NFL Power Rankings - Week 2

Here are my NFL Power Rankings after Week 2, which are based on current play and nothing else, so you can expect the rankings to change a lot early on from week to week.

1. Dallas Cowboys

Dallas has two good victories so far, on the road against Cleveland and at home against Philly. I have them as # 1 but they have some work to do on the defensive side of the ball.

2. New York Giants

The defending champs are in the # 2 spot for now because I just don't know how good they are for sure. They beat a decent Washington team in Week 1, but St. Louis is horrible, so you can't really judge much from that. They play Cincinnati this week, so we might have to wait until they hook up with Dallas to see just how good they are.

3. Green Bay Packers

You might be surprised to see Green Bay this high on the rankings, but they Aaron Rodgers has impressed me so far and I think their defense will be tough as the season goes on. If they have a solid Rodgers to go along with a strong D, then this team could be tough to beat all season.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are the favorites to win the AFC right now, but that is pretty much by default, because all the other preseason favorites in the AFC is banged up or not playing well. They have been solid but I'm not convinced yet that they are the clear cut favorite in the AFC. For now they stay ahead of the Eagles, but that could change when they meet in Philly this Sunday.

5. Philadelphia Eagles

I have been impressed with the Eagles play so far even though they lost to Dallas. They look like a legitimate NFC threat and as I mentioned above, their matchup with Pittsburgh will help give an early idea of just how good they are.

6. Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos are another somewhat surprising team and they are ranked this high because of their ridiculous offense. The defense is still suspect to me though, so I wouldn't expect them to be ranked this high throughout the season, but they definitely have opened so eyes.

7. New England Patriots

Even without Tom Brady, the Patriots will prove to be a tough opponent on most days. The defense has been solid and Matt Cassel has been efficient enough for the Patriots to get wins. I think the AFC could be a little weak this year, so don't be surprised if the Patriots hang around as one of the top 10 teams all season.

8. Tennessee Titans

I love Tennessee's defense, which might explain why I own them on all 3 of my fantasy teams. If Kerry Collins can give them decent play at QB, I think this team could be a sleeper in the AFC. Their defense will keep them in every game and give them a chance to win.

9. Indianapolis Colts

The Colts worry me because I think right now they are weak up front on both offense and defense. They are extremely lucky the Vikings had Tavaris Jackson at QB last week or else they would be sitting at 0-2 right now. They just lost Bob Sanders for a while too, so the Colts could be in trouble.

10. New Orleans Saints

Tough loss for the Saints against the Redskins last week. Losing Marques Colston certainly hurts them, but I think they will be able hang in there until he comes back. They have a big road game this week against Denver that should tell a lot about if they are ready to start winning on the road and take that next step as an elite team.

11. Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills play the Oakland Raiders at home this week and have a very good chance at starting the year 3-0. They have two impressive victories that include a blowout at home of Seattle and a nice road win against the Jaguars. This is another sleeper team in the AFC. Trent Edwards has been quietly solid at QB.

12. Carolina Panthers

Carolina has been an up and down team the last few years but they have two nice wins this season and will look to keep it going this week against the Vikings. Steve Smith also comes back this week, which should help out their passing game. This team should be in every game, but I'm not sure they are going to be a top 10 team .

13. Arizona Cardinals

Arizona is the NFC West favorite in my mind now, which doesn't say much in a weak division. Big road game this week against the Redskins. If they can win a non-divisional road game that will definitely be a step in the right direction.

14. New York Jets

The Jets have a huge matchup this week with the Chargers on Monday Night in a game that is almost a must win for both teams. I thought the Jets offense looked pretty out of sync against the Patriots, so they need to get things together quickly. The defense looks like it will be solid though.

15. San Diego Chargers

The Chargers defense has been awful for two weeks in a row. Without a healthy Shawne Merriman, they can't pressure on the QB. To make things worse, LT has turf toe, which could slow him down all season. Phillip Rivers has been great though.

16. Washington Redskins

The Redskins looked pretty bad in Week 1 against the Giants and then went out and beat a good Saints team, so to me that means they are somewhat inconsistent and should be ranked in the middle of the pack.

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay still has a strong defense but they have issues on the offensive side of the ball. They don't have any playmakers on offense and I think this team will struggle as the season goes on.

18. Cleveland Browns

Cleveland had two really tough home games against Dallas and Pittsburgh and didn't look all that good in either one. I would like to see how they do this week on the road against a tough Baltimore defense before I write them off. I personally feel like they will bounce back.

19. Chicago Bears

The Bears D is solid and Matt Forte looks like he is going to be a good RB, but Kyle Orton is still their QB, so their isn't much upside to this team. The Bears are better than I thought they would be but I see them as a 8-8/9-7 team at best

20. Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville was a preseason favorite of a lot of people to win the Super Bowl but I wasn't buying it then and I'm certainly not buying it now. Their offensive line is a mess and it could be a long season for the Jaguars.

21. Minnesota Vikings

After two games, the Vikings have already changed QBs and have inserted Gus Ferrotte as the starter. Not sure he will be much better than Tavaris Jackson but at least he is a veteran presence at QB. The Vikings did lose to two very good teams in Green Bay and Indianapolis, so just like the Browns, I'm not giving up on them yet.

22. San Francisco 49ers

I don't know what to think of the 49ers just yet. They look to be improved from last season but how much is anyone's guess at this point. An 8-8 record would be a step in the right direction for this team.

23. Seattle Seahawks

Seattle has been bitten by the injury bug early and their defense has been horrible so far this season. They've played like crap and deserve to be ranked this low for now. I would imagine they will move their way up in the rankings as the season goes on, but at this point I don't see them as a playoff team.

24. Houston Texans

Houston is just one of many teams to be crushed by the Steelers in Pittsburgh over the years and their Week 2 game was unfortunately cancelled due to the hurricane that hit Houston. I like the talent on the Texans team but they do have issues at RB and it looks like on defense as well.

25. Oakland Raiders

The Raiders actually have a chance to be a respectable team this season. Jamarcus Russell should get better as the season goes on, Darren McFadden looks like he will be a stud already, and the defense should be better than they were in Week 1.

26. Baltimore Ravens

Same old story for the Ravens: great defense, horrible offense. With a rookie QB, I wouldn't expect much out of the Ravens.

27. Detroit Lions

The Lions have a good offense but their defense has been pretty poor in two games so far. Jon Kitna needs to protect the ball for this team to have a chance to win and so far he hasn't.

28. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals are quite simply a mess and now their offense can't even get things together. I would be shocked if Marvin Lewis is coaching this team next year.

29. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons had a nice win to start the season but they won't be able to run the ball against the Lions every week, so I don't expect many more wins out of this team, especially on the road.

30. St. Louis Rams

The Rams might actually be the worst team in the league, but because they have a few talented players on offense I bumped them up a few spots just in case they win a few shootouts.

31. Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins looked pretty bad on defense against the Cardinals in Week 2 and they go to New England this week where they most likely will get pounded.

32. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are already on their third QB of the season and it looks like they will be a lock to have one of the top 3 picks in the NFL Draft.