NFL Power Rankings Week 3: Initial Post-Sunday Breakdown

Take everything known about the NFL after Week 1 and toss it out the window.

The 2014 season's second week was truly that much of a shocker in most avenues, and it shows in updating NFL power rankings heading into Week 3.

Major injuries, upsets and unexpected performances have turned mostly everything on its head. Even the defending champs were upended after a dominant opening-week performance, fully throwing the ranks for a loop.

Below, let's take a look at how the league stacks up now that the chaos has finally subsided.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2)

There was a glimmer of hope for Gus Bradley's rebuild in Jacksonville after Week 1.

The team lost, but seemed to give Philadelphia all it could handle for one half.

Since then, the Jaguars have been, well, the Jaguars.

Chad Henne and the offense ran up 148 yards of total offense to Washington's 449 Sunday in a 31-point loss. It's back to the drawing board after a brief flirtation with relevancy.

31. Oakland Raiders (0-2)

A tweet says it all about the Oakland Raiders so far this year:

Oakland is now 0-2 after looking somewhat competitive to open the season. Against Houston Sunday, rookie Derek Carr looked just that, going for a 1-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

As usual, defense was a weak point. The Texans rolled for 188 yards on the ground, showing that the Raiders remain one of the least talented rosters in the league for the time being.

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2)

Credit where it is due—when Tampa Bay loses, it at least makes it entertaining.

And pitiful.

After a Week 1 loss to a Carolina team without its starting quarterback, Lovie Smith's team did the same thing Sunday to a St. Louis team without Sam Bradford.

Smith's supposed-to-be-good defense allowed Austin Davis to pass for 235 yards, while the offense was an absolute mess that got no passing scores from Josh McCown. An eyebrow-raising 144 rushing yards from Bobby Rainey went down the drain thanks to a last-second field goal to send the home crowd home angry for the second consecutive week.

29. St. Louis Rams (1-1)

Believe it or not, this is a rather large jump up for the Rams.

Davis looked good in a full batch of playing time, but it took a strange runoff rule to end the contest in the Rams' favor, as ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner notes:

A win is a win and it looks like the Rams will be able to run the ball rather effectively all season, but the lack of talent overall is quite obvious. In fact, this might turn out to be the high point of the team's season, so bask in it.

28. Washington (1-1)

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Bittersweet.

Washington righted the ship Sunday to come in at 1-1 thanks to a 41-10 beatdown of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In the process, though, Robert Griffin III went down with an injury that will see him miss an unknown amount of time, as noted by coach Jay Gruden, via the team's Twitter account:

The bright side, if there is one, is that Kirk Cousins entered the game and threw for 250 yards and two scores.

Of course, he will have to prove game against a team besides the Jaguars, but let's take it on a week-by-week basis for now, alright?

27. New York Giants (0-2)

It continues to get worse for the New York Giants.

A road loss in Detroit to start the season was one thing, but a home loss to an Arizona team without its starting quarterback is another. An observation by Art Stapleton of The Record says it all:

The team generated all of 81 rushing yards Sunday and quarterback Eli Manning continued his turnover-happy ways with a pair of touchdowns and interceptions.

As of now, the Giants seem stuck in reverse.

26. Kansas City Chiefs (0-2)

Kansas City is that team most thought would contend for the postseason but has instead done a full-on face plant to start the season.

A trip to Denver is never easy, and the Chiefs managed to be more competitive than their laughable opening-week loss to Tennessee, but the team still managed to find a way to lose.

Knile Davis was the main back with Jamaal Charles hurt, and while he looked great with 79 yards and two scores, a ground game will not beat a Peyton Manning-led offense. The Kansas City defense scored just one sack and gave up 242 passing yards as a result.

The Chiefs are stuck in neutral and might just begin to regress if nothing changes.

25. Houston Texans (2-0)

Quietly, J.J. Watt and the Texans are one of the league's undefeated teams.

The elite defense's latest victim was the aforementioned Raiders, as Arian Foster ran for 138 yards and a score on 28 totes.

Oh, and Watt caught a touchdown pass:

Given the current performance by the defense, the Texans are not an easy out for any team. In the iffy AFC South, who knows?

24. New York Jets (1-1)

Rex Ryan's team almost pulled off the stunning upset in Green Bay Sunday, but instead fell to 1-1 as Aaron Rodgers lit up the defense for three touchdowns.

The good news is the defense continues to play strong and Geno Smith—if he can turn down the turnovers—seems to have the right mixture of composure and productivity around him.

That said, even a better than 50 percent conversion rate on third downs and 146 rushing yards is usually not enough to take down a Rodgers-led offense. It sure was not Sunday.

23. Tennessee Titans (1-1)

It's quite clear that the Tennessee Titans will only go as far as Jake Locker takes them.

Well, or that Kansas City is really bad.

Behind 266 yards and two scores from Locker, Tennessee surged to 1-0, but he fell flat Sunday at home against Dallas, going for one touchdown to two interceptions.

Against one of the league's worst defenses, it is a horrible sign if the performance is not an isolated incident.

22. Atlanta Falcons (1-1)

Hands down the worst performance of Week 2 goes to Atlanta.

For a team that had the look of a playoff contender after a Week 1 victory over New Orleans and is finally healthy, the Falcons went out and laid a gigantic egg at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.

There, the defense gave up 472 yards of total offense in the 24-10 loss and Matt Ryan threw three interceptions while his line got abused all day.

As a team that relies on an elite offense to win games, the unit will need to actually show up against good defenses to be taken seriously.

21. Minnesota Vikings (1-1)

As a wise man once said, "They are who we thought they were."

Minnesota might have fooled plenty of onlookers with a 34-6 win over St. Louis to start the season, but the team's true colors were on full display Sunday in a 30-7 loss to New England.

The biggest issue on the day, other than Mike Zimmer's defense not being able to stop a potent ground attack, was veteran quarterback Matt Cassel—he was sacked six times and threw one touchdown to four interceptions.

Say hello to those chants for Teddy Bridgewater, because they are not going away any time soon.

20. Cleveland Browns (1-1)

Cleveland returned home in Week 2 and took down a popular Super Bowl pick in New Orleans thanks to a last-second field goal.

Thanks to superb rushing by Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell, not to mention a great defensive effort, the Browns are certainly no pushover. It helps that veteran journeyman Brian Hoyer seems to just win games, as Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan illustrates:

Cleveland may not have playoff potential just yet, but it sure does have the look of a squad that will ruin more than a few seasons.

19. Miami Dolphins (1-1)

For just a brief second, the Miami Dolphins looked to have finally turned a corner. After a win over the New England Patriots to start the season, the Dolphins hit the road to Buffalo and were embarrassed en route to a 29-10 loss.

As Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald points out, the team also lost starting running back Knowshon Moreno in the process:

It does not sound like a major ordeal, but the Dolphins generated just 80 rushing yards overall and the line seemed to regress as Ryan Tannehill was sacked four times.

The Dolphins have some serious work to do.

18. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1)

Pittsburgh has been ho-hum at best to start the season, hardly getting past Cleveland in its first game and then getting demolished on Thursday Night Football in a 20-point loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Le'Veon Bell is a superb complement to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on the ground, but when the signal-caller throws for just 217 yards and a pick against a good defense, the Steelers do not really stand a chance.

17. Dallas Cowboys (1-1)

Talk about an up-and-down way to start the season.

After a Week 1 loss to San Francisco, Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys hit the road to Tennessee and came away with a 26-10 win behind 167 rushing yards and a score from DeMarco Murray. Romo was still clobbered behind a poor line though, getting sacked four times.

While great the team did not fall to 0-2, the Cowboys remain the definition of average, as NFL on ESPN records:

Let's see if they can break the trend in the coming weeks.

16. Buffalo Bills (2-0)

As it turns out, Doug Marrone's Buffalo Bills might just be legit and a contender in the AFC East.

After an overtime win against Chicago to start the season, the Bills went out in Week 2 and took down Miami, 29-10. Remember, that same Miami team that started its season by taking down New England.

Sunday, EJ Manuel was sharp under center with 202 yards and a score, and best of all, the coaching staff actually used C.J. Spiller, who rushed for 69 yards on just 12 totes.

Even rookie Sammy Watkins had a breakout day, catching eight passes for 117 yards and a score. Suddenly, the Bills are not so easy to defeat.

15. Baltimore Ravens (1-1)

Baltimore got back on track Thursday thanks to 96 yards on the ground from Bernard Pierce and continued dominance from Steve Smith, who caught six passes for 71 yards.

While the defense held Pittsburgh to all of six points, it is a scary thought to think that Joe Flacco and the offense finally have a No. 1 receiver to round out what looks like a pretty strong squad.

Consistency is key, though, as that 1-1 mark is the same as the team's record in the AFC North. To keep pace with Cincinnati, Baltimore must be strong on a week-to-week basis.

14. Indianapolis Colts (0-1)

Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts do not suit up until Monday in what figures to be an offensive shootout when the Philadelphia Eagles come to town.

There, the Colts will only move to 1-1 if the running game can actually produce on the ground to take pressure off Luck.

It would help if the defense, sans rusher Robert Mathis, could actually generate pressure and get a stop.

The current rank, of course, is very much subject to change.

13. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)

Philadelphia came alive in the second half of a Week 1 victory over Jacksonville, although as one can glean from above comments, that is not saying all that much in the grand scheme of things at this point.

Chip Kelly's offense continues to be elite, but the defense is certainly a cause for concern.

Last week, the unit allowed an unknown receiver by the name of Allen Hurns to go off for two touchdowns. Now it encounters T.Y. Hilton and Reggie Wayne, so we will see Monday night of the team has taken a step in the right direction.

12. Detroit Lions (1-1)

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Yet another team that looked strong to start the season, only to implode Sunday.

Detroit hit the road to Carolina to encounter a team getting quarterback Cam Newton back under center. In that first game back, Newton torched the Detroit defense for 281 yards and a score.

Even worse, the Lions turned the ball over three times and missed two field goals.

For a team that wants to compete in the NFC North, not to mention the conference itself, the Lions need to show much better on the road against worthwhile opponents.

11. Arizona Cardinals (2-0)

Quietly, Arizona is easily one of the NFL's best.

A Monday Night Football win over San Diego to start the season was nice, but a Week 2 triumph over the hapless New York Giants is even better.

Normally it would not be, but Bruce Arians' team did it without starting quarterback Carson Palmer.

Despite a wealth of defensive losses, the Cardinals continue to shine on that side of the football. It helps that Andre Ellington is finally healthy, as noted by his 15 totes that went for 91 yards. When Palmer returns, watch out.

10. New Orleans Saints (0-2)

In an unexpected turn of events, Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints are one of the league's winless teams. Granted, the losses have come by a total of five points, but the point stands—a team that cannot go on the road and beat Cleveland has issues.

With all due respect to Cleveland, of course.

But Rob Ryan's highly regarded defense gave up 122 rushing yards to a pair of rookie backs and allowed Hoyer to go for 204 yards and a score. Late in the game, the unit simply could not get a stop before surrendering the game-winning field goal.

For a team that went all-in during the offseason to chase a title, the Saints have some soul searching to do.

9. Chicago Bears (1-1)

Despite being hobbled, Chicago receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery came through for the Bears in a big way Sunday night. The former caught five passes for 48 yards and three scores, while the latter caught three balls for 47 yards.

Three touchdowns in the fourth quarter saw the Bears past San Francisco on the road.

Really, it was the type of performance most had expected from Marc Trestman's team before the season. Instead, the Bears were the upset special of opening week, losing to Buffalo in overtime.

If this does not get the Bears back on track, nothing will.

8. San Diego Chargers (1-1)

At home or not, taking down the defending champs—not to mention a team that has been as dominant as Seattle over the course of the past few seasons—is a crowning accomplishment.

Philip Rivers was still in Comeback Player of the Year mode, throwing for 284 yards and three scores against an elite secondary.

It took more than just one player, though, as head coach Mike McCoy notes, per the team's Twitter account: 

Any doubts about San Diego's ability to contend in the miserable AFC can be put to bed, should the team stay healthy.

7. Green Bay Packers (1-1)

Rodgers and the Packers are yet another elite team that sits with a .500 record through two games.

Sunday, the Packers needed to hold on late to take down the Jets, a not-so-encouraging sign in the grand scheme of things.

The good news, though, is that the wealth of weapons at Rodgers' disposal can carry the team at any given moment. Look at the numbers posted by Jordy Nelson, per ESPN Stats & Info:

As long as Rodgers remains upright, the Packers will be on the postseason hunt.

6. San Francisco 49ers (1-1)

It is hard to think of a recent time in which one of the NFL's best teams imploded in such epic fashion.

Sunday night to close out a wildly unpredictable weekend, San Francisco gave up three straight touchdowns in the fourth quarter to lose to Chicago, spoiling the unveiling of their new stadium in front of a national audience.

Turnovers did the 49ers in, as quarterback Colin Kaepernick tossed three interceptions. While not the end of the world in what is a very long season, the lack of an ability to rise to the occasion is quite concerning for the 49ers.

5. Carolina Panthers (2-0)

As mentioned, the Panthers got Newton back under center to great success Sunday.

Against an elite run defense, Newton shook off the rust quickly and put the team on his shoulders. More impressive, though, was the defense's ability to shut down one of the league's most prolific offenses, limiting Detroit to just 323 total yards and those three turnovers.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller put it best:

The playoff team from a year ago that most picked to miss out this year sure has the look of a contender.

4. New England Patriots (1-1)

It sounds wild, but New England did not need Tom Brady Sunday to win.

Now there's a scary thought.

Instead, Darrelle Revis and the team's defense put on a show, including a blocked field goal that went back for a touchdown and the aforementioned four interceptions of Cassel. After, Revis told the media the team was not surprised by its balance, per Doug Kyed of NESN.com:

This sort of balance is not only hard to find, it makes the Patriots surefire contenders.

3. Cincinnati Bengals (2-0)

Cincinnati is legit.

The Bengals lost No. 1 wideout A.J. Green early Sunday. They also lost guard Kevin Zeitler and linebacker Vontaze Burfict. Kicker Mike Nugent missed three field goals.

Still, Cincinnati racked up nearly 500 yards of total offense and won by a comfortable two scores to run its record to 2-0, the first win being a triumph in Baltimore.

With a calm Andy Dalton under center and arguably the deepest roster in the league and best defense outside of Seattle, these Bengals are going places.

2. Seattle Seahawks (1-1)

Very rarely do the Seattle Seahawks see their defense abused.

Just that happened Sunday on the road in San Diego. SportsCenter puts the performance into perspective:

Really, the loss probably says more about San Diego than it does Seattle. Russell Wilson still went 17-of-25 with 202 yards and a pair of scores and the team rushed for more than 100 yards.

Given the recent dominance of the team, the loss seems like a small blip on the radar more than anything.

1. Denver Broncos (2-0)

By way of that Seattle loss and a tough win over an AFC West rival, Manning and the Broncos assume the No. 1 spot for good reason. 

After a win over Indianapolis to start the season, Manning once again willed his team to victory via 242 yards and three scores. On the ground, back Montee Ball was a strong complement with 12 carries for 60 yards.

Defensively the Broncos are obviously better than last season, too, as additions such as DeMarcus Ware and Aqib Talib were designed to do. Until further notice, the Broncos are the best team in the league.

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