NFL Power Rankings Week 2: Packers Remain Supreme; Ravens, Bears Move Up

By Joel Thorman - NFL Editor

Follow @sbnation on Twitter, and Like SBNation.com on Facebook.

Sep 13, 2011 - Last week, SB Nation's initial 2011 NFL power rankings had the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers listed at No. 1 and we noted that they would stay there until they proved they didn't belong. After an impressive debut against the New Orleans Saints last week, I think it's safe to say that QB Aaron Rodgers and Co. can hang onto that top spot for another week.

The second edition of power rankings is usually when we see the most movement. Some teams I thought would be good (Chiefs) aren't so good and some teams I thought wouldn't be very good (Bears) look pretty sharp.

---

Follow @sbnation on Twitter | Like SB Nation on Facebook | Sign up for our Newsletter

---

So here we go, SB Nation's Week 2 NFL power rankings:

1. Green Bay Packers (LW: 1): QB Aaron Rodgers looked awfully impressive against the Saints last week. It's hard to see who is going to beat the Packers considering the Saints, one of the best teams in the league, played a heck of a game, and lost.

2. Baltimore Ravens (LW: 8): The Ravens get a huge bump after what they did to the Steelers. Wow. Just wow. They thoroughly dominated a Steelers team that I considered as the fourth best team in the league last week.

3. New England Patriots (LW: 3): So...that Tom Brady guy. Not bad, huh? Only 517 yards passing in Week 1.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 5): The "Dream Team" came through in Week 1. QB Michael Vick completed less than 50 percent of his passes but that's acceptable when he nearly hits the century mark on the ground.

5. New York Jets (LW: 6): The Jets sort of had a comeback victory over the Cowboys. To end the fourth quarter they lost a fumble, punted and had a two-yard drive that resulted in the winning field goal. Hey, a win is a win.

6. New Orleans Saints (LW: 2): QB Drew Brees looked terrific but it came at the hands of the Packers, who were better last Thursday night. The Saints will be fine if they play like they did last week. Unfortunately, the Packers are on another level right now.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 4): It's hard to penalize them too much because I know they're a good team but the Ravens completely dominated them last week.

8. San Diego Chargers (LW: 9): I said there wasn't a chance the Chargers' special teams would be as bad as they were last year. I might have been wrong on that one but San Diego still comes out on top.

9. Chicago Bears (LW: 16): I was wrong on the Bears, OK?

10. Atlanta Falcons (LW: 7): This team can't be as bad as they looked against Chicago...can they? I'm saying no. Bad opening week and they'll get better. Maybe not the 13-win team they were last year but they'll get better.

11. Houston Texans (LW: 19): Well then. 34-0 in the first half against the Colts. They did the same thing last year but melted away down the stretch. We'll see if they can keep it up throughout the season, especially when they get a healthy RB Arian Foster back.

12. Detroit Lions (LW: 17): We were saying this team is on the rise and they're going to make the playoff leap. Last week's performance has proven us right, so far.

13. Dallas Cowboys (LW: 10): I ranked the 'Boys 10th last week and heard from more than a few Cowboys haters. If QB Tony Romo doesn't inexplicably fumble, they probably win that game and remain in the top 10.

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 14): Tough loss for the Bucs. People said they're an improving team, but they may not be there yet. Looks like that might be accurate.

15. St. Louis Rams (LW: 15): It looks like QB Sam Bradford will be OK so they'll get better. The loss of Danny Amedola hurts, though.

16. Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 22): QB Luke McCown goes 1-0 on the season. It wasn't impressive but it wasn't a meltdown, either, as some predicted. Keep riding MJD as long as you can.

17. Arizona Cardinals (LW: 21): They survived what might be QB Cam Newton and the Panthers' best performance of the season. In the NFC West, they have a legitimate shot.

18. New York Giants (LW: 12): I'm not quite sure what to think of this team. Are they too high here?

19. San Francisco 49ers (LW: 27): Anything can happen in the NFC West. Even the 49ers winning the division.

20. Tennessee Titans (LW: 18): You gotta think RB Chris Johnson becomes more of a factor the rest of the season. Nine carries won't get it done.

21. Buffalo Bills (LW: 28): This is what I said last week about the Bills: "Chan Gailey can make a bad offense good and a good offense great." That's still accurate today.

22. Washington Redskins (LW: 30): I make a crack about the Redskins starting QB Rex Grossman last week and he looks solid against the Giants. The NFC East gets a lot more interesting if the Redskins can repeat that performance.

23. Seattle Seahawks (LW: 20): They lost to the 49ers but, if it weren't for Ted Ginn's two touchdown returns, that game is much closer.

24. Oakland Raiders (LW: 25): A win is a win but that was an ugly one on Monday Night Football. Their defense and rushing attack will keep them competitive in most games.

25. Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 13): Yes, I am a Chiefs fan. Yes, that was miserable on Sunday. I'm starting to wonder if the Chiefs 2010 division championship was a fluke. It has to get better.

26. Miami Dolphins (LW: 24): Monday night's game went as expected. The Patriots were very, very good and the Dolphins weren't awful. That's about what I expected out of this team.

27. Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 31): I want to see them do it again but, with their early schedule, I'm wondering if this is a surprise team in 2011.

28. Cleveland Browns (LW: 26): This was my sleeper team, the team that surprises people this year. Last week's loss to the supposedly lowly Bengals shows how much I know.

29. Indianapolis Colts (LW: 11): Without QB Peyton Manning, this is not a good team. Like, really not good.

30. Carolina Panthers (LW: 32): I want to put them higher after what I saw last week but I need to see them do it again. Early signs say this won't be the same team we saw in 2010.

31. Minnesota Vikings (LW: 23): QB Donovan McNabb looked terrible. WR Percy Harvin helped make this game look close but with McNabb playing like that, it's hard to see them winning many games.

32. Denver Broncos (LW: 29): It's probably not a good thing when chants for QB Tim Tebow start up.

Follow @sbnation on Twitter, and Like SBNation.com on Facebook.

Tweet 26 comments