A key NFL adage is a simple one: You are never as good or as bad as you looked in Week 1. So despite all the immediate overreactions -- the Twitter cult makes most of them -- take a big, deep breath and remember that it's just one game.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, fresh off their upset victory over the Indianapolis Colts, are not better than the San Francisco 49ers, who lost at home to the Arizona Cardinals. The Cleveland Browns aren't as bad as they looked against the Baltimore Ravens Sunday, while the Washington Football Team, despite an impressive victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, aren't ready to compete for a division title.
It's just one week. Say it over and over again.
But all the madness of Week 1 sure makes it a tough challenge to put together my Week 2 Power Rankings.
Two things that won't change are my top two teams. The Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers, my picks to play in the Super Bowl, got off to great starts and remain 1-2 in my rankings. Many expected the Chiefs to win their opener, but the Packers dominated the Vikings on the road in impressive fashion to stay at No.2.
Putting the Packers in the second spot last week brought me a ton of grief and disdain from fans and media members alike. But I always thought they would be a better team than last season in large part because Aaron Rodgers would be much better in the second season in Matt LaFleur's offense. All Rodgers did was throw four touchdown passes Sunday and tell the football world that he is far from done – which was a misguided notion anyway.
But before I get too boastful about Green Bay being second, I have to remind myself of something really important.
It's just one week. You should remember that as well, no matter how good or how bad your team played in the opener.
| Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | -- | 11-6-0 | |
They showed in the opener that they are still the team to beat in the league. And now they can run it with the rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire, which makes the offense even tougher to defend.
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| 2 | -- | 9-8-0 | |
Aaron Rodgers sure looked washed up. How dumb that thinking was came true against the Vikings. That's why this team is still a contender.
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| 3 | -- | 9-8-0 | |
They showed the Bucs they are still the team to beat in the NFC South. The defense was outstanding against Tom Brady.
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| 4 | 1 | 10-7-0 | |
It took them a little time to get going, but once they did they rolled against the Giants. Ben Roethlisberger looked good once he got past the early part of the Giants game. The defense is nasty.
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| 5 | 1 | 13-4-0 | |
Lamar Jackson and the offense picked up right where they left off last season. The defense was dominant against the Browns and has the look for being improved from a year ago.
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| 6 | 1 | 11-6-0 | |
Josh Allen had his first career 300-yard game against the Jets. He appeared much improved, but time will tell. If he is, this is a deep-playoff team.
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| 7 | 3 | 9-8-0 | |
Russell Wilson started what should be an MVP-like season in impressive fashion against the Falcons. It was nice to see the team let him throw it a lot more, and early in the game.
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| 8 | 6 | 4-13-0 | |
Winning at San Francisco to open the season is a message to the rest of the division. Kyler Murray is going to be in the MVP mix.
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| 9 | 5 | 12-5-0 | |
That was not a good home showing against Arizona in the opener. The Cardinals moved the ball well against that top defense. That has to change. The offense has too many injuries right now.
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| 10 | 1 | 9-8-0 | |
So much for the idea the new-look Bucs would waltz to a playoff berth. They have a lot of work to do on both sides of the ball.
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| 11 | 9 | 4-13-0 | |
Yes, it was only Miami. But the Patriots did some good things against the Dolphins - especially on defense. Cam Newton played a solid game.
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| 12 | 9 | 10-7-0 | |
The best thing from their opening victory over the Cowboys had to be the defense. Limiting the Cowboys to 17 points was solid. Jared Goff got off to a good start as well.
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| 13 | 4 | 6-11-0 | |
They found a way to beat the Broncos, but they have to be better going forward. Now comes a division game with the Jaguars.
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| 14 | 3 | 12-5-0 | |
Wasn't the offense supposed to be explosive? The first game saw the Cowboys score 17 on the road. If they are to be a Super contender, they have to be better away from home.
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| 15 | 1 | 5-12-0 | |
The offense didn't do much against the Bengals, but they will have to be better against the Chiefs this week. The defense could be special this season.
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| 16 | 8 | 11-6-0 | |
Blowing a 17-point lead to the Redskins has to sting. Carson Wentz has to take care of the ball better - no matter who is playing around him.
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| 17 | 5 | 9-8-0 | |
Losing to the Jaguars in the opener is not a good way for the Philip Rivers era to begin for the Colts. The injury to Marlon Mack could impact the offense in a big way.
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| 18 | 5 | 7-10-0 | |
The defense was bad against the Seahawks, which is a change from the way they played late last season. It doesn't get any easier this week at Dallas against the Cowboys.
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| 19 | 3 | 8-9-0 | |
It wasn't always pretty, but they found a way against the Panthers in the opener. The defense has to be better.
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| 20 | 6 | 7-10-0 | |
Mitch Trubisky led them to a fourth-quarter comeback against the Lions. Is this the start of him growing as a quarterback?
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| 21 | 6 | 8-9-0 | |
It wasn't pretty against the Titans, but they hung around against a good team. The offense needs to generate more points.
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| 22 | 4 | 10-7-0 | |
That was a terrible showing in the opener. Now they have to face the Ravens, another contender. Deshaun Watson has to be better than he was last week - or else.
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| 23 | 4 | 7-10-0 | |
Defense is the calling card for Mike Zimmer's teams, but it wasn't against Green Bay in the opener. If that doesn't improve, this season will be lost in a hurry.
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| 24 | 1 | 9-8-0 | |
Joe Burrow didn't win his first game as starter, but he did some good things and should have had a game-tying drive were it not for a missed field goal. He has a short week to get ready for the Browns.
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| 25 | 2 | 11-6-0 | |
What was that in the opener? They looked awful against the Ravens and face a short week to turn it around against the Bengals.
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| 26 | 2 | 12-5-0 | |
Much like last season, they blew a good lead in the opener. The defense made Mitch Trubisky look good. That's not a good look.
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| 27 | 4 | 9-8-0 | |
Tanking for Trevor doesn't seem like a real thing now after their impressive opener. They are not going to be a pushover for anybody.
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| 28 | 4 | 4-13-0 | |
The pass rush was fierce and will carry this team this year. That was an impressive comeback against the Eagles, but now they face a tough road game at Arizona.
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| 29 | 2 | 6-11-0 | |
They showed some good things on offense, but they don't have the defense to match up against good offenses. The Giants will be feisty all season, but they are at least a year away.
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| 30 | 2 | 11-6-0 | |
The offense didn't generate much against the Patriots, which begs the question: How much longer before it's Tua time?
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| 31 | 1 | 2-15-0 | |
The offense got off to a good start, but the young defense struggled against Las Vegas. Now they have to try and slow Tom Brady.
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| 32 | 3 | 7-10-0 | |
It's going to be a long season for the Jets. The talent simply is not there. Sam Darnold has little around him.
It's going to be a long season for the Jets. The talent simply is not there. Sam Darnold has little around him.
It's going to be a long season for the Jets. The talent simply is not there. Sam Darnold has little around him.
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