2017 NFL Power Rankings: Week 2
Teams Ranked 12 to 1st
Hey, look where the Jaguars are!
| Rank | Team | nERD | Record | Playoff Odds | Off. NEP Rank | Def. NEP Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 1.36 | 1-0 | 65.7% | 11 | 3 | +14 |
| 11 | Denver Broncos | 2.06 | 1-0 | 51.3% | 18 | 17 | -3 |
| 10 | Baltimore Ravens | 2.24 | 1-0 | 59.9% | 23 | 1 | +13 |
| 9 | Buffalo Bills | 2.77 | 1-0 | 57.9% | 7 | 7 | +7 |
| 8 | Carolina Panthers | 3.13 | 1-0 | 52.8% | 15 | 4 | +11 |
| 7 | Philadelphia Eagles | 3.27 | 1-0 | 57.2% | 22 | 6 | +2 |
| 6 | Atlanta Falcons | 3.34 | 1-0 | 52.2% | 3 | 19 | -3 |
| 5 | Minnesota Vikings | 3.77 | 1-0 | 62.3% | 2 | 27 | 0 |
| 4 | Green Bay Packers | 4.07 | 1-0 | 61.1% | 10 | 8 | 0 |
| 3 | Kansas City Chiefs | 4.15 | 1-0 | 66.1% | 1 | 21 | +9 |
| 2 | Dallas Cowboys | 5.19 | 1-0 | 66.4% | 9 | 12 | 0 |
| 1 | New England Patriots | 5.22 | 0-1 | 54.8% | 12 | 32 | 0 |
As mentioned, Jacksonville took care of business on the road against the reigning AFC South Champions, largely on the strength of their defense. The subpar Houston offense putting up minimal resistance is not exactly surprising, but the Jaguars were still a quietly strong defensive unit last season.
Only two teams -- Denver and Arizona -- allowed fewer yards per play in 2016 than Jacksonville, which held opponents to an average gain of 5.0 yards. They ranked lower in points (25th) due in part to an almost complete lack of turnovers, ranking dead last in takeaways per drive (terrible starting field position courtesy of an ineffective offense did not help, either).
Fortunately for Jacksonville, turnovers are inherently random events, so we should expect some regression this season. Early returns are promising in this department, as the Jaguars forced four turnovers on Sunday.
Offensively, Blake Bortles was hardly great but stayed out of the way and let his defense take over. Bortles averaged 6.0 yards per drop back with a touchdown and no interceptions. It’s not the stuff of legends, but it was adequate enough given the strong performance by the defense.
The Jaguars are joined in the top 12 by other big risers like the Ravens, Bills, Panthers and Chiefs.
Baltimore’s defense was utterly dominant against the Bengals, holding Cincinnati to 3.8 yards per play and forcing five turnovers. Our preseason forecast expected the Ravens defense to be good, projecting them to rank sixth.
The offense -- which we had ranked 29th before the season -- could still be a question mark, though, as Joe Flacco completed just over half his passes while Baltimore gained 4.5 yards per play.
Buffalo dealt the Jets the first of what looks to be many losses, nearly doubling New York’s yardage total (408 to 214).
The Panthers also beat down a bad team, topping San Francisco by a score of 23-20.
Behind Smith’s big night, the Chiefs completed a second-half comeback against the Patriots. Smith averaged 9.3 yards per drop back while rookie running back Kareem Hunt rushed for 148 yards on 17 carries, helping Kansas City gain 8.3 yards per play. That was the third-highest average gain a Bill Belichick-led Patriots defense has allowed.
Kansas City also got it done on the other end, sacking Tom Brady four times and holding him to 6.3 yards per drop back. The Patriots only gained 5.0 yards per play.
The Chiefs are now ranked third overall and have a 66.1% chance to make the playoffs.
