2017 NFL Power Rankings: Week 2
Teams Ranked 22nd to 13th
Neither Eli Manning nor Carson Palmer did much to quiet preseason concerns on Sunday. The veteran signal-callers currently rank 21st and 23rd in Passing NEP per drop back, respectively, after subpar performances in losses that didn't help their teams climb in our power rankings.
| Rank | Team | nERD | Record | Playoff Odds | Off. NEP Rank | Def. NEP Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Detroit Lions | -0.50 | 1-0 | 32.9% | 24 | 5 | +3 |
| 21 | Washington Redskins | 0.07 | 0-1 | 16.3% | 27 | 11 | -8 |
| 20 | New York Giants | 0.08 | 0-1 | 21.0% | 21 | 24 | -9 |
| 19 | Los Angeles Chargers | 0.12 | 0-1 | 21.1% | 16 | 15 | +1 |
| 18 | Seattle Seahawks | 0.24 | 0-1 | 47.7% | 25 | 23 | -11 |
| 17 | New Orleans Saints | 0.34 | 0-1 | 21.7% | 6 | 31 | -11 |
| 16 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0.40 | 0-0 | 29.5% | 19 | 13 | +2 |
| 15 | Oakland Raiders | 0.48 | 1-0 | 40.3% | 4 | 25 | +6 |
| 14 | Arizona Cardinals | 0.58 | 0-1 | 37.1% | 28 | 9 | -4 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 1.02 | 1-0 | 57.7% | 13 | 16 | +1 |
Our projections were already low on the Giants offense, projecting them to rank 24th before the season. On Sunday, though, they only gained 4.4 yards per play against what looks to be a mediocre Cowboys defense. Granted, they were missing stud receiver Odell Beckham, but New York still only ranked 23rd in yards per play with him last season.
The Giants defense gave a solid performance, allowing 5.5 yards per play, but could not get the Cowboys offense off the field; Dallas was 8-for-15 on third down.
Palmer followed up a career year in 2015 with a below-average campaign last season. His 2017 also got off to a bad start despite facing a dismal Detroit defense. We projected the Lions to rank 31st in defense before the season, but they held Palmer to 27 completions on 48 attempts, 269 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions.
Arizona's defense did hold Detroit to 5.3 yards per play, mostly thanks to a strong performance on the ground (the Lions only averaged 3.0 yards per rush), but they couldn't overcome four turnovers from the offense.
