Week 1 is the week where every fan thinks their team shouldn’t be rated higher in the power rankings because they’ve been drunk on their team’s Kool-Aid for the past six months.
Week 2 is the week where half of those fans thinks their team is a pile of excrement.
Ah, fans.
Check out Week 1’s Power Rankings
1. Green Bay Packers
Previous Week: 2
It’s not easy to travel into Philadelphia in the opening week of the season and beat the Eagles on the road. Aaron Rodgers was far from perfect and Ryan Grant’s injury is a concern, but the Pack are off to a great start.
2. Indianapolis Colts
Previous Week: 1
I don’t want to drop the Colts too far down because they had that beating coming to them for a while now. The Texans were tired of being bullied and they finally did something about it. Now, if the Giants run all over the Colts this Sunday night in Indy, then we may have a problem.
3. Baltimore Ravens
Previous Week: 3
Anquan Boldin made Antonio Cromartie and rookie Kyle Wilson look like…well, he made them look like an average corner and a rookie. Still, Ozzie Newsome’s prized offseason acquisition came through in his first real test as a Raven and I think Joe Flacco is going to love targeting Boldin early and often from here on out.
4. New Orleans Saints
Previous Week: 5
The Saints’ performance last Thursday night left something to be desired, but the defense played well and you know the offense is going to produce more times than not. It’ll be interesting to see how NO fares in San Francisco next Monday night against what should be an embarrassed but motivated Mike Singletary team.
5. New England Patriots
Previous Week: 6
The Bengals’ defensive effort was pathetic last Sunday in Foxboro, but it was impressive to see the Pats’ offense rolling on all cylinders in the opening week of the season. I loved seeing Wes Welker catch the first touchdown of the year and it wasn’t only because he’s on my fantasy team…all right, all right – it was only because he’s on my fantasy team.
6. Dallas Cowboys
Previous Week: 4
The Cowboys played so poorly on Sunday night in Washington that I’m willing to give them a mulligan before I drop them any further. Seriously, that can’t be that bad can they?
7. Houston Texans
Previous Week: 15
The biggest jump of Week 2 belongs to a very deserving Texans team. Arian Foster isn’t going to rush for 424 yards every week, but it was interesting to watch Houston beat a good team when Matt Schaub threw for only 107 yards.
8. New York Giants
Previous Week: 12
I didn’t know Matt Moore played for the Giants? Wah? He doesn’t? Couldn’t have fooled me…
9. Minnesota Vikings
Previous Week: 9
After he skipped training camp for the second straight year, I’m glad to see Brett Favre finally got some one-on-one time with Percy Harvin (who is now his No. 1 receiver with Sidney Rice out) last Thursday night in New Orleans. Too bad the f**king game counted.
10. New York Jets
Previous Week: 7
I want to drop the Jets further – I really do. As I wrote after their game last night, the only difference between Mark Sanchez and Trent Edwards is about $7 million this year. But the defense is going to keep them in every game and Shonn Grenne isn’t going to look that bad every week.
11. Philadelphia Eagles
Previous Week: 8
It’s going to take more than one shaky start against the No. 1 defense in the league last year for Kevin Kolb to loose his job. But he can’t feel too good about his situation after watching Michael Vick keep the Eagles in the ballgame last Sunday.
12. Miami Dolphins
Previous Week: 14
This team moves up in the rankings by default. They’re my sleeper in the AFC so I don’t want to badmouth them too much but 15 points? That’s all you could muster last week on a sunny day in Buffalo, Miami? The safety at the end of the game was a gift, too. So basically: 13 points? That’s all you could muster last week on a sunny day in Buffalo, Miami?
13. Pittsburgh Steelers
Previous Week: 16
The Steelers got back to their roots last Sunday against Atlanta: Good defense and running the ball. Dennis Dixon was far from perfect, but he made a couple of big throws in the second half to put points on the board. Assuming the defense plays that motivated over the next three weeks, this team is going to be just fine until Big Ben comes back.
14. Cincinnati Bengals
Previous Week: 10
This team has some real issues on defense and it starts with Mike Zimmer, whose playcalling last week was entirely too predictable. I realize he’s not working with much in the pass rush department, but he couldn’t have telegraphed his blitzes any better to Tom Brady.
15. Atlanta Falcons
Previous Week: 11
Too much is being made about how the Falcons couldn’t beat a third string quarterback. Regardless of who’s under center, it’s tough to win in Pittsburgh against a motivated defense. There isn’t enough being made, however, about Matt Ryan after his lackluster performance. Roddy White bailed him out on several occasions and when the Falcons needed their third-string quarterback to step up and make a big play, he never did. It’s time for Ryan to step up his game.
16. Tennessee Titans
Previous Week: 18
Good teams beat the hell out of inferior opponents when playing at home and leave no doubts in anyone’s mind that they were better in every phase of the game. The Titans did last week – end of story.
17. San Diego Chargers
Previous Week: 13
It was interesting to watch Philip Rivers yell at his offensive linemen, receivers, running backs, coaches, parking lot attendants, vendors, cheerleaders and the PA announcer at various times Monday night in Kansas City, but when he completely airmailed a would-be touchdown on the team’s final drive, nobody said anything to him. He looked like a spoiled brat last night.
18. Seattle Seahawks
Previous Week: 26
In my season preview of this team, I wrote about how the Seahawks were the hardest team to figure out heading into the year. Are they going to be a disaster? Are they going to compete? I still don’t know the answers to those questions, but that was one hell of an opening week performance by Pete Carroll’s team.
19. Washington Redskins
Previous Week: 21
Impressive, Redskins – very impressive. The offensive was horrendous, but the win was impressive nonetheless.
20. San Francisco 49ers
Previous Week: 17
Instead of calling out Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree, maybe Mike Singletary should be calling himself out. I never thought I’d see a Singletary-team look so unfocused, unmotivated and lethargic after their home loss to Atlanta last year. Then last Sunday happened.
21. Chicago Bears
Previous Week: 19
The Bears are the only team in these rankings that won and moved down. And in no way do I feel bad about that. Chicago fans everywhere are breaking out the rulebook to justify their win last Sunday over the Lions. But riddle me this, Batman: With Matthew Stafford standing on the sideline for the entire second half with his shoulder in a sling, why are the Lions even in that ballgame at that point? In three…two…one…spin me some of that Chicago fan logic, Bear fan!
22. Jacksonville Jaguars
Previous Week: 23
Well, apparently Maurice Jones-Drew isn’t hurt. I would have liked to have seen the Jags get MJD more involved in the passing game, but that was a hard-fought win for them on Sunday. Can’t take that away from them.
23. Arizona Cardinals
Previous Week: 22
If it weren’t for a blocked field goal attempt, the Cardinals would probably be 0-1 right now. But “probably” doesn’t mean anything in the NFL. Wins do.
24. Kansas City Chiefs
Previous Week: 27
If you didn’t watch Dexter McCluster play at Ole’ Miss, then you better start tuning into Chiefs games. He’s going to be a household name very soon. What a great opening night for KC.
25. Carolina Panthers
Previous Week: 20
Matt Moore waits an entire offseason to prove that he can be the full-time starter in Carolina and then craps the bed in his first test of the season. That was brutal.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Previous Week: 29
That was a pretty gritty performance by Josh Freeman on Sunday. I know he was playing the Browns, but the kid broke his thumb less than a month ago and was still able to go 17-of-28 for 182 yards with two TDs and one pick. Not bad.
27. Denver Broncos
Previous Week: 24
I thought what we saw out of the Broncos last week is what fans are going to get most weeks: Competitive team, but will probably come up short in most games.
28. Oakland Raiders
Previous Week: 25
Hi Jason Campbell, we’ve missed you. Welcome back to sack hell…
29. Cleveland Browns
Previous Week: 29
About midway through the second quarter of the Browns-Bucs game, I considered whether I had been too harsh about the Jake Delhomme signing by Mike Holmgren. Then Delhomme threw that pick to set up a Tampa touchdown right before half and then underthrew a pass that E.J. Biggers intercepted midway through the fourth quarter. And all of a sudden, order was restored in the world.
30. Detroit Lions
Previous Week: 30
The Lions have to feel pretty good about themselves that they were even in that ballgame before Calvin Johnson’s touchdown was overturned. Too bad they were robbed of a win by a technicality in the rules.
31. Buffalo Bills
Previous Week: 31
Trent Edwards could fumble for more yards then he averages on most of his pass attempts. Last Sunday was boring Bills football at its best.
32. St. Louis Rams
Previous Week: 32
I thought Sam Bradford showed some mettle in his first NFL game, especially considering the Rams asked him to throw the ball 55 times. He’ll learn from the three interceptions.
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