We’re on to Week 3, and a new team reigns supreme in ESPN’s NFL Power Rankings: After blasting the Cardinals 34-0, the Rams take the top spot. But don’t fret, 0-2 teams, everyone still has a reason to be optimistic this early in the season. So where do the other teams fall in behind the Rams? And what is the ray of hope for your team?
The ESPN power panel — a group of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities — evaluated how all 32 teams stack up. Enjoy.
Record: 2-0
Week 2 ranking: 4
The Rams are 2-0 for the first time since 2001, when they played in the Super Bowl. Los Angeles is now the favorite to win it all, by most measures. The Rams have the best odds to win the Super Bowl (5-1), according to the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, and also are 30 percent FPI favorites to win it all (best in league). — Doug Clawson
Record: 2-0
Week 2 ranking: 5
The Jaguars knocked off the defending AFC champion Patriots at home, and they now have won six straight games in Jacksonville by an average of 15.7 points per game. That is their longest home win streak since winning six straight in 2005-06, and they get to host the Titans in Week 3. — Joey Koontz
Record: 2-0
Week 2 ranking: 6
Patrick Mahomes became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to throw six touchdown passes in a game (he turned 23 on Monday), and his 10 touchdowns are the most through a team’s first two games of a season in league history. Up next are the 49ers, who have yet to pick off a pass this season and just allowed Matthew Stafford to throw three touchdowns. — Koontz
0:46
Charles Woodson talks about the Patriots’ trading for WR Josh Gordon and how happy Tom Brady must be to have a weapon such as Gordon at WR.
Record: 1-1
Week 2 ranking: 2
The Patriots are 1-1 for the third time in the past five seasons. Each of the previous two times they started 1-1 (2014 and 2017), they reached the Super Bowl. And while the Patriots are thin at wide receiver, Tom Brady is 12-for-14 while targeting Phillip Dorsett, more completions than Brady had to Dorsett all of last year (11-for-16 in 2017) — Koontz
Record: 1-1
Week 2 ranking: 1
The Eagles are allowing a league-best 2.85 yards per rush and 58.5 yards per game. They also are posting a league-best 1.34 yards allowed before first contact per rush. — Vince Masi
Record: 1-0-1
Week 2 ranking: 3
Kirk Cousins became the first Vikings quarterback with 400 passing yards and four touchdowns in a game since Daunte Culpepper in 2004. He was 14-for-20 with 219 yards and 3 TDs in the fourth quarter and overtime after going 0-for-7 in the fourth quarter in Week 1. This was the first time since at least 2001 that the Vikings didn’t lose when trailing by eight or more points in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter. (They entered the game 0-76 in such situations since 2001.) — Clawson
Record: 1-0-1
Week 2 ranking: 7
Aaron Rodgers handled pressure well despite being hobbled with a knee injury. He was 6-for-9 passing with 94 yards under duress and 9-for-9 passing with 87 yards against the blitz. And he showed mobility when he needed it, attempting four of his six passes outside the pocket in the fourth quarter and overtime. — Clawson
Record: 1-1
Week 2 ranking: 10
The Falcons made a big improvement in the red zone from Week 1 to Week 2. They were 4-for-4 scoring touchdowns inside the 20-yard line against the Panthers on Sunday, after they were 1-for-5 in Week 1 against the Eagles. — Masi
Record: 1-1
Week 2 ranking: 9
Michael Thomas has 28 catches, the most through the first two games in team history. The previous high for the Saints in the first two tilts was 18, by Tony Galbreath in 1978, Darren Sproles in 2012 and Jimmy Graham in 2014 — Masi
Record: 0-1-1
Week 2 ranking: 8
Ben Roethlisberger bounced back from a five-turnover game with 452 passing yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Jesse James had a career-high 138 receiving yards, and JuJu Smith-Schuster had a career-high 13 receptions. — Clawson
2:34
Matthew Berry breaks down Ryan Fitzpatrick’s very strong first two weeks of the NFL season.
Record: 2-0
Week 2 ranking: 19
Among all the accolades for Ryan Fitzpatrick, he is averaging 13.4 yards per attempt, which is 2.85 more than the next-highest passer (Patrick Mahomes). According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Buccaneers had a 7 percent chance of going 2-0. — Masi
Record: 1-1
Week 2 ranking: 13
The Chargers have the second-ranked offense in the NFL, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, trailing only the Saints. That offense will be tested in Week 3 against the Rams, who have the second-ranked defense, according to FPI. — Koontz
Record: 2-0
Week 2 ranking: 23
For the first time in franchise history, the Bengals have scored at least 30 points in each of their first two games of a season. This is a far cry from the slow start the Bengals got off to last year, when they managed a total of nine points during an 0-2 beginning and didn’t score a touchdown until their third game. — Clawson
Record: 1-1
Week 2 ranking: 11
Making Cam Newton more accurate was a priority for the Panthers coming into this season. Newton has completed 69 percent of his passes, which is his second-highest rate through the first two team games in his career (69.8 in 2012). — Masi
Record: 2-0
Week 2 ranking: 16
The Broncos snapped a streak of 15 straight losses in games during which they trailed entering the fourth quarter, overcoming a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Raiders. Case Keenum has led a fourth-quarter game-winning drive in each of the Broncos’ first two games. — Koontz
Record: 2-0
Week 2 ranking: 24
Miami is in sole possession of first place in the AFC East through at least two games for the first time since Week 2 of 2010. FPI gives the Dolphins a 66 percent chance to improve to 3-0 on Sunday and maintain control of first place. — Koontz
1:01
Stephen A. Smith highlights the performance of Dallas’ defense after a victory Sunday night over New York.
Record: 1-1
Week 2 ranking: 20
The Cowboys are posting a sack on 11.3 percent of opponents’ dropbacks, the second-highest rate in the NFL. From 2014 to 2018, the Cowboys ranked 26th in that department at 5.4 percent. — Masi
Record: 1-1
Week 2 ranking: 18
The 49ers are finally getting some production from a pass rush that they’ve invested several first-round picks in. 2016 first-rounder DeForest Buckner has 3.5 sacks, already surpassing his total in 16 games from last season (3.0). — Clawson
Record: 1-1
Week 2 ranking: 12
All five of Joe Flacco‘s touchdown passes are to players who were not on the Ravens last season (John Brown, Willie Snead IV, Michael Crabtree and Mark Andrews). Flacco’s 63.2 Total QBR is his highest through two games since 2009. — Clawson
Record: 1-1
Week 2 ranking: 22
Whether it’s Marcus Mariota or Blaine Gabbert at quarterback, the Titans’ offensive line is providing protection. It has allowed just one sack through two games, tied with the Jaguars for fewest in the league. — Koontz
Record: 1-1
Week 2 ranking: 14
The Redskins are averaging a league-best 35:44 in time of possession and are fourth in first downs per game at 25.0. Last season, the Redskins averaged 29:44 in time of possession and 17.4 first downs per game — Masi
Record: 0-2
Week 2 ranking: 15
The Texans are 0-2 for just the second time in the past 10 seasons. However, the other 0-2 start in that span came in 2015, when they recovered to finish 9-7 and make the playoffs. — Koontz
Record: 1-1
Week 2 ranking: 21
The Bears’ playmaking defense already has scored two touchdowns. Chicago’s D had three defensive scores all of last season.
Record: 0-2
Week 2 ranking: 17
The Seahawks have a weapon in the kicking game with 40-year-old Sebastian Janikowski. His 56-yard field goal in Week 2 was the third longest in Seahawks history. The only longer kicks were 58 yards by Josh Brown at Green Bay in 2003 and 58 yards by Steven Hauschka at Carolina in 2014.
Record: 1-1
Week 2 ranking: 29
Andrew Luck is completing 79 percent of his passes in the fourth quarter, second best in the league behind Ryan Fitzpatrick (92 percent). Luck was 8-of-9 with a TD in the fourth quarter in Week 2 to seal the win against the Redskins. — Koontz
Record: 1-1
Week 2 ranking: 26
At 21 years, 103 days old, Sam Darnold became the youngest player in NFL history to throw for 300 yards in a game in the Jets’ Week 2 loss. The defense also showed flashes with four sacks, a mark it only reached once last season (Week 9 versus the Bills). — Clawson
Record: 0-2
Week 2 ranking: 28
The Raiders might have lost again Sunday, but Derek Carr was 29-of-32 (90.6 percent) and did not have a single off-target pass (overthrown or underthrown). That was the fourth-highest completion percentage in NFL history (minimum of 20 attempts) and the highest ever in a loss. — Koontz
Record: 0-1-1
Week 2 ranking: 30
The Browns’ defense has hung in there, allowing 21.0 PPG against offenses led by future Pro Football Hall of Famers Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees. The Browns lead the NFL with eight takeaways and are tied for fourth with seven sacks. — Clawson
Record: 0-2
Week 2 ranking: 27
The silver lining to Detroit’s loss on Sunday: When a quarterback plays that well, it usually equates to a win. Matthew Stafford is the first QB with 300 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and no interceptions in a loss against the 49ers. — Clawson
Record: 0-2
Week 2 ranking: 25
Saquon Barkley broke the franchise record for receptions in a single game with 14 in Week 2. This comes one week after he became the first rookie in Giants history with 100 rushing yards in a season opener. — Masi
Record: 0-2
Week 2 ranking: 31
The Cardinals are 0-2 and have scored six points. The good news is that could speed up Josh Rosen‘s timeline. Rosen is the Cardinals’ highest-drafted QB since Matt Leinart in 2006 (both 10th overall). — Clawson
Record: 0-2
Week 2 ranking: 32
The bad news: The Bills might be the worst team in the NFL. (ESPN’s Football Power Index agrees.) The good news: FPI gives the Bills a league-high 37 percent chance to obtain the top pick of the 2019 NFL draft. — Koontz
Source:ESPN
