The Gridiron Gentlemen’s NFL Power Ranking: Week 2

There are a lot of changes this week. Let’s start at the bottom…

32) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: They look exactly like last year’s team, just with more aging Bears defensive backs. Winston is a long term project.

31) Cleveland Browns: I might have them a little low, but I’m waiting to be impressed by this team. Even the secondary looked weak on Sunday and that’s always been an area of strength.

30) Oakland Raiders: I had faith in this team, but they still can’t seem to move the ball. I actually think this team could move even lower. They’re going to have big issues if they can’t get Latavius Murray going.

29) Washington: They might not be the worst team in the league. The defence actually looked serviceable and could be enough to keep the score low for Cousins/ Morris for a couple of games.

28) Jacksonville Jaguars: Jags… I have been on-board this particular bandwagon for the last 3 years. I’m finally off. They still don’t look like a team that could break .500.

27) Houston Texans: The defence looks pretty solid, although the secondary allowed some big plays, it is however the offence that is the biggest concern. Without Foster, this could be the worst offence in the league and I have no faith in the QBs

26) Chicago Bears: Shy of the interception to Matthews, the Bears played way better than expected. This could be a team on the rise, whilst almost certainly still being the worst team in the division.

25) New Orleans Saints: If they can’t keep the score down, they’ll lose games. It’s that simple. This is not an offence that’s designed to run up the score any more.

24) Carolina Panthers: The score flattered the Panthers, who are rapidly running out of weapons. Kuechly missing time could be a problem.

23) New York Giants: They should have beaten the Cowboys if not for a crazy finish to a game they nearly had wrapped up. The defence is still an issue but they could beat teams in a shootout.

22) Tennessee Titans: Big movers and maybe I’ve been a little foolhardy. But I really like this team, front to back (not just a certain QB).

21) New York Jets: They took the Browns to pieces, but I’m still not convinced by the offence. I may be a little low on them though compared to the Bills.

20) Minnesota Vikings: I had a lot of faith in this team, but they fell apart in a sneaky trap game. This team has a lot of work to do if they’re to live up to the hype.

19) San Francisco 49ers: They looked good yesterday. Loved that they gave the game ball to Tomsula, shows that they’re buying into what he’s doing. The first half however wasn’t wonderful. This team still needs work.

18) Detroit Lions: A complete collapse in the 2nd half saw this team move down the power ranking. There is obviously some serious talent there, but they’ll need Stafford to up his game.

17) St Louis Rams: They beat the Seahawks in a masterfully game-planned outing. I still think this team might struggle against a high powered offence.

16) Dallas Cowboys: They won a close game against the Giants, but lost 2 key pieces in the process. Without Bryant or a decent run game they could struggle in the coming weeks.

15) Indianapolis Colts: I’m not a believer in this team. I am however believer in Andrew Luck and believe he alone (and Vontae Davis) is good enough to get them to the playoffs.

14) Pittsburgh Steelers: Some dire game planning in the game against the Patriots but there is some talent on this team. I can see them beating bad teams, but struggling against the good.

13) Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins nearly let a lot down a lot of people in the eliminator. However this team has a lot of talent. I’d imagine the Washington game was just a blip.

12) Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens offence was lack-lustre on Sunday, but the defence was exceptional. If they can just move the ball, they should be okay. Still I moved them down.

11) Denver Broncos: See above… The defence is slightly better than the Ravens but the offence not so much. I’ve been a defender of his, but Manning does appear to be spent.

10) Atlanta Falcons: Probably the biggest movers. I love this team. From what I saw this team finally managed to do what the Falcons teams of the previous few years have failed to do. Protect the QB and pressure opposing offences. Coupled with the insane talent of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, this is a very good team.

9) Philadelphia Eagles: So I’ve still got them above the Falcons despite the loss. The fact is I think they need a little time to get going and that they are almost certainly the best team in the division. However they need to get the run game going.

8) San Diego Chargers: The second half of the Lions game saw the Chargers come back from huge deficit to win a game against a decent Lions team. That at least makes me think they deserve a decent spot on this list. Rivers will need to keep up current level of play if they’re to beat out the Broncos and the Chiefs in the AFC West.

7) Buffalo Bills: An impressive win for the Bills this week against an out of sorts Colts team. The Bills defence looked exceptional and the offence moved the ball incredibly well. I have my doubts as to whether they can do this every week, but they’ve definitely earned a top 10 spot.

6) Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks move down this list thanks to a few concerns. The offensive line is awful and as a result they struggle to move the ball. The defence drastically needs Kam Chancellor back otherwise they’ll give up an awful lot of yardage to Randall Cobb when they play the Packers.

5) Arizona Cardinals: This team gave me little reason to doubt them, yet I did. They looked great this week and with a strengthened offensive line and a healthy Carson Palmer the offence can put up some points. Also it’s worth noting that the defence looks every bit as good as last year.

4) Kansas City Chiefs: I love this team. The next 2 teams on this list seem to lack any areas of need. The Chiefs looked fantastic against the Texans last week and although I don’t think they’ll be this high on the list come the end of the season, they definitely deserve to be there now.

3) Cincinnati Bengals: We know what happens with the Bengals, they over perform in the regular season, then under perform in the post season. Till then though they are deservedly here.

2) New England Patriots: The Patriots looked good against the Steelers, but not great. They have flaws, but somehow they always overcome them. They’re the Patriots and they’re in my opinion, easily the best team in the AFC.

1) Green Bay Packers: They were less than their usual impressive selves against the Bears this week, but like the Pats they find away. The fact that they turned James Jones into a relevant receiving option again shows just how talented Aaron Rodgers is. Despite there being deeper teams in the league, they are still the best team, thanks in no small part to their QB.

Some big games in week 2 could mean some big changes. Who knows, maybe the Bills will be no. 1