return.

When that happens, it is hard to dislike the team's chances at a deep playoff push.

6. Cincinnati Bengals 

Cincinnati almost gave away the game late, but Andy Dalton and the Bengals were able to hold on for a marquee victory.

As Cincinnati.com's Paul Dehner Jr. points out, the win snapped a streak the team needed to beat:

Cincinnati struggled on third downs with a 4-of-14 mark, but the team seems to be handling two coordinator changes and grand expectations after three consecutive postseason appearances quite well through one week of the new season.

5. New England Patriots

One loss is not enough to knock down the top teams in the league all that much.

This certainly applies to New England after a stunning but not all that ridiculous AFC East loss on the road to Miami.

Tom Brady still played well and his wealth of weapons continues to look strong—including four grabs for 40 yards and a score from Rob Gronkowski—but it was the defense that let the Patriots down Sunday.

That may or may not be a common theme all season, but right now it's too early to write the obituary.

4. New Orleans Saints

Like New England, a loss to a division rival on the road late does not necessarily spell the doom of a contender.

In fact, the Saints looked more balanced than expected. Drew Brees was his usual self with 333 passing yards, but Mark Ingram surprised with 60 yards and a pair of scores on just 13 carries. So did rookie wideout Brandin Cooks, who caught seven passes for 77 yards and a score.

As NBC's Tony Dungy notes, per NOLA.com's Larry Holder, Rob Ryan's defense was to blame Sunday:

Luckily for the Saints, they won't encounter such a prolific offense each week.

3. San Francisco 49ers 

Amid all the distractions and injuries, the San Francisco 49ers still look like serious contenders.

Granted, the 28-17 win came against a horrible Dallas defense, but the 49ers appear to be more potent than ever on that side of the football. Frank Gore had 66 yards on 16 carries, while rookie Carlos Hyde took just seven totes and went for 50 yards and a score.

The 49ers will eventually return to full strength, but until they do, it appears they'll be just fine.

2. Denver Broncos

We can go ahead and book a rematch of last year's Super Bowl, right?

Peyton Manning looked his usual self with 269 yards and three touchdowns. He got little help from his running game, but the defense seemed to be a tad improved thanks to the additions of names such as DeMarcus Ware and Aqib Talib.

We can't know just how good Denver is yet, but with Manning under center, a playoff berth at the very least seems likely. A date with the No. 1 team on this list is right around the corner in Week 3, too.

1. Seattle Seahawks

The defending champs got off on the right foot Thursday with a win at home over Green Bay.

The defense was as advertised, limiting the Rodgers-led offense to just 255 total yards. Quarterback Russell Wilson was as efficient as ever, throwing for 191 yards and two scores. After a brief holdout this offseason, back Marshawn Lynch ran for 110 yards and two scores on 20 totes.

All things considered, we have little to suggest at this juncture that the Seahawks are not on the warpath toward another title.

Statistics courtesy of NFL.com. Advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus (subscription required).