NFL Team Rankings: Week 2 2023
1. San Francisco 49ers
The struggle early in the year is the choice between these rankings reflecting what has already happened or what I expect to happen in the future. It is likely the class of the AFC rebounds and finds itself atop these rankings again at some point, but the 49ers and Cowboys were undoubtedly the most impressive teams in Week 1. For San Francisco specifically, Brock Purdy was excellent despite the Steelers getting constant pressure, something he struggled with a year ago. If the Purdy we saw Week 1 is real, this team is going to go a long way.
2. Dallas Cowboys
Given how teams treat the preseason, perhaps it should not be a surprise two of the best defenses in the league shined in Week 1 while offenses around the league floundered. Still, that takes nothing away from Dallas absolutely destroying the Giants on Sunday night. Dak Prescott still has questions to answer coming off last season — he only attempted 24 passes — but Tony Pollard went for 82 yards on 16 touches and two touchdowns. This team improved where they needed to over the offseason and looks poised for a run.
3. Philadelphia Eagles
Moving the Eagles behind the 49ers and the Cowboys is probably an overreaction, but those two performances stood out in Week 1. The Eagles appeared on their way to one of those games when they were up 16-0 on the Patriots in the first quarter. Then the offense went three-and-out the rest of the first half and settled for field goals in the second. New England’s defense is likely good, and Philly’s talented offense has a great chance to get on track Thursday night against the Vikings.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
There are two ways to read Thursday night’s loss to the Lions. First, the defense limited what should be a very good offense, and Kansas City was in position to win the game despite missing Travis Kelce. On the other hand, receiver once again appears to be a massive area of concern, and it remains to be seen how long a soon-to-be 34 and coming off an injury Kelce can paper over those cracks. This team has earned the benefit of the doubt and should be fine once Kelce is back, but they have to find or develop an actual option at receiver.
5. Buffalo Bills
Buffalo’s loss on Monday night was mostly self-inflicted. The Jets’ stars made plays including a catch-of-the-season candidate from Garrett Wilson to tie things up and an 83-yard run by Breece Hall, but the game would not have been close without four turnovers from Josh Allen. Despite his overall success, those turnovers have remained a concerning part of Allen’s game over the last several seasons. Since 2020, no NFL player has turned the ball over more. The track record suggests Allen and the Bills will bounce back, but it is a concerning trend.
6. Cincinnati Bengals
Death, taxes, and the Bengals struggling in Week 1. Joe Burrow is now 1-3 in Week 1 games since entering the league. The one win was an overtime victory over an at best mediocre Vikings squad. Last year, the Bengals lost the first two games, something that is a concern this year with the Ravens scheduled in Week 2. Of course, they bounced back to make the AFC Championship Game last season, so there is no reason to panic just yet.
7. Miami Dolphins
Going up against a defense that stifled them a year ago, the Dolphins put up 536 yards including 466 passing from Tua Tagovailoa on their way to 36 points in a Week 1 win. The defense is good and will only get better when Jalen Ramsey returns. As long as Tagovailoa is healthy, it looks like this offense will be a juggernaut. That is a recipe for a contender.
8. Detroit Lions
The most impressive part of the Lions’ opening night win over the Chiefs was their defense, which managed to consistently pressure Patrick Mahomes and stifle Kansas City’s running game. With an offense that will probably play better than they did in Week 1, the Lions will be genuine contenders if their defense proves to be a top-half unit.
9. Cleveland Browns
Cleveland’s 24-3 dismantling of the Bengals proved just how talented this team is and how good the defense can be when used correctly under new DC Jim Schwartz. Unfortunately, Deshaun Watson once again struggled as a passer, but this was yet another bad weather game. Given how bad Joe Burrow was, it is fair to cut Watson some slack for his passing performance in Week 1.
10. Baltimore Ravens
It was a win, but Baltimore committed 13 penalties in what was a sloppy offensive showing. They also lost J.K. Dobbins for the season, Marcus Williams to a long-term injury, and two starters on the offensive line. The emergence of Zay Flowers was promising, but the offense will need to play better against the Bengals this week.
11. Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert did not get the downfield passing game going in the way some (me) hoped, but the Chargers offense was strong against what is projected to be a good defense in Kellen Moore‘s first game in charge. Much of that success came in the running game. The Chargers ran for 234 yards on 40 attempts (5.9 YPC) and three touchdown against a defense that finished last season sixth in yards per carry allowed. It is yet another disappointing loss, and Brandon Staley‘s defense remains a trouble spot. At least there were some positives, though.
12. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars ended up winning by 10 points, but their game against the Colts was much closer than that score indicates. Jacksonville was trailing at one point in the fourth quarter. The defense did stifle Indy’s rushing attack, but they gave up big plays in the passing game to a team expected to struggle in that area. They won, and no one else in the division looks like an actual threat given how Ryan Tannehill played, but it was not the most promising opener.
13. New Orleans Saints
The Saints moved the ball well enough to win their matchup against the Titans going away (5.5 yards per play, 5th in Week 1), but they bogged down in the red zone too often. The good news is the defense dominated, pressuring a shaky Ryan Tannehill and forcing three interceptions. As long as they can start turning drives into touchdowns, the Saints should win their division.
14. New York Jets
Coming back to win against the Bills on Monday night after losing Aaron Rodgers for the season was impressive, and the defense once again proved they are a force. Breece Hall looked fully healthy and seemed to confirm averaging 6.9 yards per touch as a rookie was not a fluke. Garrett Wilson made one of the best catches we will see this year to tie the game. This team is talented and would have competed for a Super Bowl with Rodgers. Now? Zach Wilson has a two-year history of being one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. Perhaps he turns it around — or the Jets find another option in the trade market — but it is very difficult to win consistently with that level of quarterback play regardless of the surrounding talent.
15. Green Bay Packers
New quarterback. Same outcome. Even with some shaky play from Jordan Love — PFF charted 26% of his throws as off target — Green Bay dominated the Bears in a 38-20 win. The defense looked strong, sacking Justin Fields four times and forcing two turnovers. There are injury concerns on offense. Christian Watson missed this game with a hamstring injury, and Aaron Jones, perhaps the best player on the field Sunday, picked up a hamstring injury of his own. Those two need to get healthy, but the Packers have the talent to make the playoffs.
16. New England Patriots
Down 16-0 in the first quarter with their receivers struggling to get open and the running game going nowhere, it looked like the Patriots were headed for a long season. Mac Jones rallied the team in the second quarter, however, and had a chance to win the game late. Jones had a more impressive showing than his 5.9 yards per attempt would suggest, and the defense looked great. Still, there are questions about the surrounding talent on offense.
17. Atlanta Falcons
It is not surprising the Falcons were able to run the ball in their Week 1 win. Tyler Allgeier picked up right where he left off with 75 yards and two scores on 15 carries, and Bijan Robinson added 83 total yards and a receiving touchdown. The more surprising development came on defense, where the Falcons held the Panthers to just 3.9 yards per play and newly signed Jessie Bates forced three turnovers. Can they continue that against a non-rookie quarterback? Will they get more from Desmond Ridder? Time will tell, but it was a good opener for the Falcons.
18. Seattle Seahawks
Up 13-7 at the half, things seemed to be going fine for the Seahawks. Then they managed 12 total yards in the second half, nine of those coming on a meaningless carry at the end of the game, and lost to a Rams team expected to struggle this year. Pass rush was the most concerning issue for Seattle. Theirs could not get any pressure against an offensive line that struggled a season ago, and they gave up too much pressure even before losing both tackles to injury. That will need to get fixed in a hurry.
19. New York Giants
The next two teams were on the other side of the beat downs by No. 1 and No. 2. I am trying to avoid an overreaction, but things did not look great for either squad. The Giants’ 40-0 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday night was over before the end of the first quarter. Daniel Jones was pressured on two-third of his drop backs, and the Giants averaged 2.6 yards per play. The good news is they have a get right spot against the Cardinals this week. If that goes bad, though…
20. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers look to be in worse shape than the Giants given the injuries they suffered and the Week 2 opponent. Pittsburgh lost both Diontae Johnson and Cam Heyward to what should be multi-week injuries and have the Browns up next. After a very good preseason, Kenny Pickett flopped against a good defense. He has another one on deck Monday night.
21. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders won a close game? It really is a new season. After starting slow on defense, the Raiders allowed just three points in the second half to beat the Broncos by a point. The running game did not get going, but Jimmy Garoppolo averaged 7.7 yards per attempt behind excellent protection. Jakobi Meyers’ injury is a concern, but this offense should be good once again. The defense still needs to prove it can hold up its end.
22. Denver Broncos
The offense was not awful in their loss to the Raiders. They only went three and out once and had three drives of 75 yards or more. They missed a field goal and settled for another in the second half, however, and those long drives helped limit the Broncos to just six possessions, the fewest in the league in Week 1. As Week 1 losses go, this was not an awful one, but the offense needs to find more big plays.
23. Minnesota Vikings
The one-score game regression hit in a hurry for the Vikings. Despite out-gaining the Bucs by 127 yards, the Vikings lost to Baker Mayfield‘s squad thanks in part to three turnovers by Kirk Cousins. On the bright side, the defense held Tampa to 3.6 yards per play, but that could have more to do with Mayfield than the defense. They will face a much tougher test Thursday night against the Eagles.
24. Tennessee Titans
The Saints gave Tennessee every chance to win Week 1, and they almost obliged in a one-point loss. The run defense remains stout, but Derek Carr averaged 9.2 yards per attempt against their pass defense. More concerningly, Ryan Tannehill looked rough, completing just 47% of his passes and throwing three interceptions.
25. Los Angeles Rams
Each of the next two teams had to move up following opening week wins, but I still have doubts about both. For the Rams, Matthew Stafford played lights out even without Cooper Kupp, and young receivers Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell put on a show. More impressively, the offensive line protected well and the front seven got after Geno Smith. If that continues, the Rams will be the team I was most wrong about in the preseason. Unfortunately for them, the 49ers are coming to town this week.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs’ win was not as impressive as the Rams’. The Vikings out-gained them by 127 yards and likely should have scored more than the 17 points they did. A win is a win, though, and Tampa still has talent on both sides of the ball. The concern is Baker Mayfield, who had good moments against the Vikings but also averaged just 5.1 yards per attempt.
27. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts had a chance to win the game late against the Jaguars, and they created some big plays in the passing game. Assuming Anthony Richardson‘s injury is indeed minor, the Colts have a good opportunity to build on this performance against the Texans in Week 2.
28. Chicago Bears
The curse of Aaron Rodgers lives on. Despite what we expected to be an improved offensive line, Justin Fields was pressured at the second-highest rate in Week 1 — some of that is on him — and the offense was stuck on six points until late in the third quarter. The defense also gave up several big plays in the passing game despite the Packers being without Christian Watson. This still looks like a work in progress.
29. Washington Commanders
The Commanders won against the Cardinals. That is the important part. But it was a nail-biter that required 10 fourth-quarter points to get the win. The offense averaged 3.8 yards per play against what we expect to be one of the worst defenses in the league. A win is a win, but this was not an impressive start for the Commanders.
30. Carolina Panthers
The Falcons are going to run over a lot of teams, so giving up five yards per carry and two rushing touchdowns to them is not a damning outcome. The offense, however, looks like it has a long way to go after being stifled by a defense that is likely improved but was one of the worst in the league last season.
31. Houston Texans
The Ravens were not at their best in Week 1, and they still comfortably beat the Texans. C.J. Stroud took five sacks, and the running game averaged 3.1 yards per carry. On the bright side, Nico Collins had a solid game, and Will Anderson got a sack. If players like Collins, Stroud, and Anderson develop into quality starters, this will be a successful Texans season regardless of the record.
32. Arizona Cardinals
The Commanders gave them a scare, but the Cardinals are still on pace for the No. 1 pick. It will be interesting to see if the defense maintains their teeth against a better opponent, but the offense looked broken against Washington. Josh Dobbs averaged 4.4 yards per attempt, and just 26.7% of his passes traveled 10 or more yards downfield.
