Review-Journal NFL rankings heading into Week 2
Review-Journal NFL reporter Gilbert Manzano ranked the 32 teams in the NFL after a wild Week 1 to open the 2018 season.
1. Eagles 1-0. The defending champions are still dominant on defense and the Nick Foles-led offense did enough to hold off the Falcons in the league opener.
2. Patriots 1-0. Tom Brady and the New England offense kept rolling despite being shorthanded at wide receiver.
3. Vikings 1-0. Kirk Cousins had a fast start in his Vikings debut but cooled off in the final quarter. He now has a dominant defense to fall back on.
4. Rams 1-0. After a slow start, Jared Goff and the Rams offense woke up in the second half against the Raiders.
5. Jaguars 1-0. Jacksonville’s defense gave up a few big plays to the Giants, but did enough to carry the offense that lost running back Leonard Fournette to injury.
6. Chiefs 1-0. Tyreek Hill said during the preseason that the Chiefs would have the best offense this season. He did his part with three touchdowns in Week 1.
7. Panthers 1-0. Cam Newton utilized his legs to keep the Panthers’ offense moving, but he’s lacking pass catchers and could be without Greg Olsen, who left in a walking boot.
8. Packers 1-0. This just in, Aaron Rodgers is still very good. The Packers quarterback led his team to a memorable 17-point fourth quarter comeback versus the Bears.
9. Ravens 1-0. Baltimore had no problem beating up on a poor Bills team.
10. Steelers 0-0-1. Ben Roethlisberger continued his yearly trend of having bad road performances in September.
11. Falcons 0-1. Just like in their divisional matchup, the Falcons’ poor execution in the red zone cost them against the Eagles.
12. Buccaneers 1-0. Ryan Fitzpatrick’s four-touchdown day was the biggest surprise during opening Sunday. Tampa Bay’s offense has probably never looked that good with Jameis Winston under center.
13. Broncos 1-0. Case Keenum threw three interceptions in his Broncos debut, but still had the offense moving up the field.
14. Giants 0-1. Odell Beckham won the battle against Jalen Ramsey with 111 receiving yards. New York came up short against a tough Jaguars defense.
15. Texans 0-1. Houston played catchup most of the day against the Patriots, but found rhythm late in the game.
16. Saints 0-1. New Orleans was the biggest disappointment of Week 1. The defense that surprised many in 2017 was absent against the Buccaneers.
17. Redskins 1-0. Adrian Peterson still has plenty left in the tank after racking up 166 total yards versus his former team in Arizona.
18. Jets 1-0. Sam Darnold shook off a pick-six for his first NFL pass by throwing two touchdowns and guiding the Jets to a win over the Lions.
19. Bengals 1-0. Joe Mixon and John Ross finally stepped up for Andy Dalton and the Bengals offense.
20. Browns 0-0-1. Cleveland stopped its losing streak by not winning. That’s so Browns, and it’s a good start for them.
21. Dolphins 1-0. After seven hours of a lackluster game, someone had to win. It was the Dolphins.
22. Bears 0-1. Chicago seemed like a playoff team during the first half before it fell apart versus Rodgers. This collapse could haunt the Bears all season.
23. 49ers 0-1. Despite throwing three interceptions, Jimmy Garoppolo still made impressive throws versus the talented Vikings defense.
24. Chargers 0-1. The experts were high on the Chargers’ defense before it gave up 38 points to the Chiefs.
25. Seahawks 0-1. Even with Earl Thomas back at safety, the Seahawks’ secondary still has a long way to go.
26. Raiders 0-1. Just like in 2017, the deep ball is still an issue for Derek Carr.
27. Colts 0-1. Andrew Luck showed flashes of being back to form, but a late fumble against the Bengals spoiled his comeback game.
28. Titans 0-1. Marcus Mariota had a rough opening week with an arm injury that forced him to leave early after throwing for only 103 yards and two interceptions.
29. Cowboys 0-1. The Dallas offense looked lost after managing eight points versus the Panthers.
30. Lions 0-1. Matthew Stafford recorded four interceptions as the Lions allowed 48 points in Matt Patricia’s nightmare debut as coach.
31. Cardinals 0-1. If it wasn’t for a late garbage touchdown, the Cardinals would have been shutout by the Redskins.
32. Bills 0-1. Being on the wrong end of a 47-3 blowout says it all.
Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GManzano24 on Twitter.
