Week 1 of an NFL season never goes quite as we expected.
On the back of Josh Allen's improvisation, the Buffalo Bills finally won on the road over the chic Houston Texans, who many believe to be a Super Bowl contender. The much-hyped Los Angeles inspired a jet lag debate after falling flat on their face in Melbourne, Australia. The reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks won their Super Bowl 60 rematch with the New England Patriots ... with their backup quarterback. Ben Johnson's Chicago Bears told us they wanted to be the NFL's highest-scoring offense ever, then went out and dropped a ruthless 59 points (59!!!) on the Carolina Panthers.
A slight correction to that initial statement about subverting expectations. We wish we could say we didn't
see the Dallas Cowboys embarrassing themselves on national television in a loss to the NFC East rival New York Giants. But, well, that's kind of par for the course at this point.
We're one week into the 2026 NFL season. Let's break down everything we've learned so far in For The Win's NFL Power Rankings for Week 2.
32. Cleveland Browns
Every game Deshaun Watson starts — the quarterback formerly accused of more than 20 counts of sexual misconduct and what the NFL itself described as "predatory behavior" — is an insult to whatever remaining fans the Browns have left. At least KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston looked like they could be a proper 1-2 punch at wideout, lessening the need to lean on Jerry Jeudy, who is in a state of active disrepair. — Christian D'Andrea
31. Tennessee Titans
So much for that Cam Ward breakout year spurred by Brian Daboll's coaching and the arrival of Carnell Tate. After Sunday's dud against the New York Jets, Ward now has seven career games with 150 or fewer passing yards. Folks, he's played 18 total games in the NFL. Yikes. — Robert Zeginski
30. Miami Dolphins
Let's start with some good news. Caleb Douglas, the rookie playmaker drafted in April, might be a guy! Five catches for 94 yards in your NFL debut is nothing to sneeze at. The bad news? Well, everything else, really. You can't be losing by two scores to Kirk Cousins in 2026. You just can't. — RZ
29. Atlanta Falcons
Things will get better with Tua Tagovailoa back in the lineup. Not much better, but at the very least he should be able to move around the pocket without looking like a drunk 50-year-old man lost in a corn maze. And, even better, Drake London might be invited back into the game plan with a quarterback who isn't the diminished version of an already diminished Cooper Rush. — CD
28. New York Jets
After a disaster 2025, Aaron Glenn needed to earn back some goodwill with the Jets. You'll be hard-pressed to see anyone giving him too much credit for bullying the lowly Titans, but holding any professional offense under 200 total yards in 2026 is very commendable. — RZ
27. Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers pushed his average target distance to 9.2 yards downfield in Week 1: A single-game high as a Steeler. He still averaged only 5.5 yards per attempt because more than half his completions came within five yards of the line of scrimmage. He was six of 15 on throws that went at least 10 yards downfield, which suggests this could be another caretaker passing offense in Pittsburgh. — CD
26. Arizona Cardinals
Mike LaFleur's Cardinals had a preseason over/under win total of 3.5. They are already on the board after manhandling the overmatched Chargers. What feels especially sustainable in Arizona is a no-name defense that hounded Justin Herbert all afternoon. Whatever plan LaFleur has for his rebuild is off to a rousing start. — RZ
25. Las Vegas Raiders
A win is a win, though if 2025 told us anything, it's that the Miami Dolphins are about to make a shocking run to the Super Bowl. Kirk Cousins served as custodian of a low-impact passing offense. Even with Brock Bowers out, 12 of his 21 completions went to tight ends or running backs. He can be an adult in the room before ceding snaps to Fernando Mendoza, once the Raiders have to deal with opponents who aren't in the midst of a massive reset and have almost half their salary cap space in 2026 tied to players who are no longer on the roster. — CD
24. Washington Commanders
Another slow start has me fearing we've reached the end of Terry McLaurin's greatness, brutally enough, right as he's been given a competent quarterback. Antonio Williams, with four catches and 64 yards in his debut, looks like a viable contingency plan. Jayden Daniels will need him if a rebuilt defense continues to come together slowly. — CD
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield's first game after signing a monster contract extension could not have gone worse. The veteran lost three fumbles and could not generate any consistent rhythm against a Cincinnati defense that may well be improved, but certainly isn't considered amongst the league's finest. The good news for the Buccaneers is that they reside in the NFC South, and, as such, are technically always in the playoff race. The bad news for the Buccaneers is that the NFC South seems improved enough to squeeze them out of the postseason picture altogether. — RZ
22. New Orleans Saints
All that preseason hype looked like shameless noise when the Saints fell behind 21-0 in Detroit. That's when Tyler Shough turned on the jets and engineered five separate scoring drives in the second half and overtime. If not for a silly non-fumble call on Jared Goff, the Saints might have even escaped the Motor City with a win. There's still a long way to go, but there's a lot to be encouraged about in New Orleans. — RZ
21. Carolina Panthers
2026 is a breaking point for the Bryce Young era. It got off to a rousing start on a four-touchdown Sunday, but whether or not that's sustainable depends on how much faith you have in the Chicago Bears defense (at this point, it should not be much). Even so, Jalen Coker and Tetairoa McMillan look like a dynamic 1-2 punch at wideout, and Young proved he can make tough downfield throws. Keeping it up another 17 weeks could add an extra zero to his next paycheck. — CD
20. Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert got worked over by the Arizona Cardinals defense which is… concerning. The rush offense Jim Harbaugh worked so hard to upgrade in the offseason had just a 38 percent success rate … against 2025's 22nd-ranked run defense. That put Herbert behind the sticks and striving to make plays, only to come up empty time and again. There's plenty of time to fix things, but that's about the worst start Los Angeles could have imagined (non-injury edition). — CD
19. Indianapolis Colts
In Daniel Jones' first game back after his Achilles tear, he sure looked like the Daniel Jones of old. Meaning, the one everyone used to make fun of. To top things off for the Colts, their defense was carved up without mercy by a Ravens offense that made a real game seem like practice. Well, at least Jonathan Taylor still looks incredible because this otherwise just might be another season toiling around .500 for Indy. — RZ
18. Dallas Cowboys
After an offseason of defensive fixes, the defense is … aggressively not fixed. Caleb Downs looks great, but the reliance on aging pass rushers failed to generate a spark, and Dallas got roasted by the New York Giants on Sunday night. As good as Jaxson Dart may be, letting him rack up 28.3 expected points added (EPA) gives you an idea of how the NFC East's other mobile quarterbacks are going to gash this unit. The funniest possible outcome, however, would be this somehow convincing another team to give Matt Eberflus a chance to call its defense. — CD
17. Green Bay Packers
The Packers played the most 2025 game of 2026, finding open space, executing an efficient offense, and completely unraveling when it matters most. Green Bay handled Minnesota's relentless pressure deftly until it didn't. Stupid mistakes and a tired offense handled the rest. When you're getting cooked by 2026 Carson Wentz, Micah Parsons can't come back soon enough. — CD
16. New York Giants
Are the Giants now, in fact, that good, thanks to John Harbaugh? Or are the Cowboys that incompetent? Uh, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Jaxson Dart and Co. won't be able to spam wide-open flat routes every week, but we already knew that Matt Nagy knows how to pare things down for a quarterback that doesn't read the entire field. So, the Giants might have solid (enough) coaching again. That's enough to take them seriously as a possible playoff contender in a top-heavy NFC. — RZ
15. Minnesota Vikings
Well … how about that? After Kyler Murray went down, the Vikings' 2026 looked like it was over before it even started. Then, a 22-point fourth-quarter comeback happened, which was instigated by Brian Flores' exotic blitzing scheme putting a middling Green Bay offensive line in the blender. It's hard to take the Vikings too seriously if Murray is out for a while and they have to lean on (phew) Carson Wentz. But at least they're coached well enough to put up a decent fight most weeks. — RZ
14. Houston Texans
In a shootout against a former MVP, C.J. Stroud was THIS close to capturing his old mojo. Then, he crumbled in crunch time while under pressure against a middling Buffalo defense on paper. The Texans can contend for the Super Bowl with the Stroud they got for 58.5 minutes against the Bills. They can lose in the divisional round of the playoffs again with the version they got in the clutch. — RZ
13. Philadelphia Eagles
There are tough acts to follow, then there's the limbo bar barely hovering above the floor that former Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo left behind. New Philadelphia playcaller Sean Mannion didn't reinvent the wheel against Washington, and we do need more of a sample size, but the early returns are promising. He gave Saquon Barkley the ball a bunch of times and let Jalen Hurts use his legs. Sometimes the best play is the simple play. — RZ
12. Cincinnati Bengals
The rebuilt defense held up its end of the bargain. Joe Burrow's dynamic passing offense … ran through Mike Gesicki? And it was kinda great? Gesicki led the team in targets and had more receiving yards than Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins combined, sending a message that Zac Taylor can rely on the less predictable pieces of his roster to deliver pain. But 24 of Cincinnati's 33 points came after turnovers, which leaves plenty of work left to be done before we can believe this is sustainable. — CD
11. New England Patriots
A.J. Brown is out for the foreseeable future. The offensive line might still be comprised of five different turnstiles (Will Campbell, wyd?). Drake Maye no longer has the benefit of playing against a cupcake schedule. Oh, and the Patriots play the heavyweight Bills and Jaguars, both on the road, over two of the next three weeks. New England's season isn't dead by any means, but it's already looking kinda bleak. — RZ
10. Denver Broncos
What's more concerning: Bo Nix's gruesome play in his return from injury? Or is it a once proud defense's sudden and shocking inability to tackle?
Bo Nix with the kind of play that suggests he might not have beaten the Patriots in the AFC title game. fortunately for him, L'Jarius Sneed was out of bounds when he touched the ball, negating a turnover
— Christian D'Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) 2026-09-15T02:17:00.114Z
Denver looked awful on both sides of the ball, and Jaylen Waddle, acquired for a first round pick to boost Nix and this offense, was a non-factor in a game likely to have postseason seeding implications. Or, if the tackling and offensive gameplan remain this big, potentially just playoff implications in general. — CD
9. Detroit Lions
The Lions still have the offensive playmakers to keep pace in track meets. Their secondary might ensure that's how most of their games wind up after letting Tyler Shough go from abomination to angel in the second half and overtime — a switch that allowed a 21-0 lead to disappear into the ether. Detroit still has a long way to go to reach its 2024 heights, but it remains a dangerous opponent on a weekly basis. — CD
8. Los Angeles Rams
OK, now we get to see if Thursday night's reckoning was the product of internal flaws or simply poor planning. Myles Garrett's absence won't help, but he was clearly diminished. Aaron Donald's arrival might, but it's fair to expect a slow start even from a genetic mutant like him. The biggest concern may be whether Matthew Stafford is finally winding down, or if he was merely playing like someone's dad after a 16-hour flight. — CD
7. Buffalo Bills
Houston was once a house of horrors for the Bills. Josh Allen changed all that in one fell swoop on Sunday, driving a game-winning dagger into the Texans' hearts after a 96-yard possession against their vaunted defense. What was most encouraging for Buffalo was the debut of DJ Moore, who looked exactly like the sort of possession playmaker that thrives with Allen. Should Moore keep this pace up alongside a breakout of Dalton Kincaid, it won't be hard to see Buffalo take back the AFC East crown. — RZ
6. Chicago Bears
Four different touchdown drives … in each half. It almost makes you forget the defense made Bryce Young look like an MVP candidate. Ben Johnson is a madman, but Chicago might have to get proactive at the trade deadline to be a true Super Bowl contender. — CD
5. San Francisco 49ers
Well! That was unexpected! Concerns justifiably remain about an aging core of skill players, but Week 1 couldn't have gone much better for the Niners. San Francisco looked like a true problem, deflating a bitter rival's hype balloon, and Brock Purdy looked solid even if only three of his 25 completions traveled more than 15 yards downfield (and one of those was to the Rams). — CD
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars won eight straight games to close the 2025 regular season. Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence picked up right where they left off as they absolutely pantsed the Browns to begin 2026. This was the continuation of a red-hot trend for Lawrence, who is starting to reach the MVP-caliber ceiling everyone thought he had when coming out of Clemson. If this is the version of Lawrence that Jacksonville gets moving forward, then the sky is the limit in Duval County. — RZ
3. Kansas City Chiefs
Signing Kenneth Walker III carried some risk. The reigning Super Bowl MVP was largely a platoon back in Seattle. Could he handle a bellcow role behind Patrick Mahomes?
Chiefs running backs had 13 runs where they hit 15 mph on the field last season. Kenneth Walker III had 67 on his own.on an unrelated note, here's Kenneth Walker III on 4th down
— Christian D'Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) 2026-09-15T01:59:36.173Z
Yes. The answer is yes. From there, Steve Spagnuolo embarrassed Bo Nix and shoved the defending AFC West champs into a locker, making an early statement that, yes, 2025 was very much an outlier. — CD
2. Baltimore Ravens
One of the biggest complaints regarding the Ravens in recent years was how stagnant they had gotten. Enter rookie head coach Jesse Minter and, more importantly, first-year offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, who both had a sterling debut in a convincing win over the Colts on Sunday. Doyle, in particular, called a wonderful game that accentuated Lamar Jackson's unique gifts while also paving the way for Derrick Henry. In other words, Doyle knows he has the NFL's best backfield and used it accordingly. This isn't rocket science. — RZ
1. Seattle Seahawks
For most other teams, losing your starting quarterback against a reigning conference champion would be a death sentence. But when Sam Darnold went down against the Patriots, the defending Super Bowl champions didn't blink. Their elite defense stuffed Drake Maye into a locker, and Drew Lock made just enough plays to win in Darnold's stead. Darnold might be out a little while, but something tells me the Seahawks aren't going to miss a beat in his absence. — RZ
This article originally appeared on For The Win: NFL Power Rankings Week 2: Texans, Cowboys in dead heat to show who is more fraudulent
