NFL Power Rankings: Week 2

Man oh man was that something! Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season is in the books, as we all got to witness some amazing performances from various superstar players such as Justin Jefferson, Saquon Barkley, and of course, Patrick Mahomes.

Mahomes threw for 360 yards and 5 touchdowns as the Chiefs absolutely wiped the floor with the Cardinals on Sunday, which vaulted the defending AFC West champs up to number two in my power rankings for this week.

Now, let's see where all 32 teams stack up against each other heading into week 2!

1. Buffalo Bills (last week: 1)

 The Bills absolutely manhandled the Rams on Thursday Night to start the season. Josh Allen and the offence were fantastic and so was the defence, headlined by Von Miller. Let's see if they can keep it going against the Titans on Monday night. (record: 1-0)

2. Kansas City Chiefs (last week: 7)

 As previously mentioned, the Chiefs were amazing on Sunday, as they tailed 44 points. Plus, the defence did a great job and stymied Kyler Murray and the Cardinals offence. Big AFC West matchup coming up now against the Chargers on Thursday (record: 1-0)

3. Los Angeles Chargers (last week: 3)

 The Chargers season got off to a great start with a nice victory at home over the Raiders. Justin Herbert was his usual dominant self, while the new-look defence looked amazing, especially Khalil Mack, who racked up 3 sacks against his former team. The Chargers have already beaten the Chiefs two straight times at Arrowhead Stadium. Can they make it three straight on Thursday? (record: 1-0, last week: 3)

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (last week: 5)

The Bucs offence wasn't great against the Cowboys on Sunday night. But the defence was excellent. You can expect Tom Brady and company to eventually get it going on offence. But it will be tough to do that this Sunday as they go to New Orleans to play a Saints team that's had their number over the last few seasons (even with Brady at the helm). (record: 1-0)

5. Baltimore Ravens (last week: 8)

It took a little while for the Ravens offence to get going against the Jets on Sunday. But eventually, you knew that Lamar Jackson was gonna make plays and that's exactly what he did. The defence looked good too (although they were playing against a bad Jets offence with Joe Flacco at quarterback). Let's see if they can keep that momentum up against a much better Dolphins team. (record: 1-0)

6. Los Angeles Rams (last week: 2)

The Rams got outclassed against the Bills to start off their title defence. However, they are still the defending champs and it was only one game. I bet that they'll look and play much better this week against a team far below their caliber in the Falcons. (record: 0-1)

7. Minnesota Vikings (last week: 14)

The Vikings were fantastic on Sunday as they surprisingly dominated the Packers on both sides of the ball in Kevin O'Connell's debut as head coach. Kirk Cousins looked very comfortable in that scheme, and Justin Jefferson repeatedly torched a good Packers secondary. The defence was good too, as they bullied the Packers upfront and made Aaron Rodgers uncomfortable. Fun game on tap next Monday as they play the Eagles in Philadelphia ( record: 1-0)

8. Philadelphia Eagles (last week: 11)

The Eagles held on for a victory over the Lions on Sunday. Jalen Hurts was good and A.J. Brown was utterly unstoppable in his Eagles debut. The defence surprisingly looked pretty bad, especially on the ground. That side of the ball has a huge test on Monday, as they'll try to slow down Justin Jefferson and a electric Vikings offence. (record: 1-0)

9. Cincinnati Bengals (last week: 4)
The Bengals suffered a tough loss at home to the Steelers. Joe Burrow really struggled as he turned the ball over 5 times. I think you can chalk that up to him being rusty after missing much of training camp after his appendix removal. Look for them to bounce back this week against a injury-depleted Cowboys team. (record: 0-1)

10. New Orleans Saints (last week: 12)
 It looked like the Saints were going to suffer a huge upset loss to their NFC South rivals. But at last, the Falcons choked away another game and New Orleans escaped with a one point victory. Michael Thomas looked impressive in his first game since January of 2021, and he'll look to continue that success in another division battle, this time against the defending NFC South champion Buccaneers. (record: 1-0)

11. Green Bay Packers (last week: 6)
The three-time defending NFC North champions didn't look anything like it against the Vikings on Sunday. The offence struggled mightily without Davante Adams, and their talented defence had no answer for Justin Jefferson and the Vikings' new-look offence. Home opener up next as they take on another NFC North team as the Bears come to Lambeau on Sunday Night. (record: 0-1)

12. Miami Dolphins (last week: 16)
The Dolphins got a nice AFC East victory over the Patriots at home, as Mike McDaniel notched his first win as a head coach. Tua Tagovailoa was solid, Tyreek Hill made some nice plays in his Dolphins debut, and their defence locked down the New England offence. Intriguing game up next as they go to Baltimore to take on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. (record: 1-0)

13. Pittsburgh Steelers: (last week: 19)
The Steelers managed to pull off the upset in a wacky game against the Bengals, as their defence did a great job of slowing down a explosive Bengals offence. However, T.J. Watt suffered a major injury and will be out for a extended period of time. We saw this defence fall off last year due to multiple injuries so we'll see if they can keep their momentum going into their home opener against the Pats on Sunday sans Watt. (record: 1-0)

14. Denver Broncos (last week: 9)
Broncos Country, left wide. The Broncos somehow managed to lose to a Seahawks team that most people (including myself) think will be in the running for a top 5 draft pick next year. Russell Wilson and the offence were solid, but poor execution did them in against Seattle. Wilson's home debut in Denver is next as the Broncos play host to the Texans. (record: 0-1)

 

15. San Francisco 49ers (last week: 10)
The 49ers lost to the Bears in a rain-soaked fest in Chicago. Trey Lance and the offence predictably struggled in the bad weather, but the 49ers defence (which had a major talent advantage in the trenches) rolled over in the 2nd half. Let's see if they can rebound on Sunday as they host the Seahawks in a NFC West showdown. (record: 0-1)

16. Indianapolis Colts (last week: 13)
The Colts were trailing against the Texans in the 2nd half before rallying to get the game into overtime, where they missed a field goal late which resulted in the game ending in a tie. Jonathan Taylor continued to make special plays. But the defence didn't look good against a average Texans offence. The absence of Shaquille Leonard, their All-Pro linebacker, was definitely felt in that one. Let's see if they get their first victory of 2022 this week as they enter the house of horrors of Jacksonville to play the Jaguars (Colts haven't defeated the Jaguars in Jacksonville since 2014). (record: 0-0-1)

17. Las Vegas Raiders (last week: 17)
The Raiders were competitive, but were ultimately unable to get a crucial AFC West win over the Chargers last week. Their star-studded offence struggled (outside of Davante Adams) as Derek Carr threw 3 interceptions and the offensive line gave up 6 sacks. They'll have a much easier task this week as they go up against a porous Cardinals defence. (record: 0-1)

18. Cleveland Browns (last week: 21)
The Jacoby Brissett era got off to a good start as the Browns managed to outlast the Panthers in a wild game. The ground game with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt was terrific and they'll have to keep that up with average play under center. Cleveland has a chance to go to 2-0 for the first time since 1993 as they host the lowly Jets on Sunday. (record: 1-0)

19. Washington Commanders (last week: 24)
Washington got their first victory under the "Commanders" moniker with a late comeback surge against the Jags. Carson Wentz continued to prove why he's the most annoying quarterback in the league, as he threw two bad interceptions in the 2nd half. Then he made a throw deep down the right sideline for a touchdown to Terry McLaurin in the 4th quarter. Not many quarterbacks can sling a pass like this. (record: 1-0)

20. Tennessee Titans (last week: 18)
The Titans suffered a shocking loss to the Giants at home. The offence sputtered badly in the 2nd half after a good start, and the defence had no answer for Saquon Barkley, who ran all over them. They'll try to rebound in Week 2, as they travel to Buffalo to play the star-studded Bills on Monday night. (record: 0-1)

21. Carolina Panthers (last week: 23)
The Panthers would be 1-0 right now if it wasn't for Browns kicker Cade York making a 58-yard field goal in the final seconds. Baker Mayfield was up and down in his debut, and the defence wasn't great against a one-dimensional Browns offence. Up next is a road game against the Giants. (record: 0-1)

22. New England Patriots (last week: 22)
The Pats lost to the Dolphins on Sunday, falling to their AFC East rival for the fourth straight time. Mac Jones and the offence struggled to make plays, while the defence was just okay. Another road game looms, this time against the Steelers. (record: 0-1)

23. Dallas Cowboys (last week: 15)
Not only did the Cowboys only score 3 points in their season opener against the Bucs, but now Dak Prescott will be out for the foreseeable future with a right thumb injury. The Cowboys season fell off a cliff in 2020 without Dak, and now they'll have to try to avoid that same fate this season. The defending AFC champion Bengals come to Jerry World this week. (record: 0-1)

24. Detroit Lions (last week: 25)
The Lions were pretty close to beating a good Eagles team last week. The offence looked great led by D'Andre Swift and the running game. But it's very clear that this defence still needs a lot of work if they want to be a playoff team. A looming shootout with the Commanders is on tap. (record: 0-1)

25. New York Giants (last week: 28)
The Giants pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the week and knocked off the AFC's number one seed from last season. Saquon Barkley was awesome, and it was really great to see him healthy and making some amazing plays. The G-Men will try to get to 2-0 for the first time in six seasons as they host the Panthers in their 2022 home opener. (record: 1-0)

26. Arizona Cardinals (last week: 20)
Simply put, the Cardinals got embarrassed on Sunday. Their offence (which is supposed to be the strength of the team) flatlined and their defence was horrible. Now they have to go to Las Vegas to play the Raiders, another high-flying offensive team. (record: 0-1)

 

27. Jacksonville Jaguars (last week: 27)
The Jaguars were up late against the Commanders before falling just short, as Trevor Lawrence was unable to lead a game-winning drive. Lawrence and the offence were solid, but the execution just wasn't good enough. Their home opener is next as they play host to the Colts in a AFC South showdown. (record: 0-1)

28. Chicago Bears (last week: 31)
The Bears pulled off a shocker, as they beat the NFC champion runner-ups in a rain fest. Justin Fields and the offence weren't great (as was expected with the horrible weather) but they came through when they needed to. The defence did a fantastic job of slowing down Trey Lance and "making him play quarterback." Can they pull off another upset this week in Green Bay against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers? (record: 1-0)

29. Seattle Seahawks (last week: 30)

Another team that pulled off a big upset, the Seahawks are riding high after defeating the Broncos and Russell Wilson in his return to Seattle. The defence made big plays when they needed to. But after a great start, the offence got shut out in the 2nd half. Let's see if Geno Smith and company can turn in a full 60 minute performance this week against the 49ers. (record: 1-0)

30. Houston Texans (last week: 29)

The Texans tied with the Colts last week. Considering the fact that Houston is a rebuilding team while Indy is expected to win the AFC South, I think you're feeling pretty good right now if you're the Texans. They'll try to spoil Russell Wilson's home debut with the Broncos on Sunday. (record: 0-0-1)

31. New York Jets (last week: 26)

The Jets fell to the Ravens as the offence only scored 9 points. With Zack Wilson out of the lineup, their inability to score points will most likely continue and that will put even more pressure on their defence, which actually wasn't too bad even though they were going up against Lamar Jackson. Let's see how good their run defence really is, as they play the smashmouth Browns offence this week. (record: 0-1)

32. Atlanta Falcons (last week: 32)

The Falcons were so close to getting a upset win over the Saints. But the Falcons did what they always do and blew a 16 point lead in the 4th quarter to their hated NFC South rivals. Like I said last week, this Falcons team will be fun to watch, but they're gonna be pretty bad. Next, they go to LA to play the defending champion Rams, who will be looking to avenge their embarrassing opening night loss to the Bills. (record: 0-1)