Week 2 brought the best “Witching Hour” in recent memory - with more close games in the following windows. But the biggest win of the week was the Packers trouncing of the Commanders on Thursday night in a game that wasn’t particularly close. Other notable results included the Buccaneers beating the Texans, and Eagles winning their Super Bowl rematch against the Chiefs.
Still, with it being so early in the season, these rankings are particularly fluid. Let’s dive in.
Reminder: This list is a combined ranking from each of the 2PC’s contributors.
1. Green Bay Packers (Last Week: 3)
Last Week: Beat Commanders, 27-18
The Green Bay Packers certainly pass the eye test for being the best team in the NFL - and it may not be close. With a 3-headed monster of a pass-rushing unit (Micah Parsons, Lukas Van Ness, Rashan Gary), a linebacker playing at an All-Pro level in Edgerrin Cooper, and a creative defensive play caller, this unit looks like the best in the league.
Offensively, Tucker Kraft looks to have taken a step, and Jordan Love has more talent than almost any other quarterback. The Packers looked to be in another league than the Commanders, who they outclassed in basically every way on Thursday Night Football.
2. Buffalo Bills (Last Week: 2)
Last Week: Beat Jets, 30-10
The Bills were on upset watch after the New York Jets offense looked shockingly good in Week 1 against the Steelers - but any doubts were pretty quickly laid to rest. Buffalo was back to their bread and butter with over 200 yards on the ground. They only allowed 154 total yards.
Great teams easily handle lesser opponents, and that’s exactly what happened for Buffalo this past week.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: 1)
Last Week: Beat Chiefs, 20-17
Despite a win against their Super Bowl opponent from February, the Eagles weren’t too overly impressive - particularly on offense. While this wouldn’t be as notable with a larger sample size of consistent play, the past two weeks have not looked great for the down-to-down success of this Philadelphia team.
Defensively, things are better - with talent at every level and a promising rookie class (Jihaad Campbell, Andrew Mukuba), but the offense is notably less explosive than last year, which will need to be righted in a game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
4. Baltimore Ravens (Last Week: 4)
Last Week: Beat Browns, 41-17
The Baltimore Ravens ultimately couldn’t have done much to improve this ranking this past week with a game against a lowly Browns squad that is starting Joe Flacco at quarterback… in 2025.
Still, Lamar Jackson looked good, the defense remains elite, and the team won despite a lackluster performance from All-Pro back Derrick Henry.
5. Los Angeles Chargers (Last Week: 7)
Last Week: Beat Raiders, 20-9
The Chargers have looked pretty great so far this season - and I certainly didn’t expect them to hold this ranking so early. Justin Herbert has been playing like an early MVP candidate - and contributions from Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston make this offense much more high-powered than last year.
There are drawbacks with the run blocking (and pass-protection, sometimes) - and Khalil Mack is due to miss a few games with a forearm injury - but it’s hard not to buy in on what Jim Harbaugh has done with this Chargers squad.
6. Detroit Lions (Last Week: First One Out)
Last Week: Beat Bears, 52-21
Things could not have gone better for the Detroit Lions this past Sunday. After an uncompetitive game in Green Bay in Week 1, this was the perfect “get right” game against a rookie head coach (and former Lions coordinator).
The Lions looked the part offensively, with Jared Goff back in rhythm - getting the ball to Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Jahmyr Gibbs. Defensively, Detroit registered a few turnovers, but it’s still wait-and-see mode.
7. Los Angeles Rams (Last Week: 10)
Last Week: Beat Titans, 33-19
So much for Matt Stafford’s back, right? This was another great performance by the Rams offense - Stafford had nearly 300 yards, Puka Nacua had nearly 150 total scrimmage yards, and Devante Adams turned back the clock.
The defense, despite some lapses, was able to take advantage of a poor Titans offensive line, getting to sack Cam Ward five times.
There’s a huge opportunity to jump into the top-5 with a win against Philly next week.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last Week: 9)
Last Week: Beat Texans, 20-19
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took care of business against the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football. That should probably be the motto for this Buccaneers team early in the season, seeing as they’ve had a 2-0 start in each of the past… *checks notes* five seasons.
Emeka Egbuka looks like a dude, and there were some pretty notable contributions from Bucky Irving, Tykee Smith, and, of course, Baker Mayfield.
Tampa should have a clear route to climb in these rankings next week with a game against the New York Jets on Sunday.
9. Kansas City Chiefs (Last Week: 5)
Last Week: Lost to Eagles, 20-17
Well, this season hasn’t exactly gone as planned for the Kansas City Chiefs. Missing both Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice really hurts this offense - it lacks in both explosive plays and down-to-down consistency. And that’s despite Patrick Mahomes dragging this team to the end zone multiple times per game.
Things will get better as the young wide receivers return, and the shining light so far has been Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, but it hasn’t exactly been fun to watch so far.
10. Washington Commanders (Last Week: 8)
Last Week: Lost to Packers, 27-18
There is still a lot of optimism around this Washington Commanders team, despite a season-ending injury to Austin Ekeler and the potential one-game absence of Jayden Daniels.
This team looked, frankly, inept at times against the juggernaut Packers in Week 2, but has an opportunity with their upcoming stretch of games to establish themselves as a premier playoff team regardless: vs. Raiders (Week 3), at Falcons (Week 4), at Chargers (Week 5).
First One Out: Denver Broncos (Last Week: 6)
Last Week: Lost to Colts, 29-28
The Two-Point Conversion is probably higher on this Broncos team than most non-Denver based publications, but that enthusiasm was rocked as the team allowed the Colts to win this past Sunday.
There are two main concerns here: Bo Nix has been playing at a suboptimal level so far this season, and this defense looked outright bad against a Daniel Jones-led Colts team.
Dropped Out: None
Jumped In: None
