Week two of the NFL season is in the books after Carson Wentz's exceptional performance in the Eagles' Monday Night Football win in Chicago. The no. 2 overall pick in last April's NFL Draft has been nearly perfect, albeit against the Browns and Bears, while leading the Eagles to a 2-0 start.
Philadelphia is tied with the Giants atop the NFC East and could be a real factor in the division race if the former North Dakota State star can keep up this level of play.
Here are my power rankings entering week three, and a bonus spot of where I know rank the Titans after their comeback win Sunday in Detroit.
1. STEELERS
My preseason pick to win the Super Bowl looked the part again in week two, taking down AFC North rival Cincinnati 24-16. In a game full of motivation for the Bengals after last season's playoff meltdown against the Steelers, Pittsburgh grabbed control on a first quarter touchdown pass to Xavier Grimble and never looked back. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns, and none of them were even to Antonio Brown, showing just how many weapons the Steelers' offense has. DeAngelo Williams added 94 yards rushing on 32 carries to help them control the clock in the second half.
2. PATRIOTS
This ranking will be put to the test Thursday night when the Patriots will host the Texans without Jimmy Garoppolo in the lineup. Garoppolo has more than looked ready to step in in the absence of suspended quarterback Tom Brady, throwing for 498 yards and four touchdowns, including three Sunday against AFC East rival Miami, while leading New England to a 2-0 start. But Garoppolo suffered what many believe to be a significant shoulder injury that could sideline him half a season or more, meaning rookie Jacoby Brissett will have to step in. The former N.C. State star completed six of his nine passes against the Dolphins, but will have to raise his level significantly against J.J. Watt and the vaunted Texans' defense. The best news for the Pats is that Brady will be back for week five.
3. BRONCOS
They haven't won pretty, but the Broncos are 2-0 with wins over playoff contenders Carolina and Indianapolis. They've done it with defense much like they did during last year's Super Bowl championship run. On Sunday, Denver sacked Andrew Luck five times and two defensive touchdowns were the difference in a 34-20 win. First, Aqib Talib jumped a slant and returned the interception 47 yards for a score. Then, in the final minutes, Von Miller stripped Luck and Shane Ray scooped up the ball and ran it in to put the game away. The Broncos defense remains championship level, which means Trevor Siemian can take his time growing into the quarterback role.
4. VIKINGS
Yes, Minnesota looked terrible in week one in Nashville. But it figured out how to win, and looked like a different team with Sam Bradford at the helm Sunday night while beating the NFC North Division rival Packers 17-14 in front of a raucous crowd in a shiny new, $1.1 Billion dollar downtown stadium. Bradford went 22 of 30 for 286 yards as the Vikings overcame the loss of Adrian Peterson to improve to 2-0. Stefon Diggs has become a legitimate receiving threat on the outside as the offense seemingly continues to make strides despite injury losses of their quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, and now, Peterson. And that defense remains nasty, having allowed just 30 points in two games.
5. PANTHERS/CARDINALS
Both Carolina and Arizona won Sunday to get into the win column after tough losses to teams on this list in week one. These were the two teams that reached the NFC Championship game last season and are contenders to get back there this season.
The Panthers boast the NFL's MVP in Cam Newton, who has thoroughly enjoyed the return of his top receiving target Kelvin Benjamin. The second-year wide out who missed all of last season due to injury has three touchdowns in two games.
Arizona got back on track Sunday, racking up 40 points in a rout of the Bucs behind 308 yards and three touchdowns passing from Carson Palmer. Former Titan Chris Johnson added a TD on the ground as Bruce Arians' offense seemed to find itself.
20. TITANS
It didn't look good for three quarters Sunday, but the Titans did something in Detroit they haven't done in awhile, and that's figure out a way to win a close game. A week after blowing a double-digit second half lead against the Vikings, the Titans rallied from 15-3 down in the fourth quarter behind two Marcus Mariota touchdown passes. The game-winner to Andre Johnson with 1:13 left was the type of winning play this team hasn't seen enough of in recent losing seasons. In fact, last season, the Titans lost three of five games in which they held the lead entering the fourth quarter.
It's just one win but, as I wrote after the game, maybe the Titans learned how to win Sunday in the process.
A week after blowing second half lead, #Titans learn how to win in Detroit. My column on Sunday's win. https://t.co/CdrD0hemTL
— Steve Layman (@SteveLayman) September 19, 2016
With four of its next six games at home, Tennessee has a chance to move even higher on this list in the coming weeks if it continues to show the type of toughness and winning resolve it showed in the fourth quarter against the Lions.
