Many teams had a rough go of it in Week 2. A number of QB's went down, results were downright foolish (and difficult to predict), and a mere nine teams stand at 2-0.
After starting strong with a 12-4 Week 1, I plummeted to 9-7. Obviously, I didn't learn anything from last week, as I went too heavy on road teams to my detriment. Five of my seven losses were road teams that should have been able to handle the pressure, but didn't.
There are also nine 0-2 teams that look pretty bad. Of that group, I think Indianapolis to make a run of sorts. That is to say, I think they'll win their division, but as of now they certainly do not look like a "contender".
Here are the Rankings for Week 2:
1.) New England (2-0) [no change]
Without a doubt the best team in the AFC, the Patriots went into Buffalo and proceeded to smack down the mouthy Bills. Of course, being a pretty good team themselves, the Bills came back to make the result look less lopsided. Still, Brady passed for over 450 yards and threw TD's with impunity. Interestingly, it looks like they'll have some competition for the division (though we'll really know when those games start happening).
Next opponent: vs. Jacksonville (9/27)
2.) Green Bay (2-0) [no change]
They were looking forward to playing Seattle at home and won a hard-fought game. The Packers are clearly the class of the NFC North as long as Rodgers is in the game, no matter how many other guys go down, it would seem. While we're not sure as yet whether or not Lacy will miss time, if he does then Starks is a capable backup as he showed on Sunday night. Also, James Jones continues to catch TD's and make defenders look foolish. It's a renaissance I didn't see coming.
Next opponent: vs. Kansas City (9/28)
3.) Dallas (2-0) [no change]
Sadly, with Romo and Dez Bryant out, this will probably be the last time in a while that the Cowboys will be in the top 5. It's too bad, really, as this season started out quite promising. That's not to say it absolutely cannot turn into something good still, but with the top two players out multiple weeks, I would classify "something good" as being extremely unlikely.
Next opponent: vs. Atlanta (9/27)
4.) Arizona (2-0) [no change]
Carson Palmer is healthy and throwing bombs to whoever is ready to catch them. This week, it was Larry Fitzgerald who was the beneficiary, and he looked like the proverbial phoenix. If that weren't enough, there is also game-breaking RB David Johnson, who seemingly gains massive chunks with every touch. A lot of teams have had mixed results after two weeks; Arizona is most certainly not one of them.
Next opponent: vs. San Francisco (9/27)
5.) Denver (2-0) [no change]
Peyton showed he still has something in the tank, but the defense won the game. I'm still not sure how Charles fumbled in that situation, or how the offense didn't just take a knee and go to OT. I'm not sure they would have won in OT, given how Alex Smith was playing, but they probably would have avoided such an ignominious loss. At any rate, Denver leads the somewhat mediocre AFC West, and as long as Peyton is running the offense out of the shotgun, me and every other armchair expert agree that he can put up points with just about anybody.
Next opponent: at Detroit (9/27)
6.) Atlanta (2-0) [+4]
First Dan Quinn slayed the troll. Then he bobbed and weaved, just waiting for the Giants to screw up. And what do you know, the Giants screwed up for the second week in a row. An excellent pass to Julio Jones was called down near the goal line (instead of being a TD, making fantasy owners weep piteously), but the Falcons were not deterred. And once again, the NFC South looks decent, rather than the dumpster fire of last season.
Next opponent: at Dallas (9/27)
7.) Carolina (2-0) [-]
You'd think that Cam Newton would be in trouble with few notable receivers and an O-line that improved incrementally rather than massively. And yet, here we are with the Panthers 2-0. They'd be running away with the division, except...oh, right, the Falcons decided they'd rather be good this year than stink. Funny how that works.
Next opponent: vs. New Orleans (9/27)
8.) Cincinnati (2-0) [-]
The Bengals have yet to play in prime time. So of course, the Bengals are 2-0. I guess there's something to be said for Eifert catching and Giovani Bernard running...but really, it comes down to playing in the early afternoon as opposed to playing at night.
Next opponent: at Baltimore (9/27)
9.) NY Jets (2-0) [-]
If not the most surprising 2-0 team...no, just kidding, the Jets are the most surprising 2-0 team. Apparently, Todd Bowles is at worst a solid head coach. There were some interesting decisions made last night that could have gone better, but on the whole, the Jets look fairly good where a lot of other teams just don't. It's funny that they're in the AFC East, which looks a lot more improved than I gave it credit for going into the season.
Next opponent: vs. Philadelphia (9/27)
10.) Pittsburgh (1-1) [-]
Ben Roethlisberger wants the Steelers to average 30 points/game. So far, they're off to a good start. I don't expect them to drop 40 on teams more than a couple times, but hey, they saw something in SF's defense and took advantage of it where Minnesota was completely inept the previous week. Good on them.
Next opponent: at St. Louis (9/27)
That's all for this week. See you next week.
