Although there are still 16 long weeks left to be played in the 2015 NFL regular season, the league's balance of power is already starting to take shape with Week 1 officially in the books.
Teams such as the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers performed as expected, while projected Super Bowl contenders like the Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts fell flat. There isn't much reason to overreact to the result of one week, but there is no question that preseason prognostications were a bit off for several squads.
With Week 2 on the horizon, here is a full rundown of rankings for every NFL team, along with a closer look at the organizations that made the biggest statements in Week 1.
Week 2 NFL Power Rankings
Breaking Down Notable Rankings
New England Patriots (No. 1)
The Pats entered the 2015 season with no shortage of controversy surrounding them, but they picked up right where they left off in Week 1 with a 28-21 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers that wasn't quite as close as the final score indicates.
Quarterback Tom Brady, who beat the NFL in court and had his four-game Deflategate suspension nullified, was locked in to the tune of 288 yards and four touchdowns, including three to tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Pittsburgh's secondary is undeniably weak, but as seen in this graphic courtesy of ESPN Stats and Info, Brady was nearly perfect when throwing outside the hashes:
It wasn't at all surprising to see No. 12 come out of the gates firing, and he didn't disappoint in that regard. As pointed out by ESPN's Skip Bayless, Brady looks as good as ever despite the fact that he is quickly approaching his 40th birthday:
A big reason for Brady's dominance in Week 1 was Pittsburgh's inability to cover Gronk. NFL Network's Kurt Warner views that as one of the primary reasons why the Pats are currently the league's top team:
For as good as New England looked in its opener, it is far from perfect. There are definitely some question marks on the defensive side of the ball as it surrendered 134 rushing yards to a Steelers team that was without stud running back Le'Veon Bell.
Also, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 351 yards. The Pats clamped down when they had to, but they can't afford to live dangerously all season long.
If Bill Belichick's team can find its groove defensively as the season wears on, then there may not be a team in football that can beat the Patriots when it really counts.
Buffalo Bills (No. 6)
The Buffalo Bills were considered by many to have one of the NFL's most talented all-around rosters ahead of their Week 1 clash with the Colts. Quarterback was the one area of concern, but Tyrod Taylor's first impression as a starter couldn't have been much better.
Buffalo thoroughly dominated the Colts on both sides of the ball in a 27-14 win that was 24-0 in favor of the Bills before Indy got a couple late scores to make the final line look respectable.
Defense was the driving force behind Buffalo's victory, which was to be expected considering the elite talent it boasts defensively and the presence of head coach Rex Ryan. Colts superstar quarterback Andrew Luck was out of sync for most of the contest as he completed just 26 of 49 passes and finished with a QBR of 38.7.
According to Pro Football Focus, Buffalo's aggressive defense gave Luck very little time to progress through his reads:
The more unexpected result in the eyes of most pundits was the fact that Taylor was extremely efficient in his first career start. He completed 14 of his 19 attempts for 195 yards, including a perfect 51-yard scoring strike to Percy Harvin.
He also added 41 rushing yards in what was one of the best single-game performances by a Bills quarterback in the past decade, per ESPN Stats and Info:
Taylor has no shortage of weapons surrounding him, including Harvin, wide receivers Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods, tight end Charles Clay and running backs LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams.
Buffalo's offense didn't come anywhere close to firing on all cylinders, but it was more than good enough to beat the Colts, and Taylor is excited about what that unit can accomplish moving forward, according to the Bills' official Twitter account:
Beating a team like the Colts was a huge challenge in and of itself, but things will get even tougher in Week 2 when the Bills host the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots.
Overcoming New England's aura will be a huge mountain to climb, but after watching what Buffalo accomplished in Week 1, there is no question that it has the talent to pull off the upset.
Seattle Seahawks (No. 7)
The Seahawks may still be the team to beat in the NFC after consecutive Super Bowl appearances, but they didn't look the part in Week 1 as they fell 34-31 to the St. Louis Rams in overtime.
Seattle fell to the Rams on the road last season and scratched out a tough 14-9 win the year before, so most figured the Seahawks would have their hands full. They played with fire one too many times Sunday, and it ultimately cost them a win.
The absence of safety Kam Chancellor likely had something to do with it as Rams quarterback Nick Foles threw for 297 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown to Lance Kendricks with 53 seconds left in regulation that pushed the game to overtime.
With Chancellor continuing to hold out, Seattle struggled mightily against deep passes, according to ESPN Stats and Info:
Seattle's defense wasn't entirely incompetent as it held St. Louis to 2.9 yards per carry, but it gave up far too many big plays.
Also, while the Seahawks offense was able to move the ball with quarterback Russell Wilson passing for 251 yards and the team rushing for 124, they fell flat in big moments.
That included a fourth-down stop of Marshawn Lynch in overtime to end the game. As pointed out by ESPN's Trey Wingo, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell had a rough day for Seattle:
Special teams may have been the biggest deciding factor in the game, though, as the Seahawks allowed a punt return touchdown to Tavon Austin and botched what was supposed to be a squib kick at the start of overtime.
Seattle is still positioned to be one of the NFC's top teams, and even though it didn't get the job done Sunday, it should be a better team than the Rams over the long haul.
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via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2566941-nfl-power-rankings-week-2-latest-2015-standings-and-reaction-for-all-32-teams
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