NFL Rankings: Ranking the AFC After Week 1

The AFC had a strong showing in Week 1. Most of the Conference's blue bloods stepped up and won, and in some cases looked convincing doing so. As of right now, three teams stand above the rest in the AFC, with a fourth lurking just outside the top tier.

New England Patriots (1-0)

What more can be said about New England's Week 1 performance? Tom Brady led a Patriots offense that put up 622 yards of total offense against the Miami Dolphins. Brady looked as good as he ever has in the Pats 38-24 win on Monday night, completing 32-of-48 passes for 517 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.

The Patriots did struggle defensively, allowing the Dolphins to rack up 488 yards of total offense and let entirely average Miami quarterback Chad Henne throw for 416.

While the Patriots need to tighten up their secondary with an offense that looks ready to light up scoreboards once again, the defense will likely have time to get itself together.

Baltimore Ravens (1-0)

It's not easy to make the Pittsburgh Steelers look horrendous, but that's just what the Ravens did on Sunday in a 35-7 win. Baltimore beat the Steelers up in every way, thoroughly dominating Mike Tomlin's team.

The Ravens intercepted Ben Roethlisberger three times, with four fumbles for a ridiculous seven forced turnovers against the reigning AFC champions. Baltimore also sacked Roethlisberger four times and hit him five, making the Pro Bowler look awful in the pocket.

On top of that, fourth-year quarterback Joe Flacco looked poised and in command as he completed 17-of-29 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns. The Ravens didn't turn the ball over, and Ray Rice and Ricky Williams combined to rush for 170 yards.

Right now, it's tough to argue the Ravens are one of the NFL's elite teams.

San Diego Chargers (1-0)

The Chargers have been notoriously slow starters under head coach Norv Turner, but this year, they managed to pull out a 24-17 Week 1 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. The Chargers looked solid defensively, holding Donovan McNabb to just 39 yards passing and Adrian Peterson to under 100 yards rushing.

Philip Rivers wasn't as sharp as we're used to seeing him, but he did complete 33-of-48 passes for 335 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Second-year running back Ryan Mathews had a few nice plays and racked up 118 total yards, while fellow running back Mike Tolbert found the end zone three times.

The Chargers have so much offensive fire-power that they can score with anyone. And in a Week 2 clash against the Patriots at Foxborough, we could see an epic offensive battle. It could be a fight for AFC supremacy.

Houston Texans (1-0)

The Texans are on the outside looking in at this point, but man, did they look good in a Week 1 thrashing of the Indianapolis Colts. The Texans made a statement in their 34-7 win on Sunday, and did so without Arian Foster in the lineup. The NFL's leading rusher from 2010 has been sidelined for the past few weeks with a hamstring injury.

In Foster's place, Ben Tate stepped in and rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown and looked fully capable of handling starting running back duties until Foster is ready to return. We know quarterback Matt Schaub is capable of big things, as is receiver Andre Johnson, so Houston's offense could be as good as any in the NFL.

Defensively, the Texans have switched to a 3-4 look under new coordinator Wade Phillips, and the early results look promising. How the defense holds up over the next few weeks will tell us all we need to know about Houston's future on this list.

Week 2 Power Rankings

1. New England Patriots (1-0)	17. New York Giants (0-1)
2. Green Bay Packers (1-0)	18. Arizona Cardinals (1-0)
3. Baltimore Ravens (1-0)	19. Washington Redskins (1-0)
4. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)	20. San Francisco 49ers (1-0)
5. San Diego Chargers (1-0)	21. St. Louis Rams (0-1)
6. Houston Texans (1-0)	22. Minnesota Vikings (0-1)
7. New York Jets (1-0)	23. Tennessee Titans (0-1)
8. Chicago Bears (1-0)	24. Cincinnati Bengals (1-0)
9. New Orleans Saints (0-1)	25. Buffalo Bills (1-0)
10. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1)	26. Denver Broncos (0-1)
11. Atlanta Falcons (0-1)	27. Carolina Panthers (1-0)
12. Detroit Lions (1-0)	28. Miami Dolphins (0-1)
13. Dallas Cowboys (0-1)	29. Seattle Seahawks (0-1)
14. Oakland Raiders (1-0)	30. Cleveland Browns (0-1)
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)	31. Indianapolis Colts (0-1)
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0)	32. Kansas City Chiefs (0-1)