NFL Week 2 Power Rankings: Eagles plummet, Bills and Rams climb

1. New England Patriots 1-0(Def. Pittsburgh 28-21. Previously: 2)

Tom Brady wasn’t rusty.He celebrated the lifting of his suspension with four touchdowns against the Steelers, in a game that never seemed in doubt for New England.Questions about New England’s defense will remain however, after they allowed 464 yards to a Steelers team missing Le’Veon Bell, Martavis Bryant and Maurkice Pouncey.

2. Green Bay Packers 1-0(Def. Chicago 31-23. Previously: 3)

Jordy Nelson or no, Aaron Rodgers found receivers to get the ball to Sunday, much as he has in the past.James Jones was the largest beneficiary in Nelson’s absence, catching two touchdowns against the Bears.Clay Matthews intercepted Jay Cutler late to keep Chicago at bay.

3. Seattle Seahawks 0-1(Lost to St. Louis 34-31OT. Previously: 1)

Karma for Russell Wilson’s tweet?The Seahawks started slow last year, let’s all remember, before we drop them much further than this.Still, while Jimmy Graham’s debut included a touchdown, Kam Chancellor’s absence was clearly evident in the defense’s play.There’s no question about whether the Legion of Boom needs him.Starting overtime with an onsidekick recalled the questionable play calling we last saw in the Super Bowl.

4. Arizona Cardinals1-0(Def. New Orleans 31-19. Previously: 9)

Carson Palmer displayed why he’s the key to the Cardinals success every season.Displaying no ill effects from his torn ACL, Palmer threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns Sunday.The defense did an admirable job keeping the Saints out of the endzone, limiting them to one touchdown and four field goals on a day where Drew Brees threw for 355 yards.

5. Dallas Cowboys 1-0(Def. New York Giants 27-26. Previously: 5)

Just don’t ask them to win like that every week. And it was a costly victory, as Dez Bryant suffered a broken foot. Dallas got last minute heroics from Jason Witten and Cole Beasley to redeem two costly earlier plays.Tony Romo threw for 356 yards and three touchdowns in a game dominated by Dallas everywhere but the endzone. Perhaps the most encouraging part of the night was the way the secondary played absent Orlando Scandrick, limiting Eli Manning to 195 yards and Odell Beckham Jr. to 44.

6. Kansas City Chiefs 1-0(Def. Houston 27-20. Previously: 7)

Kansas City was hoping for a revitalized passing game after last season, and they got one Sunday. It just didn’t come entirely from where it had been most expected – new signing Jeremy Maclin. Alex Smith threw three touchdown passes, two to tight end Travis Kelce, who had 106 yards receiving on the day and the Chiefs held on late to beat the Texans.

7. Indianapolis Colts0-1(Lost to Buffalo 27-14.Previously: 4)

Opening weekend was a bust.New arrivals Andre Johnson and Frank Gore combined for 55 yards. Andrew Luck had his worst game since, well, his last game (discounting the pre-season.)The best that can be said of the Colts Sunday is they hung around and made a go of it after falling behind 24-0.

8. Denver Broncos 1-0 (Def. Baltimore 19-13. Previously: 8)

We expected the Broncos defense to be great, and they were, returning an interception for the winning score, picking off Joe Flacco in the endzone to clinch it, and limiting the Ravens to just 173 total yards. The problem is, the offense had much the same experience against the Ravens defense, gaining just 219 yards and also throwing a pick six.

9. Buffalo Bills 1-0 (Def. Indianapolis 27-14. Previously: 18)

The Tyrod Taylor era has begun in Buffalo. The big story on the day was the Bills always remarkable defense, which limited the Colts to 304 total yards and pitched a shutout for the first half. Next up: getting more out of LeSean McCoy, who had just 41 yards on 17 carries in his debut.

10. Cincinnati Bengals 1-0 (Def. Oakland 30-13. Previously: 14)

The Bengals came out and crushed Oakland, racking up a 30-0 lead before allowing two late touchdowns.Tyler Eifert had 104 yards and two touchdowns threw the air, and both Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard chimed in with 63 yards apiece on the ground.

11. St. Louis Rams 1-0 (Def. Seattle 34-31, OT. Previously: 20)

The Rams made the Seahawks pay for pregame overconfidence and questionable playcalling.Unable to get it done on the ground with the absence of Todd Gurley and Tre Mason, the Rams had to turn to Nick Foles, who threw for 297 yards on just 27 attempts in his debut and Tavon Austin, who returned a punt for a touchdown.

12. Miami Dolphins 1-0(Def. Washington 17-10. Previously: 11)

This wasn’t the coming out party the Dolphins were hoping for.Still, a Jarvis Landry punt return touchdown and winning the turnover battle got them out of week one with a win on a day where they only managed 256 yards of offense.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers 0-1(Lost to New England 28-21. Previously: 10)

With Martavis Bryant, Maurkice Pouncey, and of course, Le’Veon Bell all out it was a tall order for the Steelers against the Patriots, and they actually displayed themselves fairly well, other than the mind boggling decision to largely ignore Rob Gronkowski all night long.Gronk made them pay, radio troubles or no, and it can’t have been the opening week the Steelers’ defense was hoping for.

14. Atlanta Falcons 1-0(Def. Philadelphia 26-24. Previously: 22)

Atlanta did well to immediately put the Eagles revamped secondary to the test.They were found lacking, and it helped the Falcons build a 20-3 halftime lead.They could have folded after allowing the Eagles to come back and take the lead in the second half, 24-23, but they responded and that has to bode well for the coming season.Rookie running back Tevin Coleman had an impressive debut, with 80 rushing yards against an Eagles’ run defense that had looked dominating in the pre-season.

15. San Diego Chargers 1-0(Def. Detroit 33-28 Previously: 17)

The Chargers scored 30 straight points to take the lead and never look back after falling behind 21-3 to Detroit to begin the game.Philip Rivers threw for 404 yards to out-duel Matthew Stafford as the Chargers racked up 483 total yards.First round pick Melvin Gordon had 14 carries for 51 yards.

16. Baltimore Ravens 0-1(Lost to Denver 19-13. Previously: 12)

Baltimore’s offense had a disastrous game against Denver on Sunday.Joe Flacco managed just 117 yards passing on 32 attempts, and threw two interceptions for a team considered by some a Super Bowl contender.

17. San Francisco 49ers 1-0(Def. Minnesota 20-3. Previously: 24)

Most people were expecting a triumphant return for Adrian Peterson, but it was Carlos Hyde who ran wild Monday night, rushing for 168 yards and two touchdowns to lead San Francisco to victory.The Niners’ defense showed it wasn’t lost without Jim Harbaugh and Patrick Willis, holding the Vikings to 248 net yards of offense.

18. Philadelphia Eagles0-1(Lost to Atlanta 26-24. Previously: 6)

It wasn’t the best start for Chip Kelly’s overhaul, though the offense came alive in the second half after falling down 20-3.The team alreadyfamous for its depth at running back passed 52 times and ran 16, including eight carries for just nine yards for DeMarco Murray.Free agent addition Byron Maxwell was torched consistently by Julio Jones to the tune of 141 yards and two touchdowns. Darren Sproles was the team’s most dangerous weapon, finishing with 126 offensive yards.

19. Houston Texans 0-1(Lost to Kansas City 27-20 Previously: 16)

It was always going to be a tough opener facing Kansas City without Arian Foster.The Texans made an attempt at a comeback after Ryan Mallett entered the game.Mallett led the team on an 11-0 run to close the game in relief of Brian Hoyer, who had a fumble and interception on the day.

20. Detroit Lions 0-1(Lost to San Diego, 33-28. Previously: 15)

The Lions let one slip away in San Diego, losing a 21-3 lead behind 30 straight points from the Chargers.It wasn’t the beginning to the season fans were hoping to see for Calvin Johnson, who had just two catches for 39 yards.Rookie Ameer Abdullah did well, gaining 129 total yards on 14 touches.

21. Carolina Panthers 1-0(Def. Jacksonville 20-9. Previously: 19)

They won, but questions about how the offense will fair weren’t exactly put to bed.Finally away from a timeshare with Deangelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart ran for 56 yards on 18 carries. Cam Newtonfound enough receivers to rack up 175 passing yards.The defense created turnovers though, and that was enough to carry the day.

22. New Orleans Saints 0-1(Lost to Arizona 31-19. Previously: 23)

The Saints supposed recommitment to the running game was, stop us if you’ve seen this play out before, largely invisible on the field.They threw the ball 48 times and ran it 20, and managed only a paltry 2.7 yards per carry. The passing game didn’t slow down in the absence of Jimmy Graham, as Drew Brees threw for 355 yards and completed passes to eight different receivers.

23. New York Giants0-1(Lost to Dallas 27-26. Previously: 21)

The Giants found a way to lose Sunday night after being improbably ahead for most of the game. Without any offensive fireworks on display, they had taken advantage of some Dallas turnovers.But bungled time management at the goal line left Tony Romo 1:34 to win, and win he did.With Victor Cruz sidelined, Odell Beckham Jr. was noticeably quiet, with 44 yards on the night and a couple of almost fumbles.

24. Chicago Bears 0-1(Lost to Green Bay 31-23. Previously: 25)

The Bears displayed themselves better than many expected against the Packers, and were driving down the field late before a Jay Cutler interception turned the day.So.Some problems remain then. Matt Forte had a great day on the ground, with 141 rushing yards.Though he was his usual efficient self, on some level the Bears have to feel good about only allowing Aaron Rodgers 189 passing yards.

25. New York Jets 1-0 (Def. Cleveland 31-10. Previously: 26)

This was an impressive debut from the Jets after a troubling off-season.Chris Ivory ran for 91 yards and two touchdowns and Brandon Marshall caught a touchdown in his debut.Unfortunately, rookie linebacker Lorenzo Maudlin was carted off the field with a head injury.

26. Minnesota Vikings 0-1 (Lost to San Francisco 20-3. Previously: 13)

A promising season for the Vikings got off on the wrong foot.Adrian Peterson had only 10 carries for 31 yards after a year away from the game, and the Minnesota defense got run all over by the Niners on their way to 230 rushing yards.

27. Tennessee Titans 1-0(Def. Tampa Bay 42-14. Previously: 32)

It was a great debut for MarcusMariota and the Titans as they stomped Tampa Bay.Mariota joined Fran Tarkenton as the only players to throw four touchdown passes in a debut.

28. Washington Redskins 0-1(Lost to Miami 17-10. Previously: 31)

RG3 was inactive, but Kirk Cousins didn’t exactly lock down the starting gig Sunday, with two interceptions.Alfred Morris, who had 121 yards on the ground, and the defense, which held Miami to 256 total yards, were bright spots in a game that was closer than many expected.

29. Jacksonville Jaguars 0-1 (Lost to Carolina 20-9. Previously: 27)

While Jacksonville has a bunch of talented exciting youngsters, in the end they play like a bunch of talented exciting youngsters.Three turnovers on the day were too much to overcome a Panthers team not exactly in top gear.Allen Robinson had only one catch for 27 yards.

30. Oakland Raiders 0-1(Lost to Cincinnati 30-13. Previously: 28)

The Raiders lost the game and quarterback Derek Carr early, Carr leaving with a hand injury and the Raiders allowing the Bengals 30 straight points to open the game.Backup QB Matt McGloin did throw two late touchdown passes in relief, and Amari Cooper had 47 receiving yards in his debut in Oakland.

31. Cleveland Browns 0-1(Lost to New York Jets 31-10. Previously: 30)

Josh McCown’s injury caused Johnny Manziel to see the field again sooner than many were expecting. While it started with a bang and a 54 yard touchdown pass, the game ended with a whimper for Cleveland, who averaged just 3.7 yards per rush, most of that buoyed by Manziel’s 35 yards on 5 carries.

32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0-1(Def. Tennessee 42-14. Previously: 29)

Jameis Winston became the first quarterback since Brett Favre to have his first pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown so, he’s got that going for him.