Week 2 Power Rankings
And just like that, Week 1 is in the books. The NFL is always full of surprises and the first week of the season was not an outlier. The league saw nine road teams win in week one - including the Buccaneers and the Rams who took home the most surprising wins of the week. The game of the week was out in Los Angeles, where Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert went shot for shot. It was Tua and the Dolphins who came out on top - a game where the Quarteback threw for 466 yards (215 of those going to Tyreek Hill). Out in Cleveland, the house of horrors continued for the Bengals as Joe Burrow threw for 82 yards the entire game. The Browns defense dominated in a 24-3 victory. And then there’s the embarrassment that took place at MetLife Stadium Sunday Night. But there’s nothing to be said there. With the first week in the books, teams are already looking ahead to Week 2. And we will as well, but as weeks go by in the NFL season, the Power Rankings always reign supreme. Whether you look at ESPN, Bleacher Report, CBS, or anywhere else - they will not match up to Perfect Spiral’s rankings! Below you will find our Week 1 Power Rankings, based off of performance with a hint of respect to the teams that lost. You’ll get the picture.
Power Rankings - Week 1 (September 7th-11th)
San Francisco 49ers - Brock Purdy is still undefeated in games he starts and finishes, and San Fran was the most complete team Sunday.
Dallas Cowboys - The beatdown at Metlife proved one thing - the Dallas defense is still an elite unit.
Miami Dolphins - The question coming out of Week 1 in LA is “Can anyone stop this offense?”
Philadelphia Eagles - Playing on the road against Belichick is never easy, but Philly proved they can win with defense when their offense isn’t up to par.
Jacksonville Jaguars - The Lawrence to Ridley connection was as advertised, and the Jags ended a long losing streak in Indianapolis.
Cleveland Browns - Defense dominated the day; But will the real DeShaun Watson please stand up?
Detroit Lions - Winning on the road against the defending Super Bowl champs isn’t easy, no matter who is playing or not playing. No asterisk required.
Kansas City Chiefs - No Kelce. No Jones. Receivers were awful. And they still only lost by a point. The Chiefs are fine. A date in Jacksonville next week should be a doozy.
New York Jets - Unfortunately, the season outlook is completely different with Rodgers done for the year.
Green Bay Packers - The Jordan Love era is off with flying colors, and the Packers are still the Bears daddy.
Baltimore Ravens - Sloppy game from the offense, but the defense held firm. The injury bug already hitting Baltimore as JK Dobbins is out for the year, and Marcus Williams will miss a ton of time.
Cincinnati Bengals - After sleepwalking through Week 1, the Bengals fall out of the Top 10, but a win against Baltimore in Week 2 will put them right back in there.
New Orleans Saints - Derek Carr still having trouble in the redzone I see? No matter, the defense was solid against a weak Titans O.
Los Angeles Rams - I’m not ready to say the Rams are back, but they were dominant in Seattle. Stafford got it done with guys named Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua.
Los Angeles Chargers - Will the Chargers ever win a close game?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Baker Mayfield had that “Baker energy” to him and got better as the game went on. The defense in Tampa is still very, very solid.
Buffalo Bills - Taking care of the football is officially an issue for Josh Allen. The defense is solid, but Buffalo can’t play clean football, the Bills won’t be going anywhere in 2023.
Las Vegas Raiders - Jimmy G finds ways to win. A touchdown in the 4th quarter to go ahead plus a game winning scramble on 3rd and 8 will win hearts with Raider Nation.
Washington Commanders - The new look Commanders had to squeak out a win against “not tanking” Arizona.
Atlanta Falcons - If you don’t think the Falcons are “Titans NFC” you’re kidding yourself. This passing offense is anemic, but the defense is severely underrated.
Denver Broncos - Russ was more efficient, but 16 points against a subpar Raiders defense isn’t gonna cut it. I don’t think Sean Payton had this as an “L” on the schedule.
New England Patriots - An encouraging debut from the new look Patriots offense. Mac was better Sunday than he was in any game in 2022.
Minnesota Vikings - They didn’t run the ball nearly enough. After going 9-0 in one score games in 2022, they are now 0-1 in 2023.
Tennessee Titans - If Tannehill keeps this up, we will see Will Levis or Malik Willis by Week 5.
Seattle Seahawks - Perhaps the biggest upset of the day, the Hawks were dominated in every facet in their own building against a very young Rams team.
Indianapolis Colts - The defensive line was impressive. Anthony Richardson has the ability, the medium to deep passing will need significant work this season.
Houston Texans - CJ Stroud was not awful, and this game was closer than the final score indicated. But this team is super young and will need time.
Pittsburgh Steelers - All the pre-season hype just got thrown in the garbage.
Chicago Bears - How many times are we going to defend Justin Fields and this offense? Also, what’s the timetable on Matt Eberflus if their is no improvement?
New York Giants - There’s nothing to say.
Carolina Panthers - The offensive line is a problem. Bryce has a lively arm, but he won’t make it through the season if he can’t be protected. Hayden Hurst is worth a waiver wire pickup.
Arizona Cardinals - The Commanders tried to give them the game and they still couldn’t win. Josh Dobbs last two losses both end 20-16. He should play those numbers.
