NFL Power Rankings, Week 2: Bills, Packers climb; Lions fall from top five

It's Week 2, and some 2024 contenders had shaky moments in recent days, so by the end of Week 1, nothing that had happened to the Eagles in the Kickoff Game ultimately felt all that shocking. Philadelphia took care of business, dealing with adversity the way a defending Super Bowl champion should, and finished off the Cowboys. The defensive questions won't go away, especially with the second cornerback spot. The Eagles had to make several in-game adjustments to deal with the coverage issues, and that was on top of having to scrap the original game plan after Jalen Carter was ejected prior to the first play from scrimmage. Teams that don't have Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley might be a tad more concerned, even with Philly about to embark on a trip to Kansas City. They're still the Eagles for now.

Josh Allen had to hear the MVP chants for Lamar Jackson in his own stadium. Then he got up off the mat and led three scoring drives in the final seven-plus minutes to pull off the most improbable comeback imaginable. Allen was MVP-level good; in the fourth quarter alone, he completed 16 of 21 passes for 251 yards (all three figures higher than what Jackson produced in the entire game) and a touchdown, while also running for two scores. For three-plus quarters, the Ravens looked to be the better team, as Jackson and Derrick Henry ran roughshod over the Bills. Buffalo's defense rallied late, but Baltimore had scored on seven of eight possessions to start the game. And therein lies the one thing holding me back with the Bills: their difficulty, year over year, slowing down top-tier offenses. Of course, in the here and now, that only means so much. The Jets and Patriots lost at home, and the Dolphins were obliterated in Indianapolis. This is all about the march to January and whether the Bills can solve their defensive issues before tournament time.

With seven minutes left in the fourth quarter on Sunday night, I started asking myself whether Baltimore deserved to leapfrog Philadelphia. I think I would've made the switch at No. 1 -- had the Ravens finished the job. Instead, they end up here after a shocking double-digit-win-turned-loss. Ravens fans have developed thicker skin over the years, but this one had to sting. Through eight drives, the Ravens had 410 yards and 40 points. Derrick Henry's second touchdown -- a 46-yard lighting bolt that increased Baltimore's lead to 40-25 -- felt like the knockout blow in Buffalo. But the Ravens squandered the final three possessions, with Henry's fumble being the killer. Then the defense, which had actually played very well in the first 50-plus minutes, was absolutely undressed at the end. It's wild to think that a few minutes of game time could have this big a swing on an outcome (and my impression of a team), but here we are. I still believe the Ravens are going to blowtorch most of the league, but this one will stick in the craw for some time.

What a rousing debut for Micah Parsons and for the other members of the Packers' defense, who appeared energized by Parsons' arrival and the challenge of stopping the Lions. Challenge completed. It was a beautiful effort defensively, with strong pressure, disciplined coverage (almost all zone) and several stuffs in the run game. Lukas Van Ness especially caught my eye; is Year 3 his time? Either way, if Parsons can have this kind of impact in 29 snaps while nursing a back injury, imagine what he -- and this defense -- can do with him at full health. Oh, and Jordan Love was pretty darned good outside of one really shaky series. Love has a way of never allowing you to fully relax, but he was throwing some heaters early. Suddenly, they're dreaming big in Green Bay.

One pass attempt into the season, Patrick Mahomes lost Xavier Worthy indefinitely to a shoulder injury. Rashee Rice is only one week into a six-game suspension. Rookie Jalen Royals is dealing with knee pain. Hollywood Brown played his role in the opener, Travis Kelce caught a schemed-up TD and JuJu Smith-Schuster made a few plays. But we're almost right back where Kansas City has been a few times in the recent past, and we know how this movie goes. The Chiefs really labored offensively for much of the loss in Brazil before catching a little fire late against the Chargers. But with the defense really struggling to get stops, it introduced a relatively new storyline to watch. I was hopeful the offense could regain some of its mojo, but I truly thought the D would be stout. With Philly on tap, K.C. could be in some early heat.

Baker Mayfield started cold, the Buccaneers' defense had its hands full with Michael Penix Jr., and it just felt like this one was tilting the way of the Falcons, who swept the Bucs last season. But no: Mayfield shook off the rust in his first game action since the playoffs and did just enough, hitting Emeka Egbuka for what ultimately proved to be the game-winning touchdown. I felt like Egbuka would come into the league NFL-ready, but I didn't realize he'd be the Week 1 hero -- and almost certainly a huge part of Tampa Bay's passing game this season. The reshuffled offensive line had its hands full without All-Pro LT Tristan Wirfs, but the backs also missed picking up some pressures. The defense took a few right hooks before clamping down, with Antoine Winfield Jr.'s late pass breakup a possible game-saver. Style points be damned in this one, as the Bucs logged a division win on the road in Week 1.

Jayden Daniels missed some throws -- and some points, too, with an intentional grounding at the Giants' 4-yard line (one of 12 Washington penalties) running out the first-half clock and keeping the Giants in the game. But chalk this stuff up to early-season rust. Daniels also threw for 233 yards and ran for 68, part of a 220-yard rushing game for Washington. Deebo Samuel and Jacory Croskey-Merritt were big hits in their Commanders debuts, even if the new offensive tackles struggled a bit. But the big story was the play of the defense. Even against the Giants, that unit's effort and execution deserve adulation. It'll be a quick turnaround to Thursday's game at Green Bay, but also an excellent chance for the defense to prove it really has taken a step forward.

Even with a shockingly tame offensive day, the Lions still had three chances to score in the red zone before the game was out of reach, and they totaled six points. I'm sure there will be panic in Detroit (great song), especially now that the Lions are in Ben Johnson Week, but I think we had best exercise a little patience with John Morton, the play-calling, the execution and all of it. Defensively, there has to be some worry after CB Terrion Arnold's injury, which was a haunting reminder of last year's roster carnage. If Chicago beats Detroit at Ford Field this Sunday and the offense looks lifeless again, I suspect my tune on the Lions will change a bit.

It wasn't the showing Bo Nix and the offense wanted, but I give them some credit for working their way through issues. The third- and fourth-down efficiency was poor, as it was in the red zone, and you won't win many more games finishing minus-2 in turnovers. But with some better drives in the final 20 minutes, the offense could at least say it wore the Titans down. Nix let his mechanics go a little bit early on; he just seemed a little jacked up or something. This wasn't a Defcon 2 situation or anything, but it was a little concerning that the defense had to play a nearly perfect game to bail out the offense and special teams. A shaky opener, but not a disheartening one.

Let’s start with the really good: The Rams' defense held the Texans to 265 yards, 4.6 yards per play, three field goals and zero points after halftime. They forced two Houston turnovers -- a brilliant INT by Cobie Durant and an insane punchout by Nate Landman in the closing minutes, with the Texans threatening to take the lead. Houston hurt itself with penalties, putting the team in a lot of long-yardage situations, but the Rams took care of business. In fact, Los Angeles’ offense was a little crisper than Houston’s. This was no presumption, considering Matthew Stafford’s back issues and the fact that Puka Nacua required stitches above his right eye early in the game. Puka returned to slice up Houston for several big catches. Given their slow starts the past two seasons, the Rams will gladly celebrate this victory.

Entering the fourth quarter, J.J. McCarthy’s first start was nothing short of a nightmare. He’d completed 7 of 12 passes for 56 yards, taken three sacks and thrown a pick-six that put the Vikings in a 17-6 hole. But when the Bears missed a field goal that would've given them a two-touchdown lead, something clicked in McCarthy -- and he went nuclear. A lot of credit goes to Kevin O’Connell, who truly feels like one of the league’s best coaches. But years from now, if McCarthy ultimately hits it big in this league, people will talk about his fourth quarter in Chicago. Suddenly flipping the switch in his first regular-season game, he led three brilliant TD drives, notching two scores with his arm and one with his legs, plus a two-point toss to Adam Thielen. Meanwhile, Brian Flores’ defense started getting home on pass rushes, making Caleb Williams pretty uncomfortable after halftime. But the night belonged to McCarthy -- a Bears fan growing up -- finding his way through some serious adversity. 

They dispelled the Week 1 jinx, but winning in Cleveland certainly wasn't easy. The result is all that matters, and fortunately, the Browns spotted the Bengals two turnovers, two missed kicks, some rough penalties and a slew of drops. Cincinnati's offense hummed early at times but then went into a shell. The Bengals totaled 141 net yards on the first three drives ... and 11 yards over their final seven possessions. In the fourth quarter, they netted minus-23 yards on 12 plays. This is one of the best offenses in the NFL? Thankfully, the defense came up big when it had to, and the special teams did their job. It was underwhelming but effective.

Our final impression of Justin Herbert from last season was by far his worst, but last Friday's game in Brazil was a good reminder that he’s been a very good quarterback most of the time. His showing against the Chiefs was one of his finest, and it was certainly one of his most important. You can say that about Herbert because he’s 0-2 in the playoffs and was 2-7 against the Chiefs coming in, but he was dicing up a defense that was one of the league’s best in 2024. Quentin Johnston also came up big and might yet be a true difference-maker. I was kind of fading this team a bit in the preseason after the season-ending injury to Rashawn Slater, who's a tremendous player, but watching Joe Alt at left tackle in Week 1 made me feel a whole lot better.

The Texans lacked explosiveness offensively in the opener, and they shot themselves in the foot with some big mistakes -- two big turnovers and far too many penalties. They had 11 accepted flags, including a few big ones on defense and offensive penalties that erased short and medium gains. As a result, C.J. Stroud faced a lot of long-yardage situations, and the Rams were playing to prevent the chunk plays. You can’t really blame Stroud on his INT, but Dare Ogunbowale’s late fumble was absolutely brutal. It was first down, and the Texans were in no hurry; ball security has to be job No. 1 right there. Stroud had trouble getting the ball to Nico Collins all game. Afterward, the QB called out his team’s practice work leading up to the game. They’re a tough Bucs team away from an 0-2 start, although the game is in Houston.

Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ defense both came up big when it mattered most against the Seahawks, and the Niners secured a big road win against a division opponent. For a team that went 1-5 against the NFC West and collapsed down the stretch last season, the significance of the victory can’t be overlooked. Christian McCaffrey took a bit to get unlocked, but the 49ers didn’t hold back, giving him 31 touches on 58 snaps. I assume that’s a good thing, although that’s a pretty heavy Week 1 workload. There also were reminders of last year’s fall, starting with the injuries and kicking issues. George Kittle and Jauan Jennings both left the game with injuries -- Kittle is expected to miss at least a few weeks -- and Purdy is dealing with toe and shoulder injuries that have his status in question. Jake Moody missed a 27-yarder and had 36-yarder blocked, raising questions of just how much patience Kyle Shanahan will have with him. (EDITOR'S UPDATE: The 49ers are waiving Moody, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported after publishing on Tuesday.)

The Steelers were fortunate to win on Sunday, needing two fourth-quarter TDs (in a 50-second span) and two long field goals from Chris Boswell to beat a Jets team that hasn’t finished a season with a winning record since 2015. That’s the dose of reality that should be served alongside the rousing, final-minute win in Aaron Rodgers’ debut -- which went pretty spectacularly, by the way. On a day when Pittsburgh got nothing going on the ground, Arthur Smith called a more-aggressive-than-usual game by his standards and let Rodgers deal. The 41-year-old's four touchdown passes went to four different receivers, not including WR1 DK Metcalf, who had a few game-changing plays despite being shadowed by Sauce Gardner most of the game. The offensive explosion was certainly welcomed, but I don’t think Mike Tomlin is hoping for fastbreak shootouts every week.

The Saints looked like they were going to at least tie the game on a pass to the end zone in the final minute, but Budda Baker knocked the ball loose from Juwan Johnson’s hands, and the Cardinals would breathe a huge sigh at game’s end. They could have put the contest away earlier, but the offense stalled and had a 46-yard field goal attempt blocked. Arizona managed just 49 net yards in its final four possessions and was far too soft defensively in the last five minutes, allowing the Saints to chip away with some ease. This wasn’t a banner start for my surprise playoff pick, but at least it wasn’t a terrible loss. Maybe the Cards will look more assertive at home this Sunday against the Panthers.

Caleb Williams’ sizzling start cooled off, but not to the point where I thought the Bears were actually going to lose the game. Once Cairo Santos missed the field goal to start the fourth quarter, though, the floodgates opened. The defense suddenly came unglued. Williams looked far more harried. The offense basically stopped functioning -- exactly what we were told Ben Johnson attacks don't do. There was plenty of blame to go around. I’ve gotta say, it was a pretty rough night for the big interior-OL trio Chicago brought in this offseason. Yeah, the Vikings brought extra pressure a number of times, but they also got two sacks on four-man rushes. Most of that heat came right up the middle, forcing Williams to start making poorer decisions and rush his throws. The defense was shorthanded, so there’s an excuse baked in, but the offense had way too many empty possessions. There’s a lot to work to do, and either the Bears or Lions will be 0-2 at this time next week.

The Seahawks might have hoped -- and perhaps even expected -- the defense would be the more stable unit early on while the offense establishes its identity. That probably proved true in Week 1, as Seattle did a lot of good things defensively but ultimately couldn’t get a late stop against a Niners offense that lost some big contributors. Overall, the D’s effort was good, and the special teams came up pretty big with a blocked kick, good punting and a strong return game. It wasn’t enough, however, as Sam Darnold and the offense came up short after the early TD drive. They had solid field position, but their final five drives turned into two fumbles, two punts and a field goal. That’s just not enough in a rivalry game like Sunday's.  

Michael Penix Jr. really did some nice things in Week 1, but the Buccaneers kept the Falcons under wraps on the scoreboard by containing Atlanta’s run game and preventing the downfield passing plays. Penix was 4 of 12 for 64 yards on throws of 10-plus air yards, per Next Gen Stats. His legs were a surprising weapon, for sure. We didn’t see Penix scramble much in his three starts last season, but he had three big runs in the fourth quarter, giving his team a chance to tie the game late. That was my takeaway, not the missed field goal that followed. The Falcons seem to believe they have enough horsepower to be an elite offense, and Penix showed a willingness to evolve mid-game. That gives me hope, but they’ll have to win this Sunday night at Minnesota to avoid the 0-2 start.

All things considered, it was a pretty darned encouraging loss in the opener, even if the Eagles gave Dallas every chance to win the game. CeeDee Lamb’s late drops were unbecoming of a receiver of his caliber and likely cost his team a massive upset. After some early struggles, the defense made a second-half statement. Even if the weather affected the offenses -- neither team scored after the delay -- the Cowboys took a far more aggressive approach to getting after Jalen Hurts, and it proved effective. If Dallas can run the ball the way it did and play defensively more like it did in the second half, perhaps there’s some hope for these post-Micah Parsons Cowboys.

The 2024 Jaguars held the lowly Titans to six points and somehow kept the Vikings out of the end zone, but last season's defensive highlight reel doesn’t extend too far beyond that. Even if it came against a Panthers team with a host of questions, Jacksonville’s defensive effort was strong on Sunday. The D had three takeaways and forced two turnovers on downs. The Jaguars’ offense also had plenty of high notes, scoring on four first-half drives. Travis Etienne had his best game in recent memory, and Trevor Lawrence was mostly sharp, even while throwing one pick. The Jags will want to be more efficient throwing to Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter (combined for 44 receiving yards on 15 targets), but they were never threatened. A suddenly-intriguing matchup against the Bengals will be a good measuring stick for Liam Coen’s team.

Not a bad Raiders debut for Geno Smith, eh? Even with the early pick against the Patriots, he regained command, withstood several hits and four sacks and did what he needed to do in a 362-yard outing -- with Brock Bowers on the sideline at game’s end. Ashton Jeanty didn’t have a lot of room to run, but he was pretty forceful in a few key short-yardage situations. Defensively, the Raiders were pretty outstanding, patching a few leaky holes early. It wasn’t the cleanest game of all time, and the pass-protection issues need to be ironed out, but the energy and toughness were notable upgrades in Pete Carroll’s debut. I have at least one eye on this team.

Colts fans are welcome to give me an earful. I had the Dolphins four spots ahead of them the last time I power ranked, and Indy deserves its flowers for demolishing Miami. The Colts physically dominated up front and scored on every possession. Pointing out that they settled for three red-zone field goals is about as tough a criticism as I can muster. Daniel Jones was far better than anyone could have hoped for, and Tyler Warren looked like a future star in his NFL debut. The Colts had three drives of 14-plus plays after having five of those all last season. Defensively, Indianapolis forced turnovers on three of its first four series and picked off Tua Tagovailoa the first two times the Dolphins crossed midfield. The Colts felt like easy marks this preseason after Anthony Richardson couldn’t win the starting job, but Jones was so good Sunday, it might just be time to forget about any QB competition for now.

Drake Maye’s final stat line looked a lot better than he played against the Raiders. There were protection issues, and the run game never really got going, but Maye also missed some open guys, misfired some passes and failed to sense pressure a few times. Maye was hit on the third-quarter interception, but it was the turning point in the game. Rookie left tackle Will Campbell had a tough day, allowing a strip sack and committing two false starts in the second half. The second one compelled Mike Vrabel to punt despite the Pats being down two scores late. Didn’t love it. New England had a few moments defensively, but not enough. That was a sobering Week 1 loss against a beatable opponent.

The numbers might not show it, but Cam Ward actually played pretty darned well in his debut against the Broncos. Outside of the back-to-back sacks he took, knocking the Titans out of field-goal range in the fourth quarter, Ward handled the relentless pressure pretty deftly and made a few impressive tosses. There were multiple drops, including a beautiful ball to Calvin Ridley in a one-score game with four minutes left. It was at least a first down, and the game would have looked a lot different had Ridley come up with that catch. Tennessee’s defense did well outside of some bad penalties, including a few brain-fart flags late. Overall, the effort was encouraging, but the execution was lacking in key spots.

Justin Fields didn't look great this preseason, which is one of the reasons his terrific showing against the Steelers was so surprising. The rushing production was expected; pinpoint efficiency isn’t nearly as common. Fields was stellar, leading six scoring drives (four TDs) but the Jets -- stop me if you’ve heard this one before -- found a way to lose. They were up two scores entering the fourth quarter, yet somehow fell behind less than a minute into the final stanza. Fans of the 2024 Jets might remember that they lost six games after leading in the fourth quarter. The defense shut down Pittsburgh’s run game but allowed old friend Aaron Rodgers to have as good a game in his Steelers debut as he put up in two ill-fated years with the Jets. There was a heavy dose of encouraging but still too many of the same old issues in the opener. 

In what has become something of a celebrated tradition here at the Power Rankings, a team that I preemptively bump up for vibes will come back to bite me hard. That team, ladies and gents, is the Dolphins. Sure, it was only a one-spot improvement last week, mostly because I wondered if all the preseason anxiety over Miami went a little overboard. Fact check: It didn’t, at least if Week 1 is any indication. I thought about dropping them all the way to 32. After all, that’s how they played against the Colts. I won’t belabor it; we all saw how ugly that game was for Mike McDaniel’s squad. In the end, the Fins received a stay before being banished to the basement, but I must emphasize just how much willpower that required. There was almost nothing redeeming from that game for Miami.

The Giants offered little of the hope and excitement we saw in the preseason. They hung around with the Commanders for most of the game, but they were unable to mount consistent offensive drives. It’s not a shock Russell Wilson was under fire, considering Andrew Thomas’ absence up front, but the protection problems have been all too common in the Brian Daboll era. Daboll named Wilson the starter for Week 2, but he didn’t make that announcement immediately after the game. It would make sense if Jaxson Dart is being told to be ready. While New York apparently has a package of plays prepared for Dart, he didn’t play in the opener, a game where the Giants averaged 3.7 yards per play, went 5-for-18 on third and fourth downs and scored six points.

I don’t think you can be too angry with how the Browns played if you’re a fan of the team. But the last thing a limited squad such as Cleveland needed was a shaky kicker. You can look squarely at the missed field-goal and extra-point tries in the second half as big reasons why they lost. Of course, the dropped passes didn’t help. One from rookie Harold Fannin Jr. (who had some positives in this game) turned into an interception, which turned into a Cincinnati field goal. Those were the only points the Bengals scored in the final 34 minutes of the game, which was enough for them to win. With Fannin, Dylan Sampson and a capable passing operation led by Joe Flacco, Cleveland might be a little better than I imagined, but it won’t translate to more wins with the caliber of execution displayed on Sunday.

Whatever progress Bryce Young and the offense made down the stretch last season was undercut by a poor performance in the opener. Young lost a fumble and threw two picks -- and was lucky one of them wasn’t run back for six. He had only 72 pass yards entering the fourth quarter. Many of Young’s throws were outside of his receivers’ frames; Tetairoa McMillan made a fantastic grab to snag one of them in his nice debut, but it’s clear this entire unit needs some time to marinate. So does the run defense. That was a unit that really struggled last season, and some of that carried over into Sunday. Jacksonville ran for 200 yards -- 77 yards over expected, per Next Gen Stats. If Dave Canales doesn’t get this team in order quickly, with two of the next three on the road, Carolina might find itself in another early-season cavern.

I don’t think Spencer Rattler did anything to lose the starting job, putting his team in a position to tie the game or take a late lead before coming up just short versus Arizona. But Rattler also had 16 second-half incompletions against a less-than-fearsome pass rush from the Cardinals. Kellen Moore’s coaching debut was marred by 13 penalties, some curious clock management at the ends of both halves and a rare field-goal miss by Blake Grupe from just 37 yards out. The Saints’ defense gave a pretty good effort, especially in terms of pressure, but the tackling and gap control were issues in defending the run game and Kyler Murray as a scrambler. Was it worst-team-in-the-league bad? No, but someone has to be listed last.