NFL Power Rankings: Week 2

Aug 23, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (84) celebrates as he scores a touchdown in the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

24. Houston Texans: After an underwhelming season, the Texans defense showed how good they can be. Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t going to beat you with his arm, but once Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins get their hands on the ball, opposing teams can be beaten. You have to wonder how well this team can do behind their J.J. Watt defense (even as rookie phenom Jadaveon Clowney will be out awhile). This team could be a surprise team by year’s end.

23. Kansas City Chiefs: A whopping 11 touches for Jamaal Charles, 11. Not only that, Alex Smith struggled tremendously throwing 3 interceptions. With the losses of Derrick Johnson and Mike DeVito for the season, that defense took yet another step back. Can Andy Reid right this ship before it veers to far off course? There are numerous questions already looming for this team.

22. New York Jets: This defense can compete with anyone and Geno Smith proved that he can make smart decisions when needed. They beat the Raiders, so it’s uncertain how good this team really is. However, if Smith can stay accurate and smart like he did this past Sunday, this defense can keep them in almost any game. Allowing only 1 YPC when throwing to running backs is a great way to start off a season.

21. Chicago Bears: With all sorts of hype around Jay Cutler. this off-season overshadowed how questionable the Bears’ run defense is. Well, now it’s apparent and the Bears need to fix it quickly if they are to live up to expectations. Speaking of Cutler, he needs to cut back on his turnovers. Two bad plays helped keep the Bills in this game and eventually come away with the win. Yes, Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey were injured, but Cutler is all out of excuses this season.

20. Buffalo Bills: This is a win the team needed. A monkey has been lifted off of E.J. Manuel’s back after an awful preseason and now they have a chance to make another statement against the Miami Dolphins this week. With a backfield like the Bills have, they can make it tough for anyone to stop them within the red zone. Already possessing one upset win, can they get another?

19. Baltimore Ravens: Remember when they said Flacco would never throw 62 passes again? That didn’t last. The score makes the game seem closer than it was, but if it weren’t for that Steve Smith touchdown pass, this game was ugly all over for the team. Dropped passes, sealed running lanes, and trouble defending short passes plagued this team and so they have a lot of ironing out to do. C.J. Mosley, however, seems like a future star linebacker in the making, so there was a positive.

18. Tennessee Titans: Jake Locker picked up right where he left off in 2013. Ken Whisenhunt appears to be the coach this team needed, as they were firing on all cylinders. Generating turnovers and using a balanced offensive attack, the Titans showed all the signs signifying a sleeper team looking to involve themselves in the playoff hunt. Oh and Justin Hunter is going to have a 1,000 yard season, you can bank on that.

17. Minnesota Vikings: They simply ran all over the Rams and stomped on them while doing so. Matt Cassel wasn’t asked to do much, but when he was called upon, he was effective. It also appears that Mike Zimmer has brought a lot of his defensive mindset to this team, as the Vikings allowed no touchdowns, had two interceptions (one of which was returned for a TD), and forced the Rams to fumble four times (none were recovered by the defense). The Vikings can make a huge statement if they upset the Patriots in the coming week.