NFL power rankings, updated entering Sunday Week 2

NFL Week 1 gave us some exciting games as we were treated to one of the highest-scoring opening weekends in league history. Where will all 32 teams rank in our second power rankings of the season? Let's dig in and find out.

Dec 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (28) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

#32 Miami Dolphins: This is a rebuilding season, and there will be bumps in the road along the way. Opening day was pretty much what we expected to see. A defense that will struggle to hold opponents off the scoreboard and an offense that will struggle to keep pace.

#31 Cleveland Browns : We knew it was going to be a rough start for the Browns and Deshaun Watson , and they did not disappoint. Things don't get easier this weekend as they travel to Tampa before returning for their home opener in week 3.

#30 Atlanta Falcons : Apparently the starting quarterback position is pretty important. The Falcons' options went from bad to worse to Cooper Rush .

#29 Carolina Panthers : The good news is their offense looked pretty good while scoring 37 points in week 1. The bad news is their defense allowed a record 59 points to the Bears. The silver lining here is that the entire division lost their first game, so they're tied for first in the South.

#28 Tennessee Titans : So much for Robert Saleh's revenge game against the Jets . That game was one of the few that Tennessee will be favored in this season. Not a great start.

#27 Green Bay Packers : Jordan Love and his receivers looked great. The rest of the team choked in the second half and wound up losing to the Carson Wentz-led Vikings by 17. Things will be messy in Green Bay this season unless their offensive line can magically improve.

#26 Indianapolis Colts : Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson made this defense look like a middle school squad. Daniel Jones looked rusty, but he did manage to survive the game. Better days are likely ahead, but that defense (especially the secondary) needs to improve.

#25 Washington Commanders : They looked outclassed at times, but managed to claw back and make a game of it against the Eagles. This week they travel to Dallas for a second straight division road game.

#24 Las Vegas Raiders : So far, so good in Clint Kubiak's head coaching career. We would like to see them beat somebody tougher than Miami before we get too excited.

Sep 13, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) stands in the pocket against the Arizona Cardinals during the first quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images

#23 Los Angeles Chargers: They dropped all the way from #12 in just one week. We were expecting more from the Mike McDaniel-led offense. They can either bounce back with a home win over the Raiders in front of 30,000+ fans wearing Silver and Black, or they could be in for a long season.

#22 Arizona Cardinals: It was just one win, but we had to bump them up 8 spots from last week just based on what their offense is capable of. If this defense can be league average, this team may have something cooking this year.

#21 Tampa Bay Buccaneers : The offense needs to take better care of the ball if this team has aspirations of a winning season. Luckily, they play in the NFC South, so it won't take much to make the postseason.

#20 New Orleans Saints : Congratulations, the Saints are our highest-ranked NFC South team. Of the four teams, they came the closest to winning their game as they gave the Lions quite a scare in Detroit .

#19 New York Jets: It's just one win, but it was an impressive one win. Geno Smith just may keep this offense moving, and the young defensive players all looked very promising. If they can handle the Packers at MetLife this weekend, Jets fans may not even know how to respond.

#18 New York Giants : Two undefeated teams in one city and it's New York, not Los Angeles? This might just be a wacky season. Let's see how this New York team does this Monday Night when they face one of those LA teams when the Giants square off with the Rams .

#17 Pittsburgh Steelers: They won, but it wasn't exactly impressive. Aaron Rodgers has the guile and the experience, but his body is about 2 steps behind. This week, they travel to Foxboro to take on the defending AFC Champs.

Sep 13, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) passes the ball against the New York Giants during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

#16 Dallas Cowboys: The defense is supposed to be better, but they couldn't get off the field in the second half of the game against the Giants last Sunday night. Dak made just enough mistakes for the game to slip away. They had better take care of Washington in Jerry World this weekend, or it's going to be a rough start to the season in big D.

#15 New England Patriots : It was just one loss, but we don't know if this team can beat good teams when they are fully healthy. This week is a good test when they take on the Steelers at home.

#14 Houston Texans : This defense is supposed to be elite, but they got shredded by Josh Allen . Sure, you can say that it's the great Josh Allen, but that's exactly the guy they need to beat if they have Super Bowl aspirations.

#13 Denver Broncos : One of the biggest fallers of the week, all the way down from #2. They can get back into the top 10 pretty quickly if their defense can show us that last week was just an off night.

#12 Cincinnati Bengals : They took care of business at home against the Bucs. Joe Burrow survived the game with just a few bumps and bruises. As long as he remains healthy, this team has legitimate postseason potential.

#11 Kansas City Chiefs : They're baaaaack! OK, pump the brakes; it was just one game. The fact that Patrick Mahomes had 7 rush attempts, including a 14-yard touchdown, gives us plenty of reason to be optimistic. When you add in the Kenneth Walker performance, we really start to get excited.

Sep 13, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) celebrates after a touchdown during the first half against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

#10 Minnesota Vikings: The win was impressive, but this team still hasn't gelled yet. Let's see how they handle the Bears offense this weekend.

#9 San Francisco 49ers : They traveled down under and came away with an opening week victory. The injury to Stribling leaves them with the oldest group of wide receivers in the league. If the injuries pile up, this team won't survive this competitive division.

#8 Detroit Lions : They almost blew the game against the Saints and then had to come back on a short week to face the Bills in Buffalo. This defense looks like it may be a problem for them this season.

#7 Chicago Bears : 59 points? After Ben Johnson told us all that he was going to set records with this offense this year? Oh boy, let's see what they do this week against the Vikings.

#6 Jacksonville Jaguars : OK, it was the Browns, so we can't get too excited. The way Liam Coen had Trevor Lawrence and the offense clicking in the second half of last year has us thinking that this team is for real.

Sep 13, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) throws the ball against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

#5 Baltimore Ravens: Every time Lamar Jackson has gotten a new OC, he has won the league's MVP award. After just one game, he looks like he's going for the hat trick.

#4 Los Angeles Rams : We had to ding them after the opening night loss. The Rams will look to get back on track at home this week against the Giants.

#3 Philadelphia Eagles : The offensive line almost stayed healthy for a full game. Almost. Losing Landon Dickerson for at least 4 games is going to hurt, but this team is still one of the best in the NFC.

#2 Buffalo Bills : Josh Allen is on a mission. This year he has healthy weapons around him, and this offense is going to put up a bunch of points every single week.

#1 Seattle Seahawks : If you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best. Right now, this team is the best in the league until somebody comes in and knocks off their crown.