TGS Week 2 power rankings: see, nobody knows...
We wrote last week that we only pretend we know what we're talking about prior to Week 1. In actual fact, no one knows. Put your hand up if you had the defending champions getting dominated at home. Same thing happened to the defending champions. In fact, each of the last five Super Bowl champions came out on the losing end in Week 1. Few expected the Jets, Bears, Redskins or Ravens to hit the 40-point mark, with the Eagles needing all 17 they could muster up against a quarterback with a 5.1 passer rating.
What's really wild is that things change between Week 1 and Week 2 to more of an extent than any other two-week stretch.
So you still don't know. None of us do.
1. Houston Texans (1-0, 2nd last week): J.J. Watt could be a prime defensive player of the year nominee. I just hope these Texans can stay healthy, because the sky's the limit.
2. New England Patriots (1-0, 3rd last week): Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower can change this defense immediately, which might make the Patriots a Super Bowl favorite.
3. San Francisco 49ers (1-0, 15th last week): They might be even better this year. Winning in Green Bay was huge for confidence as well as potential tiebreakers.
4. Denver Broncos (1-0, 5th last week): Take what happened last year and add Peyton Manning and you have a team capable of beating teams like Pittsburgh on the road. Could we have a Manning in the Super Bowl for the fifth time in seven years?
5. Dallas Cowboys (1-0, 13th last week): Here's a team that suddenly might have more balance than anyone in the NFC. That was a watershed moment Wednesday night in New Jersey.
6. Green Bay Packers (0-1, 1st last week): It's usually not good when your quarterback leads your team in rushing.
7. Atlanta Falcons (1-0, 10th last week): At 27, it looks like Matt Ryan's about to have a career year. Will he get enough support from the running game and the defense? So far, so good.
8. Baltimore Ravens (1-0, 12th last week): Joe Flacco looked like a completely new quarterback Monday night. Maybe he took that next step with that stellar performance in last year's AFC championship game.
9. Washington Redskins (1-0, 21st last week): The difference a quarterback makes. And where'd that come from on defense? Washington could be the surprise team of 2012.
10. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0, 4th last week): One of the least inspiring victories I've seen from an NFL team. The Eagles are feeling like an 0-1 team this week.
11. Detroit Lions (1-0, 8th last week): Give Matthew Stafford credit for stepping up when it matters most. And remember that he's still only 24.
12. Chicago Bears (1-0, 9th last week): A lot of weapons in that offense, and they already have a one-game lead on the mighty Pack.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1, 7th last week): Iffy on both sides of the ball in Denver, but expect them to fight back. They always do.
14. New York Jets (1-0, 27th last week): Where the hell did that come from? I still don't trust them but I guess I don't have much of a choice here.
15. Kansas City Chiefs (0-1, 6th last week): Surprised to see such a flat effort at home but I'm betting they also get back on track soon. Too much talent there.
16. Carolina Panthers (0-1, 11th last week): Ran into a sneaky good Buccaneers team at a bad time. Those guys were hyped for Greg Schiano's debut, and the defense looks great.
17. New York Giants (0-1, 14th last week): They gave up 45 to the Cowboys in their 2007 opener and were beaten by 14 in Washington in their 2011 opener. They won the Super Bowl both years. No reason to panic, and Tom Coughlin knows it.
18. San Diego Chargers (1-0, 20th last week): Took care of business against an inferior mess of a team. Jury's still out.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0, 24th last week): I guess I already analyzed them in the No. 16 spot, didn't I?
21. Arizona Cardinals (1-0, 25th last week): Kevin Kolb will get his turn now, but the running game will have to be better than that.
22. Seattle Seahawks (0-1, 18th last week): For now they drop behind Arizona, but I don't think that'll last. Russell Wilson will get better each week.
23. St. Louis Rams (0-1, 26th last week): Steven Jackson averaged only 2.5 yards per carry and yet they still nearly beat the Lions on the road. This defense can ball.
25. Tennessee Titans (0-1, 22nd last week): It's beginning to feel like it'll be a long year in Tennessee. Chris Johnson just doesn't have it anymore.
26. Oakland Raiders (0-1, 23rd last week): I don't want to overreact, but Darren McFadden alone can't get this thing done.
27. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1, 17th last week): Looks like it could be another down year for a team that hasn't made the playoffs back-to-back seasons since 1982. Then again, it's only one loss to a good team, so maybe I'm just drawing broad conclusions.
28. Buffalo Bills (0-1, 19th last week): How does that "revamped" defense give up 48 points to a team that was a disaster all preseason? That's an incredibly disappointing effort.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1, 30th last week): Hung in on the road with their best player less than fully available. Baby steps?
30. Indianapolis Colts (0-1, 29th last week): On Sunday, Indianapolis looked a lot like a team that will end up with another top-three pick.
31. Miami Dolphins (0-1, 31st last week): That went exactly as expected in Houston. At least now they get to host the Raiders on a short week.
32. Cleveland Browns (0-1, 32nd last week): What's amazing is that they almost won. Credit to the defense, but they won't win anytime soon with Brandon Weeden running the show in a division like that.
