Here’s the deal with NFL Power Rankings. They are not predictions. If a team projects to have an easy or difficult schedule ahead of them, that matters not for this exercise. These are very simply a list of how good each team is right this minute. As for these Week 2 NFL Power Rankings with one week under our belt, let’s look at something new for each of these teams.
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NFL Power Rankings: Week 2
32) Miami Dolphins
Somewhat predictably, Miami Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick put the ball in harm’s way with too much regularly against New England. It isn’t quite time to bring the new guy in at quarterback yet, but could we see some packages designed just for Tua Tagovailoa as soon as next week?
31) New York Jets
New York got little done on the ground and couldn’t get off the field on defense. The Jets lost the time of possession battle by over 22 minutes. Adam Gase and Sam Darnold need to get back on track in Week 2, or this is going to get old quick if it keeps up going forward.
30) Carolina Panthers
Almost everything is new for the Panthers in 2020. They didn’t get the win at home but played the Raiders very tough in an extremely entertaining game. Expect more high scoring affairs this year as Matt Rhule keeps working with all the new components in Carolina.
29) Jacksonville Jaguars
Ranked at the very bottom of the league here a week ago, the Jaguars upset the Colts, a team that many are picking to win the AFC South. A new excellent addition for Jacksonville could be first-rounder CJ Henderson, who might have been the best player on the field.
28) New York Giants
Three of the Giants starting offensive linemen are new. That unit had a rough night against Pittsburgh’s excellent defensive front and blitz packages. That being said, Daniel Jones looks like an improved player in his second season.
27) Washington Football Team
Eight sacks! The second overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft – Chase Young – is an extremely welcome new addition and gives the Washington Football Team an embarrassment of riches on their defensive line.
26) Cincinnati Bengals
If the Cincinnati Bengals kicker doesn’t injure his calf on the game-tying field goal attempt, the world might be going crazy over Joe Burrow’s fourth-quarter drive to make overtime even possible. The first overall pick had some rookie moments, but Burrow passed his first test with flying colors.
25) Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns and Baker Mayfield were dominated in Baltimore. But Cleveland is one of the franchises with the most change and new items since last year, and the Ravens are one of the most stable. That shouldn’t excuse this performance, however.
24) Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders have a new home but went on the road and got a critical opening week victory. Josh Jacobs is in his second season (so he is kind of new) but really stepped up his performance as a receiver from a year ago. Jacobs can become a complete back and one of the best in the league.
23) Chicago Bears
Mitch Trubisky didn’t play great in the Bears win in Detroit, but his 3-0 TD/INT ratio is something new that Chicago fans could really get used to.
22) Detroit Lions
Blowing a winnable game is anything but new for the Lions – it is a rather disturbing trend. In terms of items that are new for Detroit, their offseason additions on defense did truly little to impress in their loss to the Bears.
21) Denver Broncos
With Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton sidelined, first-round pick Jerry Jeudy showed rare rookie route-running skills but did have two bad drops. But it was second-year tight end Noah Fant that ended up being Drew Lock’s best friend ending the night with 81 yards and a touchdown.
20) Minnesota Vikings
What is new for Minnesota is playing at home and not getting a huge advantage and boost from extreme crowd noise in their favor. The way the Vikings performed, it didn’t matter where this game was played, but Minnesota could be one of the teams most affected by a lack of people in the seats.
19) Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were the inferior team vs. Seattle. It is certainly noteworthy that Matt Ryan racked up 450 passing yards, while new addition Todd Gurley mustered just 56 rushing yards on 14 carries. This could be a trend, and Ryan might lead the league in passing yards this year.
18) Houston Texans
Although the environment was unlike any other opening night, it is still a death trap to walk into the defending Super Champions’ building to kick off the NFL regular season. As for something new for Houston, David Johnson was quite impressive in his debut, and with Duke Johnson injured in that loss in Kansas City, he could be ready to put up some serious numbers for the Texans.
17) Los Angeles Chargers
Tyrod Taylor is the Chargers’ new starter, and as he has often done when given a chance, Taylor did just enough to get his team the victory in Cincinnati. Los Angeles won the turnover battle 2-0, and their talented defense made some big plays. That’s the Chargers formula with Taylor at quarterback.
16) Arizona Cardinals
The something new for the Cardinals couldn’t have worked out better. Obviously, that is DeAndre Hopkins, whose career-high 14 receptions greatly helped Arizona knock off the 49ers to make a statement in the NFC West. The Cardinals kept Hopkins to Kyler Murray’s left side to avoid Richard Sherman (who did change sides at times), and their new wide receiver feasted.