Jaguars jump up to No. 1; Eagles, Patriots plummet
USA TODAY’s latest NFL power rankings, post-Week 2 edition (note: Previous rank noted in parentheses):
1. Jaguars (5): Took NFL royalty to woodshed — their 11-point defeat of New England wasn’t that close — without injured Leonard Fournette’s help.
2. Rams (3): No one else remotely approaches their 54-point scoring differential after two weeks. But first real test looms Sunday vs. crosstown Chargers.
3. Chiefs (10): Patrick Mahomes is your MVP at two-week mark after stunning pair of wins against quality opponents. But beware league’s lastranked defense.
4. Packers (7): After seeing Clay Matthews rooked by refs and Aaron Rodgers limited against swarming D, tie feels OK — especially in tiebreaker department.
5. Vikings (4): After seeing Clay Matthews rooked by refs and Aaron Rodgers limited against swarming D, tie feels bad — especially in tiebreaker department.
6. Buccaneers (20): Ryan Fitzpatrick triggering league’s No. 1 offense despite getting next to nothing from ground game. Enjoy your place on pine, Jameis.
7. Eagles (1): They face Vikes, Panthers, Jags in October, so good idea to let Carson Wentz get feet wet before diving into deep end of defensive pool.
8. Patriots (2): Be interesting to see how much patience, effort they’re willing to invest in Josh Gordon. Sunday’s loss illustrated New England needs help.
9. Falcons (6): The last time Matt Ryan rushed for two TDs before Sunday’s win ... was never. Hey, whatever it takes to put a spark into Sark’s offense.
10. Chargers (11): Definitely a lessthan-ideal time to be without Joey Bosa given Bolts will see Jared Goff, Jimmy Garoppolo, Derek Carr next three weeks.
11. Bengals (16): Might be best team you won’t see rest of this year. Barring flex changes, Cincinnati will play 1 p.m. local starts for season’s duration.
12. Saints (9): They were fortunate to avert another 0-2 start by splitting homestand but must endure playing five of next seven away from Superdome. 13. Panthers (13): With eight players on IR and Thomas Davis suspended — to say nothing of Greg Olsen’s injury — few teams have as many personnel issues.
14. Broncos (17): Phillip Lindsay sparking ground game, leading rookies with 178 yards. His 53-yard gallop Sunday was 13 more than any Denver run in 2017.
15. Bears (18): Offense hasn’t coalesced under Matt Nagy yet, but Khalil Mack-led defense will apparently provide plenty of margin for error.
16. Steelers (12): Le’Veon Bell still MIA, Antonio Brown inviting controversy by taking bait on social media, defense cratering. You could see this coming.
17. Ravens (15): It’s early, but maybe Alex Collins should get more touches? He’s averaging 5.5 per, which is 1.7 better than time-share mate Buck Allen.
18. Dolphins (23): No team averaging fewer passes, but resurgent Ryan Tannehill is highly efficient (72.5 percent completion, 104.9 rating) when he does throw.
19. Titans (27): When pair of DBs (Kevin Byard, Dane Cruikshank) provide your biggest offensive play, there’s a problem. But kudos on creativity front.
20. Colts (30): Rookie Darius Leonard is league’s leading tackler after two weeks and emerging as playmaker Indianapolis defense desperately needed.
21. Texans (14): They are out of mulligans and need Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt to shed any remnants of rust if this team is going to challenge Jacksonville.
22. Browns (24): No team has more takeaways (8) or is more committed to running (65 attempts). Winning formula in place ... with exception of kicking game. 23. Jets (22): Sam Darnold’s home debut didn’t go as planned, but he did
make history by becoming youngest (21) player to pass for 300 yards.
24. Redskins (8): Blew chance to take control of NFC East. But few Washingtonians witnessed it as 50-year sellout streak ended with 30 percent of seats empty.
25. 49ers (21): If we gave you one guess to identify NFL’s leading rusher, and you said Matt Breida ... then we’d know you surely Googled correct answer.
26. Cowboys (25): Defense out of chute with nine sacks, one off Chicago’s pace. That must continue given lackluster start by Dak Prescott and passing game.
27. Giants (19): Sure didn’t take long for offensive line issues to resurface ... though Jacksonville and Dallas will be among sternest tests of season.
28. Raiders (29): They’re averaging one sack per game sans Khalil Mack. But, hey, they’re only allowing one sack per game, too, so glass half full.
29. Seahawks (26): Russell Wilson’s a great player. But as we’ve been saying for months, the supporting cast isn’t close to what it once was.
30. Lions (31): Signs of progress included running ball better, turning it over less and cranking up the pass rush. But Detroit couldn’t avert 0-2 start.
31. Bills (32): If you’re keeping score, Buffalo scored six points in six quarters before Vontae Davis’ “retirement” and 14 in half following his exit.
32. Cardinals (28): Shocking level of underachievement given talent spread throughout this roster. What buttons does rookie coach Steve Wilks push now?