My 2010 NFL Power Rankings Week 2
Here is my first look at the 2010 NFL Power Rankings following the action of opening week. My perceptions of teams will change more drastically when more games are played; my rankings are still largely factoring in my observations from before the season started.
| Rank | Up/Down | Record | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | 1-0 | New Orleans – Can’t even think about moving the defending champion Saints from the top spot until they lose. Great opener for the defense. |
| 2 | – | 1-0 | Green Bay – Picking up where they picked up last regular season with a nice win in Philadelphia. Good job holding off the momentum-riding Eagles and Mike Vick late. |
| 3 | – | 1-0 | Baltimore – The Jets’ offense is bad, but it isn’t THAT bad. Credit this defense, and the offense will have much better games ahead, too. |
| 4 | – | 0-1 | Indianapolis – I’m willing to excuse them for losing to a hungry division rival on the road in week one. Surrendering 231 rushing yards to Arian Foster isn’t quite as easy to excuse. |
| 5 | – | 1-0 | New England – After all the talk about Brady and Moss and Mankins contracts this offseason, it was business as usual on the field. One of the best home field advantages in the game. |
| 6 | – | 0-1 | Dallas – Too talented of a team to be held down for long; but speaking of holding, the offensive line is going to have to improve in a hurry. |
| 7 | – | 0-1 | Minnesota – Defense showed a lot in holding the Saints’ high powered offense to only 14 points, but the slew of wide receiver injuries was felt. |
| 8 | – | 0-1 | NY Jets – Preseason concerns about the offense were only made clearer in the season opener. Without a running game to go with it, the defense can only do so much. |
| 9 | – | 1-0 | Pittsburgh – All of the Ben Roethlisberger drama made some of us (myself included) forget how strong this defense is. It’s at another level when Polamalu is healthy. |
| 10 | – | 1-0 | Houston – After plenty of good efforts against the Colts over the last few years, the Texans finally put it all together and earned a win. We know the pass attack is great, but if they can rush too, look out. |
| 11 | – | 0-1 | Atlanta – Not a good start for what should be a promising Falcons team this season. @Pittsburgh is a tough draw in week one, but with Roethlisberger sidelined, a win would have been nice. |
| 12 | – | 0-1 | San Diego – Ugly start to the season, but what else is new; San Diego has started off 2-3 in each of the last three seasons. |
| 13 | – | 1-0 | Tennessee – Blowing out Oakland isn’t going to convince anyone you are a contender, but when Chris Johnson and Vince Young are clicking, this is a team that can compete with anyone. |
| 14 | – | 1-0 | NY Giants – The defense looked good, forcing five turnovers and allowing only 237 yards of total offense. But it’s only Carolina. Indianapolis this week will be much more interesting. |
| 15 | – | 1-0 | Miami – Some are criticizing Miami’s less-than-spectacular win over the Bills last week, but any time you can pick up a win on the road against a division rival, even a bad one, you’ll take it. |
| 16 | – | 0-1 | Cincinnati – Despite all the talent, the Bengals looked hopeless against the Patriots in the first half. Doesn’t get any easier this week against Baltimore. |
| 17 | – | 1-0 | Washington – Outstanding defensive effort to shut down a high-powered defense like Dallas’s, but offense is still a concern. Another high-powered offense on the way with Houston this week. |
| 18 | – | 0-1 | Philadelphia – Tough way to start the season, with Stewart Bradley and Kevin Kolb both out with concussions. On the bright side, Mike Vick looks like he has some good football left in him. |
| 19 | – | 0-1 | San Francisco – The odds-on favorite to win the NFC West were outclassed by Seattle, and are in serious danger of falling to 0-2 with New Orleans coming to town this week. |
| 20 | – | 1-0 | Chicago – Extremely ugly game for the Bears, but they were able to hold on for the win. Four turnovers won’t cut it most weeks, no matter how good the defense is. |
| 21 | – | 1-0 | Seattle – Pete Carroll’s team had every bit of the energy and excitement that his old team (USC) seems to be lacking this season. It’s only one game, but the optimism seems to be warranted. |
| 22 | – | 1-0 | Kansas City – Not only beat San Diego, but looked great doing it. Two winnable games ahead @Cleveland and San Francisco will show us what this team is made of. |
| 23 | – | 1-0 | Jacksonville – Solid effort against the Broncos to pick up the win, but still seem to be the odd team out in a brutal AFC South. |
| 24 | – | 0-1 | Carolina – If Carolina is going to win games, it’s going to be with defense and ball control, NOT giving up 31 points and coughing the ball up five times. |
| 25 | – | 0-1 | Oakland – Doesn’t really matter who is under center for Oakland if the offensive line can’t hold up. Must win this week at home against St. Louis if this season is going to be the step forward many were predicting for this season. |
| 26 | – | 0-1 | Denver – Not much to be excited about in Denver from the looks of things. 2-8 finish to last season was more realistic than 6-0 start. |
| 27 | – | 1-0 | Arizona – I might be being far too harsh on Arizona, but this team doesn’t look to be much better than this bottom tier to me this season. They have plenty of time to prove me wrong. |
| 28 | – | 1-0 | Tampa Bay – Nice to get a win, but it wasn’t easy, and it was probably one of the only teams they could get one against this season. |
| 29 | – | 0-1 | Detroit – Clearly a better team than they were last year, but with Matthew Stafford’s injury and the inability to put the game away late (controversial call or not), it may not translate to many more wins this season. |
| 30 | – | 0-1 | Buffalo – Respectable effort against Miami, but with a two-game road trip featuring Green Bay and New England ahead, an 0-3 hole seems unavoidable. |
| 31 | – | 0-1 | St. Louis – Sam Bradford’s 55-throw effort last week had St. Louis in the game right down to the end. He’ll get his first taste of NFL football on the road in the Black Hole of Oakland this Sunday. |
| 32 | – | 0-1 | Cleveland – Couldn’t hold on to a 14-3 lead against one of the worst teams in the league; not exactly a confidence booster. |
Houston deserves to be much higher after running and passing all over a great Colts team. Agree with pretty much everything else though. Not bad at all
Iknow you and other people might think im crazy, but I do not think Dallas should be so high. I just don’t like Phillips as coach and I am not a big Romo fan. Maybe he would be better under a different coach but for now I think they should be lower on your ratings.Also Redskins up a few notches.