So what has a crazy week of upsets done to our expert analysts' Power Rankings?
Well, for some they’re sticking to their guns, and why wouldn’t they? The season is only two weeks old and a bad result doesn’t necessarily equate to a poor performance. For others, the panic button has been hit and it’s time for them to completely reevaluate what they think of certain teams.
Let’s see who did what this week.
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And now for the overall rankings (with last week’s position noted)
1t) Houston Texans (2nd) and San Francisco 49ers (3rd)
A tie here at the top? How novel! The Texans have been utterly convincing in their two victories with a strong ground game and dominant defense, though there are questions concerning the quality of opposition that they’ve beaten. You can’t say that about the 49ers who put the Packers in their place at Lambeau and then taught the Lions a lesson at Candlestick Park. Which team will show the first sign of weakness?
3) New England Patriots (1st)
After losing at home to Arizona, keeping them third may seem a tad generous. However, their actual performance, especially on defense, was good enough to look at it as a blip, rather than something systemic.
4) Green Bay Packers (5th)
They were very convincing in beating the Bears without their offense ever really getting going. They peaked too soon last year, so Packers fans may not be too disappointed to see the team working their way into the season.
5) Atlanta Falcons (7th)
They’ve got the exact start they wanted and Matt Ryan is playing the way he did in 2010 when they were the top seed in the NFC. Still, after having beaten a poor Chiefs team and being gifted four turnovers by the Broncos, there’s an element of doubt there.
6) Philadelphia Eagles (13th)
Michael Vick rebounded nicely and the Eagles' defense continues to make life hard for the opposition. They’ve got a long way to go to be the team many think they are, but they took a big step forward in Week 2.
7) New York Giants (8th)
Did the Bucs give the Giants the wake up slap they needed? It’s going to be critical to see how they perform on Thursday Night Football against the Panthers. Show us more sloppy football and they could find themselves in catch-up mode.
8) Baltimore Ravens (4th)
Just when you think you can trust Joe Flacco, he goes and has one of those games. The defense is still playing at a high level, but they really need their QB to be more consistent.
9) Pittsburgh Steelers (12th)
With big-name players on the sidelines it’s interesting to see how little buzz the Steelers are generating. A few more wins and that won’t be the case.
10) Denver Broncos (9th)
They rallied against the Falcons and the defense played extremely well. You simply just can’t give opposing teams four turnovers in a quarter. They’ll be hoping they’ve gotten that out of their — and Peyton Manning’s — system.
11) San Diego Chargers (15th)
You can never take anything for granted with the Chargers, so we’ll get to see what they’re really like when they host the Falcons this week.
12) Dallas Cowboys (6th)
Classic Cowboys. The Seahawks were no gimme, but you’d expect them to have taken the momentum from knocking-off the Giants and made a decent contest of it. They didn’t, and now they’re slipping down the rankings.
13) Chicago Bears (9th)
Almost as worrying as the performance is the attitude of their quarterback. It’s all well and good berating a teammate on television, but when you hold onto the ball for as long as Jay Cutler did, while making some terrible decisions… well, accountability starts on your own doorstep.
14t) New Orleans Saints (11th) and Carolina Panthers (21th)
Fresh from their weekend match-up, the two teams meet again as they share our 14th ranking. The scary thing about the Saints is that they look all over the place defensively, and Carolina took full advantage of that. The talent isn’t overcoming all the offseason issues right now or adjusting to Steve Spanguolo's new defense. For Carolina, it was huge being able to turn over one of the NFC South powerhouses. They need to build on that.
16) Detroit Lions (13th)
Unconvincing in victory and even less so in defeat. They were no match for the 49ers who prevented them from stretching the field. They need to find their rhythm, and quickly.
17) Seattle Seahawks (22nd)
That defense and running game is enough to concern most teams. The bigger issue is what kind of performance they’re going to get out of their rookie quarterback. This week it was very good. If it stays that way then watch out for the playoffs.
18) New York Jets (16th)
The Steelers turned the heat up, and as expected, Sanchez and his comrades melted. The defense is good enough to keep them competitive, but they’ll struggle to keep up with the better teams in the league.
19) Buffalo Bills (20th)
Having gotten that Week 1 disappointment out of their system, they set about putting their faith in the exciting C.J. Spiller and asking less of Ryan Fitzpatrick. That’s a formula that, when you throw in an emerging defense, could see them shoot up these rankings.
20) Cincinnati Bengals (19th)
They made the Browns look like stars on offense and it’s been a long time since someone did that. A bigger concern may be how Andy Dalton copes under pressure. All quarterbacks have to deal with it, but Dalton is really faltering there.
21) Washington Redskins (17th)
Back to reality with a defeat, but the excitement continues. Losing Adam Carriker is a blow, but something you can overcome. Losing Brian Orakpo? That’s not something they’ll get over in a hurry.
22) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (24th)
They looked better in defeat than they did in beating the Panthers in Week 1. A lot of that is down to Josh Freeman finding himself and deciding he could challenge a defense. Still, the way they folded in the second half on defense shows you this team has a long way to go.
23) Arizona Cardinals (28th)
They may be 2-0, but they could quite easily be 0-2, with Lady Luck bound to run out sometime. Their defense deserves plenty of credit, but the offense looks like a mess right now.
24) Kansas City Chiefs (18th)
It’s always dangerous to write off talented teams, but the Chiefs look to be in disarray at the moment. They’re going to need to ask themselves a serious question soon, and Matt Cassel may not like the answer.
25t) Tennessee Titans (23rd) and St. Louis Rams (30th)
The Tennessee defense continues to play well but the offensive line is still getting no push. This isn’t a new problem as they’ve being regressing for years, only they’ve got to a stage now where the patient running of Chris Johnson is wasted. They’re heading one way while former Head Coach Jeff Fischer looks like he's taking his Rams the opposite direction — with Sam Bradford looking a lot more comfortable than he did last year.
27) Indianapolis Colts (28th)
A big first win for Andrew Luck, but almost importantly, the defense came up big. The turnaround there is already noticeable, and in such a short time it bodes well for the future.
28) Minnesota Vikings (25th)
Percy Harvin continues to impress, but where is the support? It doesn’t seem like Christian Ponder wants to challenge the defense with his arm, so this could be a year where Harvin explodes.
29) Miami Dolphins (31st)
After a tough month where the Dolphins took their hard knocks, things came together in the second half against Oakland. The defense made plays, the running game took off, and Ryan Tannehill showed just enough composure to warrant optimism for the season ahead.
30) Jacksonville Jaguars (27th)
They were embarrassed at home against Houston thanks to a weak offensive showing that wound up really exposing their receivers' inability to gain separation. The defense didn’t help, but then it’s missing it is best player. Jags fans everywhere are asking when Daryl Smith will return.
31) Oakland Raiders (26th)
It’s worrying how quickly they caved in the second half. The line, as it stands, is getting bullied and the runners aren’t taking what’s there. It all seems a bit disorganized.
32) Cleveland Browns (32nd)
They’re looking more and more competitive with their three rookies having strong Week 2 outings. However, they need to start winning games before we can turn our backs on the idea they’re a lock for the No. 1 overall pick.
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