POWER RANKINGS
1. New England Patriots (1-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 1
The defending champs dismantled the Steelers, and now here comes Antonio Brown. His arrival, depending on whether he accepts the ways of coach Bill Belichick and fits in with quarterback Tom Brady, could make the Patriots practically unbeatable and prompt flashbacks to 2007.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 2
The loss of wide receiver Tyreek Hill hurts, but he should be back in a few weeks.
3. New Orleans Saints (1-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 3
They nearly handed away the game with a roughing-the-kicker penalty on a missed extra point. But the Saints hung in there and the crunch-time greatness of Drew Brees, not to mention the long-range kicking of Wil Lutz, gave them a pulsating victory Monday night.
4. Los Angeles Rams (1-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 4
Running back Todd Gurley probably put to rest some of the talk about his knee issues with his big fourth quarter at Carolina.
5. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 5
The early struggles against the Redskins were a bit baffling, but the Eagles managed to turn things around.
6. Los Angeles Chargers (1-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 6
Melvin who? Holdout running back Melvin Gordon wasn’t missed in the opening triumph over the Colts, given the performances of Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson.
7. Dallas Cowboys (1-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 8
The big contract owner Jerry Jones handed last week to running back Ezekiel Elliott will be followed, he vows, by a big deal for quarterback Dak Prescott.
8. Minnesota Vikings (1-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 10
Less Kirk Cousins was more for the Vikings.
9. Baltimore Ravens (1-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 12
The question was whether second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson had improved as a passer, and he was superb against the Dolphins.
10. Green Bay Packers (1-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 16
The debut of quarterback Aaron Rodgers in coach Matt LaFleur’s offense wasn’t exactly dazzling. But the defense was outstanding.
11. Seattle Seahawks (1-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 11
It was tougher than expected at home against the Bengals.
12. Chicago Bears (0-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 7
QB Mitchell Trubisky needs to be better, obviously, than he was in Thursday’s loss to the Packers. But the playcalling needs to be better, too.
13. Tennessee Titans (1-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 21
The Titans’ performance at Cleveland might lead to a quick rethinking about which team is the favorite in the AFC South.
14. Cleveland Browns (0-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 9
Same old Browns? Really? After all that? It’s far too soon to abandon the notion that the Browns, the darlings of the offseason, actually will be good.
15. Houston Texans (0-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 15
The Texans played well Monday night in New Orleans and really should have won.
16. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 14
That was a terrible performance Sunday night at New England, but don’t jump to conclusions just yet.
17. Indianapolis Colts (0-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 22
The QB play wasn’t the issue in the loss to the Chargers.
18. Carolina Panthers (0-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 23
QB Cam Newton’s performance against the Rams did not exactly make a convincing case that his shoulder and ankle injuries are things of the past.
19. Buffalo Bills (1-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 26
The Bills are tied with the Patriots for first in the AFC East. They should keep a copy of this week’s standings because that isn’t likely to last very long.
20. San Francisco 49ers (1-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 27
Jimmy Garoppolo wasn’t great, but the Niners managed to win in Tampa.
21. Atlanta Falcons (0-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 18
That was a shaky performance at Minnesota. The Falcons expect far more of themselves this season.
22. Oakland Raiders (1-0) | Last Week’s Rank: 31
Maybe it’s the Raiders, not the Steelers, who will make this addition-by-subtraction thing work by getting rid of Antonio Brown.
23. Washington Redskins (0-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 25
The NFC East could be shaping up to be the haves (Eagles, Cowboys) and the have-nots (Redskins, Giants).
24. New York Giants (0-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 17
It’s only a matter of time before rookie Daniel Jones gets the nod at QB.
25. Denver Broncos (0-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 19
What a disappointing season-opening performance late Monday night at Oakland.
26. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 13
The broken clavicle suffered by QB Nick Foles is devastating. Yes, Gardner Minshew played well in relief. But he’s still a rookie who was drafted in the sixth round.
27. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 28
The Bengals were unexpectedly competitive in Seattle in Zac Taylor’s first game as an NFL head coach.
28. Arizona Cardinals (0-0-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 32
The tie against the Lions felt like a win. The comeback sparks hope that rookie QB Kyler Murray indeed can thrive in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense.
29. Detroit Lions (0-0-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 29
The tie against the Cardinals felt like a loss. There remains room to wonder whether Matt Patricia is up to the task of being an NFL head coach.
30. New York Jets (0-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 20
Squandering a 16-0 lead at home to lose to the Bills is not exactly how this new era under coach Adam Gase was supposed to begin.
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 24
Jameis Winston’s three-interception showing in the loss to the Niners did not bolster the contention that he’ll be a far different and far better QB with Bruce Arians as his coach.
32. Miami Dolphins (0-1) | Last Week’s Rank: 30
It’s going to be a long season for the Dolphins and their fans.