Article By Ethan Norof on 22nd September, 2010
Week 2 finished up with a wild one in San Francisco with the Saints kicking the game-winning field goal as time expired. Oh, and we can’t forget about the Steel Curtain holding Chris Johnson to 34 yards and winning the game 19-11 without even having their best offensive player on the field (Big Ben).
The Steelers are back, the defending champs are 2-0, and more importantly, Week 3 is right around the corner. While these teams are in their current positions below, remember with each week comes movement, these teams are only ranked where they are currently performing.
1. Green Bay Packers: 2-0, T-1st NFC North
A popular pick to appear in Super Bowl XLV, the Packers have looked like the formidable opponent that many made them out to be. Green Bay may have the most play makers in the league and it shows in fantasy football lineups everywhere. Coming off of a week two 34-7 romp over Buffalo, the Pack look outstanding on both sides of the ball.
2.Chicago Bears: 2-0, T-1st NFC North
After a week one squeaker against Detroit, the Bears made a statement at Dallas in week two beating the Cowboys 27-20. Now sitting at 2-0, Jay Cutler’s arm appears built for Mike Martz’s offense as the team is firing on all cylinders.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers: 2-0, 1st AFC North
No Ben Roethlisberger, no problem; the defense is the story of this team. Coming off two very convincing victories, the Steelers have given up just 20 points through the first two weeks. If the Steelers can be at least 3-1 when Big Ben returns, the rest of the league could be in trouble.
4.Houston Texans, 2-0: 1st, AFC South
After a win in week one against the Colts that shocked everybody league wide, the Texans rallied back in week two for a 30-27 OT win at Washington. Now sitting at 2-0 and in possession of one of the most potent offenses in the league, the Texans are poised to make a mark early in the season and prove they’re legitimate contenders.
5.Miami Dolphins: 2-0, 1st AFC East
Surprise, surprise: it’s the Dolphins at the head of the uber-competitive AFC East. With wins over division opponent Buffalo and this week at Minnesota, the Dolphins have proved that they have plenty of talent in South Beach, as well. The team with the most potent wildcat package in the league should continue to roll so long as Henne can continue to control the offense.
6.New York Jets: 1-1, T-2nd AFC East
Everyone’s favorite team to hate made a statement with week two’s convincing 28-14 victory over the Patriots. After looking horrendous against a very tough Baltimore defense, Mark Sanchez and co. were much more effective the second time around. The loss of NT Kris Jenkins will hurt, but the defense is still arguably the best in the league.
7.Baltimore Ravens: 1-1, T-2nd AFC North
Those inter-division matchups are always tricky to predict, and week two was no different. Despite an extremely poor effort from QB Joe Flacco and the offense, the Ravens remain one of the best teams in the league largely in part to the defense. The return of Ed Reed (PUP) in week 7 will certainly help, and the offense should play much better from here on out.
8.Atlanta Falcons: 1-1, 3rd NFC South
One of the most underrated defensive units in the league, Atlanta’s 41-7 shellacking of the Cardinals should have opposing teams on notice. QB Matt Ryan looks locked in with WR Roddy White and even an injury to Michael Turner shouldn’t slow them down, as backup RB Jason Snelling is more than capable of handing the load should The Burner have to miss any significant time.
9.Indianapolis Colts: 1-1, T-2nd AFC South
A shocking week one loss to the Texans had some Colts enthusiast very worried, but Peyton Manning and co. made sure to quiet any concerns with week two’s performance. A 38-14 spanking of his little brother Eli’s team has the Colts at the back end of the top ten, but should rise in the coming weeks with continued successful execution.
10.New Orleans Saints: 2-0, T-1st NFC South
The defending Super Bowl Champions are 2-0 to start the 2010 campaign, but they just don’t look like the same squad from last season. After barely squeaking by San Francisco on Monday Night Football and losing RB Reggie Bush for at least the next six weeks, the Saints are going to have an uphill climb to battle in the coming weeks and their first big test with a game against the Falcons on the schedule in week three.
11.New England Patriots: 1-1, T-2nd AFC East
The Patriots looked like Super Bowl favorites after the first half of week one, but now find themselves back to the drawing board after a divisional loss to the Jets. Tom Brady looked human and the defense looked highly beatable, so Belichick is going to have to get creative before week three.
12.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2-0, 1st NFC South
Say it with me, the Tampa Bay Bucs are 2-0. I’m having just as much trouble coming to terms with it as the next person, but with outings against Cleveland & Carolina, it makes a little more sense. QB Josh Freeman looks like the real deal and wideout Mike Williams is a star in the making.
13.San Diego Chargers: 1-1, T-2nd AFC West
After a surprising rain-soaked loss to the Chiefs in week one, the Bolts showed what they’re capable of against the Jags in week two. The team lost RB Ryan Matthews to injury, but the big arm of QB Philip Rivers led the team all afternoon. The defense needs to step up in a big way if the team hopes to sustain success.
14.Kansas City Chiefs: 2-0, 1st AFC West
The other surprise 2-0 team, the Chiefs have looked better than expected thus far in 2010. Now in his second full season at the helm, Coach Todd Haley looks like he has a greater control over his players and is getting better efforts as a result. Having said that, the offensive line and the defensive unit will both have to hold up for this team to have any chance of contending.
15.Philadelphia Eagles: 1-1, T-1st NFC East
Andy Reid is on record saying that Kevin Kolb is his starter, but if the offense sputters the way in which it did in week one, one has to wonder how long of a leash he will have. Michael Vick looks like no. 7 of old and the team is clearly playing with an increased energy when he’s on the field. The concern here is a defense that gave up 32 points to a Shaun Hill-led Lions squad.
16.Washington Redskins: 1-1, T-1st NFC East
Coming off of an impressive week one win at Dallas, the Redskins looked to be in control again in week two until the second half. Letting the Texans come back from a 17-point deficit, the ‘Skins are now a deflated bunch headed into week three in a very tough division.
17.New York Giants: 1-1, T-1st NFC East
While RB Ahmad Bradshaw & WR Hakeem Nicks both look primed for breakout seasons, the G-Men looked like a different unit in week two than week one. Unable to generate pressure up the middle and failing to make big plays in the secondary, the defense is going to have to improve markedly if the Giants hope to avoid another mediocre season.
18.Cincinnati Bengals: 1-1, T-2nd AFC North
The Bengals should feel fortunate to be sitting at 1-1 after two straight poor offensive showings. Carson Palmer has done nothing to prove that he’s regained his form of old, and RB Cedric Benson is having a tough time finding the room to run that he did in ’09. If the offense continues to sputter, the team could be in real trouble.
19.Dallas Cowboys: 0-2, 4th NFC East
By far the most disappointing team in the early part of the season, the Cowboys are now 0-2 and already on the outside looking in at a playoff berth. Vying to be the first team ever to play in the Super Bowl in their own stadium, the ‘Boys have a lot of work to do if they hope to even come close.
20.Denver Broncos: 1-1, T-2nd AFC West
A tough loss at Jacksonville in week one has the Broncos sitting toward the bottom of this week’s rankings. An impressive win against the Seahawks kept them from tumbling too far, however, and the team should continue to improve from this point forward. QB Kyle Orton is going to be a better leader than most want to believe.
21.Detroit Lions: 0-2, T-4th NFC North
It’s been two tough losses in a row for Jim Schwartz and his players, but the Lions refuse to fold. RB Jahvid Best has quickly established himself as the one of the most electric rookies (and fantasy football RB’s) in the league, but the defense continues to give up too many big plays to opposing offenses.
22.San Francisco 49ers: 0-2, T-4th NFC West
An embarrassing week one loss to the Seahawks had many 49ers fans calling for Alex Smith’s head, but the boys from the Bay played much better in week two. After almost beating the defending champs, the 49ers looked like the team that many had predicted they would be before the season began. With a game against KC next week, it’s a must win for Mike Singletary & co.; otherwise they could be looking at an 0-3 start with games against the Falcons and Eagles in weeks four and five.
23.Seattle Seahawks: 1-1, T-1st NFC West
An impressive week one showing against San Francisco had many riding in Pete Carroll’s bandwagon headed into week two. Reality check: the Seahawks are just not that talented. While the team does have some intriguing young pieces, they’re far too inexperienced to make any serious noise despite being in an extremely weak division.
24.Tennessee Titans: 1-1, T-2nd AFC South
Maybe they should try Chris Johnson at quarterback since the other options seem to be sputtering considerably. Turning the ball over seven times in week two, the Titans offensive attack looked completely out of sync and rather mediocre. With the defense not as good as it has been in the past, the Titans need to figure out a team identity immediately if not sooner.
25. Jacksonville Jaguars: 1-1, T-2nd AFC South
A team with far too many question marks at almost every position, Jacksonville is going to be even worse off if perennial fantasy football stud, MJD (knee) can’t shake his recent injury troubles. QB David Garrard is among the league’s worst starters, and a weak wide receiving corps doesn’t help his already infinitesimal value whatsoever.
26.Minnesota Vikings: 0-2, T-4th NFC North
The only productive thing in a Vikings uniform right now is Adrian Peterson. Completely unlike last season, Brett Favre looks like a 40-year old man playing a younger man’s game. Now with a 1:4 TD:INT ratio through two games and an 0-2 record to show for it, the new grandpa may be in for the longest season of his historic career.
27.Arizona Cardinals: 1-1, T-1st NFC West
There’s really not much to like here, as the team is currently a mess on both sides of the ball. The Derek Anderson experiment looks to be over before it started and the defense just gave up 41 points (including 3 TDs to backup Jason Snelling) to the Falcons. With RB Beanie Wells still hurting as well, the Cards look a little different than they did with Kurt Warner under center.
28.Oakland Raiders: 1-1, T-2nd AFC West
After a dismal week one effort that saw the team get blown out of the water, the Raiders looked much more disciplined in week two against an admittedly weaker Rams team. Darren McFadden continues to look like the top talent that he was supposed to be and the defense looks to be improving, but QB Jason Campbell hasn’t been the improvement that the team had hoped.
29.Cleveland Browns: 0-2, 4th AFC North
It’s been a rather disappointing first two weeks for the Browns and their fans, but so goes life in Cleveland. QB Seneca Wallace looked better than Jake Delhomme, and the same can be said of Peyton Hillis and Jerome Harrison. Perhaps the coaching staff is willing to give Wallace & Hillis increased roles as the season moves forward given the lack of talent on the roster.
30.Carolina Panthers: 0-2, 4th NFC South
Matt Moore looks absolutely horrendous at the helm of the offense and has now been benched in two straight games. Despite possessing perhaps the best tandem of running backs in the league, the Panthers look like a team in disarray and struggling to find any sort of continuity.
31.St. Louis Rams: 0-2, T-4th NFC West
After losing to the Raiders this week, it’s clear that the Rams are a team geared toward the future. RB Steven Jackson is healthy and producing behind a mediocre (at best) offensive line, and while QB Sam Bradford’s early season results are encouraging, the public seems to be expecting a little too much. The defense hasn’t provided very encouraging results thus far, either.
32.Buffalo Bills: 0-2, 4th AFC East
Buffalo is making good on many people’s preseason prediction that they’d be the worst team in the NFL this season. For the second straight week, the Bills couldn’t get anything going on offense. Playing in perhaps the best division in football, the Bills season was over before the first snap of week one, and the team should probably think about starting to send scouts to Jake Locker’s games.
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