We’re through two weeks of the NFL season, and already we can see some separation between some of the contenders and early pretenders this season. There have been several teams that have looked great on the field (Seattle), while others look like they might belong more in the Canadian Football League (Jacksonville).
NFLSeasonSchedules.com will produce power rankings for the NFL at various points in the season, giving teams some time to establish themselves and see how things are going. This will be our first edition.
1. Denver Broncos
Some might be questioning why the Seahawks aren’t in the No.1 slot, but there is no denying how good Denver has looked on offense. The Broncos look like a very complete team, with a defense that we think will only get better as the season goes along. When they get Von Miller back that will definitely help as well. Peyton Manning will get more and more comfortable with his new match in Wes Welker this year as well. Denver is scary good.
2. Seattle Seahawks
The performance against San Francisco was definitely impressive, but the Seahawks are still spotty on the road. There is no denying that this team is the best home team in the NFL, but when they travel, they look much more average. For Seattle to make a deep run in the playoffs, they will need to get games at home, and to do that, they will need to win games on the road this year. They started with a win over Carolina, so we will see if they can build off of that.
3. New Orleans Saints
The Saints have a couple of quality wins to the year already, and we might have them a bit higher than some of the rest right now. But if that New Orleans defense improves to just an average rating in the NFL, this team could definitely win the NFC South and perhaps receive a top seed in the postseason. Offensively they are one of the most productive teams in the league.
4. San Francisco 49ers
We wanted to drop the 49ers lower, but we will keep them here for now. San Francisco might be a bit overrated, as was evident by the 29-3 beatdown they received at the hands of the Seahawks. The 49ers are a good team, but people might have them figured out this season, and that defense isn’t as good as many might think it is. This will be an important Week 3 for San Francisco.
5. Atlanta Falcons
The loss of Steven Jackson and Sean Weatherspoon hurt. Not to mention the other three players who went down. The Falcons were dropping like flies on Sunday. But they made it to a 13-3 record with no running game last season. Quarterback Matt Ryan will have a bit more on his shoulders, but he should be used to that. The health of Roddy White is also very important, because the weapons that Atlanta has on offense only reach so far to injuries.