2020 NFL Power Rankings – Week 02

NFL Power Rankings – Week 02

1. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0): The Chiefs looked terrific in their opener against the Texans, with rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire rushing for 138 yards and one touchdown in his NFL debut. Next: -8.5 at Los Angeles Chargers - Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 47.5

2. New Orleans Saints (1-0): The Saints easily defeated the Buccaneers in a game where the offense only collected 271 total yards. The defense was impressive, coming up with three turnovers and three sacks. Next: -5.5 at Las Vegas Raiders – Mon, Sep. 21 – O/U 49.5

3. Seattle Seahawks (1-0): The Seahawks rolled over the defensively challenged Falcons in an impressive victory in Atlanta. Quarterback Russell Wilson continues to play like a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback, completing 31 of 35 passes for 322 yards and throwing for four touchdowns. Next: -3.5 vs New England Patriots – Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 44.5

4. Buffalo Bills (1-0): Quarterback Josh Allen threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 57 yards and one touchdown in the win over the Jets. Allen passed 46 times and ran 14 times, involving himself in 60 of the team's 81 offensive plays. Next: -5.5 at Miami Dolphins - Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 41.5

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0): Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is back and with the Steelers defense, are a legitimate playoff contender. Running back Benny Snell Jr. stepped in for injured James Conner and rushed for 113 yards in the win. Next: -7.5 vs Denver Broncos – Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 41.5

6. Baltimore Ravens (1-0): When these guys look good, they look unbeatable. Rookie running back J. K. Dobbins scored two touchdowns in his NFL debut. Quarterback Lamar Jackson was selected the AFC Player of the Week, an honor he won five times during the 2019 season. Next: -6.5 at Houston Texans – Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 51.5

7. Las Vegas Raiders (1-0): If the Raiders can stay healthy, they will be one of the best offensive units in the NFL. The Raiders are young on defense and should continue to improve as the season goes along, especially if they can find a consistent pass rush. Next: +5.5 vs New Orleans Saints - Mon, Sep. 21 – O/U 49.5

8. Green Bay Packers (1-0): In case anyone forgot, Aaron Rodgers is a great quarterback. Rodgers completed 32 of 44 passes, throwing for 364 yards and four touchdowns in a 43-34 win over the Vikings. Next: -6.5 vs Detroit Lions - Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 48.5

9. Los Angeles Rams (1-0): In the first half of their game against the Cowboys Sunday night, all four of the Rams first half drives got to the red zone, but only produced a total of 13 points. Head coach Sean McVay will certainly make finishing drives a focus of practice this week. Next: -0.5 at Philadelphia Eagles - Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 45.5

10. Arizona Cardinals (1-0): The Cardinals may have something special going on in the Sonoran Desert. Quarterback Kyler Murray threw for 230 yards and ran for 91 yards in the upset victory over the 49ers on the road. DeAndre Hopkins had a career-high 14 catches for 151 yards in the win. Next: -6.5 vs Washington Football Team - Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 47.5

11. Tennessee Titans (1-0): The Titans managed to pull out a win in Denver on Monday Night, despite an awful performance from kicker Steven Gostkowski, who missed three field goal attempts and an extra point before making the game winning 25-yard field goal with 17 seconds left. Next: -8.5 vs Jacksonville Jaguars - Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 42.5

12. Los Angeles Chargers (1-0): The Chargers ran for 155 yards and got a couple of timely second half turnovers to hold on for a victory in Cincinnati. Bengals kicker Randy Bullock missed a game-tying 31-yard field goal attempt with seven seconds left, clinching the victory. The Chargers will need to be much better this week. Next: +8.5 vs Kansas City Chiefs - Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 47.5

13. New England Patriots (1-0): Cam Newton is back, and he does not seem to have lost much. Newton rushed 15 times for 75 yards and two touchdowns in his running role and completed 15 of 19 passes for 155 yards when he was in a passing role. It will be interesting to see if he can keep that up for 17 weeks. Next: +3.5 at Seattle Seahawks – Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 44.5

14. San Francisco 49ers (0-1): The 49ers are in a tough division and they are going to have not only a tough time repeating as NFC Champions, but a real challenge in getting back to the playoffs. They are currently in last place in the NFC west after a close loss at home to the Cardinals. Next: -7.5 at New York Jets – Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 42.5

15. Chicago Bears (1-0): The Bears played one good quarter of football and that was all that was needed at Detroit. Down 23-6 after three quarters, Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky threw three 4th quarter touchdown passes to lead a stunning comeback over catatonic Lions. Next: -5.5 vs New York Giants - Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 42.5

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1): Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady became the first quarterback since Matt Schaub and Blaine Gabbert in 2013 to throw pick sixes in three straight games. That is not exactly what the Buccaneers were expecting when they signed him as a free agent to replace Jameis Winston. Next: -8.5 vs Carolina Panthers - Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 47.5

17. Washington Football Team (1-0): Washington has a terrific pass rush. Just ask Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, who was sacked eight times in their loss to the Washington football team. Next: +6.5 at Arizona Cardinals – Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 47.5

18. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0): The Jaguars did not play like a team that is "Tanking for Trevor" in their upset victory over the Colts. Or maybe it was not an upset. The Jags have won six straight homes games over the Colts. Next: +8.5 at Tennessee Titans - Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 42.5

19. Dallas Cowboys (0-1): The Cowboys are paper tigers. They look great on paper, but on the field, their play on the field is mediocre. It is only one game and they are in the weak NFC East, but the Cowboys continue to be an NFL enigma. Next: -4.5 vs Atlanta Falcons - Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 52.5

20. Denver Broncos (0-1): Head coach Vic Fangio held on to three timeouts as the Tennessee Titans moved into field goal range with under a minute to go, down by one point. Fangio allowed the clock to go down to 17 seconds, leaving too little time for quarterback Drew Lock to get the Broncos in field goal range after the Titans finally connected on a field goal attempt. Next: +7.5 at Pittsburgh Steelers - Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 41.5

21. Atlanta Falcons (0-1): Against the Seahawks, quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 450 yards, the Falcons had three wide receivers each with over 100 yards in receiving and Todd Gurley rushed for 56 yards and one touchdown. Yet, somehow the Falcons loss 38-25. The Falcons may not be a playoff team, but they are popular in fantasy football. Next: +5.5 at Dallas Cowboys – Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 52.5

22. Minnesota Vikings (0-1): The Vikings loss their opener to the Packers, 43-34, in a game that was not as close as the score might indicate. The Packers led 29-10 after three quarters and the Vikings scored 24 of their 34 points in the last quarter when the game was already out of reach. The Vikings defense gave up 522 yards of offense to the Packers. Next: +3.5 at Indianapolis Colts – Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 48.5

23. Philadelphia Eagles (0-1): The Eagles blew a 17-0 lead to the Washington football team, losing 27-17 on the road. The Eagles only rushed for 57 yards on the ground and really need to get running back Miles Sanders healthy. Sanders missed the game with a hamstring injury. Next: +0.5 vs Los Angeles Rams – Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 46.5

24. Indianapolis Colts (0-1): Quarterback Philip Rivers is no longer with the Chargers and one reason was that he was reckless with the football at times. In his first appearance as a Colt, Rivers threw two bad interceptions in a loss to the Jaguars. Some bad habits are hard to break. Next: -3.5 vs Minnesota Vikings – Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 48.5

25. Houston Texans (0-1): It would be easy to criticize head coach and GM Bill O'Brien for his ill-advised trade of DeAndre Hopkins in the spring. So, we will. Trading a superstar in his prime for a backup running back and a 2nd round pick, defensive tackle Ross Blacklock of TCU, must be one of the worst trades in NFL history. At a minimum, O'Brien should have received a first round pick. Next: +6.5 vs Baltimore Ravens – Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 51.5

26. Carolina Panthers (0-1): Offensively, the Panthers played well in their 34-30 loss to the Raiders. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater threw for 270 yards and brought the Panthers back from a 12-point, fourth quarter deficit before the Raiders rallied to win the game. Next: +8.5 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 47.5

27. New York Giants (0-1): Saquon Barkley rushed 15 times for six total yards. The issues with the running game from last season, at least in the first game of the season, have not been fixed by the Giants coaching staff. Or maybe the issue is Barkley. Next: +5.5 at Chicago Bears – Sun, Sep. 20 - O/U 42.5

28. New York Jets (0-1): Running back Le'Veon Bell is headed to the injured reserve for at least three weeks with a hamstring injury. Rookie wide receiver Denzel Mims, a second-round draft pick from Baylor, will join Bell on the injured reserve with a hamstring injury. A tough start for the Jets. Next: +7.5 vs San Francisco 49ers - Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 42.5

29. Cleveland Browns (0-1): Quarterback Baker Mayfield continues to regress, completing 21 of 39 passes for 189 yards. The connection with star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. continues to be an issue, with Beckham catching only thee passes for 22 yards in the blowout loss to the Ravens. Next: -5.5 vs Cincinnati Bengals - Thu, Sep. 17 – O/U 43.5

30. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1): Rookie quarterback Joe Burrow looked impressive in the Bengals 16-13 loss to the Chargers. Going up against a top ten defense, Burrow looked comfortable in the pocket and had no fear of throwing passes in tight windows and showed his mobility on a 23-yard touchdown run. Next: +5.5 at Cleveland Browns - Thu, Sep. 17 – O/U 43.5

31. Miami Dolphins (0-1): The Dolphins continue to use a running back by committee approach, which is another way of saying that they do not have a true starting running back. The Dolphins rushed for 87 yards on 27 carries against the Pats. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will need more help than that to win. Next: +5.5 vs Buffalo Bills - Sun, Sep 20 – O/U 41.5

32. Detroit Lions (0-1): The Lions gave up 21 points in the 4th quarter to the Bears, proving that any offense can have a good quarter against the Lions. The Lions helped, missing a 55 yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter, which set up great field position for the Bears at their own 45 yard line and throwing an interception that set up the 37 yard game winning drive for the Bears. Next: +6.5 at Green Bay Packers – Sun, Sep. 20 – O/U 48.5