Week 2 is always one of the best weeks of the NFL seasons. It’s the Sunday where everyone collectively wonders “are any of these teams good?” These rankings will reflect that.
Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs excluded, of course.
Sunday saw the Baltimore Ravens blow a 21-point lead, the Los Angeles Rams almost gag away a 25-point cushion,
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers struggle in New Orleans, and the preseason AFC South-favorite Indianapolis Colts once again lose in Jacksonville.
The San Francisco 49ers got back to .500, but likely lost quarterback Trey Lance for the season.
Here’s where each team sits after Sunday’s Week 2 action.
1. Buffalo Bills (1-0): The Titans stuffed Josh Allen on fourth down near the goal line in the waning seconds of Tennessee’s win over Buffalo
2. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0): Patrick Mahomes should take the luck he had Thursday night and head to Vegas. The Chargers dropped four would-be interceptions in Kansas City’s 27-24 win.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0): Philly’s defense looked old and slow against the Lions in Week 1.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0): Tom Brady might want to rethink retirement after watching the Bucs’
5. Minnesota Vikings (1-0): The Vikings can make a statement Monday night in Philly. Unfortunately, Kirk Cousins’ track record in primetime isn’t exactly stellar.
6. Los Angeles Chargers (1-1): Justin Herbert’s fractured rib cartilage is all that matters in Los Angeles.
7. Miami Dolphins (2-0): Mike McDaniel, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle might save Tua Tagovailoa’s career.
8. Baltimore Ravens (1-1): Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are still running free against the Ravens’ secondary.
9. Green Bay Packers (1-1): Getting the ball to Aaron Jones seems to be a recipe for success.
10. Los Angeles Rams (1-1): The Rams avoided a colossal meltdown against the Falcons. But they are still shaking off the Super Bowl hangover.
11. San Francisco 49ers (1-1): Don’t defend Kyle Shanahan for consistently using franchise QB Trey Lance like a battering ram and getting him injured
12. Denver Broncos (1-1): Nathaniel Hackett might not have been ready for the big time.
13. New Orleans Saints (1-1): Bucs linebacker Devin White perfectly summed up Jameis Winston after Tampa Bay’s 20-10 win in New Orleans: “We just knew he was going to give us the ball.”
14. New England Patriots (1-1): Gunner Olszewski said he wanted to make his old team remember him.
Instead, his special teams blunder ended up handing New England a much-needed win in Pittsburgh. Bill Belichick appreciates the gesture, Gunner.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1): Mitchell Trubisky was the wise move when it looked like the defense could carry the Steelers to a playoff berth.
16. Dallas Cowboys (1-1): Dak who? (This is a joke.)
17. Arizona Cardinals (1-1): Kyler Murray, Byron Murphy and Isaiah Simmons might have saved the Cardinals' season. Still a lot of issues in the desert, though.
18. Cincinnati Bengals (0-2): The Bengals have been borderline atrocious in their first two games and still had a chance to win each of them. That’s something … I think.
19. Detroit Lions (1-1): The Lions have scored 30 or more points in three straight games for the first time since 1997. Things might be turning around in Detroit.
18. Cincinnati Bengals (0-2): The Bengals have been borderline atrocious in their first two games and still had a chance to win each of them. That’s something … I think.
20. New York Giants (2-0): I still don’t think the Giants are good. But 2-0 is 2-0.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1): The Jags get to be the highest-ranked AFC South team because, well, they have a win.
22. Las Vegas Raiders (0-2): Raiders owner Mark Davis got his title when the Las Vegas Aces won the WNBA Championship on Sunday.
23. Chicago Bears (1-1): Bears' offense was impressive on the scripted first drive. After? Not so much.
24. Tennessee Titans (0-1): Tennessee feels like a team that could crumble early. Josh Allen isn’t the quarterback you want to see when you’re trying to find your footing early.
25. New York Jets (1-1): Robert Saleh said he was going to keep the receipts of everyone mocking.
26. Cleveland Browns (1-1): Brownie the Elf couldn’t save the Browns from stepping in it against the Jets.
27. Houston Texans (0-1-1): The Texans begged the Broncos to win Sunday’s game. Finally, the Mile High Ponies obliged. Texans aren’t ready to win anything yet.
28. Indianapolis Colts (0-1-1): Jim Irsay is about to fire everyone.
29. Washington Commanders (1-1): The Commanders are who we thought they were.
Over/under on how many games Carson Wentz has left as a starting QB in the NFL? Six? Eight? Can’t be many.
29. Washington Commanders (1-1): The Commanders are who we thought they were.
30. Seattle Seahawks (1-1): The Seahawks putting four running backs on the field only to throw an interception was perfect. No notes.
31. Atlanta Falcons (0-2): The universe couldn’t handle the Falcons coming back from a 28-3 deficit. The comeback had to come up short.
32. Carolina Panthers (0-2): Matt Rhule is 5-16 in one-possession games since the start of 2020. Tell me that he and Nebraska aren’t a perfect fit