NFL News & Rumors » Power Rankings: Week 2

Power Rankings: Week 2

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Headed into the second weekend of the 2010 campaign, the NFL is once again off to a solid start,with an almost flawless start to the season taking place throughout the league on three different days.

What the Thursday night season opener in New Orleans may have lacked in points, it more than made up in intensity, and the ratings delivered to NBC afterward reflect that in a big way.

The rest of the weekend followed suit, with both high scoring offenses and bone-shattering defenses on display in almost every game. The final two nationally televised contests lived up to that billing as well, as Baltimore and Kansas City took care of business against their more highly rated opponents.

This week is likely to be more of the same, with plenty of games to feed the insatiable appetite of NFL fans. That said, there’s still one more day to go until pro football takes center stage, so to keep you going until Sunday, we’ve got our latest set of power rankings for your reading enjoyment.

Top of the Heap

1. New Orleans (1-0) – Finding new ways to win is a definite sign of a championship caliber club, and the Saints did just that last week in rushing their way to victory against the Vikings. Next up… a Monday Night showdown in San Francisco.

2. New England (1-0) – The Patriots showed up in a big way last Sunday, ripping the Bengals into pieces with a solid effort on both sides of the ball. We’ll see if they can keep it up this week against the Jets.

3. Green Bay (1-0) – It’s not easy to go into Philly and come away with a win as the visiting club, but that’s exactly what the Packers accomplished last week. Losing Ryan Grant for the year is definitely going to hurt, but week two brings the easiest opponent of the year in Buffalo.

4. Baltimore (1-0) – Like the Packers before them, the Ravens stepped into enemy territory and took care of business last Monday night, winning in spite of multiple turnovers thanks in large part to the Jets ineptitude on offense. They’ll need to be more careful with the ball this week in Cincinnati.

5. Tennessee (1-0) – There’s no more dynamic player in the league today than Chris Johnson and he put on yet another show of his talents last week against Oakland. As he goes, so go the Titans this year. That said, the going may a bit rougher on Sunday against the Steelers.

6. Houston (1-0) – Now that the Colts are finally off their backs, the Texans can focus on putting together a strong campaign and make it into the playoffs for the first time in their franchise history. Avoiding a let down against the Redskins this week is step one in that process.

7. Indianapolis (0-1) – The loss in week one definitely hurts, especially in the divisional standings, but the Colts inability to stop the run has to be the most pressing concern at this point. Expect that to the focus defensively this week against the Giants.

8. New York Jets (0-1) – Offensively, the Jets were about as lackluster as it gets last Monday, and much of the blame for that has to fall at the feet of Mark Sanchez. Rebounding with a solid game this week against New England is a must.

9. Minnesota (0-1) – The Vikings looked old and rusty against the Saints on opening night, and while there’s little doubt that Brett Favre will get it together soon, he’s going to need his receivers to step up their game ASAP. Playing Miami this week at home should help kick start that process.

10. Pittsburgh (1-0) - Winning isn’t always the cure for every situation, but it definitely helps, and the Steelers finally have their swagger and confidence back as a result. Continuing that won’t be easy this week though, with a road game against the Titans looming.

Middle of the pack

11. New York Giants (1-0)

12. Miami (1-0)

13. Dallas (0-1)

14. San Diego (0-1)

15. Atlanta (0-1)

16. Washington (1-0)

17. Carolina (0-1)

18. Arizona (1-0)

19. Philadelphia (0-1)

20. Seattle (1-0)

21. Jacksonville (1-0)