NFL Week 2 Power Rankings 2023: Bears near the bottom |
Last season, of course, was one for the record books and was topped off with the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.
The offseason provided an entertaining draft, some big contract extensions, trades, signings, coaching hires, and more. While there are some big contract issues to be ironed out and some big names still out on the market, most of the rosters are pretty settled. So, with that being said, here are our first power rankings of the NFL season: *We decided to explain the top 16 and the Bears* 1. San Francisco 49ers 1-0: San Francisco has one of the most talented rosters in the sport and rode their best players to another NFC Championship appearance last year. The 49ers had had a topsy-turvy season, losing newly named starting QB Trey Lance in week 1 — and Jimmy Garropolo later on in the season. But that never stopped the 49ers from winning. Garropolo is now a Raider, Trey Lance is now a Cowboy and Brock Purdy is the starter on a team with one of the best rosters in the NFL, he has never lost in the regular season, including this past week’s blowout win over Pittsburgh. 2. Philadelphia Eagles 2-0: Philadelphia was one of the league’s best teams from start to finish. A dominating pass rush, a veteran offensive line, all pros all over the field, and a newly added AJ Brown gave Jalen Hurts all of the tools needed to make the leap from talented to top-5 QB in the league. The Eagles lost the Super Bowl to the Chiefs but are still loaded with talent and should be considered favorites to return to the pinnacle next season. The roster truly does not have many holes. They are NFC East champs as look to control that division for now. They lost Miles Sanders but added De’Andre Swift to the bunch, and he is a big reason they are 2-0 in the early going. 3. Kansas City Chiefs 0-1: Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs turned a rocky start into a dominating end of the season. Despite losing Tyreek Hill before last season, the Chiefs still dominated the AFC West and won their second Super Bowl in four seasons. Mahomes led the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns and won his second MVP. The defense stepped up, Travis Kelce was phenomenal, and the Chiefs have cemented themselves as the NFL’s next dynasty. Chris Jones was a big reason why the Chiefs were able to succeed, and he just recently signed a new deal. A week-one hiccup against Detroit will not deter me from the Chiefs bandwagon. 4. Dallas Cowboys 1-0: Dallas has one of the best defenses in the league but can not seem to get over the offensive hump. Nonetheless, the team is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. The fact of the matter is, though, that as long as the Eagles look the way they do, Dallas will be playing for the Wild Card for the foreseeable future. Prescott is getting paid QB1 money, it’s time for him to play like it as well this season. Ezekiel Elliot is no longer in the picture, so it is Tony Pollard’s backfield, and the Cowboys added Brandin Cooks to a loaded WR room. That all was enough for an impressive 40-0 drubbing over the New York Giants in week 1. 5. Miami Dolphins 1-0 The question surrounding the Miami Dolphins is how good can Tua be because the offense that features Tyreek Hill, Jalen Waddle, and Raheem Mostert is loaded with speed. Tua looked great early on, but a few scary head injuries not only jeopardized his career but also the Dolphins 2022 season. At the end of the day, they are one of the most exciting teams in football — and a healthy, capable Tua can certainly make them contenders. The Dolphins added Jalen Ramsey to the cornerback room as well, so the defense should be better. Miami certainly turned heads in their thrilling season-opening victory over the Chargers in a shootout. 6. Baltimore Ravens 1-0: Baltimore has one of the league’s strongest rosters but they spent most of 2021 and 2022 as the most injured team in the sport. But this team has speed all over the field, on both sides of the ball, and they know their identity. Led by an MVP in Lamar Jackson, the Ravens have the recipe for success — they just need to stay healthy. The Ravens paid Lamar Jackson, they signed OBJ in free agency, and added a WR in the draft in Zay Flowers. This will be the strongest team Lamar Jackson has quarterbacked, so look out for Baltimore. Week 1, they took care of business against the Texans. 7. Buffalo Bills 0-1: The Bills are one of the league’s best teams and had a heartbreaking end to the postseason three years in a row. The defense took a step back in 2022, but Josh Allen is still one of the league’s best QBs and leads one of the league’s best offenses. The Bills made some nice moves to shore up the offensive line and are certainly a top-10 team in the NFL, even after the loss to the Jets on Monday night football. 8. Cincinnati Bengals 0-1: The Bengals were the AFC’s representative in the Super Bowl two years ago and made it to the AFC Championship again this year, led by Joe Burrow. It’s not always pretty, but the Bengals just win games — and the way their roster is constructed, expect them to continue to do just that. They have won the AFC North two years in a row, and it is Burrow’s division, not Lamar’s. The Bengals added more to the offensive line paid Burrow, and proved to be a threat in the AFC even after their disappointing 24-3 loss to Cleveland to open the campaign. 9. Jacksonville Jaguars 1-0 Trevor Lawrence is showing everybody in the NFL why he was selected as the number one overall pick in 2021. The talented QB led the Jaguars to a division championship and a playoff win — and look primed to only get better as a team. The defense needs some help to take the next step, but the AFC South is Jacksonville’s division to lose for what feels like the first time ever. 10. Detroit Lions 1-0: The Lions were one of the best stories in the NFL this season. Despite faltering to 1-6 out of the gate, the Lions finished 9-8. They are loaded with young talent and might need a QB change before they are TRUE contenders, but the Lions should be expected to be a playoff contender in the near future. They have a confident coach and young playmakers on both sides of the field. Keep an eye on the Lions moving forward, especially after the week 1 win over the Chiefs. 11. New York Jets 1-0: While they did not make the playoffs, the Jets 2022 season was their best in years. It was their best season since 2017, and the defense was the best it's been since 2009. The Jets are loaded with young talent on both sides of the ball: including sweeping Rookie of the Year honors for both offense and defense (Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner). With Aaron Rodgers now at the helm, they feel like one of the teams to beat in the AFC. However, a season-ending Achilles injury on his fourth snap makes the playoffs a much more difficult endeavor, even after the thrilling week one win. 12. New Orleans Saints 1-0 The Saints have the luxury of playing in what looks to be the weakest division in the NFL. But they got a lot better in the offseason. The defense still holds Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis, and the offense added Derek Carr, Jamaal Williams and will get a healthy Michael Thomas back to join Chris Olave and Jarvis Landry in the WR room. The Saints also have the easiest schedule in the NFL. They won week one and looked solid in Carr’s debut. 13. Los Angeles Chargers 0-1 The Chargers may have been one of the NFL’s most disappointing teams last season. They added Khalil Mack and JC Jackson to a defense that got a healthy Derwin James and Joey Bosa back in 2022 but struggled. On offense, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams battled injuries, as did Justin Herbert, so the offense became Austin Ekeler dependent. But as the new season approaches, LA should still be one of the league’s most talented teams in the near future. The division they are in still runs through the Chiefs, but the Chargers are contenders for sure, even after their week 1 loss to Miami. 14. Pittsburgh Steelers 0–1 This may come as a surprise, but the Steelers are in our top half of the league. There is no secret they boast one of the league’s best defenses, the offense played much better down the stretch. The Steelers won six of seven games to end the season, and Kenny Pickett began to come into his own. They may need some help on the offensive line and to open up the run game for Najee Harris — but the Steelers should not be a team that teams are looking forward to playing in 2023, even if they ran into the 49ers in week 1. 15. Cleveland Browns 1-0: It’s a division loaded with talent, but the Browns look primed to contend. The pass rush is elite, the offensive line is top-notch, Nick Chubb is one of the league’s best at his position, and they just dismantled the Bengals in week 1. It’s a loaded division within a loaded AFC, but don’t count out the Browns. 16. Green Bay Packers 1-0 No Aaron Rodgers, but it was the same old same old against the Bears on Sunday for Green Bay. Dominating, that is. Jordan Love looked extremely capable, and Aaron Jones remains one of the league’s most dynamic at his position. And the defense seemed to erase all of last year's question marks. Keep an eye on the Packers in a wide-open NFC North. New York Giants 0-1 Minnesota Vikings 0-2 Seattle Seahawks 0-1 Denver Broncos 0-1 New England Patriots 0-1 Washington Commanders 1-0 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1-0 Atlanta Falcons 1-0 Las Vegas Raiders 1-0 Los Angeles Rams 1-0 Carolina Panthers 0-1 Tennessee Titans 0-1 29. Chicago Bears 0-1: The Bears went into the season last year with a new coach, a new general manager, a new staff, and a quarterback who many expected to take the next step. Justin Fields did that in a lot of people’s eyes, and the Bears spent the offense improving the defense, adding to the offensive line, and acquiring a WR1 for Justin Fields in DJ Moore. The Bears have battled some injuries in the preseason but have improved enough for the Bears to start showing it in the win/loss column. However, they failed to unleash Fields or show any promise in their week one loss to Green Bay. Time to turn it around in Chicago, otherwise, it’s time to be concerned. Indianapolis Colts 0-1 Houston Texans 0-1 Arizona Cardinals 0-1
