NFL Power Rankings Week 2: Not Overreacting To Kickoff Weekend

The 2026 NFL regular season is underway, and with that, Week 1 is in the books. As usual, the opening week of football has proven to be one of the most unpredictable in the football calendar. Unlike previous seasons, the opener kicked off on a Wednesday, followed by the NFL’s first game in Australia. While it’s great to have football back, it’s always important not to overreact too much to the results from the weekend. With that in mind, let’s dive into our WCG Week 2 NFL Power Rankings as we turn the page on the season opener.

1. Seattle Seahawks (1-0)

Initial Week 1 Thought: Thank God Sam Darnold’s Injury Is Short-Term. Pulling out a 13-10 victory is one thing, but without the long-term health of Darnold secured, their season looks much different moving forward. The good news is that while there’s no definitive diagnosis for the Seahawks’ quarterback quite yet, the consensus is that he avoided anything long-term or season-ending. Assuming this doesn’t end in an IR stint, Seattle will be just fine, and the best is yet to come.

2. Buffalo Bills (1-0)

Initial Week 1 Thought: D.J. Moore is going to make a big difference for Josh Allen. That might be enough to get their offense back to a Super Bowl level. The bigger focus will be on the defense. Despite their win, they still gave up 31 points. The talent is there; it might just take some time with a new coaching staff to get things firing correctly.

3. Baltimore Ravens (1-0)

Initial Week 1 Thought: The reports of Lamar Jackson’s demise were premature. He’s back. The bigger question is whether their defense can return to form under head coach Jesse Minter. This is a highly talented team that underachieved last year, but they must get a better return on investment from some of their higher-paid players if they hope to return to Super Bowl contention this season.

4. San Francisco 49ers (1-0)

Initial Week 1 Thought: If Thursday night was any indication, a healthy defense could make a world of difference this season. The 49ers looked dangerous, fast, and well-rounded on both sides of the football. Barring better health than previous seasons, San Francisco could contend for the NFC West title this season.

5. Los Angeles Rams (0-1)

Initial Week 1 Thought: With Myles Garrett on IR for four-to-six weeks, how quickly Aaron Donald can get into shape might dictate whether or not they can hang in the division race once Garrett returns. The Rams might have to rely on other veterans like Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams, and Puka Nukua to keep this team on track while they wait for their defense to take shape.

6. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0)

Initial Week 1 Thought: Browns or not, quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s growth under head coach Liam Coen does not appear to be a half-season fluke. Even more impressive is the defense’s continued improvement. Despite Deshaun Watson’s overall numbers, the game was well out of hand before the Browns offense did anything of note. This is a well-rounded team with a potential Top 5-7 quarterback reaching his peak.

7. Chicago Bears (1-0)

Initial Week 1 Thought: The offense’s Year 2 jump under Ben Johnson is evident, but the defense might keep them from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The Bears must find some defensive balance, and it must happen in a hurry. Better health will help, but for now, the offense will face continued pressure to produce 30-plus points per game.

8. Kansas City Chiefs

Initial Week 1 Thought: Are the Chiefs back or were they ever gone? The defense looked great, but plenty of questions remain on offense, including how to get their pass catchers open. With that in mind, Kenneth Walker III sure looked good in his Kansas City debut.

9. Denver Broncos (0-1)

Initial Week 1 Thought: The Broncos’ blowout loss on the road in Kansas City felt like a prime example of a game that nobody should overreact to. That said, that was about as bad as Denver has looked in a few years, so hopefully it was a fluke rather than the regression some have been expecting in 2026.

10. Houston Texans (0-1)

Initial Week 1 Thought: Houston’s early-season struggles continue into another year, but C.J. Stroud’s 274-yard passing performance was promising after how the playoffs ended. Assuming the defense can get back on track, they should have more than enough talent on both sides of the ball to compete with Jacksonville for another AFC South title.

11. New England Patriots (0-1)

Initial Week 1 Thought: This year’s top regression candidate will have to contend with a (0-1) start and one of the league’s toughest schedules. Even so, don’t bail on the Patriots quite yet. There’s plenty of talent on both sides of the ball, and it’s hard to imagine that Drake Maye will experience the same struggles he did on Wednesday night in Seattle.

12. Detroit Lions (1-0)

Initial Week 1 Thought: Even if it shows 31 points in the box score, there’s going to be some patience needed with Drew Petzing taking over the play calling. Part of that comes from blowing a 21-point lead, but Jahmyr Gibbs was the only offensive player with typical production against a Saints team still trying to find its footing. We’ll see how they look on a short week in Buffalo.

13. Cincinnati Bengals (1-0)

Initial Week 1 Thought: With four sacks and four takeaways, over time the Bengals may finally prove to have a Super Bowl-caliber defense. Now, it’s time to get Ja’Marr Chase and their highly paid receivers going in the passing game. Regardless, there’s plenty to be excited about in Cincinnati.

14. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)

Initial Week 1 Thought: Despite scoring 24 points, the Eagles’ lack of killer instinct on offense should still concern folks, even after bringing in yet another offensive coordinator. Saquon Barkley looked better than he did for most of last season, but has still yet to show the same burst. The same could be said for quarterback Jalen Hurts and the passing attack as a whole.

15. Green Bay Packers (0-1)

Initial Week 1 Thought: The organization put its faith in head coach Matt LaFleur with an extension, but their inability to finish games is becoming a very concerning trend that cannot be ignored. In fact, the Packers have four losses that all had 90% or better win probabilities heading into the fourth quarter. Now they must figure out whether they are the league’s unluckiest team or have a systemic issue that needs to be addressed.

16. Los Angeles Chargers (0-1)

Initial Week 1 Thought: Without overreacting, it’s fair to say that the Chargers’ Week 1 offensive output was highly disappointing. That’s the key to them getting back to the playoffs and finding some success this season. It’s fair to expect things to improve, but it was also fair to expect a much better product in their first game. We’ll see how Jim Harbaugh plans to get his team to respond.

17. Minnesota Vikings (1-0)

Initial Week 1 Thought: How serious is Kyler Murray’s concussion? Their season-long success might rely on it. In the short-term, they pulled off an impressive victory against the Packers and have a chance to get to 2-0, with both wins coming in the division if they can take care of business on Sunday in Chicago. We’ll see if Kevin O’Connell sticks with Carson Wentz or decides to give J.J. McCarthy a spot start while waiting on Murray to clear concussion protocol.

18. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)

Initial Week 1 Thought: The defense still has some juice, but how concerned should we be that they couldn’t handle the lowly Falcons on their third quarterback more convincingly? A lot of that comes down to an underwhelming offense, led by a well over-the-hill Aaron Rodgers. This roster has an older core, and it’s fair to wonder what their ceiling is moving forward.

19. New York Giants (1-0)

Initial Week 1 Thought: Game 1 of John Harbaugh was extremely impressive. If Jaxson Dart is a plus-starter, they could turn this thing around quickly, especially with a defense loaded with talent, particularly on the defensive line. The future looks much brighter than it did nine months ago, and there’s little reason to doubt their viability for a playoff stretch if they continue to play as they did on Sunday night.

20. Dallas Cowboys (0-1)

Initial Week 1 Thought: Either the defense is going to require some patience through growing pains or this group isn’t nearly as improved as originally believed. We’ll see if this was a Week 1 bump in the road or we simply overrated their improvements because of how much reach Jerry Jones has in the media. The next few games should give us a true idea of where they stand.

21. Carolina Panthers (0-1)

Initial Week 1 Thought: Bryce Young is clearly making strides, and they have plenty of weapons on the offensive side of the ball, but giving up 59 points at home (at any point in the season) is a serious red flag. Luckily, they are in the NFC South. Will that be enough to get back to the playoffs? I’m not convinced without tangible defensive improvements soon.

22. Indianapolis Colts (0-1)

Initial Week 1 Thought: Daniel Jones’ string of underwhelming starts continued into this season, but even more concerning is a defense that gave up 41 points and 500-plus yards to the Ravens. The Colts are used to slow starts, but some concerning trends need to be fixed quickly.

23. New Orleans Saints (0-1)

Initial Week 1 Thought: Even in defeat, there was plenty to like about Tyler Shough and the entire Saints’ second-half performance in Detroit. The NFC South is very winnable, and they should be right there until the end. Patience might be required though, so buckle up.

24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)

Initial Week 1 Thought: The concern with extending Baker Mayfield to big money was ceiling. After three fumbles lost on Sunday, those concerns only amplify. What is the overall ceiling for this team? Even in the worst division in football, there’s no guarantee that they can get back to the playoffs. If they do, how viable a threat are they?

25. Washington Commanders (0-1)

Initial Week 1 Thought: It felt like the Commanders were never truly in their two-point loss to the Eagles, but more importantly, how sustainable is David Blough’s offense if it takes three quarters for Jayden Daniels to surpass 100 yards? The defense looked much improved, but the offense raises serious questions, especially about how quickly they abandoned the under-center approach.

26. Las Vegas Raiders (1-0)

Initial Week 1 Thought: Eventually this will be Fernando Mendoza’s team, but for now, Kirk Cousins appears to be up to the task. It will be interesting to see how this group looks against better competition, but from an offensive perspective, I’m not sure fans could have asked for anything more.

27. New York Jets (1-0)

Initial Week 1 Thought: Not only did the offense perform better than expected, but the defense dominated what was expected to be an upbeat Titans offense, giving up less than 200 total yards and just 13 points. How sustainable will that be against better teams? We’ll find out next weekend when they host a Packers team desperate for a win.

28. Arizona Cardinals (1-0)

Initial Week 1 Thought: Similar to the Raiders, could Cardinals fans have asked for anything more in Week 1? Not only did they win, but of all the underdogs heading into Week 1, they had the most impressive win, taking down the Chargers. There’s still plenty of work to be done in Arizona, but this was a great start for the new regime.

29. Atlanta Falcons (0-1)

Initial Week 1 Thought: Despite Tua’s back spasms that kept him out of Sunday’s game, the Falcons found a way to stick around on the road against a Steelers team that was in the playoffs a year ago. Although the immediate future doesn’t feel overly promising, the new regime in Atlanta should feel good about how they opened up the season on their third quarterback and against a tough opponent like Pittsburgh.

30. Tennessee Titans (0-1)

Initial Week 1 Thought: Although the thought process during a head coaching search is always to hire the best overall candidate, it’s worth wondering if the Titans did everything they could to set up Cam Ward for success. The offensive struggles have been well-documented in both training camp and now in Week 1. The only place to go is up from here, but Week 1 could not have gone much worse for the offense.

31. Miami Dolphins (0-1)

Initial Week 1 Thought: The former Packers contingent took over this Dolphins team knowing it would be an extensive rebuild, but after a convincing loss to the Raiders, it’s worth wondering just how far away this Dolphins team is from competing. Objective No. 1 is figuring out if Malik Willis can be their long-term starter.

32. Cleveland Browns (0-1)

Initial Week 1 Thought: Surprise, surprise. Deshaun Watson’s season-opening performance was one to forget. While some might look at his final numbers and assume he played OK, he was at his worst when the game got closer. There’s plenty of young talent on this roster, but until they have a viable option at quarterback, it’s hard to imagine this team being a fun watch for anyone.

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