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The NFL wrapped up Week 2 of the 2017 NFL regular season on Monday with a Lions-Giants game that showed the Giants to be looking pretty awful. The Lions won 24-10, as the Giants could not get anything going consistently on offense. They had a chance to potentially tie the game at 17, but Brandon Marshall dropped a must-catch pass, and then Jamal Agnew ran back a punt for a touchdown. That all but sealed it.
We’re back with our second edition of 2017 NFL power rankings. Most every web site out there does some version of power rankings, and I thought that once again we’d offer our own version. It is entirely my opinion, so there will be plenty of disagreement. We have some teams looking like they might be for real, and plenty that are looking to compete for a top draft pick.
The San Francisco 49ers came up just short against the Seattle Seahawks, but it was a really impressive defensive performance. I gave the 49ers a slight bump up, in part because of their performance, and in part because the bottom of the NFL features some serious slop. The 49ers have yet to score an offensive touchdown, but I am plenty comfortable giving them the nod over teams like the New York Giants, New York Jets, and Cleveland Browns, among others. The bottom of the NFL is an absolute train wreck, and I think the 49ers might not be quite so awful as some might think!
The top of the NFL is starting to get interesting. The Kansas City Chiefs are one of eight teams sitting at 2-0. They might come back to earth, but they beat up New England on the road, and then took care of business against an improving Philadelphia team in Week 2. They have arguably the best pair of wins to start the season, with the third best point differential. I’m willing to give them some time to shine up top.
The Oakland Raiders handled their business in Week 2, dominating the New York Jets. I’m still not completely sold on their defense, but with two wins, including a road win in Tennessee, I’m impressed for the time being. I did not expect four AFC teams atop my power rankings at this point, but that’s what we’ve got so far.
Where would you do some shuffling?
Week 3 NFL power rankings
1. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0; LW: #2)
2. Oakland Raiders (2-0; LW: #4)
3. New England Patriots (1-1; LW: #5)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0; LW: #6)
5. Atlanta Falcons (2-0; LW: #8)
6. Detroit Lions (2-0; LW: #9)
7. Baltimore Ravens (2-0; LW: #13)
8. Carolina Panthers (2-0; LW: #12)
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0; LW: #17)
10. Denver Broncos (2-0; LW: #19)
11. Green Bay Packers (1-1; LW: #1)
12. Dallas Cowboys (1-1; LW: #3)
13. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1; LW: #11)
14. Seattle Seahawks (1-1; LW: #10)
15. Miami Dolphins (1-0; LW: #18)
16. Minnesota Vikings (1-1; LW: #7)
17. Los Angeles Rams (1-1; LW: #15)
18. Tennessee Titans (1-1; LW: #21)
19. Buffalo Bills (1-1; LW: #16)
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1; LW: #14)
21. Washington (1-1; LW: #27)
22. Houston Texans (1-1; LW: #28)
23. Los Angeles Chargers (0-2; LW: #20)
24. New Orleans Saints (0-2; LW: #25)
25. Arizona Cardinals (1-1; LW: #22)
26. Chicago Bears (0-2; LW: #26)
27. San Francisco 49ers (0-2; LW: #30)
28. New York Giants (0-2; LW: #23)
29. Cincinnati Bengals (0-2; LW: #24)
30. Cleveland Browns (0-2; LW: #29)
31. Indianapolis Colts (0-2; LW: #32)
32. New York Jets (0-2; LW: #31)