2012 Week 2 NFL Power Rankings

Buffalo Bills: Week 2 Power Rankings (#21)

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Last week: 11 (-10)

Record: 0-1

I don’t often admit I’m wrong after week 1 (more on this later) because it’s one game and the last thing I want to do is flip flop after one week and then eventually find out I was right the first time. However, I’m pretty sure I’m wrong about the Bills getting into the playoffs on the decent quarterback, good running game, good defense, easy schedule model. That only works if your quarterback isn’t horrendous, which Fitzpatrick was against the Jets.

Fitzpatrick was 18 of 32 for 195 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions, including a pick six and was even worse than that would suggest because a lot of those yards and touchdown came in garbage time. He set the Jets up with great field position all game and even gave their offense a free 7, which made it impossible for their defense to have a good game. It also doesn’t help that the defense mailed it in after getting down big early with the Jets capitalizing on great field position.

Their defense is still talented and they’ll still be able to run the ball without Fred Jackson because CJ Spiller is awesome (169 yards on 14 carries) and their schedule is still easy, so maybe they can sneak into the playoffs with the right luck, but they should be demand a full refund on that giant contract they gave Fitzpatrick because his late season slump last year does not appear to have been a fluke. In fact, Bills fans should be hoping they don’t sneak into the playoffs, because that would really hurt their chances of landing a franchise quarterback through the draft.

Studs

RB CJ Spiller: 169 yards rushing (133 after contact) and a touchdown on 14 carries, 8 broken tackles, 2 catches for 25 yards on 3 attempts

C Eric Wood: Allowed 0 sacks, quarterback hits, and quarterback pressures on 33 pass block snaps, run blocked for 28 yards on 5 attempts

DT Kyle Williams: 5 solo tackles, 1 assist, and 3 stops on 26 run snaps, 1 quarterback hit on 25 pass rush snaps

ROLB Arthur Moats: 4 solo tackles, 2 assists and 3 stops on 24 run snaps

LOLB Nick Barnett: 8 solo tackles, 1 assist and 5 stops on 35 run snaps, allowed 2 catches for 27 yards on 2 attempts

Duds

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick: Completed 18 of 32 for 195 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions, 60.7 adjusted QB rating, pressured 12 times

LE Mario Williams: 1 quarterback hit on 26 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle and 1 stop on 35 run snaps

CB Leodis McKelvin: Allowed 6 catches for 71 yards and 2 touchdowns on 6 attempts, 3 solo tackles and 1 missed tackle on 3 run snaps

CB Stephon Gilmore: Allowed 4 catches for 84 yards and a touchdown on 6 attempts, 4 solo tackles, 1 assist, and 1 stop on 37 run snaps

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Detroit Lions: Week 2 NFL Power Rankings (#22)

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Last week: 20 (-2)

Record: 1-0

I got several things wrong week 1, finishing 8-8 ATS and 9-7 SU on the week, and several of my bolder preseason predictions are looking kind of shaky (more on that later), but one thing I nailed was that St. Louis would be better than people thought and Detroit would be worse. The odds makers seemed to agree with me, setting the line for Detroit/St. Louis at -7.5 Detroit and a lot of people lost a lot of money betting on Detroit as Detroit needed a late comeback to beat the Rams by 4 at home, helping me nail my pick of the week. I’ll continue to bet against Detroit until they prove me wrong or the odds makers catch up.

They can pass the ball well and it’s a passing league, but their terrible secondary that made Sam Bradford look good (17 for 25 for 198 yards and a touchdown) will cancel a lot of that out. They also don’t have a lot of running back talent and I don’t trust their run defense, ranked 28th in the league last year, even though they did a good job on Steven Jackson this week. On top of all that, they’re a penalty prone team who had a distracting offseason, they have a tough schedule, and as a team, they’re incredibly dependant on a connection of Stafford to Johnson that hasn’t been the most durable in their careers.

Studs

LB Rob Sims: Allowed 0 sacks, quarterback hits, or quarterback pressures on 49 pass block snaps, run blocked for 8 yards on 2 carries

C Dominic Raiola: Allowed 0 sacks, quarterback hits, or quarterback pressures on 49 pass block snaps, run blocked for 26 yards and a touchdown on 4 carries

DT Corey Williams: 1 sack and 1 quarterback hit on 19 pass rush snaps, 4 solo tackles and 2 stops on 16 snaps

K Jason Hanson: 6 kickoffs, 71.5 yards per kickoff, 4 touchbacks, average starting distance of 20.0, 2/2 on FGs (41, 45)

Duds

WR Titus Young: 1 catch for 14 yards on 3 attempts on 27 pass plays, 1.0 YAC per catch, 1 penalty

RE Kyle Vanden Bosch: 0 sacks, quarterback hits, or quarterback pressures on 23 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 1 stop and 1 missed tackle on 17 run plays

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Carolina Panthers: Week 2 Power Rankings (#23)

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Last week: 21 (-2)

Record: 0-1

Jonathan Stewart has more rushing yards than DeAngelo Williams this year and he didn’t even play this weekend. The Buccaneers had the league’s 31st ranked run defense last year and the Panthers had the league’s 1st ranked run offense, so naturally the Panthers would rush for 10 yards on 13 carries against the Buccaneers week 1. I expect that to be a fluke and the Buccaneers were one of my underrated teams coming into the season, so there’s no shame in losing to them, but more concerning is Cam Newton’s performance. He completed 23 of 33 for 303 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions and looks more likely to have a sophomore slump than take the next step. If that’s true, the league’s 27th ranked scoring defense in 2011 will have to pick up the slack if they want to avoid another sub .500 season and I just don’t think they have the talent.

Studs

LT Jordan Gross: Allowed 1 quarterback pressure on 38 pass rush snaps, run blocked for 5 yards on 1 attempt

RT Byron Bell: Allowed 1 quarterback pressure on 38 pass rush snaps, run blocked for 11 yards on 2 attempt

WR Steve Smith: Caught 7 passes for 106 yards on 11 attempts, 1 interception when thrown to, 6.9 YAC per catch on 36 pass plays

RE Greg Hardy: 3 quarterback pressures on 25 pass rush snaps, 5 solo tackles, 2 assists and 3 stops on 29 run snaps

CB Captain Munnerlyn: Allowed 1 completion for 2 yards on 3 attempts, 2 pass deflections, 1 solo tackle, 1 missed tackle and 1 stop on 19 run snaps

ROLB James Anderson: 6 solo tackles and 5 stops on 33 run snaps, allowed 3 completions for 12 yards on 3 attempts

Duds

LG Amini Silatolu: Allowed 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 2 quarterback pressures on 38 pass rush snaps, run blocked for 0 yards on 1 attempt, 2 penalties

RG Geoff Hangartner: Allowed 1 quarterback hit and 3 quarterback pressures on 38 pass rush snaps, run blocked for 0 yards on 1 attempt, 1 penalty

RB DeAngelo Williams: Rushed for -1 yards (12 yards after contact) on 6 carries, broke 1 tackle, 1 reception for 5 yards on 1 target

FS Charles Godfrey: Allowed 2 completions for 35 yards on 2 attempts, 5 solo tackles, 1 assist, 2 stops and 3 missed tackles on 36 run snaps

CB Josh Norman: 3 solo tackles on 23 run snaps, allowed 3 completions for 28 yards on 3 attempts, 1 penalty

LOLB Luke Kuechly: 5 solo tackles, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle on 28 run snaps, allowed 3 completions for 31 yards on 3 attempts

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Seattle Seahawks: Week 2 NFL Power Rankings (#24)

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Last week: 25 (+1)

Record: 0-1

That sound you just heard was Russell Wilson’s bandwagon hitting a pole. As I’ve said all along, Wilson is far more likely to go the way of Quincy Carter, Chris Weinke, and Kyle Orton than Andy Dalton (the only 4 non-1st round picks to start at quarterback week 1 as a rookie since 1994). It certainly doesn’t help that his offensive line and receiving corps are below average either. They’ll run the ball alright and play solid defense, but they’re going to have a hard time consistently winning games, especially on the road where they are now 11-32 since 2007.

Studs

SS Kam Chancellor: Allowed 3 completions for 21 yards on 6 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 6 solo tackles, 1 assist, 4 stops, and 1 missed tackle on 22 run snaps, 1 penalty

LE Red Bryant: 1 solo tackle, 1 assist, and 1 stop on 18 run snaps, 2 quarterback pressures on 19 pass rush snaps, 2 batted passes

DT Brandon Mebane: 5 solo tackles and 4 stops on 16 run snaps, 1 quarterback hit and 1 quarterback pressure on 18 pass rush snaps, 1 batted pass

RE Chris Clemons: 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 5 quarterback pressures on 34 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 1 assist, and 2 stops on 20 run snaps, 1 penalty

RB Leon Washington: 5 yards (3 after contact) on 2 carries, 3 kickoff returns for 133 yards, 2 punt returns for 56 yards

Duds

LT Russell Okung: 2 quarterback pressures allowed on 40 pass rush snaps, 3 penalties, run blocked for 8 yards on 3 carries

RG JR Sweezy: 3 quarterback pressures allowed on 50 pass rush snaps, run blocked for 9 yards on 4 carries

WR Braylon Edwards: 5 catches for 43 yards on 8 targets on 43 pass snaps, 1.2 YAC per catch, 1 drop

WR Doug Baldwin: 2 catches for 5 yards on 5 targets on 33 pass snaps, 4.5 YAC per catch, 2 drops, 1 interception when thrown to

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Kansas City Chiefs: Week 2 NFL Power Rankings (#25)

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Last week: 24 (-1)

Record: 0-1

It’s a bad sign when your only chance to make the playoff is to follow a strong defense, good running game, don’t make mistakes formula and you allow 40 at home in the opener. I know they were missing their top two defensive players and the Falcons’ offense is awesome, but it’s not a good sign. I don’t feel any different about this team than I did before the game. They’re nothing special and they need a new quarterback. Next up, an easier test in Buffalo.

Studs

LG Ryan Lilja: 0 sacks, quarterback hits, or quarterback pressures allowed on 37 pass block plays, run blocked for 26 yards and 2 touchdowns on 5 carries

MLB Jovan Belcher: 3 solo tackles and 2 stops on 17 run snaps, was not thrown on

Duds

CB Jacques Reeves: 4 solo tackles on 21 run snaps, allowed 5 catches for 67 yards and a touchdown on 6 attempts

NT Dontari Poe: 0 sacks, quarterback hits, or quarterback pressures on 24 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle and 1 stop on 12 run snaps

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Minnesota Vikings: Week 2 NFL Power Rankings (#26)

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Last week: 26 (+0)

Record: 1-0

How about that? The Vikings had the league’s worst record in games decided by a touchdown or less last season, going 2-9, and in their opener, they lead a comeback drive and win by 3 in overtime. That type of thing is unpredictable on a yearly basis, so that fact only should boost this team up a few wins from the 3 wins they had last season. They also have some nice young talent, but they play in way too tough of a division to compete in this season. Besides, a comeback home victory in overtime over Jacksonville is hardly impressive.

Studs

LG Charlie Johnson: Allowed 0 sacks, quarterback hits, or quarterback pressures on 31 pass block snaps, run blocked for 23 yards on 3 attempts

C John Sullivan: Allowed 0 sacks, quarterback hits, or quarterback pressures on 31 pass block snaps, run blocked for 55 yards and a touchdown on 8 attempts

RG Brandon Fusco: Allowed 0 sacks, quarterback hits, or quarterback pressures on 31 pass block snaps, run blocked for 24 yards and a touchdown on 4 attempts

WR Percy Harvin: 6 catches for 84 yards on 8 targets, 12.8 YAC per catch on 25 pass plays

LE Brian Robison: 3 quarterback hits and 6 quarterback pressures on 44 pass rush snaps, 1 batted pass, 3 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 stop on 30 run snaps

CB Antoine Winfield: 2 completions for 11 yards on 3 attempts, 5 solo tackles, 1 assist, 3 stops on 34 run snaps, 1 quarterback pressure on 1 blitz

K Blair Walsh: 4/4 on field goals (20, 38, 42, 55), including one to send it to overtime, and one to go ahead in overtime

Duds

TE Kyle Rudolph: 1 quarterback pressure on 5 pass block snaps, run blocked for 12 yards on 6 attempts, 5 catches for 67 yards on 7 attempts, 1 drop, 7.2 YAC per catch

RE Jared Allen: 1 quarterback hit and 1 quarterback pressure on 41 pass rush plays, 1 solo tackle and 1 stop on 32 run snaps, 1 penalty

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Miami Dolphins: Week 2 NFL Power Rankings (#27)

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Last week: 27 (+0)

Record: 0-1

Maybe starting a rookie quarterback with 19 collegiate starts will prove to be the right move in the long run, but for now, it’s really stifling their offense, especially with no one at the wide receiver position who can create separation. Tannehill’s 20 for 36 for 219 yards and 3 interception performance is going to be pretty common for him this season and while they have talent defensively, there’s only so long a defense can hold them if the offense can’t stay on the field. Eventually they get worn down and give up plays. You saw it this weekend. You simply can’t consistently win games in the NFL if one of your units is playing as poorly as the Dolphins’ offense figures to play this season. You need some balance.

Studs

LT Jake Long: Allowed 0 sacks, quarterback hits, or quarterback pressures on 40 pass block plays, run blocked for 19 yards on 4 carries, 1 penalty

DT Randy Starks: 2 sacks and 3 quarterback hits on 21 pass rush snaps, 3 tackles and 4 stops on 24 run snaps

LE Cameron Wake: 2 quarterback hits and 2 quarterback pressures on 26 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 missed tackle, 2 stops on 31 run snaps

SS Reshad Jones: 5 solo tackles and 1 stop on 35 run snaps, did not allow a completion on 1 attempt, 1 quarterback pressure on 1 blitz

RB Marcus Thigpen: 5 kickoff returns for 137 yards (27.4 per), 2 punt returns for 76 yards (38.0 per), 1 punt return touchdown

Duds

RT Jonathan Martin: Allowed 1 sack and 4 quarterback pressures on 40 pass block plays, run blocked for 2 yards on 1 carry

RB Daniel Thomas: 11 yards (6 after contact) on 3 carries, 1 fumble, 1 catch for 32 yards on 2 targets, 1 drop, allowed 2 quarterback pressures on 4 pass block snaps

LG Richie Incognito: Allowed 1 sack and 2 quarterback pressures on 40 pass block plays, run blocked for 14 yards on 2 carries, 2 penalties

QB Ryan Tannehill: 20 for 36 for 219 yards, 3 interceptions, 2 throw aways, 2 batted passes, 3 drops, 59.0 adjusted QB rating, -1 rushing yard (0 after contact) on 2 carries, 1 fumble

WR Legedu Naanee: 0 catches on 2 attempts on 12 pass plays, 2 interceptions when thrown to

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Jacksonville Jaguars: Week 2 NFL Power Rankings (#28)

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Last week: 32 (+4)

Record: 0-1

Jacksonville moves up despite the loss because Blaine Gabbert showed some signs of life in his 2nd season debut, completing 23 of 39 for 260 yards, 2 touchdown, and no interceptions. Minnesota’s secondary is crap, but I was very impressed with Gabbert’s poise under pressure. I still didn’t like the matchup for Gabbert because of his struggles under pressure last season. Minnesota has one of the league’s best pass rushes and they lived up to their billing, pressured Gabbert on 18 of 43 drop backs, but Gabbert only took 2 sacks and completed 9 of 15 on those 18 drop backs (3 runs). Let’s see him face a real secondary first, but if he can continue to at least be serviceable, the Jaguars will continue to move up this list.

Studs

LT Eugene Monroe: 0 sacks, quarterback hits, or quarterback pressures allowed on 46 pass block plays, run blocked for 2 yards on 2 attempts

C Brad Meester: 0 sacks, quarterback hits, or quarterback pressures allowed on 46 pass block plays, run blocked for 27 yards on 5 attempts

WR Cecil Shorts: 4 catches for 74 yards and a touchdown on 7 targets, 2.3 YAC per catch on 13 pass plays

TE Marcedes Lewis: 5 catches for 54 yards and a touchdown on 5 targets, 7.8 YAC per catch on 22 pass plays, run blocked for 35 yards on 4 attempts

FS Dwight Lowery: 6 solo tackles, 2 stops on 28 run snaps, allowed 2 completions for 19 yards on 4 attempts

Duds

RG Uche Nwanari: Allowed 3 quarterback pressures on 45 pass block plays, run blocked for 14 yards on 7 attempts

RT Cameron Bradfield: Allowed 1 quarterback hit and 2 quarterback pressures on 12 pass block plays, run blocked for 4 yards on 1 carry

RT Guy Whimper: Allowed 1 sack, 1 quarterback hits, and 4 quarterback pressures on 35 pass block plays, 2 penalties

WR Mike Thomas: Did not catch a pass on 1 target and 30 pass plays, 1 drop

WR Justin Blackmon: 3 catches for 24 yards on 5 targets, 1.0 YAC per catch on 45 pass plays, 1 penalty

RE Andre Branch: 0 sacks, 0 quarterback hits, and 0 quarterback pressures on 28 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 2 stops on 24 run snaps

CB Aaron Ross: Allowed 6 catches for 79 yards on 7 attempts, 6 solo tackles, 2 stops, 1 missed tackle on 28 run snaps

SS Dawan Landry: Allowed 4 catches for 69 yards on 4 attempts, 7 solo tackles, 1 missed tackle on 28 run snaps

MLB Paul Posluszny: 4 solo tackles, 2 assists, 2 missed tackles, 2 stops, on 28 run snaps, allowed 3 catches for 35 yards on 4 attempts, 1 pass deflection

CB Kevin Rutland: Allowed 2 completions for 48 yards on 2 attempts, 1 solo tackle, 1 missed tackle, 1 assist on 4 run snaps

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Cincinnati Bengals: Week 2 NFL Power Rankings (#29)

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Last week: 28 (-1)

Record: 0-1

I picked the Bengals as one of my overrated teams coming into the season and they certainly looked the part against the Ravens. Andy Dalton struggled mightily to complete anything longer than 10 yards downfield and had the week’s 7th worst adjusted QB rating despite a very clean pocket (9 pressured snaps) against a Baltimore defense missing several key players from last season and their defense struggled to contain a suddenly upstart Ravens offense. A lot of people are taking away from that game that the Ravens are better than last season. I’m taking away the opposite. That the Bengals are worse than last season, significantly, and if the Ravens end up making the playoffs, this will push Andy Dalton’s record to 0-9 against playoff teams in his career.

Studs

LG Clint Boling: Allowed 0 sacks, quarterback hits or quarterback pressures on 42 pass block snaps, run blocked for 39 yards and a touchdown on 10 attempts

LT Andrew Whitworth: Allowed 0 sacks, quarterback hits or quarterback pressures on 42 pass block snaps, run blocked for 12 yards and a touchdown on 2 attempts

WR Andrew Hawkins: Caught 8 passes for 86 yards on 9 targets on 26 pass plays, averaged 11.3 YAC per catch

FS Reggie Nelson: 7 solo tackles and 2 stops on 22 run snaps, allowed 2 completions for 8 yards on 4 attempts, 1 pass deflection

LOLB Thomas Howard: 2 solo tackles and 2 stops on 23 run snaps, 1 sack on 4 blitzes, allowed 1 completion for 3 yards on 2 attempts

Duds

QB Andy Dalton: 22 of 37 for 221 yards, 1 interception, 1 throw away, 2 batted passes, 1 drop, adjusted QB rating of 66.2, pressured 9 times

CB Leon Hall: Allowed 5 catches for 103 yards and 1 touchdown on 7 attempts, 3 solo tackles and 1 stop on 22 run snaps

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Arizona Cardinals: Week 2 NFL Power Rankings (#30)

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Last week: 30 (+0)

Record: 1-0

Consider me unimpressed by the Cardinals’ win over the Seahawks. The Seahawks were a poor road team starting a rookie 3rd round quarterback on the road in his 1st start with no offensive supporting cast, except a running back who was hurt. I had the Cardinals winning 3 games before the season and picked them to win this weekend. Nothing surprised me. Nothing changed.

Studs

LE Darnell Dockett: 3 quarterback hits and 7 quarterback pressures on 45 pass rush snaps, 6 solo tackles, 1 assist, 6 stops, and 2 missed tackles on 25 run snaps

MLB Daryl Washington: 9 solo tackles, 7 stops, and 2 missed tackles on 29 run snaps, 1 sack, 1 quarterback pressures on 13 blitzes, allowed 3 completions for 36 yards on 3 attempts

Duds

QB John Skelton: Completed 14 of 28 for 149 yards and 1 interception, 2 hit as throwns, 3 batted passes, 1 drop, adjusted QB rating of 60.2, pressured 13 times

LT D’Anthony Baptiste: 1 sack and 5 quarterback pressures allowed on 42 pass block snaps, 2 penalties, run blocked for 4 yards on 2 attempts

RG Adam Snyder: Allowed 1 quarterback hit and 3 quarterback pressures on 42 pass block snaps, run blocked for 4 yards on 3 attempts

RB Ryan Williams: 9 yards (6 after contact) on 8 carries, 1 fumble, 2 catches for 17 yards on 3 targets, 1 quarterback pressure allowed on 2 pass block snaps

LOLB O’Brien Schofield: 1 quarterback hit and 1 quarterback pressure on 37 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 2 assists, 2 missed tackle, and 1 stop on 27 run snaps

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