NFL Power Rankings: 3 Pretenders Who Will Be Exposed in Week 2

Eric BowmanSep 13, 2011

There were blowout wins and very tight games of Week 1, but some of those teams that are 1-0 and feeling really good right now will soon find out they're nothing more than a pretender.

Nobody could have predicted that Week 1 of the 2011 NFL regular season would be so crazy. It's going to be very hard for the second week to top it, but it will come close.

It's still very clear that the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots are the top teams in the NFL, but there were few teams that shook up the rankings after Week 1.

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The question is, will they continue to climb or will we see them fade away?

Here are three pretenders who will be exposed in Week 2.

Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler reassured Bears' fans with an impressive victory over the Atlanta Falcons, but their happiness and joy won't last through Week 2.

The Bears travel to the Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints, who happen to be coming off a last second loss last Thursday night, meaning they're hungry for a win, and they've had extra time to prepare.

The Falcons were all out of sync in Week 1, and the Bears took advantage of it. Their aging defense will have much harder time stopping the gun slinging ability of Drew Brees.

The Saints will reveal who the true Bears are—a team with a mistake prone quarterback.

San Diego Chargers

Norv Turner and the Chargers didn't make quick work of the Minnesota Vikings like they were expected to, and blame can be place on Philip Rivers for failing to score early.

Yes, Chad Henne threw for 416 yards on the New England Patriots defense, so of course Rivers should have no trouble airing it out, but he still has to put the ball in the end zone.

Mike Tolbert was the bulk of the Chargers offense in Week 1, and if that continues the Patriots won't have any problems stopping them. Bill Belichick will have his defense turn around and ready to stop Rivers.

Tom Brady will once again dominate en route to another MVP like season, and the Chargers will prove they don't belong near the top of the AFC.

Washington Redskins

Rex Grossman surprisingly led the Redskins over their rival, the New York Giants, and his defense did a good job making plays as well.

However, the Giants aren't a very good team right now, and without Steve Smith and Kevin Boss, Eli Manning is clearly struggling.

Key injuries have set the Giants defense back, and the Redskins were able to take advantage of a depleted secondary.

The Cardinals secondary isn't much better, which is why this will still be a close game.

Arizona's defense will adjust and communicate better than the Giants did, so don't buy into the Grossman hype just yet because Kevin Kolb and the Cardinals will take them down.

All three of these teams will lose in Week 2, and their recent rise in the power rankings will turn into a big drop.

Eric Bowman’s 2011 NFL Power Rankings Week 1

1. New England Patriots

2. Green Bay Packers

3. Baltimore Ravens

4. Philadelphia Eagles

5. New York Jets

6. Houston Texans

7. New Orleans Saints

8. Pittsburgh Steelers

9. Chicago Bears

10. San Diego Chargers