NFL Power Rankings Week 2 – Aaron Rodgers Injury Shakes Up the AFC

The first week of the NFL season is in the books, and we already have a shakeup for our Week 2 NFL Power Rankings. Of course, injuries to critical players are tough to see, but the first few weeks are going to be filled with them. Injuries, such as the Aaron Rodgers injury, have to be included in our power rankings for these teams.

No, we are not going to overreact to what we saw in Week 1. However, we do have an article full of NFL Week 1 overreactions. Instead, we will look at the games critically and grade teams based on both where they are now and where I project them to go. Also, we will only go into detail on the top 10 teams going forward.

With that being said, let’s jump into the Week 2 NFL Power Rankings!

NFL Power Rankings For Week 2

1) Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: 2)

It was not a pretty start to the season for the Philadelphia Eagles. But thanks to a pick-six by Darius Slay, the Eagles beat the New England Patriots, putting them at our top spot in the Week 2 NFL Power Rankings. I projected the Eagles to start slow due to the changes in the offensive staff. This was the case, but good teams find ways to win on bad days. They have the most talented roster in the NFL and will be a tough out for anyone this year.

2) San Francisco 49ers (3)

Brock Purdy was healthy enough to make the start for the San Francisco 49ers, and he sliced up the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense. The 49ers’ offense looks as talented as ever, and the defense is going to be talented as well. In a weak division and conference as a whole, it will be tough for anyone to chance the Eagles and 49ers in the NFC.

3) Kansas City Chiefs (1)

Are we hitting the panic button on the Kansas City Chiefs after one game? Of course not, but there are some concerns being raised. No, they didn’t have Travis Kelce. However, if that group of receivers doesn’t improve, then defenses will recognize that Patrick Mahomes will only be passing the ball to Kelce.

Regardless, the Chiefs defense played relatively well and they have 10 days off to fix some issues before playing a tough game in Jacksonville.

4) Dallas Cowboys (8)

The most dominating performance of NFL Week 1 was by the Dallas Cowboys over the New York Giants. The defense and special teams sucked all of the life out of the Giants and set the offense up for success. It looks like the only thing that could hold the Cowboys back, currently, is Dak Prescott. Still, he didn’t really make mistakes on Sunday night, which is all he has to do for the Cowboys to be successful.

5) Jacksonville Jaguars (9)

The Jacksonville Jaguars did not look as dominant as they should’ve against the Indianapolis Colts, but the offense looked good enough to jump a few teams in our NFL Power Rankings for Week 2. Clearly, Calvin Ridley is back and looks great. The defense needs to step up in a big way against the Chiefs this week.

6) New York Jets (5)

The New York Jets got a massive Week 1 win on Monday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills. However, there was an Aaron Rodgers injury in the process. Rodgers tore his Achilles, which could mean the end of his career. This team is good enough to make the playoffs without him, but it will be tough for the Jets to live up to preseason expectations without Rodgers in the lineup. For now, Zach Wilson is back in charge, and we will see if he can step up as a leader on the field in Week 2.

7) Buffalo Bills (4)

The Buffalo Bills lost to an Aaron Rodgers-less Jets team, causing this drop in the Week 2 NFL Power Rankings. I had my concerns about the Bills due to Sean McDermott calling defensive plays as the head coach. However, Josh Allen really struggled on the offensive side of the ball as well. If these struggles continue, Stefon Diggs will become more vocal about a trade, which would be a disaster.

8) Cincinnati Bengals (6)

Speaking of disaster, why did the Cincinnati Bengals have to poke the bear? Myles Garrett embarrassed Cincinnati. While they did add talent upfront, it doesn’t make up for coaching deficiencies. Joe Burrow also doesn’t appear fully healthy. It’s far too early to hit the panic button, but the Bengals cannot lose too many games in a tough AFC North.

9) Baltimore Ravens (7)

Clearly, the Baltimore Ravens haven’t found their groove in the new offensive scheme yet. However, losing the top running back while being without the offense’s top receiving weapon does have some impact. Regardless, Baltimore has to be better, and that starts with Lamar Jackson. They still have a very talented offense, so we’ll see if they can perform this week.

10) Detroit Lions (12)

The Detroit Lions knocked off the Super Bowl champions on banner night to kick off the NFL season, but that doesn’t mean they played a great game. A win is a win, but there is plenty of room for improvement, especially offensively.

Regardless, Detroit proved in Week 1 that they deserve the hype and respect that was given to them prior to the first game. They look to be the favorites in the NFC North, and they will only improve the more snaps they give to their talented rookies. For now, they have done enough to break into the top 10 of our Week 2 NFL Power Rankings.

11) Miami Dolphins (14)

12) Seattle Seahawks (11)

13) New Orleans Saints (18)

14) Los Angeles Chargers (13)

15) New England Patriots (19)

16) Pittsburgh Steelers (10)

17) Cleveland Browns (21)

18) Denver Broncos (17)

19) Tennessee Titans (15)

20) Atlanta Falcons (23)

21) New York Giants (16)

22) Minnesota Vikings (20)

23) Green Bay Packers (24)

24) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (27)

25) Washington Commanders (25)

26) Chicago Bears (22)

27) Los Angeles Rams (28)

28) Las Vegas Raiders (31)

29) Carolina Panthers (26)

30) Indianapolis Colts (30)

31) Houston Texans (29)

32) Arizona Cardinals (32)

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