NFL Power Rankings Week 2: Initial Standings Post-Thursday Night Football

So much for Thursday Night Football having meaningless games.

The Week 2 edition of TNF, early in the season or not, had massive playoff implications out of the AFC North. The Cincinnati Bengals seized the opportunity and walked out of the collision with a 34-23 win over the Baltimore Ravens on the back of three touchdown catches from A.J. Green.

Considering the tie between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, Cincinnati has taken a commanding lead in a division notorious for being brutal over the course of a full season.

The result had an obvious league-wide impact before the rest of the Week 2 slate kicks off Sunday.

2018 NFL Power Rankings

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

Potential Riser: Carolina

Mike McCarn/Associated Press

Don't forget about the Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers were involved in arguably the most boring game of Week 1, a 16-8 snoozer over the Dallas Cowboys. But taking care of business at home against a team with something akin to potential and getting a conference win on top of that is worth a mention.

Cam Newton had a quiet day, throwing for only 161 yards but adding to his impressive career rushing numbers with one score:

More important for the long-term outlook than Newton's numbers, though, was the usage of 2017 No. 8 pick Christian McCaffrey, who tallied 50 yards on 10 carries and another 45 yards on six catches—coming off a team-high nine targets.

Proper talent and usage of said talent around Newton has always been one of the big topics pertaining to success for these Panthers. Considering tight end Greg Olsen is lost for an unknown amount of time, McCaffrey's big outburst in a win is a big deal—as is the defense's success in keeping Ezekiel Elliott in check.

Underrated coming into the season for many of the same criticisms as always, the Panthers are in a good position to steamroll some momentum into a Week 4 bye. While early, the break permits further analysis of what's working, which could be bad news for the rest of the NFC South.

Possible Huge Faller: Atlanta 

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Let's stick in the NFC South because one of the biggest possible fallers of all resides there.

It's not so much that the Atlanta Falcons lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the season opener—it's how.

Matt Ryan, coming off that season in which he oddly threw for 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, threw for 251 yards with an interception in the 18-12 loss. Granted, he peppered Julio Jones with 19 targets, which is a positive considering Jones somehow only scored three touchdowns a season ago.

But the bigger trend here—offensive ineptitude from a squad oozing talent—is concerning. Keep in mind that this is a depth chart not only boasting Jones and Mohamed Sanu but also No. 26 overall pick Calvin Ridley.

But it isn't just Ryan. The offense is simply odd after losing Kyle Shanahan as offensive coordinator, a point reinforced by only 18 rushes by all players against the Eagles in a game decided by six points despite talents like Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman.

This doesn't even touch on defense, which is without safety Keanu Neal and linebacker Deion Jones for the year. That's bad news considering the unit has to deal with Carolina, the New Orleans Saints, Cincinnati and the Pittsburgh Steelers over its next four games.

If something doesn't change from Ryan and the overall offensive approach as early as Week 2, it's going to be a long season in Atlanta.

Don't Sleep On: Washington

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

An outbreak from the Washington Redskins wasn't too risky of a prediction before the season started.

Swapping out Kirk Cousins for Alex Smith seemed like an equal trade, though Smith wasn't getting weapons like Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, who helped produce his career year in 2017.

Still, at worst, Smith would provide Washington with stability under center, and the Redskins had another solid offseason, adding Daron Payne to the defensive line and rehabbing one of the depth charts most brutalized by injuries a year ago.

This all came to fruition in Week 1 on the road against the Arizona Cardinals, resulting in a 24-6 Washington triumph. Those Cardinals have a long list of problems, but Smith's tossing two touchdowns with only nine incompletions, one to a finally healthy Jordan Reed, was a solid development.

So was the resurgent Adrian Peterson, who recorded 96 yards and a score. Meanwhile, an underrated defense held former MVP candidate David Johnson to 37 yards and a score on nine carries, with the touchdown a meaningless one late on.

Peterson's late arrival has only made things look better for a diverse backfield:

While the NFC East is always an uphill battle, Dallas looks down, the New York Giants' hopes are pinned on a rookie back and Philadelphia has a question mark under center for the time being.

Washington, on the other hand, has an explosive backfield and a quarterback who, at worst, doesn't turn the ball over, all backed by a strong defense. Another win or two, and it will be hard to deny that the Redskins are among the elite.