Week 2 of the 2017 NFL season saw the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos notch impressive wins over playoff-caliber opponents. While the New England Patriots bounced back from their Week 1 defeat by pounding the New Orleans Saints 36-20.
Here’s a look at where each team stands in NESN.com’s NFL power rankings as we head into Week 3. (To see our Week 2 power rankings, click here.)
1. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0; last week: 1): Kansas City’s followed up its Week 1 win over the Patriots with an impressive win over Philly to keep the top spot.
2. Oakland Raiders (2-0; 2): Derek Carr and his wide array of offensive weapons dismantled the New York Jets to move to 2-0.
3. New England Patriots (1-1; 6): The defending Super Bowl champions rebounded from their Week 1 loss by shredding the lowly Saints. If tight end Rob Gronkowski remains healthy, New England has more than enough talent to repeat.
4. Atlanta Falcons (2-0; 14): After looking rusty in an opening win over the Chicago Bears, the Falcons handily defeated the Green Bay Packers in what could have been an NFC Championship Game preview.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0; 8): The Steelers racked up 335 yards against a talented Minnesota Vikings defense, as Ben Roethlisberger and Co. look to be the class of the AFC North once again.
6. Detroit Lions (2-0; 6): Detroit looks like it could challenge the Packers for the NFC North crown after back-to-back impressive wins over the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants.
7. Green Bay Packers (1-1; 4): The Packers still don’t have enough to beat the Falcons, as Matt Ryan has shredded the Green Bay defense in consecutive games in Atlanta.
8. Denver Broncos (2-0; 15): Denver’s defense dominated the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, holding Ezekiel Elliott to 8 yards on nine carries in a 42-17 rout at Sports Authority Field. If quarterback Trevor Siemian continues to take care of the ball, Denver will be a formidable foe in 2017.
9. Baltimore Ravens (2-0; 13): The Ravens forced five turnovers in a 24-10 win over the Cleveland Browns, giving them 10 takeaways through two weeks.
10. Tennessee Titans (1-1; 10): After struggling in a Week 1 loss to the Raiders, Tennessee got back on track with a 37-16 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. A Week 3 tilt with the Seattle Seahawks will show us how good the Titans are.
11. Dallas Cowboys (1-1; 3): The Cowboys could only muster 268 total yards, as they were manhandled by the Broncos. Dallas will need to bounce back against the Cardinals in Week 3.
12. Seattle Seahawks (1-1; 12): Seattle’s issues on offense showed up again Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. But Russell Wilson tossed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Paul Richardson with 7:06 remaining to give the Seahawks a 12-9 win.
13. Miami Dolphins (1-0; 19): The Dolphins are 1-0 in the Jay Cutler era, and Miami will be tough to beat if the veteran gunslinger limits the turnovers moving forward.
14. Minnesota Vikings (1-1; 9): It won’t matter how good the Minnesota defense is if they have to rely on Case Keenum to command the offense. But if Sam Bradford returns and is healthy, then Minnesota is a completely different team.
15. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1; 17): Carson Wentz gave the Chiefs all they could handle in a 27-20 loss in Kansas City. Doug Pederson’s crew looks much improved from a year ago and should contend for the NFC East crown.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0; 18): After a Week 1 bye due to Hurricane Irma, Tampa Bay did what it had to do in a 29-7 win over the Bears. A Week 3 date with the Vikings will test third-year quarterback Jameis Winston.
17. Carolina Panthers (2-0; 16): Mike Shula’s offense struggled against the Buffalo Bills, but the defense looked stout, holding the Bills to 176 total yards in a 9-3 win.
18. Washington Redskins (1-1; 24): After four giveaways in Week 1, the Redskins didn’t commit a turnover in a 27-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams. We will see which Redskins team is for real when they face the Raiders on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 3.
19. Los Angeles Rams (1-1: 7): The Rams came back down to Earth in Week 2, as Kirk Cousins hit Ryan Grant for an 11-yard touchdown with just over a minute remaining to hand L.A. a 27-20 loss. Quarterback Jared Goff ( 224 yards, one touchdown) and running back Todd Gurley (91 total yards, two total touchdowns) will need some help if the Rams want to contend for the NFC West title.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1; 11): After a thumping the Houston Texans in Week 1, the Jaguars looked like the Jaguars again in Week 2. Blake Bortles (223 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions) struggled, and rookie running back Leonard Fournette was held to 40 yards in a 37-16 loss to the Titans.
21. Los Angeles Chargers (0-2; 21): The Chargers are two missed field goals away from possibly being 2-0. But almost doesn’t mean much in the NFL.
22. New York Giants (0-2; 25): Eli Manning and the Giants’ offense have found the end zone one time through two games, as the offensive line continues to have issues protecting the veteran signal-caller.
23. Buffalo Bills (1-1; 22): The Bills couldn’t solve Carolina’s defense, and it doesn’t get any easier as the Broncos head to Buffalo in Week 3.
24. Arizona Cardinals (1-1; 20): Carson Palmer has been atrocious through the first two games, and without star running back David Johnson, it could be a long year in the desert.
25. Houston Texans (1-1; 28): Deshaun Watson got a win in his first NFL start, but beating the Cincinnati Bengals doesn’t count for very much.
26. New Orleans Saints (0-2; 23): Tom Brady and the Patriots made it look easy in the Big Easy, as the Saints’ sieve of a defense continues to be a major issue.
27. Cleveland Browns (0-2; 26): Rookie QB DeShone Kizer turned the ball over three times before exiting with a migraine headache in the Browns’ 24-10 loss to the Ravens.
28. Chicago Bears (0-2; 29): It might be time for the Bears to turn to rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in Week 3.
29. New York Jets (0-2; 30): New York was torched by the Raiders in Week 2, and that could become a theme for the Jets in 2017.
30. Cincinnati Bengals (0-2; 27): The Bengals haven’t scored a touchdown through two games, as calls for the team to fire coach Marvin Lewis already have begun.
31. San Francisco 49ers (0-2; 31): San Francisco gave the Seahawks all they could handle, but it looks like moral victories might be the only thing the 49ers can rack up in 2017.
32. Indianapolis Colts (0-2; 32): The Colts were better with Jacoby Brissett under center, but they let a win slip through their fingers against the Cardinals.
Thumbnail photo via Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports Images
