NFL Power Ranks: Week 2

So a wild and crazy week 2 is in the books, and we had a gigantic shakeup in our power rankings. This is why its pretty tough to judge a season by 1 game. After 2 weeks, we have 9 2-0 teams, 14 1-1 teams, and 9 0-2 teams. Six of the top eight teams from week 1 lost in week 2, and some fell extremely far.

Now, before I reveal the new #1 ranked team, if I asked you who has the longest winning streak in the NFL since last season, including last year's playoffs, who would you guess? I doubt the San Francisco 49ers would come to mind, but they do indeed have the longest winning streak at 4 games. Yes, somehow, someway, my favorite team, the 49ers are ranked #1. The Niners got to beat up on some NFC West scum the past 2 weeks, and as a result they have the #4 ranked scoring defense in the NFL and a 2-0 record. You could definitely look down on them because of their level or competition, but they have shut down a high powered offense that played in the Super Bowl last year and a team that was everyone's favorite sleeper pick for a big rebound in 2009. Their offense is still lacking, but they managed to do just enough in week 1 and got 2 huge runs from Frank Gore in week 2. Mike Singletary has them playing hard, Patrick Willis is a beast, and they have a wonderful experienced secondary. Will the Niners stay on top? I doubt it, but it will be fun to see...

These new ranks set up our first #1 vs. #2 matchup of the season, as Brett Favre's Minnesota Vikings climb all the way up to #2 after their blowout win of Detroit. The Vikings have beaten probably 2 of the worst 3 teams in the NFL so far, but this early in the season, those are the only stats we can base their rank on. Checking in at #3 is the Falcons, who got another nice win over the former #32 team, the Panthers. The Saints and their explosive offense climbed to number 4 after their blowout win of the McNabbless Eagles. The Giants win over Dallas moves them up to #5.

On the flip side of things, some of the crap is already sinking to the bottom, but there are a few surprises. The Bucs stay at #28, the Chiefs move into the bottom 5 at #29 after losing to the Raiders. Surprisingly, last year's #1 seed in the AFC, the Titans, have fallen all the way to #30 after losing a shootout to the Texans. The Panthers less disastrous loss moves them up a spot to #31 while the horrible Browns fall to #32.

There were some big gainers and losers this early in the season. The Saints rose 10 spots to #4, and the 49ers, Broncos, Vikings, and Texans rose 8 spots each. Five teams had double digit drops after losses of varying proportions. They were the Eagles (-11 to #12), Chargers (-12 to #16), Seahawks (-14 to #19), Steelers (-14 to #20) and Cowboys (-15 to #23). We'll see if some of these teams that have been expected to do well can turn things around next week.

Here are the complete ranks:
1. 49ers - 83.55 - +8
2. Vikings - 76.45 - +8
3. Falcons - 75.81 - -1
4. Saints - 74.11 - +10
5. Giants - 73.79 - +6
6. Jets - 71.61 - +1
7. Broncos - 71.37 - +8
8. Ravens - 70.89 - +5
9. Colts - 64.27 - +7
10. Patriots - 57.02 - -7
11. Packers - 56.29 - +1
12. Eagles - 55.56 - -11
13. Bengals - 54.76 - +4
14. Raiders - 54.60 - +6
15. Cardinals - 54.35 - +4
16. Chargers - 53.63 - -12
17. Redskins - 52.02 - +1
18. Bills - 51.85 - +3
19. Seahawks - 50.16 - -14
20. Steelers - 49.11 - -14
21. Texans - 47.34 - +8
22. Bears - 46.94 - Even
23. Cowboys - 44.76 - -15
24. Dolphins - 26.77 - Even
25. Rams - 24.19 - +5
26. Jaguars - 23.55 - -3
27. Lions - 22.42 - Even
28. Buccaneers - 22.26 - Even
29. Chiefs - 21.85 - -3
30. Titans - 21.05 - -5
31. Panthers - 20.40 - +1
32. Browns - 17.58 - -1

(AP Photo/Marcio Sanchez)