The second week of the 2024 NFL season opened up a brand-new set of questions.
Are the Kansas City Chiefs lucky or good? Are the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals in trouble to start the season? Are the New Orleans Saints for real?
There’s a lot of time left in the season for all that to shake out. But the twice-defending Super Bowl champions are winning close games as they’ve done for several seasons, and Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara have the New Orleans Saints offense looking great.
The Dallas Cowboys turned heads in Week 1 but floundered in Week 2. The Cleveland Browns did the opposite and put on a defensive showcase against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
How does that affect this week’s power rankings? See for yourself.
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Patrick Mahomes had one of the more underwhelming performances of his career against the Chiefs’ rival, the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite throwing two interceptions, Mahomes took his team down the field when Kansas City needed it the most. A last-second field goal kept the Chiefs record unblemished so far this season.
Last week: 1
They’re still the class of the division until someone knocks them off. And so far no one has done that.
Last week: 6
The Houston Texans held out for a 19-13 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday to give the franchise its first 2-0 start since 2016. Second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud was 23 of 36 for 260 passing yards and one touchdown but again found himself in the line of fire, getting sacked three times. The biggest question surrounding the Texans in their Week 3 matchup against the 2-0 Vikings on Sunday will be their running game. Joe Mixon was injured early in the third quarter on a controversial tackle and finished the game with nine carries for 25 yards, compared to the 159 yards in his debut with the Texans. His availability for Sunday is still up in the air.
Last week: 6
Rinse and repeat for the Saints offense. The Cowboys defense, like the Panthers last week, had no answer for the Saints as Derek Carr shredded the Cowboys secondary and Alvin Kamara found the end zone four times in the dominant road win. Under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, the Saints have put up 93 points through their first two games and look to be a contender in the NFC South.
Last week: 13
The Baker Mayfield and Chris Godwin connection propelled the Buccaneers to a statement win in Detroit. The Buccaneers defense held strong in the red zone and kept an explosive Lions offense at bay despite losing star defensive lineman Vita Vea to injury during the game. The Buccaneers are off to a 2-0 start and are looking like last season’s playoff berth was no fluke.
Last week: 10
An offseason of noise (thanks, Brandon Aiyuk) has led to a bumpy start for the defending NFC champs. No shame in losing a road game against the Vikings, but sound the alarm if the Niners fall to the Rams in L.A. this weekend.
Last week: 2
First-year Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh seems to already be making an impact. Harbaugh has brought his ground-and-pound style to Los Angeles, and the Chargers have held their first two opponents to a total of 13 points, though the winless Panthers were one of those opponents. The commitment to the running game has taken some pressure off Justin Herbert, but the quarterback’s health for L.A.’s Week 3 matchup with the 2-0 Steelers looks uncertain.
Last week: 12
After an overtime win over the Rams in Week 1, the Lions weren’t able to muster up magic against the Bucs, who stole one on the road to move to 2-0. Ben Johnson, Detroit’s gifted offensive coordinator, had the head-scratching move of having Jared Goff, who looked off throughout this game, throw 55 times. With a dynamic backfield in David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, they ran a combined 24 times. This is a power-run team that should stick to that moving forward.
Last week: 4
The questions seem to have been answered regarding whether Sam Darnold could lead Kevin O’Connell’s offense to points. He did it in Week 1, and the Vikings pulled off one of the major upsets of Week 2 versus the 49ers. Darnold was without T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison entering this game, and though he did deliver a 97-yard touchdown, Justin Jefferson was unavailable midway through this one, too. No matter for Darnold, who found Jalen Nailor for the second consecutive week in the end zone in the 23-17 victory.
Last week: 19
Seattle’s soft schedule should result in a 3-0 start, with the Dolphins limping into town Sunday. Credit to new coach Mike Macdonald for having his team ready early, but we’ll find out who the Seahawks really are in Week 4 at Detroit.
Last week: 16
The Eagles experienced a loss on a lowlight drop by Saquon Barkley. The way the end of the game played out was very resemblant to many of Barkley’s losses with the Giants. However, the Eagles are far from being as bad as any of those Giants teams. A blown game against a quality opponent leaves the Eagles with plenty of time to recover and get in a real rhythm with their loaded roster, as they’ve played far beneath their potential so far this season.
Last week: 5
The Steelers have benefited from facing two inept offenses, but the defense does look good. Still, Pittsburgh’s offense is a big concern moving forward, regardless of who starts at quarterback. They have more wins this season (2) than touchdowns scored (1). Be wary of the Steelers moving forward.
Last week: 14
The Cowboys got set back against the Saints. Every year, it seems Dallas is good for at least one game where no one on the team shows up. Last year it was Week 3 against the Cardinals, the year before that it was Week 1 against the Buccaneers. In 2021, it was Week 9 against the Broncos. None of those losses ended up shaking Dallas down from being a 12-win team. Still, the imperviousness the Cowboys showed in Week 1 now feels like a distant memory.
Last week: 3
The Ravens are 0-2, which is a surprise. The biggest problem for Baltimore is its schedule. They play the Cowboys, Bills and Bengals over the next three weeks, and two of those games are on the road. If they start 0-5 or 1-4, the season might be over. Conversely, if they win two or three of those games, people will be back on Baltimore as a contender.
Last week: 9
Aaron Rodgers delivers his first start-to-finish victory as the team’s QB, and it suggests this offense is starting to come together.
Last week: 18
No need to update what was written last week: There’s no need to panic about Cincinnati. They should have beaten the Chiefs at Arrowhead, if not for some untimely (and questionable) penalties. Cincinnati is still a threat to win the AFC.
Last week: 15
With Jordan Love out with the knee injury he sustained at the end of Week 1’s loss to the Eagles, the onus was on Malik Willis to hold down the fort in the team’s home opener. But head coach Matt LaFleur dialed up the run game against the Colts, and Josh Jacobs was electric with 151 yards to lead all running backs this week on 32 carries. Willis did just enough, finding Dontayvion Wicks for a touchdown, and the Packers’ defense was in Anthony Richardson’s head all day with three interceptions and a 50% completion rate.
Last week: 17
Arizona might be better than we think, and we won’t have to wait long to find out as the Lions come to Glendale on Sunday afternoon. Kyler Murray has to be salivating at the thought of facing a Detroit defense that’s allowed the sixth-most passing yards this season.
Last week: 26
Thanks to a critical Saquon Barkley dropped pass and a masterful game-winning drive from Kirk Cousins, the Falcons pulled victory out of the claws of defeat from the Eagles. After questions about Cousins’ health persisted all week, the veteran quarterback proved he can still sling it, carving up the Eagles secondary for his first victory as the Falcons quarterback. The Falcons defense held strong against an Eagles offense that did whatever they wanted in Week 1 against the Packers, helping the Falcons get back to 1-1.
Last week: 25
Two words: Paper. Tigers.
Last week: 8
Not much was expected from Gardner Minshew and the Raiders entering the 2024 season. Las Vegas’ offense has been largely underwhelming, scoring just 16 points through six of the eight quarters this year. But Minshew pulled off an upset in Baltimore for a second year in a row. The win over the Ravens could give the Raiders a boost. After all, Davante Adams and rookie Brock Bowers give the roster some firepower.
Last week: 27
Well, Cleveland bounced back from a dreadful Week 1 to even its record at 1-1 with a win over Jacksonville. There are still a lot of questions surrounding this team’s offense, so it’s hard to know how good this team is, and can be moving forward, just yet.
Last week: 23
Rookie coach Jerod Mayo actually has them competing above expectations, but they’re still not a good team and the clock continues to tick on Drake Maye’s debut.
Last week: 24
It’s just two games, so the panic meter should not be high for Bears fans regarding No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. However, he still hasn’t found it on offense, throwing two interceptions with no touchdowns for the second straight week. The defense certainly has fun pieces that kept C.J. Stroud and the high-powered Texans offense at bay with only 19 points. But the offense needs to step up with how much GM Ryan Poles put into it, and all eyes are looking at Williams to make it happen.
Last week: 22
With the injuries piling up, this season is starting to smell like a rebuild. Which begs the question: Would L.A. consider dealing Matthew Stafford in a couple of weeks to a QB-desperate team (Miami?) and focus on the future?
Last week: 11
The Cleveland Browns defense was a thorn in Trevor Lawrence’s side on Sunday. The Jaguars woeful offense struggled for a second consecutive week and Lawrence took the brunt of Jacksonville’s breakdown, getting sacked four times in the 18-13 loss. Lawrence will have to get more creative (and work on accuracy) when the Jaguars travel to Highmark Stadium to take on the undefeated Bills.
Last week: 20
Jayden Daniels pulled off his first game-winning drive. Regardless of why, how and who it was against, it’s still a big deal. For many quarterbacks, it’s a privilege to check off that box so early into a career. The team could be quick to rally around him now after a dramatic win, which will only elevate his confidence and that of those around him.
Last week: 28
Jonathan Taylor has been the bright spot for Indy’s offense, accounting for nearly half of the Colts’ 338 total yards in a narrow loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. But the Colts have struggled in their run defense, allowing more than 200 yards in back-to-back losses. Quarterback Anthony Richardson also has a few things to iron out before he can become Indy’s savior.
Last week: 21
The Tennessee Titans home opener wasn’t spoiled by the New York Jets, it was spoiled by the Titans. Critical turnovers by Will Levis and failing to convert on third down have given way to a winless start despite holding an early lead in both their Week 1 and 2 matchups. Tennessee’s offense has managed just 17 points in each game, just a point less than last season’s average. On the bright side, the Titans defense hasn’t allowed a total blowout, allowing a league-low 206.5 total yards per game.
Last week: 30
Bo Nix has fallen in line with the trend of rookie quarterbacks struggling early on this season. The number of turnovers Denver has committed has not helped their cause. The good news for the Broncos is both of their losses were decided by one score. Head coach Sean Payton suggested the team would reevaluate how much it is asking Nix to do in games.
Last week: 29
Odell Beckham Jr. in 2014, Saquon Barkley in 2018 and now Malik Nabers in 2024: The Giants kick-started an offensive Rookie of the Year campaign in their disastrously baffling loss to Washington. If Daniel Jones is going to be paid $40 million this season, he can at least earn some of it by forcing the ball to Nabers and helping his coach and general manager distract the fans from an inevitably lost season.
Last week: 31
For the second straight week, the Panthers’ offense looked inept. They looked so bad their coach announced they were benching 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young in favor of veteran Andy Dalton after just two games. After getting gashed by the Saints, the Panthers did not look much better against the Chargers. If the first two weeks are any indication, it is going to be a long season in Carolina.
Last week: 32
The Fox News Digital Sports college football winners and losers were compiled by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and the OutKick.com staff.
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