Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books and I'm trying my best not to overreact to some of the results, but too many incidents have me shaking up my NFL power rankings heading into Week 2. Even though top of the list didn't see much movement, there are plenty of movers and shakers from 5th to 32nd.
In games on a neutral field, every higher-ranked team would be favored or, at least, a pick 'em on the in this format. For two teams ranked closely together, the difference in the spread would be a home-field advantage (if any), which varies slightly from team to team.
NFL power rankings for Week 2
| Rank (Last Week) | Team | Record | Super Bowl Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (1, -) | Buffalo Bills | 1-0 | +500 |
| 2 (2, -) | Kansas City Chiefs | 1-0 | +800 |
| 3 (3, -) | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1-0 | +700 |
| 4 (7, ↑ 3) | LA Chargers | 1-0 | +1300 |
| 5 (4, ↓ 1) | LA Rams | 0-1 | +1500 |
| 6 (6, -) | Indianapolis Colts | 0-0-1 | +2500 |
| 7 (5, ↓ 1) | Green Bay Packers | 0-1 | +1300 |
| 8 (9, ↑ 1) | Baltimore Ravens | 1-0 | +1700 |
| 9 (16, ↑ 7) | New Orleans Saints | 1-0 | +3500 |
| 10 (14, ↑ 4) | Miami Dolphins | 1-0 | +3000 |
| 11 (15, ↑ 4) | Minnesota Vikings | 1-0 | +2500 |
| 12 (8, ↓ 4) | San Francisco 49ers | 0-1 | +2200 |
| 13 (12, ↓ 1) | Philadelphia Eagles | 1-0 | +1600 |
| 14 (11, ↓ 3) | Cincinnati Bengals | 0-1 | +2500 |
| 15 (13, ↓ 2) | Dallas Cowboys | 0-1 | +2200 |
| 16 (10, ↓ 6) | Denver Broncos | 0-1 | +1800 |
| 17 (18, ↑ 1) | New England Patriots | 0-1 | +7000 |
| 18 (19, ↑ 1) | Las Vegas Raiders | 0-1 | +5000 |
| 19 (21, ↑ 2) | Pittsburgh Steelers | 1-0 | +7000 |
| 20 (22, ↑ 2) | Cleveland Browns | 1-0 | +4000 |
| 21 (20, ↓ 1) | Tennessee Titans | 0-1 | +4000 |
| 22 (26, ↑ 4) | Washington Commanders | 1-0 | +6000 |
| 23 (17, ↓ 6) | Arizona Cardinals | 0-1 | +4000 |
| 24 (29, ↑ 5) | Seattle Seahawks | 1-0 | +15000 |
| 25 (25, -) | Detroit Lions | 0-1 | +13000 |
| 26 (24, ↓ 2) | New York Giants | 1-0 | +13000 |
| 27 (30, ↑ 3) | Chicago Bears | 1-0 | +10000 |
| 28 (23, ↓ 5) | Jacksonville Jaguars | 0-1 | +13000 |
| 29 (31, ↑ 2) | Atlanta Falcons | 0-1 | +20000 |
| 30 (32, ↑ 2) | Houston Texans | 0-0-1 | +20000 |
| 31 (28, ↓ 3) | Carolina Panthers | 0-1 | +15000 |
| 32 (27, ↓ 5) | New York Jets | 0-1 | +20000 |
Odds courtesy of DraftKings. Compare updated NFL Futures odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Moving on up: New Orleans Saints (9th)
The New Orleans Saints started the Dennis Allen era with a comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons. They faced a 16-point deficit in the last frame but Jameis Winston engineered three straight scoring drives in the fourth quarter. Although they didn't cover the spread, the offense showed a lot of diversity with the insertion of Taysom Hill at tight end while Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry combined for 12 catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta could surprise some teams this season and should be competitive week to week so I'm not judging the close divisional game too much. This New Orleans defense was never in question with Allen at the helm and now that the offense looks legit and deep, this team could make some noise. Could the Saints go 5-1 straight up vs. the division this season? This team could be as high as sixth by next week.
What a rush: Dallas Cowboys (15th)
The Dak Prescott injury certainly drops the 'Boys down the list but this was also a team that looked awful in Week 1 even when Prescott was under center. Dallas is dealing with myriad roster construction issues, the O-line is a mess, they're committed to running Ezekiel Elliott, and the receiving corps might be the weakest in the division. Now, Prescott looks to be out 6-8 weeks and backup Cooper Rush, who was released at the final cuts, will be under center in Week 2. This has the makings of a disaster for America's team. And although Jimmy Garoppolo is out there, Dallas is in trouble and falling until Jerry Jones does something drastic. The Cowboys are 7-point home dogs to the Bengals in Week 2.
Green coaching: Denver Broncos (16th)
After Nathaniel Hackett's coaching debut, bettors holding Broncos AFC West division outrights aren't feeling great. The first-time coach looked awful in his first game helming the Broncos. The former Green Bay OC has never called plays nor coached a team at the NFL level so everything he did Monday night was new to him and it showed.
This is the same coach who was the Jaguars OC from 2016 to 2018 where his offense finished 25th, 15th, and 30th in yards per play. Denver is also the only team this season with a new head coach, OC, DC, and special teams coordinator. This team looked disorganized on both sides of the ball vs. Seattle. The Broncos have a ton of talent but the new systems being implemented could take some time to gel. And with such a competitive division, the Broncos don't have any time to feel things out.
