Parity is mediocrity.
Last week, the NFL season started with a bang. Week 2 wasn't less surprising, necessarily, but the standings show a stark regression to mediocrity. There are 32 teams in the NFL, as you know. 18 of them are now 1-1. Seven are 2-0, seven are 0-2.
Thus, for people who try to figure out which teams are good and which are not on a weekly basis, we really have no choice but to throw our hands up in the air and practically give up on the whole enterprise.
But as I said last week, it's early and things like Rankings are basically a crapshoot. I don't think that's any less accurate after two weeks than after one, although at least we know that results will have teams trending toward mediocrity rather than greatness, at least in the early going.
Some of the unforeseeable results, like Seattle losing to San Diego, shake up the Rankings quite significantly. And of the seven 2-0 teams, I would venture to bet that at least four of them weren't on anyone's radar in the preseason. Or maybe they were and I was listening to the wrong people.
Also in Week 2, you'll notice that each team has brackets after their record. What this indicates is the movement since last week. For example, [+1] means that a team moved up one spot. A [-] means that the team wasn't in the Rankings in the previous week.
1.) Denver (2-0) [+1]
If there's anything that might concern the Broncos after two weeks, it's second-half offense. There just hasn't been much of it. Also, the defense has nearly given up leads in both games. That's a problem, but it's mitigated rather easily if Peyton just throws a couple more TD's in the second halves of these games. Other than that, they're looking like a team that wants to win 12-14 games.
Next opponent: at Seattle (9/21)
2.) Philadelphia (2-0) [+2]
Speaking of second-half offense, the Eagles have no problem with it. They score a bunch of points in the second-half and have come back from medium-sized deficits in both games they've played. Not coincidentally, both games were against AFC South opponents. Interesting. Hard to see a weakness on this team other than at linebacker, where it seems like they have a guy going down every couple of minutes. It's unfortunate, but every team struggles with injuries in one fashion or another every season. The Eagles were lucky last year not to lose a ton of guys to IR.
Next opponent: vs. Washington (9/21)
3.) Arizona (2-0) [+4]
The first of the surprising (to me, at least) 2-0 teams. Arizona leads the NFC West while the other three teams are 1-1. They went into Jersey and beat the Giants fairly soundly even without Carson Palmer, who was a late scratch. I'm not sure if that says more about the Cardinals or the Giants, really. They somehow held San Diego to 17 points when the vaunted Seahawks defense got gashed all to hell. So I guess Arizona is for real at the moment? Given that only seven teams are 2-0, as mentioned above, they're doing something right.
Next opponent: vs. San Francisco (9/21)
4.) Cincinnati (2-0) [+5]
I'm still not a believer in the Bengals and it has everything to do with their QB. At least their win this week was a bit less of a fluke; they exposed Atlanta pretty soundly and ran it down their throats all day. But that win also reinforces the "running league" (as established by Seattle) thing that I've been pushing since the Seahawks won the Super Bowl back in February. And for what it's worth, Pittsburgh and Baltimore have better QB's.
Next opponent: vs. Tennessee (9/21)
5.) Carolina (2-0) [-]
Given their near-disastrous start last season and the presence of Derek Anderson in Week 1, it's quite surprising to me that Carolina is 2-0. With one WR and an O-line that was not projected well, it gets even more surprising. And yet, their defense is for real: they shut down a Detroit team that was winging it all over the field in Week 1. And the rest of the teams in their division are organized by how big of a mess they are. So for the moment, Carolina is looking like a contender to win the division and get home-field in the first playoff game.
Next opponent: vs. Pittsburgh (9/21)
6.) Buffalo (2-0) [-]
If there's a team that has the toughest task in Week 3, I would say it's Buffalo. Their QB play is spotty and they have to play San Diego. At least the game is in Buffalo, which should give the Bills an advantage. Still, going to Chicago and winning and then coming home to take out Miami was pretty impressive, even if I didn't see either win happening.
Next opponent: vs. San Diego (9/21)
7.) Houston (2-0) [-]
I made no secret of the fact that I dislike the Texans last season. And now that they're again 2-0 my opinion is unchanged. I doubt they'll lose their next 14 like the previous year's team did. But at the same time, I don't see them as a division winner. Maybe after they beat somebody who looks good. But then again, who's good? They're going on the road again, this time to the East Coast, but they're playing the 0-2 Giants, so it's not like that game will tell us anything...unless the Texans somehow manage to lose, which even I don't see happening.
Next opponent: at NY Giants (9/21)
8.) San Diego (1-1) [-]
With only seven 2-0 teams, that means the bottom is filled by a bit of the mediocrity I alluded to before the cut. Although I wonder if San Diego is truly mediocre by what they've done. The record says .500, but losing by one point to Arizona and then beating Seattle convincingly tells me that for now they're pretty good. Good enough to be above any other 1-1 team right now, at least. We'll see what happens in Week 3; West Coast teams that have to travel to the East usually have trouble, especially when the game starts in the early window (12PM central/10AM pacific).
Next opponent: at Buffalo (9/21)
9.) New England (1-1) [-]
Thanks to Adrian Peterson being deactivated, the Patriots feasted on a lesser team. They forced four INT's out of Cassel and generally made Minnesota look pretty foolish. Tom Brady didn't do a whole lot, but then again, did he really need to? The game was well in-hand by halftime. And the schedule rewards that cupcake victory by having them play at home against an 0-2 team. Things are looking up rather quickly for the Pats.
Next opponent: vs. Oakland (9/21)
10.) Green Bay (1-1) [-]
I concede that the Packers are a tough sell even in 10th. That said, they did beat a 1-0 team and they have one of the few "elite" QB's in the game. So that's what swayed me, really. I also think that despite their lousy defense that they'll stick around for a little while. Or maybe they'll lose next week and get buried for the time being. It's hard to tell this season and my prognostication abilities are just about dead.
Next opponent: at Detroit (9/21)
That's all for this week, see you next week.
