NFL power rankings Week 2: Buccaneers, Browns, Packers, Rams, Lions surprise in upset wins
The first week of the 2023 NFL season was full of surprises.
The Buccaneers beat the Minnesota Vikings in Baker Mayfield's first game in Tampa Bay.
The Cleveland Browns dominated the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Green Bay Packers, and quarterback Jordan Love, cruised past the Chicago Bears.
The Los Angeles Rams routed the Seattle Seahawks.
And the Detroit Lions defeated the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
You never know what to expect in the NFL and NFL Week 1 had a lot of unexpected results.
Maybe that's why we've come to expect the unexpected in the league.
And judging from Week 1, there could be a lot of the unexpected in the NFL this season.
Check out how we rank the 32 teams in the NFL heading into Week 2, from lowest to highest, with previous ranking in parenthesis.
What surprises will we see next?
NFL Week 2 picks, predictions: Chiefs, Bengals, Vikings, Seahawks look to bounce back
More NFL Week 2 picks: Vikings at Eagles | Packers at Falcons | Raiders at Bills | Ravens at Bengals | Seahawks at Lions | Colts at Texans | Chiefs at Jaguars | Bears at Buccaneers | Chargers at Titans | Giants at Cardinals | 49ers at Rams | Jets at Cowboys | Commanders at Broncos | Dolphins at Patriots | Saints at Panthers | Browns at Steelers
32. Houston Texans (31)
Lost to Ravens, 25-9. There could be a lot of field goals by Ka'imi Fairbairn this season. It's never good when you are writing about the placekicker after the first game.
31. Arizona Cardinals (32)
Lost to Commanders, 20-16. Maybe Cardinals fans will come to appreciate Kyler Murray more after seeing the team struggle with Josh Dobbs at QB in Week 1.
30. Indianapolis Colts (30)
Lost to Jaguars, 31-21. Anthony Richardson is a rookie, but he's shown potential. Peppering Michael Pittman Jr. with targets (11) is never a bad idea.
29. Chicago Bears (23)
Lost to Packers, 38-20. There was a lot of hype around Justin Fields in the preseason. Was it all just hype? 24-for-37 for one touchdown and one interception doesn't cut it.
28. Tennessee Titans (25)
Lost to Saints, 16-15. Is Ryan Tannehill (16-for-34 for 198 yards and 3 interceptions) really the best the Titans can do?
27. Washington Commanders (26)
Beat Cardinals, 20-16. The Commanders' defense made some plays when it really needed them, but the Cardinals helped them out.
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26. Denver Broncos (22)
Lost to Raiders, 17-16. The Russell Wilson-Sean Payton pairing is going to make for a very interesting season in Denver.
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (29)
Beat Vikings, 20-17. Let's give some credit to Baker Mayfield, who threw for two touchdowns and 173 yards in a game most thought Tampa Bay would lose.
24. Carolina Panthers (21)
Lost to Falcons, 24-10. There is going to be a learning curve with Bryce Young, who threw for 146 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions in his debut.
23. Atlanta Falcons (28)
Beat Panthers, 24-10. Bijan Robinson may have had the preseason hype, but Tyler Allgeier rushed for 75 yards and 15 carries, with two touchdowns.
22. Las Vegas Raiders (24)
Beat Broncos, 17-16. Jimmy Garoppolo to Jakobi Myers paid off to the tune of nine catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns for Las Vegas.
21. Los Angeles Rams (27)
Beat Seahawks, 30-13. The Rams only gained 92 yards on 40 carries in the game, an average of 2.3 yards per carry and they still crushed the Seahawks.
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20. New York Giants (16)
Lost to Cowboys, 40-0. Yuck. Daniel Jones and the Giants have some work to do before Week 2. The QB was 15-for-28 for only 104 yards, with two passes intercepted.
19. Pittsburgh Steelers (15)
Lost to 49ers, 30-7. There's no shame in losing to the 49ers, but not even being in the game at home in Week 1 was not a good sign, neither was Kenny Pickett's 2 interceptions.
18. Seattle Seahawks (13)
Lost to Rams, 30-13. This result was one of the most surprising to us in NFL Week 1. The Seahawks managed 85 yards rushing and 112 yards receiving. That won't get it done.
17. New England Patriots (18)
Lost to Eagles, 25-20. The Patriots battled back to make this interesting late. They need Mac Jones to elevate his game to have a chance this season.
16. Minnesota Vikings (12)
Lost to Buccaneers, 20-17. Justin Jefferson had nine catches for 150 yards, but was quiet in the second half. If Minnesota feeds him the ball, it will be just fine.
15. New Orleans Saints (20)
Beat Titans, 16-15. We're still not sure about Derek Carr in New Orleans, but this team always has a shot if its defense can play to its potential.
14. New York Jets (14)
Beat Bills in OT, 22-16. Give the Jets credit for overcoming Aaron Rodgers' injury to beat the Bills. But Rodgers' injury status loom large in New York.
13. Green Bay Packers (19)
Beat Bears, 38-20. We may have been too low on Jordan Love, who threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns for Green Bay.
12. Cleveland Browns (17)
Beat Bengals, 24-3. How about that Browns defense? Holding Joe Burrow and company to three points is a very positive sign for Cleveland.
11. Jacksonville Jaguars (10)
Beat Colts, 31-21. Welcome back to the NFL, Calvin Ridley. Eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown is not too shabby.
10. Los Angeles Chargers (7)
Lost to Dolphins, 36-34. The Chargers lost a shootout to the Dolphins, which might happen to a lot of teams this season. This team will also win its share of high-scoring games.
9. Detroit Lions (11)
Beat Chiefs, 21-20. This team won over a lot of fans with the way it handled itself late last season and in its Week 1 win over the Chiefs.
8. Dallas Cowboys (9)
Beat Giants, 40-0. That's not a typo. The Cowboys shut out the Giants. That's not an easy thing to do to any NFL team, let alone to a division opponent on the road.
7. Cincinnati Bengals (5)
Lost to Browns, 24-3. Yes, the Bengals looked bad, but they started last season 0-2 last year before almost making the Super Bowl.
6. Buffalo Bills (4)
Lost to Jets in OT, 22-16. Turnovers absolutely killed Buffalo in Week 1 and it has been an issue in previous seasons. Josh Allen really had three interceptions in the loss.
5. Miami Dolphins (8)
Beat Chargers, 36-34. Tyreek Hill had 11 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Catch him if you can, but we're betting that you can't.
4. Baltimore Ravens (6)
Beat Texans, 25-9. How's these stats for Justice Hill? Eight carries for nine yards and two touchdowns. Four players had at least six carries for the Ravens.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (1)
Lost to Lions, 21-20. How far should we move down the Chiefs? They are still the defending champs and they were without Travis Kelce, so not far.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (2)
Beat Patriots, 25-20. It wasn't pretty at times, but the defending NFC champions started the season with a victory, which included a 70-yard interception return for a TD by Darius Slay.
1. San Francisco 49ers (3)
Beat Steelers, 30-7. Brock Purdy doesn't have to be special for the 49ers to have a chance to win. He was 19-for-29 for 220 yards and two touchdowns in his return from injury.
NFL's highest paid players in 2023: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers | Tight ends | Cornerbacks | Safeties | Linebackers | O-linemen | D-linemen | Edge rushers | Highest paid players: Overall | By position | By team
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NFL power rankings Week 2: Bucs, Browns, Packers, Rams, Lions surprise
