NFL Power Rankings: Analyzing Top 5 Teams Heading Into Week 2

This season the NFL is absolutely loaded with talented teams, but there are five teams in particular that seem to stand out the most in the power rankings.

These teams have distinguished themselves of the best of a very competitive league, and they displayed why they were ranked so high in Week 1.

We learned a lot in Week 1 of the 2011 NFL season, but now it’s time to move forward to determine what we might expect in Week 2.

Here’s a brief analysis of the top five teams on my NFL power rankings, and what I expect from each of them this week:

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

5. New York Jets

Sure, the Jets almost lost at home to the Dallas Cowboys. But when all is said and done, New York still got the win.

They won because the defense stepped up big time, and I think that's going to be the calling card of the Jets all season.

Quarterback Mark Sanchez is the best game manager in the NFL, and I have to believe that their running game will get more than just 45 yards a game moving forward.

They held on to a tough win, and I think the team will only improve as the season progresses.

The Jets play the Jaguars this week. I'm expecting an easy win.

4. Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens absolutely dismantled the Pittsburgh Steelers, and by doing so they gave us a preview of how good they can be.

Joe Flacco and the offense is ready to take the next step, and the defense is still the most physically imposing squad in the game.

The Ravens have a chance to be scary good, and Week 1 was just the introduction.

The Tennessee Titans have no chance in Week 2.

3. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles didn't look like the "dream team" in Week 1, but I have to assume that they were just working out some of the kinks.

The fact remains that they still have one of the most explosive offenses in the game and a very stout defense.

Michael Vick will be playing the most significant game of his life this weekend, returning to Atlanta on Sunday night.

He's been known to come up big in these moments, and I think he's going to have an epic game in an Eagles win.

2. New England Patriots

The Patriots are arguably the most balanced team in the league, and there is no denying Tom Brady's excellence.

I love what they've put together, and I think they will continue to get better defensively as each week goes on.

Brady and the offense continue to gel, and the defense is showing signs of being the squad they were envisioning when they made all those roster moves this offseason.

They have a tough game against a talented San Diego team coming up this weekend, but I think they will pull out a close win.

1. Green Bay Packers

At this point the Packers are still a head and shoulders above the rest of the league.

Aaron Rodgers and the offense showed us that they can be unstoppable at times, and the defense is arguably one of the most disruptive in the game.

Rookie Cam Newton and the Panthers are their next target; and I think this one can get ugly.

The defense is going to be bringing a lot of complex packages Newton hasn't seen yet, and I don't see how the Panthers defense is going to be able to stop Rodgers.