As the NFL moves beyond the initial shock or joy based on week one results, the stocks of several NFL franchises have drastically moved up or down in relation to preseason expectations. The Chiefs, Falcons and Steelers were among the teams wondering what happened during week one, while others like the Bills and Bengals surprised some. As we attempt to make some sense of what's good and bad in the NFL, we offer up our NFL Power Rankings for week two, as compiled by a poll of all of our writers at SBNKC.
NFL Power Rankings (Week Two):
1. Green Bay Packers - Clearly the league's defending champs aren't going to fall after beating an impressive Saints team in week one. A young team is only going to get better, which is a scary proposition for the rest of the league.
2. New England Patriots - After Tom Brady's field day on Monday Night Football, it's clear that everyone believes in their offensive firepower enough to go all the way.
3. Philadelphia Eagles - Whether or not they're a "dream team" remains to be seen, but clearly they're contenders at this point as the new additions continue to gel.
4. New York Jets - Rex Ryan's team can back up the tremendous amount of talking that takes place, even though they should stand at 0-1 after the Cowboys opener.
5. Baltimore Ravens - It's hard to beat Pittsburgh so handily and not look like a dominant team. A stunning effort by a team with a lot of youth and charisma.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers - Clearly no one believes that Ben Roethlisberger and company will continue to turn the ball over 7 times a game. This is still a Super Bowl contending team.
7. Chicago Bears - The Bears opening game made believers out of anyone who doubted last season's playoff run.
8. Atlanta Falcons - This is quite high for a team that laid an egg, but the Falcons are still considered a darkhorse candidate to win the NFC.
9. Dallas Cowboys - Tony Romo blew it in the last few seconds, but any team that has the Jets on the ropes for an entire game warrants a high position on our list.
10. New Orleans Saints - Don't sweat the opening loss. This is a great team with several new pieces that will look significantly tougher in December.
11. San Diego Chargers - The AFC West should finally return to the Chargers' hands in 2011.
12. Houston Texans - Whether or not Peyton Manning was injured, the Texans put on a clinic Sunday. Of course, this happened last year as well.
13. Detroit Lions - They're a popular pick to turn around their franchise misfortunes in 2011, and their win over the Bucs was an important first step.
14. New York Giants - Despite numerous injuries on the defense and holes on the line, there's still a lot of pieces to like about the Giants.
15. Washington Redskins - Mike Shanahan is finally turning things around in DC, and the first week's win looks like signs are positive in the capital.
16. St. Louis Rams - With the loss of Stephen Jackson and Danny Amendola, the Rams are hurting, but as long as Sam Bradford is healthy, the NFC West is theirs for the taking.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars - Luke McCown won his first start as the Jags starter, but Jacksonville still made the wrong call on Garrard.
18. Indianapolis Colts - No Manning. Blah blah. Sky is falling. This is a veteran team that's done nothing but win, so don't count them totally out.
19. Arizona Cardinals - What a difference a quarterback makes. The move from Max Hall to Kevin Kolb could give the Cards the division. And yes, it's a weak division.
20. Oakland Raiders - There are several holes here, but the Raiders dominant front seven is brutal and Darren McFadden can and will carry this team at times.
21. San Francisco 49ers - Jim Harbaugh is going to be a good NFL coach. Alex Smith will never be a good NFL quarterback.
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - One early loss and they've already fallen this far. Apparently our writers don't believe in either of last year's quick turnaround performers (along with Chiefs).
23. Kansas City Chiefs - From 10 wins to No. 23 in the rankings. That's what the worst home opener in team history will do to you.
24. Cincinnati Bengals - Andy Dalton could be the next Carson Palmer or Akili Smith. Week one looked more like the former.
25. Buffalo Bills - Despite the amazing all-around performance in week one, there's enough residue from seasons past to dismiss the Bills at this early stage.
26. Minnesota Vikings - Adrian Peterson alone should have this team higher than No. 26, but clearly the mighty have fallen.
27. Cleveland Browns - The easy schedule for the Browns didn't exactly add up against the Bengals on Sunday. They can still make this a solid season.
28. Tennessee Titans - Good thing Chris Johnson got that monster contract so he could carry the team to 6-win seasons the next three years.
29. Seattle Seahawks - They were this close to playing in the Super Bowl last year. Then they signed Tarvaris Jackson.
30. Carolina Panthers - The same losing pieces looked alive in the hands of Cam Newton. This team will finish quite a bit higher than this by season's end.
31. Miami Dolphins - If this team played anywhere other than beautiful Miami, seasonal affective disorder would have already set in.
32. Denver Broncos - If this is Knowshon Moreno in his prime...