NFL Power Rankings Week 2: Updated 2014 Analysis Before Thursday Night Football

There were a number of surprising results from Week 1 of the NFL season, but it is important not to overreact to just one game for each team.

In a 16-game season, almost every squad is going to have outcomes that simply blow the minds of most fans. This does not necessarily mean they will lose every other game or they are not as good as we thought they were.

While there will obviously be major shifts in the power rankings for teams who impressed this week (Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins) and those who didn't (Chicago Bears), it is important not to create too much movement without actually examining each situation.

With that in mind, here is the latest look at power rankings heading into Week 2.

32. Oakland Raiders (0-1)

There were teams who looked worse on Sunday, but the Raiders had a quarterback making his first career start, and the squad gave Derek Carr very little help. With a running game that averaged 1.7 yards per carry and an inconsistent defense, this puts too much pressure on the young passer.

Carr did not look bad in his first start, but he is not yet ready to lead an already bad team to much success.

31. St. Louis Rams (0-1)

Sam Bradford was out, but the one thing we were supposed to count on was the defense. Unfortunately, there is not much good to say about a unit that allowed 34 points to the Minnesota Vikings.

Shaun Hill, when healthy, can be a serviceable player when the defense and rushing attack are working well. Take those away, and you can expect a lot of struggles for the entire roster. 

Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images

30. Washington Redskins (0-1)

Even when the Redskins play well, bad things seem to happen. They lost two fumbles inside the red zone last week and allowed a punt to be blocked and returned for a touchdown.

Washington has a lot of problems throughout the roster—from inconsistent play at quarterback to below-average play in the secondary—and the team cannot afford to beat itself up on top of it. Otherwise, this will be another long year in the nation's capital. 

29. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)

With a 17-0 lead over the Philadelphia Eagles at the half, everyone was jumping on the Jaguars bandwagon. After 34 unanswered points, there was a lot less confidence.

Jacksonville still has a decent amount of talent on both sides of the ball, and Blake Bortles will bring some excitement when he eventually starts. However, this team is clearly far from contending for the playoffs.

28. New York Giants (0-1)

This might be low for the Giants, but it is hard to imagine this squad beating too many teams if they play like they did in the 35-14 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Head coach Tom Coughlin said everything you need to know in the postgame comments, via Gary Myers of the New York Daily News:

"

No excuses. We played very poorly. We don’t have a lot to be proud of here. We couldn’t move the ball. We couldn’t stop them. We turned the ball over. We got back into that business again. We got a punt blocked. You name it.

Very disappointed, expected better.

"

A lot of immediate blame has gone to offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo and his complicated system taking time to learn. However, the struggling offensive line and poor decision-making by Eli Manning cannot be blamed on the coaching staff.

Things are going to get much worse before they get better in New York.

27. Houston Texans (1-0)

Although the game was never pretty, the Texans got a win against the Redskins. Considering they had lost their last 14 regular-season games, this is a big deal.

With positive performances out of Arian Foster, Andre Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins and even Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Texans are at least trending in the right direction. 

26. Cleveland Browns (0-1)

After falling behind 27-3 at halftime, the Browns easily could have packed it in and just assumed another loss in another poor year. This did not happen, as Cleveland found a way to tie it up at 27-27 before eventually losing on a last-second field goal.

While a loss is still a loss, this performance showed that the culture is changing and the team is expecting to win every week. This can count as a moral victory, but the real wins are likely not too far behind.

25. Kansas City Chiefs (0-1)

This team made the playoffs last season thanks to its great defense and relatively easy schedule. The first half of that equation took a major hit when it was announced Derrick Johnson and Mike DeVito were lost for the season with Achilles injuries. Johnson especially was the heart and soul of this unit and will be dearly missed.

Add this problem to a much tougher 2014 schedule, and fans should expect a big drop in wins for Kansas City this season.

24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)

While the Buccaneers were a trendy sleeper coming into the season, losing to Derek Anderson in Week 1 should not inspire much confidence.

With Josh McCown and Doug Martin both struggling, the offense could be in for some problems. Things will be easier when not facing the tough Carolina Panthers front seven, but this was not a good start to the year. 

23. Buffalo Bills (1-0)

Buffalo pulled off a surprise win over the Chicago Bears, but fans should not start buying Super Bowl tickets just yet.

EJ Manuel posted a 91.7 quarterback rating, which he topped three different times in 10 games last season. On the other hand, he also had five games with a rating of 75 or worse.

Until the young quarterback can prove his consistency, there is no reason to trust the Bills to keep winning.

22. Dallas Cowboys (0-1)

People will mock the defense, but it was the four turnovers by the offense that helped the San Francisco 49ers get an early lead and hold on for an easy win. This type of performance will lead to losses in most games.

There are problems all over the field for the Cowboys, and it does not seem like things will get better anytime soon.

21. Minnesota Vikings (1-0)

The entire offense in Minnesota used to be just "hand the ball off to Adrian Peterson and see what happens." With Norv Turner as offensive coordinator, there is a lot more creativity, especially with the dynamic Cordarrelle Patterson getting touches.

It will take a few more wins before you can trust this squad, but it is certainly an exciting team to watch. 

20. Tennessee Titans (1-0)

Reed Hoffmann/Associated Press

The Titans were one of the biggest risers from Week 1 after a thoroughly dominant win over the Chiefs. Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean provides his breakdown of the victory:

Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com also showed how the squad excelled in all phases of the game:

Probably the most impressive stat was Jamaal Charles being held to just 19 rushing yards in the game. The defense also forced Alex Smith to throw three interceptions, which is a big deal considering the quarterback has just 17 interceptions in the last three seasons combined.

If the defense can hold up like this throughout the year, Tennessee has a chance to be much better than many expected. 

19. New York Jets (1-0)

The Jets did exactly what we expected them to do in Week 1. They utilized their great defensive line to put pressure on a rookie quarterback while also shutting down the run in a winning effort.

While this part is encouraging, Geno Smith still needs to improve if he wants to lead his team to the playoffs. He had two turnovers in the win, something he will not be able to get away with against better opponents. 

18. Baltimore Ravens (0-1)

It seems like the Ravens always get involved in crazy games like they did in Week 1, which featured two lead changes thanks to a pair of long touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Still, it is a lot more fun when you come out with a win in these games.

The problem is the lack of a run game, which forced Joe Flacco to throw the ball 62 times in the loss. This is not a good recipe for success, as he lost his only other game in his career where he topped 60 attempts.

Baltimore needs to find a way to establish the run in the future if it wants to be more successful.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

17. San Diego Chargers (0-1)

In the last game of Week 1, the Chargers blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter and squandered a golden opportunity to secure a road win over a good team.

This is still a good team, but the situation can get really bad with a Week 2 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Falling to 0-2 will be a difficult hole to come out of for Philip Rivers and company. 

16. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)

Although the Steelers almost blew a massive second-half lead against the Browns, they found a way to win. Ben Roethlisberger had a strong showing in the victory, while Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell will make fantasy owners happy throughout the year.

Unfortunately, the defense still has major holes and hardly resembles the unit that led the NFL in yards allowed just two years ago. Improvements better come on that side of the ball, and fast.

15. Carolina Panthers (1-0)

Most teams would struggle without their starting quarterback, but the Panthers proved that the defense is good enough to carry the squad when needed. The strong performance of Kelvin Benjamin in his debut was also a positive sign.

There are still doubts about the rest of the receiving corps, the offensive line and the secondary, but this will be a tough team to beat when Cam Newton is healthy.

14. Chicago Bears (0-1)

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Arguably the most surprising result of the week came at the expense of the Bears. The Bills came into Chicago and left with a 23-20 overtime win to take away a lot of the positive feelings fans had coming into the year.

The biggest problem was that the game exposed some of the team's biggest issues from the past, which were obviously not solved. The run defense was awful while allowing 193 rushing yards at 5.8 per carry. Meanwhile, Jay Cutler has still not learned how to take care of the football, throwing two interceptions.

It is clear this team cannot be a true contender in the NFC until both of these problems are fixed.

The good news is the offense is still elite when healthy, which it was not against the Bills, according to John Clayton of ESPN:

If this group can return to the field, this team will still be able to outscore most opponents throughout the season.

13. Miami Dolphins (1-0)

While some of the upset wins in Week 1 could be considered flukes, the Dolphins looked like they belonged with a win over the New England Patriots. Ryan Tannehill made some good plays, while Knowshon Moreno looks just as good as he did last season with the Denver Broncos.

Additionally, the defense put pressure on Tom Brady all day with four sacks and six quarterback hits. More games like this and the Dolphins could become favorites in the AFC East. 

12. Arizona Cardinals (1-0)

Defensive losses to injury, suspension and free agency caused some concern heading into the season. These doubts were quieted in the opening win, as the Chargers could only rush for 2.2 yards per carry, while Philip Rivers was forced to make short throws all day.

There are enough dynamic players on offense to make this a tough team to beat, even in the loaded NFC West.

11. Atlanta Falcons (1-0)

The biggest jump of the week goes to the Falcons, who earned an impressive victory over the Saints. The team looked a lot like the one that went 13-3 in 2012 rather than the squad that went 4-12 last season.

This is a much better team with a healthy Julio Jones, and it would not be surprising to see Atlanta once again be a playoff contender in 2014. 

10. New England Patriots (0-1)

Tom Brady had a bad performance in the Patriots loss, but that does not mean you should count out a quarterback who has posted a winning record in every season of his career.

The Patriots went just 4-4 on the road last season but were 8-0 at home. If they can keep taking care of business at Gillette Stadium, they should at least get themselves back into the playoffs.

9. Detroit Lions (1-0)

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

The Lions looked really good on Monday night against the Giants, and it put the rest of the league on notice.

For years, Matthew Stafford has relied on Calvin Johnson to carry the offense. While he still did that in Week 1, there is a lot of help in the form of Golden Tate, Reggie Bush, Joique Bell and more. ESPN's John Buccigross also provides another interesting statistic:

The variety of options with talent at almost every spot could make this unit almost unstoppable.

Although the defensive secondary is still a question mark, the front line will make things tough on every opposing quarterback to take the pressure off the young cornerbacks and safeties. As long as the Lions can avoid hurting themselves with penalties (85 penalty yards against in Week 1), this should be a playoff team.

8. Cincinnati Bengals (1-0)

Cincinnati had to settle for five field goals in the first half, but the good news is that the offense was moving the football while generally keeping Baltimore off the board. One mistake on an 80-yard touchdown by Steve Smith was one of the only issues defensively.

This is one of the more talented teams in the NFL. The question is whether the group can come together and finally make a run in the playoffs. 

7. Indianapolis Colts (0-1)

While things looked ugly early against the Denver Broncos, Andrew Luck brought the Colts back and almost found a way to complete the comeback. Even in defeat, the young quarterback showed his team and everyone watching that they are never out of a game.

With young players looking to take the next step on both sides of the ball, the Colts have the ability to be one of the top teams in the AFC this season. 

6. New Orleans Saints (0-1)

The Saints certainly did not look as good defensively as they were hoping, but losing an overtime game in the Georgia Dome is usually not something to be too upset about.

As long as Drew Brees is throwing passes, this should still be an almost unstoppable team at home and among the best in the league in all circumstances. 

5. San Francisco 49ers (1-0)

The offensive problems in the preseason became an afterthought after the 49ers built up an early 28-3 lead over the Cowboys. However, one score came on a fumble returned for a touchdown, while another was set up by an interception run back to the 2-yard line.

Taking these away, the team had just two scoring drives and none in the second half against a poor defense.

San Francisco has enough talent to get into the playoffs, but the gap between them and the top teams is getting bigger.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)

If this list was made at halftime of Week 1, the Eagles likely would have found themselves in the 20s thanks to a 17-0 deficit against the Jaguars. However, the squad regrouped and ended up with a 34-17 win.

There was a lot to be critical about in the game, but good teams find ways to win when they are not playing well. This is what the Eagles did on Sunday, as they showed why they are a top team this season.

3. Green Bay Packers (0-1)

Obviously, the Packers did not look good against the Seahawks, losing by 20 while struggling to get any offense going. The good news is that was the toughest game of their season, as no one seems to win in Seattle, especially in prime time.

Going forward, Green Bay should have a lot more success and should finish with one of the best records in the NFL as long as the team stays healthy. 

2. Denver Broncos (1-0)

Even without Eric Decker and the suspended Wes Welker, Peyton Manning will still lead an incredible passing attack. New addition Emmanuel Sanders is already becoming a quality option, while Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas remain among the best in the league at their positions.

With an improved defense, the Broncos should again be a favorite to come out of the AFC and challenge for the Super Bowl.

1. Seattle Seahawks (1-0)

Only time will tell if the Seahawks will repeat as Super Bowl champions, but one thing is clear: this is the best team in football right now.

Pat Kirwan of CBS Sports provides this interesting stat to point out how good the defense has been:

While the defense was just as good in Week 1, it was the offense that really stood out. Marshawn Lynch is clearly as good as ever, while Russell Wilson continues to improve, especially with a virtually new weapon in Percy Harvin.

Seattle will certainly have some bad performances and lose games this season. However, a healthy squad playing at its best will beat anyone else in the NFL.

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