Here is Stripe Hype’s NFL Power Rankings for Week 2. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The first week of the 2014 NFL season is in the books and it held all we could have hoped for. As is expected, dramatic finishes and upsets were abundant making for yet another exciting opening week of football. Without further ado, here is Stripe Hype’s current NFL Power Rankings.
32. St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford is out for the year, Shaun Hill is possibly out this upcoming Sunday, and the defense was run all over by the Vikings. They’re in arguably the NFL’s toughest division, so it’s hard to see how this team can compete. Jeff Fisher’s seat just got hotter and you have to wonder if they’re time with Bradford is up.
31. Oakland Raiders: Played a very good game, but did not come away with the win. There are positives about Derek Carr, but the team only averaged 1 YPC in the running game; that’s not going to help a rookie quarterback in any way. The defense is tough, but they need more out of their running game.
30. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III didn’t have a terrible game by any means, but you could tell he isn’t fully comfortable within Jay Gruden’s new system just yet. One thing that has plagued Gruden in the past is his seemingly inability to work with his players’ strengths, so that could be something to watch for throughout the season.
29. Dallas Cowboys: Tony Romo had one of his worst games of his career and the defense was abysmal. DeMarco Murray was a huge bright spot for the team, but that’s about it. If the Cowboys play like they did Sunday, expect head coach Jason Garrett to be gone and the Cowboys to begin 2015 in rebuilding mode.
28. Cleveland Browns: It seemed like the same old Browns during the first half, but whatever half-time speech was given must have worked. The Browns almost came back against the heavily favored Steelers and Brian Hoyer completed 15-20 passes in the second half while rookie runners Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell put on a show. There are certainly bright spots on this team for the Brown to look forward to.
27. New York Giants: The offense wasn’t as bad as some thought it would be, but it was still pretty bad. No one could come up with a big play when it was needed and they just seemed out of sync. The defense had trouble getting to Stafford which gave him all day to find Calvin Johnson. You have to wonder how big of a leash Tom Coughlin has, because the Giants seemed all out of sorts.
26. Jacksonville Jaguars: If the game ended at half-time, the Jaguars would be much higher. However, once Johnathan Cyprien went out of the game with an injury, the secondary was not the same. The defense generated 5 sacks, so this team is already adopting Gus Bradley’s toughness. Things are looking up for this team, it will just take time.
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The team just did not seem ready for a Cam Newton-less Panthers. Josh McCown was up and down (mostly down) and the team didn’t appear to be a threat until the second half. This could have been an opportunity for the Bucs to build some early momentum in the NFC South, but they squandered it. If this team struggles against the Rams, oh boy…