NFL Power Rankings 2019: Week 2

By Reece Mowlem

Now week one can often lead to copious amounts of overreacting from NFL fans and analysts alike.  I've tried to not get caught up too much in that line of thinking, that being said I saw a lot of things during the opening weekend of the season that surprised me.  So after processing all that information, here are my power rankings entering week two.
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1.  New England Patriots  (No change)
​The Pats looked even more impressive than expected in week one, demolishing the Steelers 33-3 in Foxborough.  If AB's off-field issues don't get in the way, this team could go unbeaten.

2.  Kansas City Chiefs  (Up 1)
The defence is still a weakness, but my god the offence looks incredible again with Pat Mahomes at the helm.  Even without Tyreek Hill for 4-6 weeks, I expect KC to continue dominating their opponents.

3.  Philadelphia Eagles  (Down 1)
After a slow start against Washington, Wentz put in an outstanding performance in the second half, leading the Eagles to a comfortable win.  With D-Jax looking as dangerous as ever on his return to Philadelphia,  Carson could be in for another MVP type season.

4.  New Orleans Saints  (No change)
The only thing more impressive than Drew Brees' 4th quarter comeback performance in this game was Ryan Ramczyk completely shutting out J.J. Watt for the full 60 minutes.  The Saints are a contender this season, no doubt about it.

5.  Los Angeles Rams  (No change)
Considering the lack of snaps they saw in the preseason, the Rams starters looked solid in their first outing against the Panthers.  It's clear McVay wants to manage Gurley's workload, but LA seem happy to let him loose when required.

6.  Minnesota Vikings  (Up 4)
The game script certainly helped, but the Vikings confirmed the offseason rumours and ran the hell out of Dalvin Cook, allowing Kirk Cousins to only throw 10 completions.  As long as the defence stays elite, Minnesota will be in the mix in January.

7.  Los Angeles Chargers  (Up 2)
The combination of Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson proved highly effective in Melvin Gordon's absence as they helped lead the Chargers to an overtime victory against the Colts.  Will the football gods finally start smiling on the Bolts?

8.  Dallas Cowboys  (Up 4)
The Cowboys offence, and Dak in particular, looked revitalised under new OC Kellen Moore as they dispatched of the Giants in Arlington.  That being said, Dallas will face much bigger tests than the lacklustre G-Men this year.

9.  Green Bay Packers  (Up 2)
We didn't see a vintage A-Rod performance in week one, but we did see a highly impressive outing from the Packers defence.  The new safety tandem of Amos and Savage already looks to be one of the league's best.

10.  Tennessee Titans  (Up 5)
I told you the Titans were good and even I didn't expect them to go into Cleveland and win by 30.  Tennessee have balance on both sides of the ball, and as long as Mariota can be at least mediocre, I see this team taking the AFC South crown.

11.  Pittsburgh Steelers  (Down 5)
A hammering from New England isn't how any Steelers fan would have wanted to start the year, but Pittsburgh always seem to struggle on the road to the Pats.  I wouldn't start panicking too much unless they lose their home opener against the Seahawks on Sunday.

12.  Atlanta Falcons  (Down 5)
Much like the Steelers, the Falcons put in a disappointing week one display after having reasonably high expectations.  Things could get even worse in week two with a feisty Eagles team coming into town.  However a win against Philly could kickstart Atlanta's season.

13.  Carolina Panthers  (Up 3)
Despite losing, I actually liked what I saw from the Panthers on the opening weekend.  Running back Christian McCaffrey was once again Carolina's stand out performer and seems set for another incredible season.

14.  Baltimore Ravens  (Up 4)
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offence looked absolutely unstoppable against Miami, not that the Dolphins put up much resistance.  If the second year QB still looks this impressive in November, then I'll have to admit I was wrong when I said he'd never be more than a middle of the road starter.

15.  Cleveland Browns  (Down 7)
Unfortunately for everyone who was excited about the 2019 Browns, the offensive line is even worse than we thought.  Unless the issues upfront can be resolved, I don't see Cleveland living up to their offseason hype.

16.  Seattle Seahawks  (Down 3)
They may have got the W in the end, but the Seahawks' week one performance against the Bengals was underwhelming.  Unless the defence can improve, Seattle will struggle to effectively operate their run heavy offence.

17.  Houston Texans  (Up 5)
​DeShaun Watson balled out on Monday Night Football, it's as simple as that.  However, the defensive holes of the Texans were exposed by Brees down the stretch and the offensive line still struggled to protect their stud quarterback.

18.  Chicago Bears  (Down 4)
Im sorry to say it Bears fans but you can't win a Super Bowl with Mitch Trubisky.  On a positive note, the Chicago defence looked as stifling as ever, even with Vic Fangio out of the building.

19.  Indianapolis Colts  (Up 4)
He's obviously no Andrew Luck, but Jacoby Brissett showed that he's more than serviceable in Frank Reich's innovative offence.  They may be 0-1, but I think the Colts could still end up playing meaningful football in December thanks to the weakness of the division.

20.  Cincinnati Bengals  (Up 5)
Well don't the Bengals look spicy under Zac Taylor.  The Andy Dalton to John Ross connection has been something we've wanted to see ever since the speedster was drafted in 2017 and it now seems to have finally clicked in 2019.  Could Cincinnati throw a spanner in the works of the AFC North?

21.  Buffalo Bills  (Up 3)
I'm not really sure how it happened, but Josh Allen and the Bills pulled off a comeback win against the Jets in MetLife Stadium.  With Buffalo heading back to the same venue in week two to play the other New York franchise, the third team from the Empire State could be 2-0 very soon.

22.  San Francisco 49ers  (Down 1)
Don't let the win fool you, the 49ers offence did not play well in Tampa.  Jimmy G was helped out massively by his defence and will have to improve if he wants to make San Fran competitive.

23.  New York Jets  (Down 6)
The breaking news today that Sam Darnold is expected to miss time with mono is devastating for Jets fans to hear.  After so much offseason optimism, the year already seems to be falling apart for new head coach Adam Gase. 

24.  Oakland Raiders  (Up 5)
Well it looks like I was wrong about the Raiders.  Even without Brown, the Oakland offence marched down the field on several occasions against what was expected to be a tough Denver defence.  Rookie running back Josh Jacobs impressed in his debut and looks to be the key weapon to the team's success.

25.  Jacksonville Jaguars  (Down 6)
Poor Nick Foles.  As sad as it was to see the Jags' new QB leave the field, his replacement, 6th round rookie Gardner Minshew II, came in and showed a lot of promise against the Chiefs.  Can the moustached one do a similar job when facing the Texans in week two?

26.  Denver Broncos  (Down 6)
I've got to be honest, Denver really let me down in this week.  But I'm not going to jump off the Broncos ship just yet, especially when that ship sails much smoother on more familiar waters.  I just hope Captain Flacco doesn't sink it too quickly.

27.  Washington Redskins  (Up 3)
Not many people would have predicted the Redskins racing out to a 17-0 lead in Philly but it happened.  Much like last year, I feel Washington could surprise a few people and be a reasonably competitive outfit all season long.

28.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers  (Down 1)
New HC, new season, same Jameis Winston.  The former FSU quarterback still looks to be a turnover machine under Bruce Arians, which I'm sure will frustrate the Kangol wearing coach.  The only glimmer of hope for the Bucs is that sophomore running back Ronald Jones II looks to have made huge strides forward since his rookie year.

29.  Arizona Cardinals  (Up 2)
It may have been awful for 45 minutes, but Kyler Murray showed us in the final quarter why he was the number one overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.  Oh and Larry Fitzgerald still has it.

30.  New York Giants  (Down 2)
I feel like I've been saying this forever now but it still rings true; Saquon is amazing, the Giants are awful.

31.  Detroit Lions  (Down 5)
If Matt Patricia carries on like this he'll be back on the Patriots staff by March.

​32.  Miami Dolphins  (No change)
I think the Dolphins would probably struggle in the CFL at this point.