Week 1 of the 2017 NFL season didn’t feature a lot of drama, but it did give us a few surprises, as the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams delivered statement wins.
Here’s a look at where each team stands in NESN.com’s NFL power rankings as we head into Week 2.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0): The Chiefs shocked the NFL on Thursday night when they beat the brakes off the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Quarterback Alex Smith outplayed Tom Brady, while running back Kareem Hunt shredded the Patriots’ defense en route to a 42-27 Chiefs win.
2. Oakland Raiders (1-0): In what could be a playoff preview, the Raiders’ defense held Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota to 16 points while Derek Carr, Marshawn Lynch and Amari Cooper spearheaded what looks to be a dynamic Oakland offense.
3. Dallas Cowboys (1-0): With running back Ezekiel Elliott (104 rushing yards) in tow, the defending NFC East champions handily defeated the New York Giants 19-3 at AT&T Stadium, thanks to a suffocating defense that held New York to 233 total yards of offense.
4. Green Bay Packers (1-0): The Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks in a game mired in controversy, as Seattle had a pick-six called back in the first quarter due to a questionable penalty. But Green Bay’s defense flustered Russell Wilson and the Seahawks’ offense all day, holding them to 225 total yards.
5. New England Patriots (0-1): New England was thoroughly beaten by the Chiefs in Week 1, ending all the “19-0” talk earlier than expected. But a Week 2 date with the New Orleans Saints’ defense should be a cure for what ails a New England offense that didn’t find the end zone through the air against Kansas City.
6. Detroit Lions (1-0): The Lions got off to a rocky start against the Arizona Cardinals, but Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to rally Detroit past a team that is expected to contend for the NFC West title.
7. Los Angeles Rams (1-0): Los Angeles played an undermanned Indianapolis Colts team and dominated them from the opening kickoff, looking like a completely different team than a season ago.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0): The Steelers were unimpressive in their win over the Cleveland Browns, but their offense should improve as Le’Veon Bell gets his feet underneath him after missing all of training camp and the preseason.
9. Minnesota Vikings (1-0): The Vikings’ defense flustered Drew Brees, and QB Sam Bradford torched the Saints with the help of a revamped offensive line that gave him plenty of time to find Stefon Diggs and Kyle Rudolph.
10. Tennessee Titans (0-1): Mariota and Co. had a tough time finishing off drives against the Raiders’ front-seven, but the Titans still are the frontrunner for the AFC South title.
11. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0): Now, here’s a shocker. The Jaguars pantsed the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium, tallying 10 sacks in a 29-7 victory.
12. Seattle Seahawks (0-1): The Seahawks have huge issues on the offensive line, and new running back Eddie Lacy (five carries, 3 yards) doesn’t appear to be the answer in the back field.
13. Baltimore Ravens (1-0): Baltimore shut out the Cincinnati Bengals, as their defense picked off Andy Dalton four times in a 20-0 win.
14. Atlanta Falcons (1-0): The defending NFC champions struggled to put away the lowly Chicago Bears, as Matt Ryan had to lead two fourth-quarter touchdown drives to secure a 23-17 win.
15. Denver Broncos (1-0): Denver was tested late in a wild “Monday Night Football” opener, but quarterback Trevor Siemian put just enough points on the board for the Broncos’ elite defense.
16. Carolina Panthers (1-0): Cam Newton, fresh off shoulder surgery, looked rusty, but rookie Christian McCaffrey (95 total yards) and veteran Jonathan Stewart (65 rushing yards, receiving touchdown) did enough to grab a win against the San Francisco 49ers.
17. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0): Philadelphia won a sloppy, turnover-filled game against the Washington Redskins.
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-0): The jury still is out on the Bucs after their first game was postponed due to Hurricane Irma, but we expect Jameis Winston and Co. to make some noise in the NFC South.
19. Miami Dolphins (0-0): The Dolphins’ ceiling with Jay Cutler probably stops at nine wins, but we’ll have a better picture after Miami plays its first game against the Los Angeles Chargers next week.
20. Arizona Cardinals (0-1): The Cardinals were one of the preseason NFC West favorites, but Carson Palmer threw three interceptions and star running back David Johnson exited with a wrist injury that could sideline him for an extended period of time.
21. Los Angeles Chargers (0-1): New season, same finish for the Chargers, who lost another heartbreaker in Denver.
22. Buffalo Bills (1-0): The Bills did enough to beat the New York Jets in a less than stellar performance.
23. New Orleans Saints (0-1): Brees and Co. couldn’t solve the Vikings’ defense, as they were held to 19 points in a Week 1 loss.
24. Washington Redskins (0-1): Kirk Cousins was bad, and the rest of the offense didn’t look much better in a messy loss to the Eagles.
25. New York Giants (0-1): If the Giants can’t protect Eli Manning, it’s not going to matter if Odell Beckham Jr. is healthy or not.
26. Cleveland Browns (0-1): Rookie QB DeShone Kizer showed flashes of potential in the Browns’ 21-18 loss to the Steelers.
27. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1): Dalton threw four interceptions and the Bengals’ run game was nonexistent in a 20-0 loss to the Ravens.
28. Houston Texans (0-1): Houston couldn’t protect QB Tom Savage, causing Bill O’Brien to call on rookie Deshaun Watson midway through the game. Watson accounted for 102 yards and a touchdown in what was the only positive takeaway for Houston against the Jaguars.
29. Chicago Bears (0-1): The Bears gave the Falcons all they could handle in their season opener, but there still isn’t a lot of talent residing at Soldier Field this season.
30. New York Jets (0-1): The Jets were down right abysmal in their season opener in Buffalo, as they gained only 214 total yards and QB Josh McCown tossed two interceptions.
31. San Francisco 49ers (0-1): The Brian Hoyer-led 49ers’ offense couldn’t do much of anything against the Panthers, as San Francisco appears destined for another season at the bottom of the NFC West.
32. Indianapolis Colts (0-1): We’re sure Andrew Luck got some MVP votes after the Colts’ showing against the Rams. Other than that, though, there was nothing to celebrate in Indianapolis.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
