Week 2 NFL power rankings: Chiefs at No. 1, Cowboys rise as Browns and Packers fall

The Carolina Panthers are the worst team in the NFL. The thing is, though, they aren’t just bad. Many were very low on the New Orleans Saints coming into the 2024 NFL season, with New Orleans widely viewed as one of the 10 worst teams entering Week 1. On Sunday, the Panthers trailed the Saints 30-0 in the first half and managed just 34 total yards of offense. Carolina feels destined for the No. 1 overall pick again, but at least they get to keep it this time!

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We knew the New York Giants would be bad this season, but this takes ‘bad’ to a new level. For one thing, Saquon Barkley scored more touchdowns on a single play than the Giants offense did on 68 plays. We could also highlight New York’s abysmal 3.5 yards per carry average – one of the worst in NFL Week 1 – or touch on Malik Nabers being limited against a pedestrian secondary. It’s going to be a long year for New York and we’re increasingly confident the coach and GM won’t last.

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The only thing that really matters for the Washington Commanders in 2024 is Jayden Daniels staying healthy. Kliff Kingsbury was the wrong hire and putting Daniels behind a bottom-3 offensive line only makes life more complicated for the rookie. On the bright side, at least Daniels’ playmaking (88 yards, 2 TDs) was on full display in Week 1.

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We have no idea why Davante Adams wants to be here. While we were quite high on the Las Vegas Raiders defense entering the season, the ease with which the Los Angeles Chargers ran the football (6.5) is a Nevada-sized red flag. Oh, and it turns out the Raiders settling for Gardner Minhew results in a lifeless offense, something everyone outside of Las Vegas saw coming. Raider Nation, Adams and Maxx Crosby deserve better than this, but this looks like who the Raiders will be in 2024.

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It’s time for people to stop taking preseason performances from young quarterbacks and using them to project success in the regular season. Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos reached for Bo Nix in the first round because they believed he was NFL-ready and would protect the football. Against the Seattle Seahawks defense, which is still learning a very complex scheme, Nix threw 2 interceptions and finished with a 47.5 QB rating. You get what you pay for.

For a moment, the Arizona Cardinals looked like the breakout team of the 2024 NFL season. After holding a 17-3 lead with under 30 seconds to go in the first half, everything fell apart. Arizona was outscored 31-11 the rest of the way, including 21 unanswered points that turned a 14-point lead into a 7-point deficit. We knew the Cardinals’ defense would be bad, but the lack of involvement from Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr (34 receiving yards on 12 receptions) is troubling.

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It looked good early for the Tennessee Titans, who jumped out to a 17-0 lead over the Chicago Bears on the road. Everything came undone in the second half. Tennessee’s punt was blocked and returned for the touchdown, which seemed to take all the air out of their sails. The Titans offense then had consecutive 3-and-outs followed by consecutive interceptions, including a pick-six. We give Tennessee credit for building a quality supporting cast around Will Levis and he’ll have plenty of chances to prove himself in 2024. With more performances like this, though, the offseason decision will be easy.

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The first one is always memorable. In his first game as an NFL head coach, Jerody Mayo delivered a strategy that Bill Belichick would love. The New England Patriots dominated on the ground – 170 rushing yards and 4.4 yards per carry – to easily win the time of possession battle. To complement that, this Patriots defense held the Cincinnati Bengals to a 36.4% third-down success rate with 2 turnovers and just 224 total yards. The Patriots are probably still destined to be one of the worst NFL teams in 2024, but this is a great start to the season for the young Pats.

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The Los Angeles Chargers showed a lot of little things to get excited about. This run game looked the best it has in years, a testament to Greg Roman and Jim Harbaugh. We also have to give some credit to this defense, led by the brilliant defensive-minded assistant Jesse Minter. With that said, the Raiders are pretty bad, so let’s hold off on calling the Chargers a true contender.

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We’re exercising a little caution with the New Orleans Saints because there’s a viable chance the Carolina Panthers could be all-time bad in 2024. With that said, what can’t be denied is the effect first-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak had on the Saints’ offense. Derek Carr looked the best we’ve seen him in years, Alvin Kamara played like he is still an All-Pro running back and New Orleans didn’t even need Chris Olave (11 receiving yards) to obliterate Carolina. We want to give New Orleans another week, but they could catapult up the rankings after Week 2 with a win over Dallas.

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The Indianapolis Colts can put up with one of two things and remain a Wild Card contender. Either they survive a bottom-10 defense or they overcome some of the mistakes you’d naturally expect from an inexperienced quarterback like Anthony Richardson. Both issues existed in Week 1. Richardson isn’t going to turn a corner in just a few weeks and Gus Bradley’s defense hasn’t changed in years. In short, the Colts just might be exactly what we saw on Sunday.

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It was a sloppy game for the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, with 2 turnovers and a 25 percent third-down success rate coming against a bottom-10 defense. Fortunately, Mike Macdonald’s defense made life miserable for Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix. We’re not ready to buy stock in the Seahawks as a playoff contender at this moment, but that can change after Week 3 (Miami Dolphins).

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Victories won’t come much easier for that than the Minnesota Vikings. Brian Flores’ defense came to play, holding the Giants’ offense to 3.5 yards per play with 2 takeaways. Not only that, Andrew Van Ginkel scored more touchdowns than New York. Meanwhile, Aaron Jones brought the juice (105 scrimmage yards, 1 TD) that Minnesota didn’t have in its backfield last season. We’ll remain skeptical of a team with Sam Darnold as its starting quarterback, but this is a nice start for Minnesota.

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We have a significant level of concern regarding the Cincinnati Bengals. Facing one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, Cincinnati’s defense allowed 170 rushing yards and sacked Jacoby Brissett just once. With Ja’Marr Chase out there, the Bengals offense managed just 10 points and 224 total yards on 48 plays. We know Cincinnati has been a slow starter in the past, but this feels like a team destined to become one of the biggest NFL disappointments this season.

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We are willing to not completely overreact to a Week 1 loss, especially for a team that didn’t really utilize the preseason to shake off the rust. What’s truly alarming is the fact that the Falcons draft class is seemingly being given a redshirt year, which shouldn’t be a thing if you’re an NFL team that clams you want to win the Super Bowl this season. Also, whatever happened to a change in play-calling leading to Drake London getting more involved?

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The old Deshaun Watson is never coming back. Nearly 2 years away from football certainly didn’t help his career and injuries as the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback only made things worse. It also might only get worse from here because this Browns offensive line has taken multiple steps back in the past 2 years. Of course, all of this is even more painful for Browns fans because of the contract that leaves the franchise with historic cap hits in 2025 and 2026.

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It’s always nice to start your season against one of the worst NFL teams. Baker Mayfield made it look easy against the Washington Commanders’ defense, which it should be. Where the Buccaneers really deserve credit is for this defensive effort because Calijah Kancey was unavailable on Sunday. With the Falcons off to a slugging start, Tampa Bay looks like the team to beat in the division.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars jumped out to a 17-7 lead at halftime and the defense even held onto it late in the third quarter, hoping the offense would come alive again. Instead, Jacksonville got shut out in the second half with the offense giving up the football on 3-and-outs, turnover on downs and a fumble. A 20 percent third-down success rate with Trevor Lawrence at quarterback is unacceptable, but it doesn’t feel surprising from this coaching staff.

The Los Angeles Rams deserve a ton of credit for surviving that many injuries and then taking the Detroit Lions to overtime. Seriously, Los Angeles trotted out the equivalent of the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line in the Super Bowl bowl against Tampa Bay. Even with that massive disadvantage, the Rams took one of the best teams in the NFL into OT. Unfortunately, if Puka Nacua is out long-term and the Rams offensive line can’t get healthy quickly, things will take a downward turn in Los Angeles.

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T.J. Watt, ladies and gentlemen. He ‘only’ finished with 1 sack on Sunday, but 3 QB hits and 2 tackles for loss and even more pressures made the difference in this game. We also have to give kudos to quarterback Justin Fields. While he wasn’t great, a 91.9 QB rating with 57 rushing yards and 0 turnovers is better than what the Steelers have had at quarterback in a few years. Pittsburgh really just needs decent quarterback play to be quite good.

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Simone Biles’ husband won it for the Chicago Bears. On a Sunday when the Bears’ offense really couldn’t get anything going, the game changed when Jonathan Owens returned a blocked punt for a touchdown. It sparked 21 unanswered points from Chicago, with 14 in the fourth quarter, including a Tyrique Stevenson pick-six that sealed the victory for Chicago. So, while Caleb Williams was bad in his NFL debut – 14-of-29 for 93 yards – the Bears proved they can still find ways to win.

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What matters for the Green Bay Packers coming out of Week 1. What looked like a season-ending injury is probably only going to sideline Love for 3 weeks, but he’ll probably be limited after. The Packers certainly showed they have the talent to be one of the best NFL teams, but a myriad of self-inflicted wounds cost them. One thing that’s obvious, the Packers’ backup quarterback will put this team in an early hole in a highly competitive field of NFC playoff contenders.

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So, the New York Jets aren’t close to the San Francisco 49ers’ level right now. In reality, that’s probably the case for upwards of 28 NFL teams right now. Aaron Rodgers starting the season slow isn’t surprising, it’s been that way historically and he’s now in his 40s coming off a torn Achilles. We still believe the Jets have a top-10 defense in football and this offense just needs to be slightly above-average for this to be one of the 10 best teams in football.

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This will certainly be seen as an overreaction to a close loss to the reigning Super Bowl champions, but this Baltimore Ravens offensive line is an alarming problem. It’s even more concerning when you look at an upcoming Ravens schedule that features the Raiders (Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins), Dallas Cowboys (Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence) and the Buffalo Bills (Greg Rousseau). Keep in mind, that’s just in September.

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Scottie Scheffler was arrested for a traffic incident before a tournament earlier this year and then went on to win the PGA Championship. We’re just saying! It wasn’t the prettiest game for the Miami Dolphins offense and that’s abnormal for a team that typically dominates in September. With that said, a win is a win and the Dolphins are clearly one of the 10 best NFL teams right now.

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What matters the most for the Buffalo Bills is the 1-0 start, with that said, there are some small red flags. Bills corner Taron Johnson left the game with an injury and didn’t return. It’s also concerning to see how easily the Arizona Cardinals ran the ball against this Bills defense. Still, a team led by Josh Allen always has a shot at going to the Super Bowl.

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Sunday was almost perfect for the Dallas Cowboys. The day started with the team rightfully extending Dak Prescott, ensuring this franchise doesn’t fall into quarterback purgatory in the years to come. On the field, the Cowboys’ defense looked sharp under play-caller Mike Zimmer and Prescott played pretty well behind an offensive line with 2 rookies playing new positions. Unfortunately, that Jake Ferguson injury gives us pause because he’s the second-best playmaker on the Cowboys offense.

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Saquon Barkley is feeling even better right now about his decision to leave the New York Giants. Granted, it was he easiest decision in the world. Jalen Hurts made some mistakes in Week 1, costly blunders, but he also showed real improvement against the blitz. We don’t love how the Eagles defense looked, but better coaching can make a world of defense for a loaded roster.

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The Houston Texans weren’t nearly as dominant as we hoped to see in Week 1, but it’s certainly true that winners are tougher to come by against rivals. What is promising for Houston is Joe Mixon’s performance (159 rushing yards, 1 touchdown) as Houston didn’t have a run game in 2023. As long as C.J. Stroud cleans things up and this Texans defense improves, Houston will be one of the best NFL teams moving forward.

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It wasn’t crisp, especially in light of all the Los Angeles Rams injuries, but the Detroit Lions survived on Sunday Night Football. Jared Goff wasn’t close to his best and the Lions defense made some costly mistakes, but Detroit overcame them and engineered a game-tying drive. Once they got it to overtime, Dan Campbell went back to his roots and the Lions ran their way into a 1-0 record.

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Even with Christian McCaffrey and Dre Greenlaw out, Brandon Aiyuk limited and Trent Williams coming off a summer holdout, the San Francisco 49ers won in dominating fashion. When the 49ers are at their absolute best, as they were on Monday Night Football, you get dominant victories like this one. We saw it last season in victories against the Dallas Cowboys (42-10) and Philadelphia Eagles (42-19). It’s why the 49ers, Lions and Chiefs are really in their own tier among the best NFL teams.

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The Kansas City Chiefs are the best team in the NFL. What should truly scare the rest of the league is the fact that the Chiefs, who won Super Bowls with ‘solid’ offenses, now have the playmakers to finish with one of the highest-scoring NFL offenses in 2024. That will more than make up for a top-5 defense regressing to a top-10 unit. Yeah, a three-peat is possible.