NFL Power Rankings: Week 2 Edition

Now that Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season is in the books, it’s time for everyone’s favorite meaningful exercise: NFL Power Rankings! What differentiates these rankings from the others is that they’re the only truly accurate ones in the entire universe. And so let’s take a look at how all 32 teams stack up ahead of Week 2.

BLG’S WEEK 2 NFL POWER RANKINGS

1 - Dallas Cowboys (Last Week: 5) - Hard to have a better start to the season than shutting out a division rival in their own stadium 40-0. Dak Prescott didn’t exactly look sharp but Dallas didn’t need him to since their defense was so dominant.

2 - San Francisco 49ers (LW: 7) - The 49ers’ bad vibes have been reset by an impressive win in Pittsburgh. They reminded everyone they have a lot of talent. Brock Purdy is now 8-1 as a starter; it looks like he might not be a fluke after all.

3 - Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 1) - The Chiefs will be fine. They had some bad luck in a one-point loss. They were also missing two of their three best players in Travis Kelce and Chris Jones, who are set to return.

4 - Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 2) - Ugly win for the reigning NFC champs. Jalen Hurts and the Birds’ offensive line must be better moving forward. There’s reason to believe they will be.

5 - Miami Dolphins (LW: 14) - Ready to join TuAnon? Tagovailoa made some awesome throws while outshining Justin Herbert in Miami’s Week 1 shootout win. Of course, it helps when you have an unstoppable weapon like Tyreek Hill.

6 - Detroit Lions (LW: 9) - The Lions really needed to win that game. You can’t be the “it” team and lose to a KC side missing multiple stars. Kudos to Detroit for pulling it off. One could reasonably argue the game was more about the Chiefs losing it than the Lions winning it, however.

7 - Jacksonville Jaguars - (LW: 8) - Calvin Ridley is going to help Trevor Lawrence take the next step.

8 - Baltimore Ravens (LW: 12) - Since the beginning of 2021, Lamar Jackson has a 88.6 passer rating with 38 total touchdowns to 34 combined interceptions and fumbles. They need more of him, especially with lead back J.K. Dobbins now out for the year.

9 - Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 3) - Joe Burrow and the Bengals got off to an 0-2 start last year before eventually making it to the AFC Championship Game. Too early to panic. But one must wonder about his health.

10 - Cleveland Browns (LW: 18) - That Browns defense is for real. The Jim Schwartz effect.

11 - Buffalo Bills (LW: 4) - It’s often said that a game isn’t won or lost by a single player. Not true in this case. Buffalo is 1-0 right now if Josh Allen wasn’t as needlessly reckless as he was.

12 - Green Bay Packers (LW: 19) - Jordan Love isn’t Aaron Rodgers but he’s not leaving the Packers hopeless. Green Bay still has enough pieces to be a playoff contender in the NFC.

13 - New York Jets (LW: 6) - Losing Aaron Rodgers before he ever even completed a pass is pretty tough. Hard not to feel like you’re cursed when something that depressing happens. The Jets still have a good roster … but, let’s be real, Zach Wilson isn’t helping them achieve anything meaningful. The Jets have to get aggressive and trade for a real QB they can contend with.

14 - Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 11) - Of course the Chargers didn’t win that game. They never win that game.

15 - Atlanta Falcons (LW: 21) - Desmond Ridder had the lowest average intended air yards in Week 1, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Do the Falcons trust him to throw? It might not matter a ton if he gets a lot of help like he did in Week 1.

16 - Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 10) - Yikes. So much for the hype that they built up by looking good in the preseason. How much longer will Matt Canada have a job?

17 - Seattle Seahawks (LW: 13) - Safe to say the most unexpected Week 1 losers? Doesn’t help when you lose both starting offensive tackles to injury.

18 - New Orleans Saints (LW: 16) - Jamaal Williams was fortunate to fall on a fumble that could’ve gave the game away late. The Saints are 1-0 by the skin of their teeth.

19 - Tennessee Titans (LW: 20) - With 2:17 left in the game, the Titans kicked a field goal from 4th-and-6 at the Saints’ 11-yard line to turn a four-point deficit into a one-point deficit. The Titans never touched the ball again. The football gods rightfully punished Mike Vrabel’s cowardice.

20 - Minnesota Vikings (LW: 17) - Kirk Cousins is still an empty stats padder. His three turnovers contributed to the Vikings losing their first one-score regular season game since the start of the 2022 season.

21 - New England Patriots (LW: 22) - A head coach sets your floor while a quarterback impacts your ceiling. The Patriots are solid under Bill Belichick. But Mac Jones isn’t scaring anybody.

22 - Los Angeles Rams (LW: 28) - Maybe the Rams aren’t tanking after all? Matthew Stafford looks healthy. There’s talk about LAR being the 2023 version of Seattle.

23 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 29) - Baker Mayfield’s Bucs deserve some credit for winning as five-point road underdogs. Playing in a weak division, they might be able to make more noise than expected.

24 - Las Vegas Raiders (LW: 27) - Jimmy Garoppolo is a win with quarterback and the Raiders won with him.

25 - Washington Commanders (LW: 24) - Needing to outscore Arizona 10 to 0 in the fourth quarter just to beat Josh Dobbs by four points is … not the best look.

26 - Denver Broncos (LW: 23) - The 2023 Broncos don’t look too different from the 2022 Broncos after one game.

27 - Carolina Panthers (LW: 25) - Only natural to expect a learning curve for Bryce Young. The Panthers were not helped by a Miles Sanders fumble that turned a tie game into a 17-10 Atlanta lead they never looked back from.

28 - Indianapolis Colts (LW: 31) - Anthony Richardson might be further in his development than expected? Nice Week 1 showing, albeit in a loss.

29 - Chicago Bears (LW: 26) - No Aaron Rodgers and yet Green Bay still owns them. Is everyone ready to admit that Justin Fields just isn’t good? The Bears messed up by not taking a quarterback at No. 1 overall. Maybe they can get Caleb Williams or another passer in the 2024 NFL Draft.

30 - Houston Texans (LW: 30) - The Texans are still bad. Not enough talent to hang with the big boys.

31 - Arizona Cardinals (LW: 32) - The Cards didn’t win … but they covered a 7.5-point spread! So, there’s that.

32 - New York Giants (LW: 15) - I don’t think the Giants will end the season as the worst team but they deserve this spot for now after such a lifeless Week 1 performance. That was pathetic.