NFL Power Rankings Week 2: NFC North Will Continue to Rise in Rankings

The NFC North got off to a strong start to the 2011 season. The Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and Detroit Lions all won their openers.

Even better is that all three of those teams defeated 10 win teams from 2010.

Minnesota faces a tough test against a Tampa Bay team that needs a win. They are not likely to raise much in the Power Rankings this year. But the Bears, Packers, and Lions aren't going to make things easy on the rest of the NFC.

Chicago Bears

On the road against a New Orleans team desperate for a win, I expect the Bears to lose. Still, if that happens, it will be a close loss where both teams come away looking impressive.

The Falcons were the NFC's best team in 2010 and were destroyed in Week 1 by the Bears. Chicago was one of the top all around teams in the opening week.

After the Saints, the Bears play another game against the Packers. Like the game against the Saints, both the winner and loser should be impressive in that one.

After that, the schedule eases up a little bit. Their division games will be tough. But unless their first win was a total fluke, it's not at all hard to see the Bears going 10-6 or better this year. 

Green Bay Packers

The Packers and Saints gave us an absolute thriller to start the season with. With the exception of the Bears and possibly the Falcons, the Packers should be heavily favored in all of their games before the bye week.

Looking at the Packers' overall schedule, a 12-4 season or better is a strong possibility. Their defense needs to tighten up. It will be hard for them to win that many shootouts this year.

But we must remember that they were playing the Saints and their high powered offense.

Detroit Lions

An opening week win on the road against the Buccaneers  solidified the Lions as playoff contenders. 

It's a broken record, but Matthew Stafford needs to stay on the field. If he does, there is no reason to think that they won't make the playoffs.

Their defensive front is strong and will only get better when Nick Fairley returns to action.

In week two, they host a Kansas City team in desperate need of a win. The Lions should get through that game with relative ease. With that win, their spot in the Power rankings will only rise. 

Michael Dixon's Week 2 Power Rankings:

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