Power rankings are always difficult to do, especially after Week 1. It’s difficult to not overreact to a win or a loss, but some of the trends seen in the first game can still carry over into the rest of the season.
With that in mind, let’s see which teams moved up, and which moved down after one week of play.
32. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 32)
The Raiders are still the worst team in the league, no doubt about it. They might have something in Derek Carr, but they only manufactured 158 total yards against the New York Jets. That’s not a good omen for the rest of the season.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 30)
If you want to put a lot of stock in one half of football, be my guest. Gus Bradley is doing a lot of good things in Jacksonville, and it has talent at receiver and in the secondary, but things aren’t look up for this year.
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 28)
Josh McCown is already regressing to the mean, and Doug Martin had nine carries for nine yards before leaving with a leg injury. Gerald McCoy could be a top five defensive player in the league, but that doesn’t mean much when the offense can’t get anything going.
29. St. Louis Rams (LW: 27)
Turns out the offense really did take a significant hit without Sam Bradford.
28. Buffalo Bills (LW: 31)
Buffalo may have already quietly hit half their win total for the season. Although E.J. Manuel showed some flashes, the Bills still needed Jay Cutler to make two awful mental mistakes to win, and there’s legitimate concern about how productive Sammy Watkins can be this season.
27. New York Giants (LW: 20)
The Giants took the biggest dive of the week after being dismantled by the Detroit Lions on Monday night. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie really struggled on defense, and they failed to break 200 total yards on offense.
26. Houston Texans (LW: 23)
Without question J.J. Watt is the best defensive player in the league, and there’s a case to be made that he’s the best football player. Watt single-handedly won the game against Washington, but the offense couldn’t get anything going, even with Arian Foster and Andre Johnson.
25. Cleveland Browns (LW: 26)
If the Browns were actually competitive in the first half against the Steelers, they could have started out 1-0. Once the offense was finally able to settle down and find a rhythm with Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell in the backfield, they were an effective offense. But Justin Gilbert really struggled, and if Jordan Cameron misses any time, the passing offense is going to struggle.
24. Tennessee Titans (LW: 29)
Tennessee took it to the Kansas City Chiefs, but they need to prove they can produce over the course of a season. Jake Locker has only started 19 games through three seasons in the league, and they played a hindered Chiefs team.
23. Minnesota Vikings (LW: 25)
This Vikings team is going to sneak up on teams this season. Cordarrelle Patterson showed off his speed once again (though I still don’t like him for fantasy), but I’ll wait to move Minnesota up further until the defense proves themselves against a better offense than the Rams’.
22. New York Jets (LW: 24)
There’s just not much to take away from this team after playing the Raiders in Week 1. Sure they won, but it’s against Oakland. The offense couldn’t get anything going, and the secondary will show up as a weakness once the Jets play a better offense.
21. Washington Redskins (LW: 18)
I didn’t have the heart to move Washington down even more, because I’m still a believer in this offense. When they’re not playing against J.J. Watt, Jay Gruden will become more aggressive with the playcalling, and a group of DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon and Alfred Morris is going to make things happen, but this is a mistake-prone team, as they showed against the Texans.
20. Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 13)
I’m holding on hope for the Chiefs because Jamaal Charles is still on the team, but losing Derrick Johnson and Mike DeVito is huge for the defense. They’ll start out 0-2 after a game against the Broncos this week, but if the offense sputters again, they could be outside the top 20 this time next week.
19. Dallas Cowboys (LW: 22)
Despite Tony Romo throwing three interceptions, the Cowboys still managed to move up three spots on this list. If they start to run the ball more often with a great offensive line and DeMarco Murray, the offense will improve with Romo trying to force less throws.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 19)
The Steelers need to show more on both sides of the ball (for better or worse) to be moved at all on this list. The offense was explosive in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Browns, and then completely got shut down. If they can’t take advantage of a likely exhausted Ravens team after the Ray Rice debacle, Steelers fans should start to worry.
17. Arizona Cardinals (LW: 21)
The Cardinals and Chargers are on a tier on their own, they’re basically the same team. Arizona’s defense looked better Monday night that expected without Daryl Washington, but Larry Fitzgerald needs to be more involved in the offense if they want any long-term success.
16. San Diego Chargers (LW: 16)
Philip Rivers really struggled against Arizona’s pass rush, but the defense looked slightly better than it did last season. The key for San Diego to take a step forward is to get anyone in the running game going, even if it’s Donald Brown or Danny Woodhead.
15. Baltimore Ravens (LW: 16)
Baltimore’s front seven is easily their biggest strength right now with the emergence of C.J. Mosley in just his first few weeks as a pro. But the offensive line is struggling once again, surrendering two sacks on the final drive of Sunday’s game that could have given the Ravens the lead over Cincinnati.
14. Miami Dolphins (LW: 17)
I’m not going to overreact on the Patriots after Week 1, but Miami deserved to move up a few spots. Ryan Tannehill’s accuracy seemed to improve, and the one-two punch of Knowshon Moreno and Lamar Miller allowed Miami to control the pace of the game. They could compete for a Wild Card spot this season.
13. Atlanta Falcons (LW: 15)
Although it is only Week 2, Matt Ryan leads the league in passing yards with Roddy White and Julio Jones healthy. The defense also performed better than expected against a high-powered Saints offense, and Devonta Freeman is going to be the future starting running back in Atlanta.
12. Chicago Bears (LW: 10)
Jay Cutler is known for his mental errors, but it’s unlikely he throws two interceptions again this week. Early injuries to Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall could knock the Bears out of contention for the playoffs early on this season, but if they’re both healthy, this offense will be one of the best in the league.
11. Detroit Lions (LW: 12)
How many wins is Calvin Johnson worth? At least five on his own, and having Matthew Stafford and Golden Tate only helps the Lions’ offense. Just imagine how many weapons they’ll have once Eric Ebron gets more involved.
10. Carolina Panthers (LW: 11)
The front seven could actually carry this team to quite a few wins this season. Kelvin Benjamin also looks like he solved many of the problems he had in college with his hands. It’ll all depend upon how the secondary holds up, and if the offense is more productive when Cam Newton comes back healthy.
9. Indianapolis Colts (LW: 9)
I’m not letting a loss to the Broncos change how I view the Colts. Andrew Luck almost led a comeback against Denver, but they need to manufacture more of a pass rush without Robert Mathis for the remainder of the year.
8. Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 8)
Jeremy Maclin still might be waiting for a pass from Nick Foles in the middle of the field. Philadelphia ran the Jaguars down in the second half, and the Eagles will do that to almost every opponent they face this season.
7. New England Patriots (LW: 6)
The Dolphins have played the Patriots well as of late, and the Patriots hardly ever lose back-to-back games. Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady picked up right where they left off, and if one wide receiver can step up for the Patriots, there will be no need to worry about this team.
6. Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 7)
Other analysts have moved the Bengals up into their top five, but someone else has to emerge from this passing game other than A.J. Green. Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill are effective rushers, and Green is a monster, but Andy Dalton lacks a No. 2 passing target.
5. New Orleans Saints (LW: 5)
Brandin Cooks is the real deal, and Mark Ingram actually looks like he could have a productive year. The defense needs to be more consistent though before I move them above the 49ers or Packers.
4. San Francisco 49ers (LW: 4)
Concerns about the defense might be unfounded, but is it more about the defense or Tony Romo? And even after getting Michael Crabtree back healthy and signing Steve Johnson, San Francisco still had less than 200 passing yards.
3. Green Bay Packers (LW: 3)
I’m not going to fault Green Bay for losing to the defending Super Bowl champions. As Ha Ha Clinton-Dix gets more games under his belt, his tackling will improve to help the secondary, and Aaron Rodgers is still Aaron Rodgers.
2. Denver Broncos (LW: 2)
Most of Denver’s second-half struggles against the Colts were inflicted by the receivers, and not Peyton Manning or the offensive line. Demaryius Thomas had two drops, per Pro Football Focus (paid subscription required) and Andre Caldwell and Emmanuel Sanders had one each. That won’t happen again.
1. Seattle Seahawks (LW: 1)
The Seahawks were dominant against the Packers. They’re the easy favorite to win the Super Bowl, nothing more to add.