NFL Power Rankings Week 2: Updated 2015 Analysis Before Thursday Night Football

The first week of the NFL season featured a lot of surprises, but it's important not to overreact when it comes to evaluating the teams.

Sure, the Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks struggled in losses. However, it's important to remember the Colts lost in Week 1 last year too before going to the AFC Championship Game. The New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys all also lost their first games in the 2014 season before bouncing back with strong seasons.

There will be some changes to the rankings based on what we have seen, but let's not count anyone out just yet. Here is a look at the latest standings for each team with a breakdown of the biggest movers from Week 1.

Rank	Team
1	New England Patriots
2	Green Bay Packers
3	Seattle Seahawks
4	Dallas Cowboys
5	Indianapolis Colts
6	Arizona Cardinals
7	Denver Broncos
8	Cincinnati Bengals
9	Pittsburgh Steelers
10	Baltimore Ravens
11	Buffalo Bills
12	San Diego Chargers
13	Detroit Lions
14	St. Louis Rams
15	Miami Dolphins
16	Kansas City Chiefs
17	Atlanta Falcons
18	Philadelphia Eagles
19	San Francisco 49ers
20	Chicago Bears
21	New York Giants
22	Carolina Panthers
23	New Orleans Saints
24	Houston Texans
25	New York Jets
26	Minnesota Vikings
27	Tennessee Titans
28	Jacksonville Jaguars
29	Washington Redskins
30	Oakland Raiders
31	Cleveland Browns
32	Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Top Risers

Buffalo Bills

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

Many knew about the talented Buffalo Bills defense coming into the season, but it was truly remarkable on Sunday to virtually shut down the Indianapolis Colts attack. The Bills led the NFL in sacks last season but are now even more aggressive under new coach Rex Ryan, per Mark Schlereth of SGGC Sauce:

The talent on the defensive line alone has caught the attention of Week 2 opponent Tom Brady, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe:   

After containing one of the top offenses in the league in Week 1, no one will doubt the Bills' ability to keep it up on that side of the ball for the rest of the year.

Still, the bigger questions about this team revolved around the quarterback position. Those doubts are also quieter after the first game thanks to an impressive effort by Tyrod Taylor. His dynamic play with both his arm and his legs allowed him to accumulate a total quarterback rating of 88.2, the fifth-highest mark in the NFL last weekend. 

This helped Buffalo pull off one of the bigger upsets on Sunday despite limited contributions from Sammy Watkins and LeSean McCoy. Once these two playmakers get going, the Bills will really be dangerous for opponents. 

St. Louis Rams

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

Like the Bills, the St. Louis Rams pulled off a big upset Sunday thanks to strong play by the defense. The defensive line was dominant in the victory over the Seattle Seahawks, sacking Russell Wilson six times and totaling nine quarterback hits.

As Chris Brown of Smart Football noted, this was a huge mismatch within the game:

The problem is we still don't know what will happen in a different matchup. Seattle will be much better as the year goes on against different competition, especially if Kam Chancellor returns to action. The Rams also seem to have the Seahawks' number, winning three of the last four contests against them at home.

Can St. Louis use its defensive line to this much of an advantage for the rest of the year? Will the addition of Tre Mason and eventually Todd Gurley make a major impact in the run game? Can Nick Foles remain consistent enough to lead his team on a weekly basis?

There are reasons for the Rams to be encouraged heading into Week 2, but there are too many unknowns for the team to make too big of a jump.

San Francisco 49ers

No team had a worse offseason than the San Francisco 49ers, who lost a great deal of key players on both sides of the ball to free agency, retirement, arrests and others factors. There was young talent, but it was hard to trust in the unknowns to produce the way we have come to expect from this franchise.

That was until the 49ers dismantled the Minnesota Vikings with a 20-3 win on Monday night. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com discussed the change in perspective after the first game:

Carlos Hyde proved he was more than capable of taking over for Frank Gore, totaling 168 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The defense also flexed its muscle with five sacks and just three points allowed. There were new names on the back of the (awful) jerseys, but the squad resembled the one that was a perennial contender the past few years under coach Jim Harbaugh.

As stated in the opening, though, this was just one game. The Vikings looked sloppy on both sides of the ball, and Adrian Peterson was clearly not himself after a year away from the game. 

We will know a lot more about the 49ers after a three-game stretch against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers. 

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for more year-round sports analysis.