NFL Power Rankings: Which Teams Will Never Escape Bottom of Rankings?

In 2001, the New England Patriots were 0-2 after two games and had also lost their starting quarterback for the season. Thanks to a little help from Tom Brady, they ended up going 11-5 and ultimately won the Super Bowl.

I bring this up because even teams that seem utterly hopeless after two games still have a shot to rise from the depths and do great things. As some famous guy once said, you just never know what's going to happen.

But let's face it. We're talking about exceptions to the rule. Most teams that start poorly are never going to recover. And in 2011, I think there are five teams in particular that fit the bill.

 Here are those teams, ranked in terms of just how hopeless they are.

5. Minnesota Vikings (No. 28)

Had things gone a little differently, the Vikings could be entering Week 3 at 2-0, and thus a bit higher than No. 28 in my power rankings.

But I don't think we should kid ourselves about the Vikings. They are not a good team, and they have a very tough road ahead. The six games they have to play against NFC North foes could all go into the books as losses, and the Vikings will also come up against several other contenders before the season is over.

Exactly how the Vikings are going to come out ahead in the end is anybody's guess.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 26)

In my opinion, the Jaguars got a little less awful as soon as Blaine Gabbert was handed the starting quarterback job. He may not be ready, but it's not like he can be any worse than Luke McCown.

But just because the Jaguars are a less awful team doesn't mean they are not still an awful team. They might steal a few wins here and there playing against other bad teams (i.e. the Tennessee Titans), but anything beyond that is going to be a shock.

For now, I have them at No. 26 in my rankings, but I'm going to be very surprised if they move any direction other than down.

3. Seattle Seahawks (No. 32)

As you can tell by their No. 32 ranking, I think the Seahawks are the worst team in the NFL. In fact, I think most of us can agree on that.

However, they're not quite the most hopeless team in the league. The NFC West is a good place for bad teams to be, as the playing field is a little more level than in other divisions. We also have to keep in mind that the Seahawks play much better at home, and they haven't yet played a home game this season.

So we'll see. Maybe the Seahawks aren't that horrible. They'll be horrible, of course, but maybe not that horrible.

2. Indianapolis Colts (No. 30)

After two games, it's hard to determine what exactly is wrong with the Colts.

Well, other than Peyton Manning's absence, of course. We are finding out more and more just how important he is (was?) to the Colts, and the fact that he's not going to be back any time soon seems to have sucked the life out of the team.

In all honesty, I think I could put the Colts at No. 32 in my power rankings, and nobody would complain.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (No. 31)

A year after winning the AFC West with a surprise 10-6 campaign, the Chiefs have been outscored 89-10 in their first two games.

Now, if I were to set the difficulty to easy and try to to that on Madden, I don't think I would be able to. That tells you just how bad the real-life Chiefs really are... and maybe how bad I am at Madden.

Either way, the Chiefs are not going to get better. Indeed, it is hard to improve when you lose your best offensive player and best defensive player for the season.

The good news is that we know Andrew Luck looks good in red.

Zachary D. Rymer's Week 3 Power Rankings

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