Week 2 NFL power rankings: Baltimore Ravens belong in top group

The Top 10

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 0-1 (7)

They lost a tough game to the Saints, who are great, and are still breaking in some newcomers to the offense, particularly Tom Brady. They need to get the ball to Mike Evans, who only had one catch for two yards. Wow, I really should be an offensive coordinator with that kind of insight.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1-0 (11)

This is a much-better team with Big Ben back, even if he didn’t really look like his old dominant self at times. With this defense, and if Benny Snell can continue to tote the ball as well as he did against the Giants, a better-than-average Ben will be enough for this team to contend.

8. Seattle Seahawks, 1-0 (9)

They smoked the Falcons, and Russell Wilson was 31-35, with four touchdowns. Is that good? It feels good. If this team continues to run the offense through Wilson, they will compete with anybody. He is truly that good.

7. Tennessee Titans, 1-0 (6)

Derrick Henry was a battering ram against the Broncos, and Corey Davis looked great. Also, that defensive line is terrific, now elevated with the addition of Jadaveon Clowney. I’m still not all-the-way sold on the quarterback yet, though, so stay tuned.

6. San Francisco 49ers, 0-1 (4)

Losing to a division rival isn’t the end of the world, but their lack of receiving options right now is a real, genuine, cross-my-heart kind of concern. This team is still a handful, but they need more than Raheem Mostert on offense.

5. Green Bay Packers, 1-0 (8)

Aaron Rodgers lit up the Vikings secondary for 364 yards and four touchdowns. The defense also looked very good until some garbage-time points in the fourth quarter. I still have doubts about their run defense and what happens against good corners, but they just keep winning.

4. Buffalo Bills, 1-0 (5)

Josh Allen threw for 312 yards and had three touchdowns, and the defense looked great against an overwhelmed Jets offense. This is one of the best top-to-bottom rosters in the league, and they are coached very well. This is a darn-good team.

3. Baltimore Ravens, 1-0 (3)

Well, that went about as well as could be hoped for in an opener, slapping down the rival Browns by a score of 38-6. The defending MVP, Lamar Jackson, threw the ball around the yard, Marquise Brown looked explosive and Mark Andrews was his typical dominant self. There will be tougher tests ahead, but this was a great start.

Of concern was a general lack of pass rush, some weaknesses along the edge in stopping the run and an inability to really establish their own running game. Some of that is rust and incorporating new faces, I believe. But it would be nice to see those items trend in a different direction, starting this Sunday against Houston.

2. New Orleans Saints, 1-0 (2)

Beating Tampa Bay, and doing so pretty easily, keeps them at this spot. Their defense looks to cause a lot of problems for opponents this season, and Jared Cook looked very good at tight end. The Saints figure to be fighting for a title if they stay healthy.

1. Kansas City Chiefs, 1-0 (1)

The Chiefs took care of business, and won the Super Bowl last season, so they stay in this spot. the hope is the Chiefs and Ravens stay unbeaten until Week 3 and we can all watch what happens then. Clyde Edwards-Helaire offers another dimension to this offense.