Well that was an interesting start to the season. We had quite a few upsets, but could have had a lot more. The Seahawks, Patriots, Texans all came close to starting the year 0-1. All of those teams were in the top half of my rankings last week.
Here’s how things have shaped up leading into Week 2.
Next to each team and rank is their record and last week’s ranking.
1. Denver Broncos 1-0 (-)
The Broncos are not going anywhere. Peyton Manning is clearly still operating at an elite level and I was surprised to see them find their pass rush halfway through their beatdown of the Ravens.
2. San Francisco 49ers 1-0 (4)
Colin Kaepernick continues to impress with a 400-yard performance in the air. It’s interesting that he only managed 22 yards on the ground on seven carries but who cares because receiver Anquan Boldin is playing amazing.
3. Seattle Seahawks 1-0 (2)
A close win over the Panthers knocks this team down one small peg. The Seahawks showed some rust in Week 1, but Russell Wilson got it done anyway.
4. New England Patriots 1-0 (5)
Even when Brady has an off day the Patriots got it done over the ground with 158 total yards rushing. Still, it was closer than they’d like it to be, and they won’t have Shane Vereen catching passes this week (he’s on IR).
5. Green Bay Packers 0-1 (3)
They lost to the 49ers, but it was very close. Losing to an elite team doesn’t hurt your rankings much in my list.
6. Houston Texans 1-0 (7)
The Texans managed to get back after being down by 21 points against the Chargers. Fans should hope this close win will scare them straight.
7. Atlanta Falcons 0-1 (6)
Roddy White being used as a decoy only won’t get it done in the NFC South. He needs to get healthy quickly. Steven Jackson looks to be a solid contributor this season after a strong Week 1 effort.
8. Chicago Bears 1-0 (12)
The Bears have had a major jump up the rankings after showing us that their defence is still lethal and new head coach Marc Trestman can get the best out of this offence.
9. Cincinnati Bengals 0-1 (8)
The Bengals still look like the best team in the AFC North, even after their close loss to the Bears. AJ Green looks fantastic although what’s with the limited use of Gio Bernard?
10. New Orleans Saints 1-0 (14)
Another largish jump with the Saints here. It’s clear Sean Payton is a calming force for this team, keep an eye out for more balance between run and pass.
11. Indianapolis Colts 1-0 (13)
Some regular Andrew Luck magic saw the Colts dodge a Raiders-shaped bullet. Their defence may still be an issue but it’s clear Andrew Luck can carry this team.
12. New York Giants 0-1 (10)
Despite the mess of turnovers early in the game, the Giants showed some fight and stayed in this one until the end. Expect them to learn from their mistakes and move forward.
13. St. Louis Rams 1-0 (16)
Yes, they only beat the Cardinals. But they did it tough and clearly have the weapons that quarterback Sam Bradford needs to compete.
14. Baltimore Ravens 0-1 (9)
The Ravens have the first major slide down this list. While they looked horrid against the Broncos, I’ll wait and see how they perform against the Browns.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers 0-1 (11)
Another slide, and frankly, the Steelers looked worse than the Ravens did. They can hold their position in this rankings with a win over the Bengals. If not, they’ll fall hard.
16. Dallas Cowboys 1-0 (18)
The Cowboys move up with an ugly win over the Giants. That offensive line is still clearly a concern but it looks like they won’t be missing receiver Dez Bryant who will be playing through his foot sprain.
17. Kansas City Chiefs 1-0 (19)
Sure, they did it against the lowly Jaguars, but the Chiefs showed that they can shut a team down and that they have solid caretaker in quarterback Alex Smith.
18. Washington Redskins 0-1 (15)
The Redskins drop three spots after losing to the Eagles, but if they can shake the rust of Robert Griffin III and have him play a full game then they’ll be just fine moving forward.
19. Philadelphia Eagles 1-0 (26)
The biggest movers this week. The Eagles offense is clearly no joke, and as long as they can keep up the pace all season then they’ll continue to shoot up this list.
20. Detroit Lions 1-0 (25)
The Lions found a winner in Reggie Bush. Running in tandem with Joique Bell gives Detroit plenty of options other than reveiver Calvin Johnson.
21. Minnesota Vikings 0-1 (17)
Adrian Peterson will always be the engine that drives the Vikings, but aside from his long run on their first possession against the Lions he struggled to find space the rest of the day. That cannot happen moving forward.
22. Miami Dolphins 1-0 (23)
Second-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill was solid against a quality Browns secondary. Their biggest concern is getting their run game going in Week 2, Lamar Miller needs to step up.
23. Arizona Cardinals 0-1 (21)
The Cardinals showed they are an improved team in Week 1. Their new quarterback, Carson Palmer, managed to find the team’s many talented receivers. They lost, so they get bumped, but there’s plenty of positives there.
24. Carolina Panthers 0-1 (22)
The Panthers played well against the Seahawks in Week 1, and if not for some Russell Wilson heroics they might have won. They get a small bump, but could jump back up this list with a win in Week 2.
25. Buffalo Bills 0-1 (24)
To their credit they gave the Patriots a real fight. If E.J. Manuel develops quickly the Bills could surprise, always keep an eye on veteran workhorse Fred Jackson, who out-performed C.J. Spiller in Week 1.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0-1 (20)
The Buccaneers must be happy with how free-agent pickup Darrelle Revis played. But a sloppy mistake and surprisingly absent running game (2.7 yards per carry) has them slide down this list.
27. Tennessee Titans 1-0 (29)
The Titans surprised with their win over the Steelers, and their defence showed some teeth. They’re still a mess on offence, and simply must get Chris Johnson going early in Week 2.
28. San Diego Chargers 0-1 (30)
The Chargers jump up after putting on a solid performance against the Texans. They dropped a first-half lead, again, but there’s clearly talent there to build upon.
29. Cleveland Browns 0-1 (27)
The Browns quarterback, Brandon Weeden, failed to parlay a solid preseason performance with three interceptions in Week 1. If they want to stand a chance, they need Trent Richardson to break out.
30. New York Jets 1-0 (31)
The Jets are the lowest-ranked winning team, but only came away with the win due to a dumb penalty. If they challenge the Patriots in Week 2 expect them to rise a little more.
31. Oakland Raiders 0-1 (32)
The Raiders deserve credit for how they played against the Colts. They get a small jump, but I’m not going to overreact. Let’s see Terrelle Pryor be consistent first.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars 0-1 (28)
I legitimately thought the Jaguars would be a better team this season. I was wrong. If they cannot open some space for their best player, Maurice Jones-Drew, they’re going to be picking first in the 2014 NFL draft.
Notes
In general I don’t put as much stock into Week 1 performances as others do, we’ll begin to see the true value of each team after the first month or so. S
till, I did have some teams make nice jumps up the rankings this week.
The Packers are the best losing team after Week 1, no question, but the Falcons shouldn’t be penalised too much for their loss to the Saints.
We know how good a team Drew Brees and co. can be, and it looks like they’re back to business as usual with Sean Payton returning.
I remain unusually high on both the Rams and the Chiefs. They were already ranked above where most other analysts place them, but I saw no reason not to move them up slightly after their wins this last week.
I was lower on the Redskins than most before Week 1, so they got a small bump down my rankings after their loss to the Eagles. It would have been worse had they not put up an encouraging second half.
The Eagles deserve their jump up the rankings, but until I see that they can keep up the pace I remain a little more cautious than most.
I was wrong about the Jaguars. They are truly awful. If they cannot beat the Raiders in Week 2 they’ll likely be at the bottom of this list for the rest of the year.
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