Here are ESPN.com’s NFL Power Rankings for Week 2:
1 Steelers
They need to get their running game going, but Big Ben seems better than ever. (Chadiha)
2 Patriots
Tom Brady is magic in the final minutes, but the Pats’ defense appears shaky. (Clayton)
3 Giants
The Giants might not have a No. 1 receiver, but they seem like a No. 1 team. (Clayton)
4 Eagles
By going for a meaningless fifth TD against the Panthers, Donovan McNabb fractured his ribs and the Eagles’ season. (Clayton)
5 Colts
Jim Caldwell showed some killer instinct at the end, but his running game didn’t prove to be worth the faith. (Kuharsky)
6 Chargers
They escaped with a win in Oakland, but the injury to center Nick Hardwick could be a big issue. (Kuharsky)
7 Falcons
They beat the Dolphins comfortably without getting much production from Michael Turner or the ground game in general. Matt Ryan already seems to have a rapport with Tony Gonzalez. (Sando)
8 Vikings
Adrian Peterson already seems like this season’s MVP. (Chadiha)
9 Titans
Mistakes in Pittsburgh kept the Titans from a potential upset, but Jeff Fisher won’t let them dwell on the opener. (Kuharsky)
10 Ravens
Even though it was against the Chiefs’ defense, the Ravens’ offense appears far more diversified and explosive this season. (Chadiha)
My problem with power rankings that are compiled early in the season is that they put too much emphasis on preseason predictions and not enough on performance.
For example, did the Patriots play like the second best team in the league against the Bills on Monday night? Absolutely not, but because they’re the Patriots they find themselves ranked high in everyone’s rankings. The fact is that the Bills were a Leodis McKelvin touchback away from beating the Pats in Foxboro. That doesn’t sound like a team that should be ranked No. 2.
How about the Chargers? They played uninspired in Oakland and still find themselves in the top 10. For the record, I think San Diego is a Super Bowl contender this year. But there was something very unsatisfying about the Bolts’ (and the Patriots’ for that matter) win last night.
I understand this isn’t how power rankings work, but if we were to rank each team based off of last week’s games, then the Eagles would be No. 1 in my book. No team (outside of the Saints, who played the lowly Lions) dominated their opponent like the Eagles did to the Panthers.
