NFL Power Rankings: Detroit Lions and 5 Teams That Will Prove They're Contenders

Week 1 of the NFL season has come and gone and plenty of new contenders have already emerged, one of them being the Detroit Lions. After a spectacular showing in the preseason, the Lions were a chic pick to do some damage this season, but some were unsure of whether Detroit was ready for prime time.

A 27-20 win on the road against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that went 10-6 last season should set aside all doubts, however. Thanks to an explosive offense that features quarterback Matthew Stafford throwing to the likes of Calvin Johnson and Jahvid Best in the running game, the Lions are a team to be reckoned with.

Detroit also features one of the best pass rushes in the entire league due to Kyle Vanden Bosch, Cliff Avril and Ndamukong Suh. This week the Lions will host a shell-shocked Kansas City Chiefs team that was embarrassed at Arrowhead by the Buffalo Bills in Week 1.

All indications point to Detroit starting off 2-0 and positioning itself firmly as a playoff team. In addition to the Lions, here are four more teams that will prove they are contenders with Week 2 victories.

St. Louis Rams

After falling one game short of the playoffs last season, the St. Louis Rams were a popular pick to top the weak NFC West this season. Unfortunately for the Rams, they drew the short straw in terms of scheduling and had to play the Philadelphia Eagles Week 1. While St. Louis hung with Philly in the early going, Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy and Co. were just too explosive in the end.

In Week 2, the Rams will face another NFC East team in the New York Giants. The Rams took it on the chin in terms of injuries last week; quarterback Sam Bradford has an injured finger and both running back Steven Jackson and wide receiver Danny Amendola are out with quad and elbow injuries, respectively.

Luckily for the Rams, the Giants may be even more banged up, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. New York's defensive deficiencies were obvious in a Week 1 loss to the Washington Redskins and the Rams should take advantage of them, provided Bradford's injury is a minor one.

Buffalo Bills

Prior to the season, the Buffalo Bills were considered among the favorites to land Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the No. 1 overall pick in next April's draft. Instead, it seems as though the Bills may be set at quarterback; Ryan Fitzpatrick torched the Kansas City Chiefs for four touchdowns in Week 1 and leads the league in quarterback rating.

The Bills played beyond everyone's expectations in every phase of the game. Not only was the passing game clicking, but Fred Jackson tore it up on the ground as well. The defense was particularly stout and swarmed to the ball, not allowing the Chiefs to use their team speed and get to the corner effectively.

The Bills will host the Oakland Raiders in Week 2. The Raiders are 1-0 as well by virtue of a Monday night win over the Denver Broncos. Getting ahead early will be key for Buffalo as it will force Oakland to rely less on Darren McFadden and more on Jason Campbell and the running game. The Bills appear to be the more well-rounded team at this point.

Arizona Cardinals

After two consecutive seasons atop the NFC West, the Arizona Cardinals fell hard in 2010 due mostly to the retirement of quarterback Kurt Warner. The Cards were left without an adequate replacement and had to make due with the nightmarish trio of Derek Anderson, Max Hall and John Skelton. After trading for Kevin Kolb from Philadelphia, however, Arizona is back in business.

The Cardinals beat the Carolina Panthers, 28-21, in a thriller last week and Kolb excelled with 309 yards passing. Arizona also seems to be more committed to the running game this season as Beanie Wells racked up 90 yards on the ground. Defense could be a problem, but an imperfect team is going to win the NFC West regardless.

The Cardinals will face the Washington Redskins in Week 2. The 'Skins scored a surprising victory over the rival New York Giants in Week 1 and will enter the game with plenty of momentum. From a talent standpoint, the Cards are a superior team though, so I expect them to nip Washington and move to 2-0.

Houston Texans

In 2010 the Houston Texans looked like they might be the team to end the Indianapolis Colts' reign atop the AFC South. That didn't come to fruition, however, as the Texans finished in a tie for last in the division. An injury to the Colts quarterback has left the door open for Houston though, who made a huge breakthrough in Week 1.

With Kerry Collins under center for the Colts, Houston put on a clinic, blowing out Indianapolis by a 34-7 margin. Even without All-Pro running back Arian Foster, the Texans didn't miss a beat on offense; Ben Tate picked up the slack. Quarterback Matt Schaub didn't have his best game, but he didn't have to.

The Texans should face a stiffer test from the Miami Dolphins in Week 2, although the Texans seem to be a much more complete squad. Miami hung tough against New England on Monday night and the passing game was excellent, but the Dolphins were blown out of the water on defense.

The Texans aren't quite as explosive on offense as the Patriots are, but they aren't too far off. If Foster returns, this one could be a blowout in favor of Houston.