Week 2 was full of interesting and close games, while also giving teams a chance to show us what they are capable of beyond a first impression.
1. Buffalo Bills (+0)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (+0)
3. Green Bay Packers (+0)
4. Baltimore Ravens (+0)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (+0)
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+0)
7. Kansas City Chiefs (+0)
My top 7 this week remain unchanged after impressive or expected performances from most of them. The Packers impressed me most but I couldn’t justify the Eagles or Bills dropping after their wins. The Ravens and Chargers did what they were supposed to do in their games as well.
The Buccaneers and Chiefs likely would be the points of contention from this group. As for Tampa, I’ve been high on them coming into the season, and with no one under this group really threatening to jump up as of now, a close win on the road against Houston is enough for them to keep their spot. With Kansas City, they have no wins but hold close losses to the #5 and #2 teams in my rankings with some firepower hopefully coming back soon in Xavier Worthy, so they get the benefit of the doubt, for now…
8. Los Angeles Rams (+1)
9. Detroit Lions (+5)
10. Washington Commanders (+1)
11. Denver Broncos (-3)
12. Indianapolis Colts (+6)
13. San Francisco 49ers (-3)
14. Cincinnati Bengals (-2)
This group of teams is very tightly ranked and all could jump into the top 7 based on their performance this week. The Rams probably have the best case, but despite the 14 point final margin it felt like they were struggling with the Titans last week and I just need to see a little more before I trust them.
The Lions came out and proved the doubters (aka Me) wrong this week. I thought the Lions would really struggle without Ben Johnson calling plays, and in Week 1 it looked like that was going to be the case, and even though it was just the Bears this week, a 52 point outburst proves to me that there is a high ceiling on this offense still and that’s all I needed to see to jump them back up.
The Commanders looked solid in a loss to the Packers, not a ton to say about them yet. (Editor’s Note: This ranking was made prior to the news on Jayden Daniels injury).
Now here comes the controversy of this section, Denver ahead of Indianapolis despite their loss to them this week. At the end of the day, I still think Denver is a better overall team, they only lost by 1 and the game was in Indianapolis. We’re still early in the season and I’m not ready to throw out preseason rankings just yet. As for Indy themselves they’ve been the story of the league thus far, but I do get some flashbacks to the Saints offense of 2024 through 2 games which ultimately fell off of a cliff, so I keep the Colts high, but not too high, for now.
The 49ers and Bengals both drop despite close wins due to QB injuries as well as just not being overly impressive in those games. Mac Jones isn’t terrible for a backup and the SF system is QB friendly, and Jake Browning had success the last time he was needed for a long stretch in Cincinnati so hope is not all lost for these two teams yet.
15. Houston Texans (+0)
16. Seattle Seahawks (+6)
17. Atlanta Falcons (+7)
18. Arizona Cardinals (-1)
19. Minnesota Vikings (-6)
20. Pittsburgh Steelers (-4)
This group is full of playoff hopefuls that I just have on the outside looking in. Houston has 2 losses to top 10 teams by a combined 6 points, but looks to have something missing on offense. In contrast to Houston, Arizona has 2 wins, but both were close and relatively unimpressive against 2 of the worst teams in the league.
The Seahawks bested the Steelers this week, with the Steelers W1 win looking less impressive after the Jets performance this week as well. Both of these teams feel like they could truly win or lose any game against any team, landing them here.
The Falcons and Vikings also played each other this week, and Atlanta stomped them. There’s an argument to be made Atlanta should be higher, but I was lower on them coming into the season and while they have impressed me so far, I haven’t seen quite enough to jump them into the playoff picture. On the other hand, Minnesota looks lost. The offense is clearly struggling, with McCarthy being ruled out for week 3 almost immediately after the game, in what feels more like a benching than an injury. With that being said, even the defense that felt so magical last year has lost its luster this year and feels more average giving up 23 points per game so far.
21. Las Vegas Raiders (-1)
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (-1)
23. Chicago Bears (-4)
24. Dallas Cowboys (-1)
25. New England Patriots (+1)
26. New York Giants (-1)
These teams all have unrealized potential but lack the performances to earn a spot higher in these rankings as of now.
The Raiders sit at 1-1 but the offense has struggled, including rookie Ashton Jeanty who has passed the eye test but not been very successful yet.
The Jaguars are also 1-1 but are coming off a loss to Jake Browning. The main question with them is Trevor Lawrence & his weapons. He’s been pretty successful with his lesser weapons, but has not been able to get BTJ and Travis Hunter going at all. They will need to figure it out if they want to make any significant noise this year.
The narrative around Chicago is all doom and gloom after blowing their lead in week 1 and getting blown out in week 2, but the pieces are there for a successful team. I’m not ready to call them awful yet.
Dallas and New York played each other and Dallas escaped with the win after a big comeback. Dallas clearly has talent but they also have so many holes. The Giants have great players on defense, and a high upside offense with Malik Nabers and potential turn to Jaxson Dart.
The Patriots probably aren’t ready to break through yet, but I’ve liked what I’ve seen and think they have more roster talent than the teams below them.
27. Tennessee Titans
28. Carolina Panthers
29. New York Jets
30. Cleveland Browns
31. Miami Dolphins
32. New Orleans Saints
These are the bottom feeders so far, Tennessee has the highest ceiling of this group but I don’t think they end up making much of a splash this season. The Panthers and Jets both have high upside rosters but have very clear weaknesses that have shown up already. The Browns, Dolphins, and Saints just don’t have enough healthy talent to consistently compete with the better teams in the league. Many of these teams likely already have the #1 overall pick on their minds.
