There was some thought prior to the season that the NFC West is stacked, especially if you believe in the Cardinals.

And – after two weeks the division is 6-0 in games against teams from other divisions.

This is bad news for the NFC East, which has 16 total games against the NFC West. Three have already been played with two Rams wins and the Cardinals victorious over Washington.

There are two more NFC West-NFC East games this week – the Seahawks hosting Dallas and the 49ers visiting the Giants.  The other two NFC West teams are the Rams with a tough game at Buffalo, and the Cardinals hosting Detroit.

NFC NORTH

MINNESOTA

Add LB ANTHONY BARR to the list of players injured in Week 2.  Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com:

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr tore his pectoral muscle in the second quarter of Minnesota’s 28-11 loss at Indianapolis and was placed on injured reserve.

Barr’s injury is expected to end his season, coach Mike Zimmer said Monday.

Barr, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, was limited to 16 snaps in Week 2 and is the third player the Vikings have moved to IR since the start of the season, joining defensive end Danielle Hunter (neck) and left guard Pat Elflein (thumb).

“Anthony was our first draft pick that we had when we came here,” said Zimmer, the Vikings’ head coach since 2014. “A big, integral part of the defense. Good leader, great guy. It’s tearing him up inside that he’s not going to be able to play but it is what it is and we’ve got to move on.”

Fourth-round rookie Troy Dye replaced Barr on Sunday before suffering an ankle injury. The injuries to both Barr and Dye led to Ryan Connelly making his debut two weeks after being claimed by Minnesota.

“I thought Troy came in and did some good things,” Zimmer said. “He had a couple missed tackles, but he ran pretty well. Once Barr went out, it got a little confusing because Eric [Kendricks] was trying to get the calls from the headset and then make the calls and get guys lined up. So that got a little confusing. [Eric] Wilson did fine. We’ve still got a lot of things we have to work on with those guys, but we anticipate that they’ll continue to get better.”

NFC EAST

PHILADELPHIA

Jason Whitlock:

I still believe in Philly quarterback Carson Wentz, the first quarterback booed inside an empty stadium.

Wentz has to get out of Philadelphia. He can’t escape the ghost of Nick Foles. Fox Sports piped in boo-birds after Wentz tossed a terrible interception in the end zone.

If Wentz played in Indianapolis, I don’t believe Fox Sports would have piped in boos. The whole thing is probably unfair. Wentz and the Eagles probably have every reason to be upset at the television crew. Fox Sports manufactured a negative story on Wentz.

It only happens in Philly though. The reputation of Philly sports fans drove the decision. Wentz needs to exit Philly. He’d be perfect in Indianapolis.

NFC SOUTH

ATLANTA

The Falcons doing the unprecedented:

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, 440 NFL teams had scored 39 points in a game while committing no turnovers since those stats became available in 1933.

Those teams had a record of 440-0.

On Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons became the 441st team to do it.

Make that record 440-1.

– – –

The Falcons shouldn’t fire Dan Quinn – yet – says Jason Whitlock:

There’s no reason to fire Dan Quinn until after the conclusion of the season.

Having said that, Quinn should be fired even if the Falcons win their next 14 games. The only thing that would stop me from firing Quinn at the conclusion of the season is a Super Bowl title.

Quinn, once again, proved Atlanta’s appearance in the 2017 Super Bowl was solely tied to then-offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. It had nothing to do with Quinn.

The Falcons collapsed on Sunday, blowing a 26-7 lead to the Cowboys. Everyone is blaming Quinn and his coaching staff for Falcons players botching the game-deciding onside kick in the final minute. The NFL needlessly ruined the onside the kick a few years ago out of alleged safety concerns. Recovering an onside kick is now one of the most difficult tasks in all of sports.

The Cowboys did it on Sunday thanks to three Falcons players acting like the kick was a punt.

But, to me, Quinn opened the door for the collapse when he went for 2 points in the second quarter after Atlanta went up 26-7. The 2-point conversion failed. I hate it when coaches go for 2 points before the last 5 minutes in the fourth quarter. It’s stupid.

Atlanta lost 40-39.

Fire Quinn in January. There’s no fixing the Falcons in this COVID-decimated season.

NEW ORLEANS

Has the clock struck midnight for QB DREW BREES?

@ESPNStatsInfo

Drew Brees has averaged 4.82 air yards on his passes so far this season.

That’s his lowest through 2 games as a member of the Saints, and it’s the lowest by any QB through 2 games since Brett Favre in 2009.

Mike Triplett of ESPN.com:

Drew Brees chuckled Monday when asked about the growing narrative that he is showing signs of decline to start his 20th NFL season.

“Well, my job is to execute the offense. … My job’s not to have the most air yards or throw the ball down the field most or anything like that,” the New Orleans Saints quarterback said after his team flopped in several areas during a 34-24 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football.

“I think I’ve always evaluated myself on being a great decision-maker. And so, at the end of the day, I’ll throw the ball to the open guy, move the ball down the field, score points, help us win football games. So that’s my job,” Brees said. “My job’s to help us win. My job’s to help put everyone around me in the best position to succeed.”

However, the numbers show a noteworthy trend. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Brees’ average of 4.82 air yards on passes this season is the lowest of any quarterback through two games since Brett Favre in 2009.

As ESPN analysts Louis Riddick and Brian Griese pointed out after Monday’s loss, Brees has looked less comfortable in the pocket and hasn’t been as “surgical” as usual on short and intermediate throws. Brees, 41, has completed just 44 of 68 passes this season (64.7%) after topping 74% each of the past two seasons (the two most accurate seasons in NFL history).

Brees completed 26 of 38 attempts for 312 yards and one touchdown with one interception Monday. His first interception of the season was a costly one just before halftime, turning a potential scoring drive into a game-tying field goal for the Raiders.

“Are we totally in sync right now? No, we’re not. We’re not even close to where we are capable of. Not even close,” said Brees, who was missing his security blanket in receiver Michael Thomas, who missed his first game in four years because of an ankle injury. “We did some good things early on, but it just wasn’t enough for the few opportunities that we had.”

TAMPA BAY

Hmmm.  The Buccaneers have three highly-regarded and well-paid tight ends.  But this from Bruce Arians today:

@tometrics

Bruce Arians today on Rob Gronkowski: “We’re not throwing the ball 50 times to tight ends. That’s what we have receivers for.”

NFC WEST

SAN FRANCISCO

The 49ers didn’t lose just EDGE JOEY BOSA from their defense on Sunday.

@nwagoner

MRI confirms that #49ers DL Solomon Thomas also suffered a torn left ACL.

SEATTLE

Jason Whitlock says that QB RUSSELL WILSON is the 2020 MVP.

The MVP race is over.

Russell Wilson won the award last night in week 2, with a five-TD performance against the New England Patriots.

Wilson is going to go from never receiving an MVP vote in his eight-year career to being the third unanimous choice for the award, joining Lamar Jackson and Tom Brady.

It’s Wilson’s year. Only two things can stop Wilson’s MVP campaign — injury and Aaron Rodgers.

And I really don’t see the Packers quarterback posing much of a threat. Rodgers might end up challenging Wilson statistically. The 2-0 Packers might end up with a better record than the 2-0 Seahawks. None of it will matter. Rodgers isn’t beloved by the media the way Wilson is. And in the year of faux “racial justice” it’s going to be quite difficult for Rodgers to out-poll a beloved black quarterback.

That isn’t said to denigrate Wilson’s performance. So far, he’s playing quarterback at the same level as Jackson in 2019 and Brady in 2007, arguably the two greatest QB seasons in NFL history. The addition of Randy Moss in 2007 made Brady unstoppable and the Patriots unbeatable during the regular season.

Is it too early to speculate about the Seahawks running the table? Probably. But I will. I love their schedule. The NFC West is loaded. The Rams and Cardinals are 2-0. The defending NFC-champion 49ers have major injury issues.

Outside their division, Seattle gets to feast on the NFC East and the AFC East. The Patriots posed their stiffest challenge, and Wilson just carved up Bill Belichick’s defense.

Barring an injury that cost him more than four games, Wilson is going to win the MVP. Place your bets now.

AFC WEST

DENVER

With QB DREW LOCK down, the Broncos may be turning to QB BLAKE BORTLES:

@AdamSchefter

Former Jaguars’ and Rams’ QB Blake Bortles is scheduled to visit today with the Denver Broncos, per source.

Broncos nearly signed him last year.

The Rams let Bortles walk after a year as QB JARED GOFF’s backup.

LAS VEGAS

Jon Gruden wants you to believe he has always been fully supportive of QB DEREK CARR.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said before the season started that he is “tired of the talk” and just wants to “go out and play football and not care about the other stuff.”

With two weeks under his belt, that’s looking like the right approach to the season. Carr followed up a good performance against the Panthers in a Week One win by going 28-of-38 for 282 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-24 win over the Saints on Monday night.

Carr reiterated his disinterest in talk after the game, but head coach Jon Gruden was willing to spare a few words. Gruden noted that Carr has had to play with a variety of receivers behind a shifting offensive line the last couple of years and still put up big numbers in 2019 while praising his play so far this season.

“This guy’s a great quarterback,” Gruden said. “We’re surrounding him with better players. And once our defense I think starts playing to their potential, he can even be better. He does so much with the ball and without the ball and behind the scenes that I think Raiders fans should really be proud of him, and I know I am.”

The Raiders will try for a 3-0 start in New England next weekend and achieving that goal will lead to the kind of chatter about Carr that even the quarterback might not mind.

The victory did have a cost.  Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com:

Raiders left guard Richie Incognito, a four-time Pro Bowler, left Las Vegas’ Monday night victory over the New Orleans Saints with an Achilles tendon injury.

Incognito, 37, was listed as limited in practice on Friday and Saturday with the injury. He was replaced by rookie John Simpson in the second quarter. Incognito stood on the sidelines, hands on his hips and a ball cap on his head as he talked with injured and inactive right tackle Trent Brown in the second quarter.

Through just six quarters of the 2020 season, the Raiders had lost Incognito, Brown (calf) and Brown’s replacement, Sam Young (groin), to injury. Denzelle Good, normally a guard, started at right tackle after replacing Young, who had replaced Brown, in Carolina last week.

Short-handed or not, the line has produced. The Raiders amassed 375 total yards in the 34-24 victory over the Saints, and quarterback Derek Carr was not sacked in a performance that included three touchdown passes.

Incognito has been one of general manager Mike Mayock’s best free-agent signings since coming to the Raiders after the 2018 season, a year after Incognito took a one-year retirement.

Incognito, who has had his share of both on- and off-the-field issues, has not been a distraction for the Raiders since signing a “prove-it deal” and then getting a two-year contract extension worth up to $14 million, with more than $6 million guaranteed.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Although QB TYROD TAYLOR remains firmly entrenched as Anthony Lynn’s starting QB, he will have to wait a week to make his next start.  Adam Maya of NFL.com:

Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said he didn’t get word that Tyrod Taylor was unavailable for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs until after the opening coin toss. His plans, and the veteran quarterback’s fortunes, had been flipped by a pregame injection.

Los Angeles’ QB1 was a last-minute scratch in Week 2 because he experienced complications from a pain-killer that was administered to address a rib injury, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported. Taylor was taken to a hospital soon after and discharged in the evening, per NFL Network’s Steve Wyche. While his status for next week’s game against the Panthers is not yet clear, Lynn noted after Sunday’s overtime loss that Taylor would remain the Chargers’ starter if he’s healthy.

“If Tyrod Taylor’s 100%, he’s our quarterback,” Lynn reiterated Monday.

Taylor appeared on the injury report Friday with a rib injury but was removed on the final list since he fully intended on playing with a flak jacket to protect himself, Rapoport added. Justin Herbert made his NFL debut instead and nearly led the Chargers to an upset over the reigning champs in the process. The rookie completed 22 of 33 passes for 311 yards with a touchdown and interception and ran for another score.

Herbert was selected No. 6 overall in the 2020 draft with the purpose of eventually becoming the team’s franchise QB. On-field developments for the 1-1 Chargers might prompt a quarterback change sooner rather than later.

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE

Oft-injured CB TAVON YOUNG is done for 2020.  Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com:

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh confirmed Monday that nickelback Tavon Young will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.

The team had feared that was the injury after Sunday’s game.

On the second defensive series of the Ravens’ 33-16 victory over the Texans, Young leaped to break up a pass and landed hard on the NRG Stadium turf in Houston. He departed the game with a left knee injury and never returned.

The Ravens are deep at cornerback and can replace Young in a couple of ways. Baltimore can use third-year reserve Anthony Averett at nickelback or put Jimmy Smith, a former six-year starter, on the outside and move Marlon Humphrey to nickelback against three-wide-receiver sets.

This is the latest setback for Young, who had missed two of the previous three full seasons with injuries.

AFC SOUTH

HOUSTON

Jason Whitlock:

Of the 11 winless teams in the NFL, Houston is the only one with a chance to make the playoffs.

The Texans opened the season with the roughest two-game stretch in football — the Chiefs and the Ravens.

Houston has been outscored 67-36. Forty-million-dollar quarterback Deshaun Watson has thrown two TDs and two interceptions. He’s been outplayed by Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.

There’s a decent chance the Texans will fall to Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers this weekend. I’ll still believe the Texans can recover from an 0-3 start and make the playoffs.

I’m not predicting the Texans can make the postseason. I’m saying I think they can win 9 games and that might be good enough to qualify.

I like them to “upset” the Steelers this weekend. JJ Watt will have a good game against Pittsburgh’s battered offensive line. Don’t count out Houston.

You can count out all the other 0-2 teams.

JACKSONVILLE

Even as RB LEONARD FOURNETTE does some good things with the Buccaneers, the Jaguars are just fine with who they currently have toting the mail.  Nick Shook on free agent rookie RB JAMES ROBINSON:

The reasoning behind Jacksonville’s surprise release of Leonard Fournette is starting to become clear, and as the focus sharpens, a No. 30 jersey is coming into view.

James Robinson built off his encouraging regular-season debut by breaking the century mark in rushing yards Sunday and scoring his first career touchdown in Jacksonville’s 33-30 loss to Tennessee. His 102-yard finish was the first time an undrafted rookie finished with 100-plus rushing yards and a rushing score since Baltimore’s Gus Edwards did so in Week 15 of the 2018 season, per NFL Research.

With no preseason games to give us a preview of the player Jacksonville had on its roster, we’re allowed to be pleasantly surprised. His coach isn’t, though.

“What you guys are seeing now is probably what I’ve been seeing all of camp,” coach Doug Marrone said, via ESPN. “Just a real steady, good football player. If there’s something there, he’s going to find it. He’s not going to make mistakes and lose yardage for you, and [he’s going to] try to keep the chains going. He’s a tough runner.

“He’s got a little burst getting through the second level. I was happy to see him take that one to the end zone.”

When the Jaguars released Fournette just before the start of the regular season, most looked down Jacksonville’s depth chart, saw Robinson’s name and thought: who? With nothing but a name on a depth chart to explain the potential of the former first-team FCS All-American’s talent, we were left only to wait to see whether Jacksonville’s roster move would blow up in its face.

Instead, it’s been Robinson exploding through defenses with the football in his arms. The one-cut back has shown unusual burst in his first two games, with his touchdown run against Tennessee demonstrating how quickly he can sprint through a defense. Robinson invites contact, and isn’t afraid to use his athleticism (see: Robinson’s hurdle on a long run in Week 1) to gain extra yards, too. According to Next Gen Stats, Robinson has gained the ninth-most rushing yards over expectation (RYOE) in the NFL (among running backs with at least 10 carries) with 26. He’s also helped the Jaguars gain eight first downs, the third-highest total of chain-moving runs among those in the aforementioned top 10.

Through two games, the Jaguars have run the ball 41 times with either Robinson, Chris Thompson or receiver Laviska Shenault Jr.. Robinson has handled 32 of those carries, clearly making him the bell cow in a development that seemed very unlikely just a month ago.

“He makes blocking fun,” receiver D.J. Chark said, via ESPN. “Because you’re blocking for two, three seconds and you see him running by you. It makes you want to go out there and get you a pancake [block] or something.”

Jacksonville is 1-1, much more competitive than expected and fun to watch as a result. Look no further than No. 30 for an example of why.

Robinson, from Rockford, Illinois, played at Illinois State where he is the school’s 2^nd-leading rusher with 4,444 career yards.  He had 1,899 yards on the ground last year for the Redbirds.

THIS AND THAT

COVID THEATER

The NFL issues huge fines, far in excess of anything they could assess against a player who made a vicious hit, on three head coaches who were brazen enough to think they could go without a mask on a Covid-free field.  Rules are made to be enforced.  Grant Gordon of NFL.com:

Three NFL clubs and their head coaches have been fined by the NFL for violating rules of wearing face coverings in the bench area during Week 2 games, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo reported Monday evening.

The Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks and their respective head coaches, Vic Fangio, Kyle Shanahan and Pete Carroll, have been fined. Each team is fined $250,000 and each coach is penalized $100,000 as the league does its due diligence to uphold COVID-19 protocols and safety.

The fines doled out obviously did not include Monday night’s ongoing game between the New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders, which Garafolo and Pelissero hinted could lead to more.

“Given the approach on the sidelines tonight, there may be more coming, too,” Pelissero tweeted.

Given the approach on the sidelines tonight, there may be more coming, too.

STATE OF COLLEGE

Here comes the Mountain West.

@Brett_McMurphy

Mountain West optimistic about playing 8-game schedule starting Oct. 24, w/presidents possibly voting Friday, sources told @Stadium. If presidents delay vote, MW likely would only have 7-game schedule starting Oct. 31. All 12 schools intend to play at this time, source said

POWER RANKINGS

First up, let’s take a look at the rankings of YahooSports.com’s Frank Schwab (Buffalo at #3!):

Here are the power rankings after Week 2 of the NFL season:

32. New York Jets (0-2, Last Week: 32)

Good to know that Adam Gase is tired of his team getting its “ass beat.” He might want to get used to it. Here’s what they have coming up: at Colts, vs. Broncos, vs. Cardinals, at Chargers, vs. Bills, at Chiefs, vs. Patriots. What is the best possible record after that stretch, 2-7?

31. Carolina Panthers (0-2, LW: 31)

Christian McCaffrey is going to miss 4-6 weeks with a high ankle sprain and let’s be honest: The Panthers are very unlikely to have any playoff hopes left when he’s ready to return. So there might not be much reason to rush him back. That makes for a rough first season for new coach Matt Rhule.

30. Washington Football Team (1-1, LW: 28)

It’s promising that Washington gave exciting rookie Antonio Gibson 13 of 22 running back carries. Teams like the Jets and Lions should not be giving carries to 30-something veterans, and at least Washington seems to understand it’s far more beneficial to see what Gibson has rather than giving Peyton Barber or J.D. McKissic more playing time.

29. Detroit Lions (0-2, LW: 25)

In the past five quarters, the Lions have given up 63 points. They allowed Aaron Jones to pile up 236 total yards on Sunday. They get the Cardinals and Saints, a couple of explosive offenses, next. Here’s where you can logically wonder if Matt Patricia’s defense has to show some progress for him to keep his job, but that assumes the Lions ownership is paying attention.

28. New York Giants (0-2, LW: 27)

We’ll find out a lot about Daniel Jones this season. With no Saquon Barkley the rest of the way, it’s on Jones to deliver. It hasn’t been pretty yet in his second season, but he has faced tough defenses vs. Pittsburgh and Chicago. The situation isn’t ideal going forward, but the Giants will learn how good their quarterback is.

27. Miami Dolphins (0-2, LW: 26)

Mike Gesicki had eight catches for 130 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. We’ll start with that because there’s not much more positive to say about Miami. If the Dolphins lose to the Jaguars on Thursday night, and Tua Tagovailoa is healthy enough to play, I’m not sure why you’d give Ryan Fitzpatrick another start.

26. Cincinnati Bengals (0-2, LW: 30)

Joe Burrow is going to be really good. There were plenty of impressive moments for the rookie, and one of them was that he got hit hard a few times and never seemed rattled. It’s really hard to believe Burrow won’t be a top-end quarterback based on what we’ve seen.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1, LW: 29)

James Robinson, an undrafted rookie who looks very good, is why teams like the Lions and Rams shouldn’t have used second-round picks on running backs. Robinson’s 164 rushing yards ranked seventh in the NFL through Sunday’s games.

24. Denver Broncos (0-2, LW: 23)

Von Miller and Courtland Sutton are done for the season. A.J. Bouye, Drew Lock and Phillip Lindsay are on the shelf for a while. The Broncos had such high hopes two weeks ago, and now it seems like their season is done. The NFL can be cruel.

23. Minnesota Vikings (0-2, LW: 16)

Stefon Diggs is valuable, but he’s not that valuable. Kirk Cousins was fantastic last season, and without Diggs this season, he was awful in Week 2. Cousins had 113 yards, no touchdowns, three interceptions and a 15.9 passer rating. The only good news is that Cousins started slow last season and turned it around.

22. Houston Texans (0-2, LW: 17)

Will Fuller wasn’t targeted Sunday, as he was apparently dealing with a hamstring injury. It’s fairly remarkable how fragile Fuller is. We all figured he’d miss time with injury, but he was supposed to last more than one full game as Houston’s new No. 1 receiver.

21. Atlanta Falcons (0-2, LW: 18)

The Falcons’ choke was as improbable as it gets. ESPN’s win probability put Atlanta at a 99.9 percent chance to win at one point very late in the game. According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, only 10 other times in the past 20 seasons has a team blown a game in which it had that high of a win probability. Dan Quinn has survived before when it seemed like he was going to be fired, but this really might be the beginning of the end.

20. Philadelphia Eagles (0-2, LW: 14)

At some point, we have to ask how good Doug Pederson is. He was great during the Super Bowl season, but in hindsight, maybe then-Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich deserved more credit. Since then, the Eagles have underachieved. Had they not backed into a playoff spot each of the past two seasons, we’d be much more critical of Pederson.

19. Cleveland Browns (1-1, LW: 24)

Regardless of how we should feel about the Browns signing Kareem Hunt — nobody has mentioned the video of him shoving and kicking a woman in a long time, and that lack of true accountability is why some teams don’t mind taking on controversial players — he and Nick Chubb form a 1-2 duo that nobody can match. If they both stay healthy, the Browns might end up with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers.

18. Los Angeles Chargers (1-1, LW: 22)

I’m not sure what to make of Anthony Lynn saying Tyrod Taylor is still his starter if he’s 100 percent. Maybe it was him putting off answering the question or Lynn didn’t want to be disrespectful to Taylor after he was hospitalized Sunday. If Lynn was being genuine and plans to start Taylor, after first-round draft pick Justin Herbert played well vs. the Chiefs, I have no idea what to say.

17. Dallas Cowboys (1-1, LW: 12)

Mike McCarthy had one weird game. He has gone overboard on ditching his conservative approach. He tried a pair of fake punts and a two-point conversion attempt when the Cowboys were down nine points and probably should have just kicked the extra point. Even at the end, McCarthy’s decision to sit on the ball and settle for a 46-yard field goal could have turned out terribly. McCarthy is very lucky the Cowboys got a miracle win.

16. Indianapolis Colts (1-1, LW: 21)

The Colts are giving up only 208 yards per game. Entering Monday’s games, no other defense was allowing fewer than 300 yards per game. The Jaguars and Vikings, the Colts’ two opponents, each put up 30 points when they weren’t playing Indianapolis. Maybe the Colts have a really good defense.

15. Chicago Bears (2-0, LW: 15)

David Montgomery had his best game as a pro, with 127 total yards and a touchdown. Montgomery needs to keep playing like that because there’s not a ton else to love about the offense. The Bears have two very close wins, and no team will turn down 2-0, but they’ll need to play better.

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1, LW: 19)

It’s not easy to take a year off from the NFL and play well right away. The last time Rob Gronkowski played like the future Hall of Famer was the 2017 season. He looked like he lost something in 2018 (though he finished with a flourish) and then was out all last season. He came back and has just two catches for 11 yards, including no catches in Week 2.

13. Las Vegas Raiders (2-0, LW: 20)

Whatever comes next, Monday night’s win over the Saints in the Las Vegas home opener will be a victory that has a special place in franchise history. And don’t sleep on the Raiders; maybe what comes next is going to be better than we expected before the season. This is a fun team.

12. Arizona Cardinals (2-0, LW: 13)

Rookie first-round draft pick Isaiah Simmons played just seven snaps on defense against Washington and his only stat was a special-teams tackle. Simmons is talented, and it’s surprising how little he’s playing. The Cardinals haven’t needed him yet but they’ll likely require some contribution from him before the season is done.

11. San Francisco 49ers (1-1, LW: 8)

Part of the Super Bowl hangover is that it’s tough to avoid bad injury luck two straight years. The 49ers had some injuries last season. They have all the injuries this season. Nick Bosa isn’t coming back, but guys like Jimmy Garoppolo, Richard Sherman, George Kittle and Raheem Mostert should return relatively soon. The 49ers just have to hold on until they get some players back.

10. New England Patriots (1-1, LW: 9)

Too often, in many things in life, we judge results and not the process of making the decision. The Patriots’ best play is Cam Newton at the goal line. He’s great in that area of the field. The Seahawks made a great play and stopped it. It happens. The call was just fine.

9. Tennessee Titans (2-0, LW: 10)

Ryan Tannehill’s last nine regular-season games: 22 touchdowns, two interceptions, 127.3 passer rating. He has had only two games with a passer rating under 100, and the lowest was 92.2. At some point, we’ll have to start giving him some credit.

8. New Orleans Saints (1-1, LW: 3)

It’s hard to lose a player like Michael Thomas. Playing the Raiders in their first game in Las Vegas was a tough spot. Still, it’s concerning they were completely outplayed after taking a 10-0 lead. No cause for panic yet, and I’m not dropping them too far, but it’s possible the Saints aren’t quite as dominant as expected.

7. Los Angeles Rams (2-0, LW: 11)

Sean McVay did a great job self-scouting in the offseason. The Rams’ offensive revival has been due to many factors, including the use of faster tempo, spreading the ball around, less predictability in personnel groupings and also committing to making late 2019 breakout Tyler Higbee a focal point of the offense. There’s a reason McVay is so highly respected.

6. Green Bay Packers (2-0, LW: 7)

Aaron Jones’ big day will lead to more discussion about what the Packers should do with his contract. If they pay him, it makes taking A.J. Dillon in the second round of the draft look like a waste. And running back contracts rarely work out. If they don’t pay Jones, they’re moving on from a highly productive player and could regret it, at least in the short term. It’s a tough spot to be in.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0, LW: 5)

The Steelers probably should have put the Broncos away sooner than they did, but they’re still 2-0 and should be significantly favored in three of their next four games (vs. Texans, at Titans, vs. Eagles, vs. Browns) before the first of two fantastic matchups against the Ravens.

4. Seattle Seahawks (2-0, LW: 6)

If Russell Wilson wins an MVP this season, at least part of the reason is the rest of the NFL let DK Metcalf fall to late in the second round of the 2019 draft. Metcalf got the best of last season’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Stephon Gilmore, on Sunday night. He might already be a top-10 receiver.

3. Buffalo Bills (2-0, LW: 4)

Stefon Diggs put up 153 yards and a touchdown Sunday. It’s reasonable to think they overpaid in the trade to get Diggs from the Vikings, but it was a bold, aggressive move for a team that saw its window to win a division title (and maybe more) opening up. It’s hard to find a difference-making receiver like Diggs, and they won’t come cheap if they are available.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0, LW: 2)

The best part of the Chiefs’ comeback win on Sunday might be that it didn’t take any luster off of their Week 3 matchup against …

1. Baltimore Ravens (2-0, LW: 1)

The Chiefs-Ravens game next Monday night is going to be a beauty. No football fan should miss it.

Look, we like the Bills as much as anybody (except maybe Frank Schwab) and maybe they will deserve #3 at some point this year.  But after wins over the Jets and Dolphins by a combined total of 13 points?

Ahead of the Packers or Seahawks?

Not yet, we say.  Let’s see how they do with the Rams on Sunday.

Compare and contrast with Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com who goes 1 to 32.  He loves some QB JOSH ALLEN as well, but he “only” has Buffalo at #5:

You laughed when they said Josh Allen would be good. You questioned everything about his game, talked about level of competition, his accuracy issues, the poor footwork and just about anything else you could find to pick him apart, aside from an arm that even the harshest critics knew could throw it out of the stadium.

Too raw, they said. Not enough polish. There was no way to fix his accuracy issues.

Bet you aren’t saying that anymore.

Yes, it’s been just two games against less-than-stellar competition, but Allen has been so good that he’s actually in the MVP conversation as quarterback of the 2-0 Buffalo Bills. In two starts, Allen has 729 passing yards — tops in the league — six touchdown passes, no picks and a passer rating of 122.9. His completion percentage is 70.4, which means he’s actually being really accurate.

Allen’s quick start has the Bills looking like a legitimate Super Bowl contender, something I expected this season. They are now up to fifth in my Power Rankings this week and they are alone in first place in the AFC East.

If you don’t believe in the Bills this season, you are misguided. In addition to Allen, they have a talented defense, playmakers on offense and a coach in Sean McDermott who will be in play as a Coach of the Year candidate.

The top of the rankings remains pretty much the same, although I did move the Baltimore Ravens ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers into the fourth spot after the Steelers struggled at home against Denver, and I dropped the New Orleans Saints after their ugly loss on Monday night to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Three of the top four teams are from the AFC, so the Bills have big-time competition in the conference and the Patriots will be better than I expected. But keep a close eye on this Bills team. If Allen keeps growing, they will challenge the best in the AFC this season — including the Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs.

1 CHIEFS        

It wasn’t pretty against the Chargers, but they found a way. The offense isn’t close to clicking yet. That will come.  —          2-0

2 PACKERS     

The defense still needs to tighten up some, but that offense is explosive. They are dominating in Matt LaFleur’s second season on that side of the ball.                  2-0

3 RAVENS       

They rolled over the Texans, dominating on both sides of the ball. Now they get that chance they didn’t get in the playoffs last year to take on the Chiefs. Too bad it won’t mean as much.    2-0

4 STEELERS   

They didn’t quite dominate the way I expected against the Broncos – especially with a backup quarterback playing for Denver. They have to play better against the good teams.   —          2-0

5 BILLS           

The defense gave up some big plays, but they were without two top linebackers. But Josh Allen has to love having Stefon Diggs to throw the football to this season.                      2-0-0

6 SEAHAWKS  

Russell Wilson is cooking for sure. He has eight touchdown passes in two games. It’s nice to see him throwing it as much as he has.         2-0-0

7  CARDINALS 

Kyler Murray is in the MVP conversation and his offense will be tough to stop for any defense. The defense is also much improved over a year ago.              2-0-0

8  RAMS          

Sean McVay has this team rolling after two games. Maybe all those coaching changes were really important, like he said. Jared Goff is off to a good start.                2-0-0

9 TITANS         

They are 2-0, but they really haven’t played great football. Ryan Tannehill had another good day in the victory over the Jaguars, but the defense had issues.             2-0-0

10  RAIDERS   

Jon Gruden has this team at 2-0 and playing good offensive football. They dominated the Saints Monday night.                2-0-0

11 SAINTS       

They hardly looked like a Super Bowl contender against the Raiders. The defense was shredded and the offense didn’t look the same without Michael Thomas.                  1-1-0

12 PATRIOTS  

They have to do something with that defense. It’s bad right now. The pass rush is non-existent. Cam Newton is going to be forced to score a lot.              1-1-0

13 BUCCANEERS        

It still wasn’t pretty last week, but you can see signs that the offense is coming around. The defense is what will decide how far this team goes and it did some good things against Carolina.            1-1-0

14 COWBOYS  

Dak Prescott was sensational in rallying the Cowboys past the Falcons. Now comes a tough one on the road at Seattle, where he has to prove he can do the same type of thing away from home.            —          1-1-0

15 CHARGERS

It looks like Tyrod Taylor is back in at quarterback after missing last week, but they have to feel good about the way rookie Justin Herbert played. He is the future. 1-1-0

16 49ERS        

The injuries are crippling this team, which might make it tough to repeat as division champs. They dominated the Jets, but that wasn’t the story of the day with players like Nick Bosa going down.            1-1-0

17 COLTS        

They bounced back in impressive fashion from their upset loss to the Jaguars by dominating the Vikings. The defense looked like the unit I expected to see.                      1-1-0

18 BEARS       

Mitch Trubisky is 2-0. Think about that. Now give him credit. He’s done some good things to get them going to start the season.               2-0-0

19 BROWNS    

Their running game was impressive against the Bengals, which helped Baker Mayfield. They actually looked good in beating Cincinnati.                       1-1-0

20 FALCONS   

That meltdown in Dallas could be the undoing of this team and the ultimate end for Dan Quinn if they don’t turn it around. They had no business losing that game and falling to 0-2. 0-2-0

21 TEXANS     

At 0-2, they are staring another tough game in the face this week when they play the Steelers on the road. The worst part is they haven’t looked good in either game.                      0-2-0

22 EAGLES     

At 0-2, they have looked awful for two weeks. Is it possible to turn it around? The defense was terrible against the Rams.                       0-2-0

23 JAGUARS   

Gardner Minshew is showing that he might be around to stay. He has six touchdown passes in two games. The defense has to be better. Gardner Minshew is showing that he might be around to stay. He has six touchdown passes in two games. The defense has to be better.   1-1-0

24  BRONCOS 

With Drew Lock out 2-6 weeks with a shoulder injury and Courtland Sutton done for the year, it’s not pretty right now for the Broncos. It’s all about building to the future.                  0-2-0

25 VIKINGS     

Their start has been a disaster so far and it hasn’t been pretty for Kirk Cousins. They are in a big hole with a tough game against the Titans this week.                    0-2-0

26  BENGALS  

They lost to the Browns, but they have to be thrilled with what they have in Joe Burrow. He is going to be a star.                   0-2-0

27  LIONS        

They’ve had a ton of injuries, which They’ve had a ton of injuries, which showed up in the loss to the Packers. But how long does Matt Patricia have to turn it around?         0-2-0

28 FOOTBALL TEAM   

They came back to reality against Arizona after their Week 1 upset of the Eagles. The defense had a rough showing.            —          1-1-0

29 GIANTS      

Saquon Barkley is done of the year, which means they have little in terms of a running game. That means Daniel Jones will have to do even more. Can he carry this team?    0-2-0

30  DOLPHINS 

They battled against the Bills, but at some point they have to start winning those types of games. When is Tua time coming?                     0-2-0

31  PANTHERS

They have defensive issues that will show up on a weekly basis. The offense needs to do more than it did in the first half against Tampa Bay, but that will be tough without Christian McCaffrey.            0-2-0

32  JETS         

This is going to be a long season for this group. There isn’t enough talent. How long does Adam Gase get to turn it around?