After Week 1 of the NFL’s 2021 regular season, the entire AFC West is 1-0. The entire NFC North is 0-1. Aaron Rodgers threw two interceptions in his season debut…while Jameis Winston threw five touchdown passes and did not turn the ball over once. Dallas gained 451 yards of offense, but their defense could not make a late lead stand against Tampa Bay. Cleveland was up 15-3 on Kansas City and then fell apart in the fourth quarter. What drama will ensue in Week 2?
Don’t miss the latest power rankings as you consider your online NFL betting for next weekend.
NFL News: Week 2 Power Rankings
#1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0)
If Ryan Succop misses that last field goal (or if Greg Zuerlein makes the chip shot he missed in the first half, along with that PAT), then the Bucs aren’t up here. But they got the win anyway. Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski combined for over 200 receiving yards and three scores.
#2 Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
No quarterback besides Patrick Mahomes can make the throw that led to that 75-yard score for Tyreek Hill against Cleveland. The defense only made Cleveland punt once, which is a problem, but Baker Mayfield threw a late interception to bail out the Chiefs. Did you know that Mahomes is 11-0 in September for his career? He has thrown 35 touchdown passes without a single pick in the season’s first month.
#3 L.A. Rams (1-0)
We were skeptical about Matthew Stafford’s chances with the Rams, but he looked at ease running the offense, throwing for three scores and hitting passes way down the field. The defense shut down the Bears in the opener and will amplify the calls for Justin Fields at quarterback.
#4 Seattle Seahawks (1-0)
Russell Wilson didn’t have many throws in the opening win over Indianapolis, but he had a perfect throw on second and 20 just before halftime, as he dropped a deep ball right into Tyler Lockett’s arms for a 69-yard touchdown. Game over.
#5 Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
The defense benefited from a ton of drops by Bills receivers, but the offense didn’t awaken until the second half. It took a blocked punt and a special teams touchdown to seal the win for the Steelers, but they’ll take it.
#6 Buffalo Bills (0-1)
The Bills’ O-line struggled to provide protection against simple four-man pass rushes by the Steelers. That will have to improve against Miami. So will the drop rate by the Buffalo receivers…and the blocking on special teams. The good news is that all of tose things will improve.
#7 Cleveland Browns (0-1)
The good news is that Cleveland is not intimidated at all by Kansas City. The bad news is that they still haven’t figured out how to beat them. One key — don’t cough up the ball, like Baker Mayfield and Nick Chubb did, at Arrowhead.
#8 New Orleans Saints (1-0)
Jameis Winston put up an odd stat line against Green Bay: 14 of 20, 148 yards, 5 touchdowns. One of those touchdowns came on a 55-yard pass. The running game was stout, and Winston was able to relax and make quality decisions. This team could push Tampa Bay in the NFC South.
#9 Baltimore Ravens (0-1)
During John Harbaugh’s time coaching the Baltimore Ravens, the team had gone 81-0 in games the team led at some point by at least 14 points. However, fumbles and poor pass protection led to a meltdown…and an overtime loss.
#10 San Francisco 49ers (1-0)
The 49ers ran out to a 41-17 lead over Detroit…but then they lost cornerback Jason Verrett with a torn ACL, and the Lions mounted a comeback, losing just 41-33. The 49er offense is stout, but the defense could be a problem.
#11 L.A. Chargers (1-0)
Justin Herbert was throwing darts on Sunday, especially on key third down plays to keep the Charger offense on the field in a tough four-point win. Herbert also had two turnovers in scoring range, but his arm means that the Chargers are in every game.
#12 Green Bay Packers (0-1)
This was a team I had slotted in to the NFC Championship, and they went out and took a 35-point loss — the worst in Aaron Rodgers’ career. He threw for only 133 yards with a pair of picks. The vaunted Green Bay secondary got torched all day long. Can they bounce back?
#13 Miami Dolphins (1-0)
The Dolphins’ defense was bending in a hurry in the fourth quarter in New England, but then Xavien Howard forced a fumble that put the ball back in Miami’s hands, and they were able to run out the clock. Tua Tagovailoa was serviceable but continues to show room to grow.
#14 Arizona Cardinals (1-0)
The Cardinals shocked the NFL by going to Tennessee and rolling to a 38-13 whipping of the Titans. Kyler Murray accounted for five touchdowns, and Chandler Jones forced two fumbles and posted five sacks. Is this a team ready to win the NFC West?
#15 New England Patriots (0-1)
Both Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson had key fumbles in a game the Pats lost by one. Harris lost the ball late in the fourth quarter, which could cost him his starting job. Quarterback Mac Jones looked terrific, with both accuracy and touch.
#16 Denver Broncos (1-0)
Teddy Bridgewater led the Broncos on four straight scoring drives in the second and third quarters, including three touchdowns. The team did lose Jerry Jeudy for four ot six weeks with a high ankle sprain, and Courtland Sutton is still somewhat limited after coming back from knee surgery. Even so, the Denver offense might be ready to match the defense.
#17 Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
I thought that the Eagles might sneak out of Atlanta with a win, but they made it a 32-6 rimrocker. Jalen Hurts threw for three scores and 264 yards while running for 62 more. The Philadelphia defense held Atlanta to 4.1 yards per play. If the Eagles can beat San Francisco, then they should shoot up these rankings.
#18 Las Vegas Raiders (1-0)
Only with a Jon Gruden-coached team would we see an overtime in which the winning team throws an interception that clanks off a receiver’s hand and one defender’s helmet; snags a fumble from the opposing quarterback; decides to send the field goal unit out on second down to get the win; takes a delay penalty; sends the offense back out to get the five yards back; and then throws a deep ball against zero coverage to get the win. What will happen next week?
#19 Dallas Cowboys (0-1)
The similarities between this team and last year’s team before Dak Prescott’s injury are legion: Prescott putting up huge numbers; the defense crumbling late to lose winnable games; the running game failing to live up to its promise. Watch out for CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper, though. They might be the best pair of wide receivers on any team in this league.
#20 Tennessee Titans (0-1)
In their 38-13 loss to Arizona, Tennessee did not pick up a first down until the second quarter. Derrick Henry had 9 yards on 10 carries at the midpoint of the third quarter. The defense was absolutely porous. Things can only go up in Week 2. Right?
#21 Indianapolis Colts (0-1)
The supposedly ironclad Colts defense permitted 11 yards per passing attempt against Seattle. Carson Wentz looked much better than he did in Philadelphia even though he had constant pressure. However, he got hit way too often, which means the O-line has to figure things out.
#22 Washington Football Team (0-1)
Losing to the Chargers by four isn’t a big deal. Losing Ryan Fitzpatrick for over a month is. Taylor Heinicke is a nice story, but he’s not an NFL-caliber starting quarterback.
#23 Cincinnati Bengals (1-0)
Joe Burrow looked terrific coming back from knee reconstruction, and Ja’Marr Chase had a great pro debut at wide receiver. When Zac Taylor opted to go four it on fourth and inches in overtime, he set the stage for the 32-yard reception by C.J. Uzomah that led to the win.
#24 Minnesota Vikings (0-1)
Did Dalvin Cook really fumble in overtime. Maybe, maybe not. The lesson is not to leave the outcome in the hands of the officials, which the Vikings did with a sloppy game against the Bengals, both in terms of penalties and defensive play.
#25 Carolina Panthers (1-0)
Sam Darnold was decent in beating the Jets, but the real story was the Panthers’ front seven, an athletic and speedy bunch that just demolished the Jets. Oh, and Christian McCaffrey had 187 all-purpose yards.
#26 Chicago Bears (0-1)
Remember when Chicago had an elite defense? Not so much anymore. It’s really time for Justin Fields to emerge so that the Bears can see what they have.
#27 N.Y. Giants (0-1)
Daniel Jones looked decent at times against Denver, completing some medium-length strikes. However, he also fumbled in the red zone in the third quarter, and that turnover was the game-changing play.
#28 Atlanta Falcons (0-1)
Against Philadelphia, Atlanta’s longest play from scrimmage was 18 yards. We knew the defense would be bad, but we didn’t know that the offense would fail to show up also.
#29 Houston Texans (1-0)
Houston got 331 total yards and two touchdowns out of Tyrod Taylor, who looked like a new quarterback, as the team was apparently motivated by negative press and the Deshaun Watson controversy.
#30 N.Y. Jets (0-1)
Zach Wilson looked impressive against Carolina, especially after halftime, but the team must block better for him, as he took ten hits and six sacks. Left tackle Mekhi Becton left in the third quarter with a knee injury and is expected to miss a month.
#31 Detroit Lions (0-1)
Detroit lost to San Francisco by eight points — in a game in which they were behind by as many as 28. Jared Goff led a stirring comeback, but this is a team mired in permanent rebuild, at least for now.
#32 Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)
Trevor Lawrence had three terrific touchdown passes — and three bad interceptions that came as a result of having to run for his life. Jacksonville’s line must improve for Lawrence to find success here.
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