NFL Power Rankings Week 1: 3 Opening Day Losers Who Will Plummet Down Rankings

It took one week for some teams to solidify themselves as Super Bowl contenders and others to show that they aren't nearly the teams we thought they were.

Here were the Power Rankings I provided prior to Week 1.

Kyle Vassalo 2011 Week 1 NFL Power Rankings
1	Green Bay Packers
2	Baltimore Ravens
3	Atlanta Falcons
4	New England Patriots
5	Pittsburgh Steelers
6	Philadelphia Eagles
7	New Orleans Saints
8	New York Jets
9	Chicago Bears
10	Dallas Cowboys
11	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
12	Houston Texans
13	Indianapolis Colts
14	Detroit Lions
15	Kansas City Chiefs
16	San Diego Chargers
17	New York Giants
18	St. Louis Rams
19	Minnesota Vikings
20	San Francisco 49ers
21	Buffalo Bills
22	Seattle Seahawks
23	Oakland Raiders
24	Cleveland Browns
25	Jacksonville Jaguars
26	Arizona Cardinals
27	Tennessee Titans
28	Denver Broncos
29	Cincinnati Bengals
30	Washington Redskins
31	Carolina Panthers
32	Miami Dolphins

As you can see, there are teams near the top who revealed glaring weaknesses in Week 1 and teams in the middle of the pack who are sure to become NFL bottom feeders by the time this season is out. Here are the teams who are going to fall the furthest in the Power Rankings by next week.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 1 Rank: 5

Projected Week 2 Rank: 10

Steelers vs. Ravens out of the gate was sure to be another instant classic. These teams are always neck-and-neck, and five of the last six games in the regular season have come down to a field goal. While the Ravens looked overly impressive, there is no excuse for the way the Steelers played.

Seven turnovers in a 35-7 blowout doesn't exactly set the scene for the Steelers to make their way back into the Super Bowl. They may have played another team in the top five, but it's impossible to ignore the shortcomings they put on display in Week 1.

Their historic run defense from last season didn't show up in the opener. The Steelers aren't as bad as they looked in their first game, but a huge skid can't come as a surprise as they uncharacteristically failed to show up to one of their biggest games of the year.

Indianapolis Colts

Week 1 Rank: 13

Projected Week 2 Rank: 31

The Week 1 rankings were made before Peyton Manning was ruled out. With him in, they are a playoff contender. With him out, they are one of the worst teams in the league. He's the offensive line, the defense, the head coach and everything in between.

Manning is the heartbeat of the Colts, and after the 34-7 beat down, it was evident that Kerry Collins won't be able to soften the blow Manning's third neck surgery in 19 months dealt the Colts.

The Colts have glaring holes on both sides of the ball that were masked by Manning's presence. They proved that, without one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time under center, they can't begin to compete.

Kansas City Chiefs

Week 1 Rank: 15

Projected Week 2 Rank: 29

Nothing worse than getting blown away at home by the Bills right? Wrong. The Chiefs lost Eric Berry for the season in the process. With their best defender on the bench, the Chiefs can kiss their hopes of winning the AFC West again goodbye.

They looked horrible against the Bills and their "improved" offense hit a wall without Charlie Weis conducting it.

The Chiefs overachieved last season, making a regression likely in 2011. Now that their star safety has been knocked out of play with a devastating ACL injury, the Chiefs' future on both sides of the ball looks bleak at best.