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NFL power rankings Week 2: Who's now No. 2 behind champion Eagles?
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- NFL power rankings Week 2: Who's now No. 2 behind champion Eagles?
NFL power rankings entering Week 2 of the 2025 season ( previous rank in parentheses ):
1. Philadelphia Eagles (1):Their opening night win was defined by Jalen ( QB Hurts efficiently carving up the Cowboys ) and Jalen ( DT Carter efficiently getting himself ejected with one shot of spittle aimed at Dak Prescott ). Both, presumably along with newly added teammate Za'Darius Smith, will be on the field for Sunday's Super Bowl 59 rematch with K.C. − Hurts maybe needing to involve his receivers more, and game-wrecking Carter needing … to simply remain involved and focused.
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2. Buffalo Bills (5):QB Josh Allen won Sunday night's battle of MVPs with Lamar Jackson . Buffalo won't face another team that made the postseason in 2024 or a former MVP until the Chiefs come to Western New York in Week 9 … which means an apparently smooth road to building equity into a No. 1 playoff seed for the Bills .
3. Green Bay Packers (4):And they've already matched their 2024 win total as it pertains to NFC North games. But with the Pack's five remaining divisional matchups occurring over the final seven weeks of the schedule, this team would be wise to make a lot of hay over its next nine contests.
4. Baltimore Ravens (2): They coughed up yet another double-digit fourth-quarter lead and became the first team ever to lose despite scoring at least 40 points and rushing for at least 235 yards in a game. Though this setback could come back to bite Baltimore when it comes time to seed the AFC playoff field, let's not lose sight of the fact that the Ravens are likely to score 40 and run for 235 with relative regularity in 2025.
5. Los Angeles Rams (6):A Week 1 win is great, though it's more important that QB Matthew Stafford survived it … especially given he's now on an early pace to endure 51 sacks this season.
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6. Washington Commanders (7):It's obviously early, but rookie RB Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt is currently the NFC's leading rusher after gaining 82 yards in his NFL debut. No wonder Brian Robinson Jr. is in San Francisco and RB Chris Rodriguez was inactive Sunday.
7. Los Angeles Chargers (18):"September 5th will go down in some Charger lore, in my opinion," coach Jim Harbaugh said of beating the Chiefs last week in Brazil. "It was a big win." A touch hyperbolic, Coach? Maybe? Still, the outcome was just as notable given Harbaugh, a 3 yards and a cloud of dust guy (if not an Ohio State guy) if there ever was one, watched his team pass 60% of the time in Week 1.
8. Kansas City Chiefs (3):The only AFC West team to lose in Week 1 is now looking down the barrel at an 0-2 start if it's still not up to going toe-to-toe with Philly seven months after being thoroughly embarrassed in New Orleans . It would definitely help to get WR Xavier Worthy (shoulder), who had 157 receiving yards and two TDs in the Super Bowl loss, back into the lineup.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (10):Just when you think you've seen and heard it all in the NFL, a kicker gets described as "a serial killer" with "a low pulse rate." Leave it to Mike Tomlin to always keep it fresh, and now you further understand why seemingly revitalized QB Aaron Rodgers wanted to play for him.
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10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12):The anti-Chiefs, the presently battered − but still ruling − NFC South champs already have a one-game lead on the rest of a division they've run since 2021.
11. Arizona Cardinals (11):Bit of an underwhelming win against what would seem like an overmatched Saints opponent on Sunday. Still, the Cards are 1-0 for the first time in four years. QB Kyler looked great ... and also didn't.
12. Denver Broncos (8):No defense allowed fewer yards (133) or collected more sacks (6) in Week 1 than this one, an already dominant unit looking even better against a rookie QB. Now the Broncos need their second-year quarterback to shake off what felt like a rookie regression of his own Sunday.
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13. San Francisco 49ers (13): Brock Purdy . George Kittle . Jauan Jennings . Talented-but-brittle Christian McCaffrey . No squad looks more like a M*A*S*H unit coming out of Week 1. Good time to catch the Saints. Probably.
14. Detroit Lions (9):After losing eight assistants in the offseason, the two-time-defending NFC North champs have now also already lost more divisional games than they dropped in all of 2024. Worse, the Ben Johnson-less offense reverted to pre-Johnson ineffectiveness.
15. Minnesota Vikings (15):Or is it Michigan? It wasn't necessarily pretty, but QB J.J. McCarthy made the plays when he needed to , otherwise relying on a very talented supporting cast, as his team won its Big Ten, er NFC North, opener.
16. Cincinnati Bengals (17):What's the bigger surprise − that they're 1-0, or that the defense was primarily responsible for the victory?
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17. Houston Texans (16):Their defense, anchored by DEs Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. , should be one of the league's best and looked the part Sunday. But how long can it compensate for an offense, one that didn't find the end zone in Week 1, with this many prevalent issues?
18. Jacksonville Jaguars (20):WR/CB Travis Hunter is and will be a fine player . But we're going on record now to opine that surrendering a future first- and second-rounder to get him is a deal that won't age well.
19. Seattle Seahawks (14):QB Sam Darnold had won his previous two starts at Lumen Field … as a visitor. His debut playing for the 12s didn't go as well, but that's probably to be expected for an offense that's so fundamentally different from last year's edition.
20. Atlanta Falcons (22):A team that heavily resourced its long inept pass rush during the offseason generated … one sack in Sunday's loss to the Bucs.
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21. New York Jets (23):Woulda, coulda, shoulda after they fumbled away a potential win against Pittsburgh and their former leader, Rodgers. But Justin Fields looks like the 21st-century quarterback the Jets have long needed , and Sauce Gardner again looks the part of a corner who deserves to be paid like the league's best.
22. Chicago Bears (21):At least QB Caleb Williams got his first career rushing TD, even if leading the team in rushing yards Monday wasn't a great early sign for Johnson's overhauled offense.
23. Dallas Cowboys (25):We'll see how long they can sustain the good vibes after a surprising near miss in Philly. This team will probably go as far as QB Dak Prescott and WR CeeDee Lamb can carry it … assuming Lamb can hang on .
24. Las Vegas Raiders (27):They need to find a wideout (or two) who want to be here given Davante Adams forced his way out, Jakobi Meyers has tried to do the same, and Amari Cooper bolted for retirement shortly after rejoining the organization. Maybe rookies Dont'e Thornton Jr. and Jack Bech will be those guys.
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25. New England Patriots (19):A disappointing opener for a team that made so many offseason adjustments . But WR Kayshon Boutte does now have consecutive 100-yard receiving games after getting his first in the 2024 regular-season finale.
26. Indianapolis Colts (31):QB Daniel Jones ' Indy debut deservedly stole the spotlight . But rookie TE Tyler Warren had a heavy hand in a dominant Week 1 performance, picking up four first downs through the air and one on the ground.
27. Cleveland Browns (30):Sunday was QB Joe Flacco 's sixth career start for this franchise but only the second time he failed to throw for 300 yards, falling just 10 shy in a one-point loss to Cincinnati.
28. New York Giants (26):As badly as the fans might want to see rookie QB Jaxson Dart in the lineup, WR Malik Nabers might eventually demand that development even more stridently.
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29. Carolina Panthers (24):Concerning to see QB Bryce Young play like he did a year ago, when he got benched, as opposed to how he played just 10 months ago, when he actually looked like a No. 1 draft pick.
30. Tennessee Titans (29):They're starting a quarterback who's never won an NFL game. They committed 13 penalties Sunday. But they somehow managed to hang with a decidedly superior team before succumbing. Better days should lie ahead.
31. New Orleans Saints (32):They're starting a quarterback who's never won an NFL game. They committed 13 penalties Sunday. But they somehow managed to hang with a decidedly superior team before succumbing. Better days should lie ahead.
32. Miami Dolphins (28):What did we learn about this team? Honestly not much … aside from the fact that the Fins have a second-year corner named Storm Duck on the roster. Feels like a storm − and maybe a lot of duck bombs − is coming Miami's way .
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL power rankings Week 2: Bills, Packers chasing top-ranked Eagles
