2013 NFL Power Rankings Week 2: Broncos Jump Ahead of 49ers
2013 NFL Power Rankings Week 2
Let's be honest--there's plenty of things to talk about when it comes to the 2013 NFL Power Rankings for Week 2.
There was plenty of excitement surrounding the NFL season finally getting under way, but no football fans could have predicted the type of excitement that was displayed in Week 1. From Peyton Manning throwing seven touchdowns to help the Denver Broncos defeat the Baltimore Ravens to the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers displaying one of the most intense games we may see all season, there's plenty to talk about heading into the second week of the regular season--and it's going to be awesome.
The 49ers entered the first week with the No. 1 spot, but thanks to a strong performance by Manning and company--it's the Broncos who sit on top of the list this time around. With all due respect to a San Francisco team who looks ready to make another run at playing in the Super Bowl, Denver looked impossible to contain in the second half against Baltimore last Thursday night and the weapons they have on offense may be too much for teams to handle.
So where does your team rank on the list of NFL Power Rankings for Week 2? Well, be sure to check out the list and let us know below if you think you're team deserves a higher or lower ranking.
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32. Jacksonville Jaguars (30)
Everybody knew the Jacksonville Jaguars were going to be in for a long season, but nobody could have expected things to start off this bad. Not only did the offense fail to put up a single point against the Kansas City Chiefs, but Blaine Gabbert (16 of 35 for 121 yards and two interceptions) looked flat-out awful.
As bad as it sounds--maybe it's a blessing in disguise that he's ruled out for Week 2.
31. Cleveland Browns (28)
Remember all of the praise Brandon Weeden was receiving during the preseason? Well, that quickly disappeared on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins as the second-year quarterback looked flat-out awful in Week 1 as he threw three interceptions.
This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Cleveland Browns, but nobody expected Weededn to look this bad. On the bright side, at least the Browns are technically still in first place since nobody in the AFC North won in Week 1.
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (23)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were one of those teams where nobody knew what to expect this season, but nobody could have predicted them to lose the way they did in Week 1 against the New York Jets. It's amazing how one bonehead penalty can impact the outcome of the game and if the Buccaneers struggle to put up points against the Jets--they could be in for a long 2013 season.
29. San Diego Chargers (27)
Losing to the Houston Texans has to be frustrating as Philip Rivers throws for four touchdown passes and the San Diego Chargers blew a 28-7 lead. Then again, their loss on Monday was the perfect example of how things have gone for this team over the last two seasons--which is nothing but frustration.
28. New York Jets (32)
They say a win is a win no matter what. So give the New York Jets credit for taking advantage of late mistakes by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to start off the season with a 1-0 record.
For a team that many expected to win four games at the most during the 2013 season, this was one of the biggest surprises of Week 1 and Geno Smith (24 of 38 for 256 yards with one touchdown) looked good in his regular season debut.
27. Buffalo Bills (31)
Nobody expected the Buffalo Bills to compete with the New England Patriots, but give this team credit as they nearly pulled off the upset on Sunday. What's even more exciting--Bills fans should be excited for what the future holds for E.J. Manuel.
It may only have been one game, but early indications are Manuel (18 of 27 for 150 yards and two touchdowns) may be the type of quarterback Buffalo has been looking for.
26. Oakland Raiders (29)
Who would have thought Terrelle Pryor would be one of the league leaders in rushing yards after Week 1? The Oakland Raiders were another one of those heavy underdogs heading into their first game and believe it or not--they almost pulled off the upset over the Indianapolis Colts.
Don't be fooled though--this Raiders team still has plenty to prove. If there's anything to take away from this game, it would be Pryor could turn out to be a better quarterback than everybody thought--but let's not get too ahead of ourselves this early in the season.
25. Miami Dolphins (25)
The Miami Dolphins may have been disappointed with Mike Wallace's (one reception for 15 yards) regular season debut, but the important factor is they ended up on the winning end. The ground game certainly needs some work (20 total rushing yards), but hopefully that will improve over the regular season.
24. Arizona Cardinals (24)
Despite their loss to the St. Louis Rams, Larry Fitzgerald has to be pleased with the fact that the Arizona Cardinals finally have a quarterback in Carson Palmer. If Fitzgerald (eight receptions for 80 yards for two touchdowns) can play at this level on a weekly basis, the Cardinals could be a team to keep an eye on during the 2013 season.
23. Washington Redskins (19)
After months of talk about whether or not he would be effective in his return, Robert Griffin III looked a bit rusty in the first game for the Washington Redskins, but that should have been expected since he didn't play in the preseason. If it wasn't for an awful first half, there's a good chance the Redskins would have beat the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.
22. Philadelphia Eagles (26)
So far, the Chip Kelly offense looks pretty impressive for the Philadelphia Eagles as they pulled off the big win on the road against the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football. The Eagles seemed to have the game locked up after the first half, but 20 unanswered points by the Redskins made this game turn out to be a close one.
The one statistic that stuck out the most--LeSean McCoy's 184 rushing yards and one touchdown on 31 carries. Hopefully, that's an early sign that McCoy is going to flourish under Kelly's offense this season--which the Eagles and their fans would absolutely love.
21. Carolina Panthers (17)
Give the Carolina Panthers credit for putting up a fight, but they knew from the beginning their Week 1 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks would be a tough one considering they have one of the league's top defenses. The Panthers may be one of those sleeper teams to keep an eye on and despite the loss--there's no reason to panic just yet as they kept it close with one of the top teams from the NFC.
20. Minnesota Vikings (15)
The good news for the Minnesota Vikings--Adrian Peterson picked up right where he left off last year by recording three touchdowns against the Detroit Lions. The bad news--the concerns over Christian Ponder continue as the former first-round pick threw three interceptions and the defense had zero answers for the Lions' offense.
19. Kansas City Chiefs (22)
Good news for the Kansas City Chiefs--they have half of the amount of wins they recorded from the 2012 season. Even if their first matchup was against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Chiefs have to feel good about the Andy Reid and Alex Smith era getting off to a good start.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers (14)
Losing Mike Wallace during the offseason certainly hurt, but nobody could have expected the Pittsburgh Steelers to look this bad on opening day at home against the Tennessee Titans. This team needs some major help in the running game (only 32 rushing yards against the Titans) and unfortunately things aren't going to get any easier now that Maurkice Pouncey is out for the remainder of the season.
17. Detroit Lions (20)
Early indications are the risk on Reggie Bush is going to pay off--so nicely done on the end of the Detroit Lions. After only posting four wins during the 2012 season, this team looks like it has what it takes to have one of the most high-powered offenses in the league as the Lions made a huge statement against the Minnesota Vikings.
16. Tennessee Titans (21)
There were plenty of surprises to take away from Week 1, but there's no question the biggest surprise was the Pittsburgh Steelers losing at home to the Tennessee Titans. Everybody knew there was a chance of the Steelers going through a rebuilding year, but give the Titans credit for pulling off an impressive win on the road in Week 1.
Who knows--maybe this team does have what it takes to compete in the AFC South.
15. St. Louis Rams (18)
See what happens when Sam Bradford receives better protection and weapons on offense? The St. Louis Rams looked good against the Arizona Cardinals and when talking about fantasy football studs--it's safe to say Jared Cook (seven catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns) could emerge as one of the top pass-catching tight ends this season.
14. New York Giants (10)
That was not the way the New York Giants were hoping to begin the 2013 season after recording six turnover against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. It's obvious the running back position is a huge reason for concern, but on a positive note--at least Victor Cruz (three touchdowns) is living up to that contract so far.
Relax Giants fans--it was only one game.
13. Baltimore Ravens (7)
Well, at least the Baltimore Ravens looked good in the first half, right? The Ravens' defense had zero answers for Peyton Manning in the second half as the future Hall of Fame quarterback torched them for five touchdown passes (seven total for the game).
Still, these are the defending Super Bowl champions we're talking about here and there's no reason to write them off yet. Just watch--they'll bounce back.
12. Chicago Bears (16)
Just like last season, Brandon Marshall was the difference maker for the Chicago Bears on offense as the wideout finished with eight catches for 104 yards to go along with the game-winning touchdown. The Bears were one of top teams in the NFC in the first half of last year before their second-half collapse, but at least they got off to a good start against a Cincinnati Bengals team who many expect to be one of the top teams in the AFC this season.
11. Green Bay Packers (9)
The Green Bay Packers there's no reason to hit the panic button yet considering they played a very talented team in the San Francisco 49ers, but this is a game they could have easily won. If this team is going to have any chance at winning the NFC North once again, that defense is going to need some improvement.
10. Indianapolis Colts (11)
The Indianapolis Colts needed a little luck (pun intended) to get by the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, but there's no reason for concern over this team despite how close this game was. If anything, the team should be relieved that Andrew Luck (three total touchdowns) seemed to pick up right where he left off as a rookie--only he could be even better in 2013.
9. Cincinnati Bengals (5)
Unfortunately, the Cincinnati Bengals have a history of struggling at the beginning of the season and at the end of the day--Brandon Marshall and the Chicago Bears were just too much for this team to handle. There's plenty of hype surrounding the Bengals this year and while A.J. Green (nine catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns) had another monster performance, this team won't go far without better performances from their running backs.
8. Dallas Cowboys (13)
They almost blew the lead in the second half, but the Dallas Cowboys managed to hold on and end their home losing streak against Eli Manning and the New York Giants. Tony Romo proved to be a warrior once again, but the main story in this game was the six turnovers produced by the Cowboys' defense--which was pretty impressive.
7. Atlanta Falcons (3)
Unfortunately when two of the top teams in the league square off against one another--one team has to come up on the losing end. The Atlanta Falcons found themselves in the position to take the first game of the season against the New Orleans Saints, but they fell short on their final drive.
Regardless of what happened, this team still has one of the most talented offenses in the league on paper--so they'll be just fine.
6. New England Patriots (8)
After all of the questions this offseason, it's difficult not to wonder if the New England Patriots should be concerned after they barely managed to get by the Buffalo Bills. To make things even more difficult--the Patriots will rely on Stevan Ridley even more in the backfield now that Shane Vereen is expected to miss the next couple of weeks.
At least the Patriots play in an easy division like the AFC East, right?
5. Houston Texans (6)
The Houston Texans proved in Week 1 that a game is never over until it's officially over after their miraculous comeback against the San Diego Chargers. This team had one of the best overall teams last year and even when they were down 28-7--this team never gave up.
This team has the potential to make some serious noise in the AFC once again--especially with players like Brian Cushing and J.J. Watt.
4. Seattle Seahawks (4)
Maybe it was just Week 1 jitters, but the Seattle Seahawks should consider themselves lucky for picking up a big road win to start off the season against the Carolina Panthers. It was surprising to see this team take until the fourth quarter to score their first touchdown, but at least Russell Wilson (25 of 33 for 320 yards with one touchdown) looked impressive.
3. New Orleans Saints (12)
The New Orleans Saints could not have asked for a better start to the 2013 season as they not only picked up a win in Sean Payton's first game back as head coach, but they did so against the Atlanta Falcons--last year's division champions. It may have only been one week, but early signs point to this Saints team having one of the most high-powered offenses once again--so let's hope they keep this impressive play up throughout the regular season.
2. San Francisco 49ers (1)
Do you think the Baltimore Ravens regret losing Anquan Boldin? The wide receiver could not have asked for a better debut with the San Francisco 49ers (13 catches for 208 yards with one touchdown) and Colin Kaepernick (412 passing yards with three touchdowns) looks like he could be in for an MVP-type season.
Look out NFC--the 49ers look just as dangerous as they did last season when they reached the Super Bowl.
1. Denver Broncos (2)
If you had Peyton Manning on your fantasy football squad and you still ended up losing in Week 1--you should be banned from playing fantasy football for the rest of your life. It was no secret the Denver Broncos had the potential to be one of the most dangerous offenses in the league this year, but for Manning to throw seven touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens?
That's just flat-out ridiculous.
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