NFL Power Rankings Week 2: Predicting Post-Monday Night Football Standings

Two games remain in Week 1 of the 2019 NFL season, but the opening slate has already produced its fair share of revelations.

Are the defending champion New England Patriots still a top-tier team? Judging from their dominant 33-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday...absolutely. Will the offseason darling Cleveland Browns live up to the hype in 2019? If their blowout 43-13 loss on Sunday is an accurate indication...probably not.

How about those Dallas Cowboys? Does the return of running back Ezekiel Elliott make them legitimate contenders? A decisive 35-17 win in Week 1 suggests that it does.

Two games remain in Week 1, but the state of the NFL is already beginning to take shape. How does the league stack up? Let's take a look.

Predicted rankings involve the the Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints—the favorites, according to Caesars—winning on Monday night.

NFL Power Rankings, Week 1

1. New England Patriots

2. Kansas City Chiefs

3. Los Angeles Rams

4. New Orleans Saints

5. Philadelphia Eagles

6. Dallas Cowboys

7. Los Angeles Chargers

8. Seattle Seahawks

9. Green Bay Packers

10. Baltimore Ravens

11. Pittsburgh Steelers

12. Chicago Bears

13. Tennessee Titans

14. Houston Texans

15. Atlanta Falcons

16. Minnesota Vikings

17. Carolina Panthers

18. San Francisco 49ers

19. Buffalo Bills

20. Cleveland Browns

21. Indianapolis Colts

22. Detroit Lions

23. Cincinnati Bengals

24. New York Jets

25. Arizona Cardinals

26. Jacksonville Jaguars

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

28. Denver Broncos

29. New York Giants

30. Washington Redskins

31. Oakland Raiders

32. Miami Dolphins

1. New England Patriots

Those who are tired of seeing the Patriots on top had better buckle up. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have engineered a ride that isn't about to slow down in the foreseeable future.

The Patriots just embarrassed a quality team in Pittsburgh. While Brady remains the on-field constant for New England, it was the Patriots defense that starred on Sunday night. It held the Steelers to 308 yards and a field goal.

As unfair as it may seem for the rest of the AFC, offseason departures like defensive end Trey Flowers and defensive play-caller Brian Flores did not take New England's championship-caliber defense with them.

And Brady? He's still as dangerous as ever. The 42-year-old torched the Steelers for 341 yards and three touchdowns. Oh, and he's about to add Antonio Brown to his already-formidable cadre of receiving options.

The Patriots aren't taking their stellar start for granted either, which means they could be even more dangerous by midseason.

"It's the first game. It's good to start 1-0," Brady said, via the team's official website.

20. Cleveland Browns

There's a real chance that Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens is in over his head. If he is, his tenure in Cleveland may be short-lived.

This isn't about managing the personalities on Cleveland's roster—not yet anyway. It's about being able to manage a game as the guy in charge. Kitchens did not seem ready for that responsibility against the Tennessee Titans, and it showed.

Kitchens scripted a terrific opening drive for Baker Mayfield and Co. They marched down the field and into the end zone. After that, though, the Browns were outcoached, outplayed and outclassed by the Titans in every facet of the game.

The Browns have talent—loads of it—and that talent will be enough to win several games this season. However, Cleveland cannot expect to be competitive if there isn't a more cohesive game plan.

And if the losses start piling up? The personalities of guys like Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry will start popping up. Then, it will be up to Kitchens to play the manager's role.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville could have been a contender.

The Jaguars defense is still an upper-tier unit. Running back Leonard Fournette has regained his focus—he averaged an impressive 5.1 yards per carry against the Kansas City Chiefs. The offense has receiving weapons like Dede Westbrook, DJ Chark Jr. and Marqise Lee. Jacksonville had a new starting quarterback in former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles.

The problem is that Jacksonville had a quarterback in Foles. He suffered a broken clavicle against the Chiefs, and the team's revitalization plan has hit an obvious snag.

With Foles sidelined, the Jaguars now turn to rookie sixth-round pick Gardner Minshew II. The Washington State product could prove to be a reliable starter in time, but he doesn't provide the steady veteran presence that Foles was expected to give.

If Minshew does turn into a solid starter—or at least better than Blake Bortles was a year ago—the Jaguars will start clawing their way up the power rankings. Losing Foles hurts, though, and it's going to keep Jacksonville near the bottom for the time being.