December 12, 2024
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NFL Power Rankings Week 2: Chiefs and 49ers at the Top

Walt20 mins
Patrick Mahomes
My current NFL Power Rankings of the 2024 NFL season for Week 2. Chiefs and 49ers at the Top.

I’m going to use these rankings as the order for my 2025 NFL Mock Draft during the early stages of the 2024 season. Follow @walterfootball.

NFL Power Rankings updated Sept. 9, 2024



  1. Kansas City Chiefs NFL Power Rankings Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) – Previously: 1.
    The Chiefs were able to beat the Ravens despite Marquise Brown being out of the lineup. This offense is going to be very explosive when he returns from his shoulder injury.

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  2. San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers (1-0) – Previously: 7.
    No Christian McCaffrey. No Dre Greenlaw. No Talanoa Hufanga. Arik Armstead gone. No problem. The 49ers dominated the Jets despite missing some key players from a year ago. It could be argued that they looked like the best team in the NFL in Week 1.

  3. Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) – Previously: 2.
    The Eagles made tons of sloppy mistakes in their opener against a great Packers team, yet still won by five. Saquon Barkley may have the same impact for Philadelphia that Christian McCaffrey has had for San Francisco.

  4. Detroit Lions NFL Power Rankings Detroit Lions (1-0) – Previously: 4.
    The Lions had a sluggish second half in their opener against the Rams. Despite this, they were able to prevail even though Amon-Ra St. Brown didn’t do anything. It would be shocking if St. Brown didn’t rebound soon.

  5. Houston Texans Houston Texans (1-0) – Previously: 5.
    C.J. Stroud showed no signs of a sophomore slump, which can’t be a surprise because of all the great talent he has around him. The defense appears to have just surrendered 27 points, but the real figure was 20 because an Indianapolis touchdown came off a blocked punt.

  6. Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) – Previously: 3.
    The Bengals didn’t put any effort into their game against the Patriots, perhaps because they were looking ahead to battling the Chiefs. They showed no interest in tackling Rhamondre Stevenson, while the offense looked broken. We’ve seen this a lot from the Bengals early in the season, so it’s not too much of a surprise. Remember, they lost to the Steelers and Cooper Rush-led Cowboys to start 2022, yet went to the AFC Championship that year.

  7. Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills (1-0) – Previously: 11.
    Josh Allen showed a nice rapport with Keon Coleman in the opener, but it’s fair to wonder if this was a mirage, given how bad Arizona’s cornerbacks are. Also, Allen injured his non-throwing wrist toward the end of the game, so it remains to be seen how he’ll be impacted on just three days of rest.

  8. Baltimore Ravens Baltimore Ravens (0-1) – Previously: 8.
    The Ravens’ offensive line was ravaged by offseason departures, with three starters leaving via free agency or being traded. Jackson’s protection wasn’t very good in the opener. Meanwhile, Mark Andrews looked decrepit coming off injury. On the bright side, Isaiah Likely looks like an absolute stud.

  9. Miami Dolphins Miami Dolphins (1-0) – Previously: 15.
    Miami’s offensive line took some massive hits with Connor Williams and Robert Hunt leaving. This was evident in the first game, as De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert couldn’t find any running room versus the Jaguars. Tua Tagovailoa will have to carry the offense much more this year.

  10. Los Angeles Rams Los Angeles Rams (0-1) – Previously: 16.
    The Rams nearly beat the Lions in the opening round of the playoffs and nearly did so again in the season opener. It’s pretty crazy that the Rams were so close to winning, given how many injuries they had on their offensive line. The Rams will be a playoff contender if they can get healthy.

  11. Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis Colts (0-1) – Previously: 10.
    Anthony Richardson didn’t suffer an injury in a game for the first time in his pro career. The Colts have to be encouraged by this, as well as some of the great plays Richardson made. He had some poor moments as well, so he’ll need to work on being more consistent.

  12. Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys (1-0) – Previously: 21.
    Many people may believe that the Cowboys looked great in the opener, but they had a dream matchup against an offense missing both starting tackles. The Browns couldn’t do anything against Micah Parsons and company. Dallas would go 17-0 if it were able to battle teams missing both tackles.

  13. Jacksonville Jaguars Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) – Previously: 14.
    The Jaguars blew it. They had a chance to pull the upset, but Travis Etienne’s fumble and the horrible fourth-down play call allowed the Dolphins to mount a comeback. Still, perhaps Jacksonville should be encouraged that it went toe-to-toe with a second-tier AFC team.

  14. New York Jets New York Jets (0-1) – Previously: 9.
    The Jets need to pay Haason Reddick because their defense looked pathetic without a dominant pass-rushing presence. Of course, their weakness against the run persisted from last year. Perhaps it’ll improve once Leki Fotu is healthy, but he’ll be out for at least three more games.

  15. Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) – Previously: 19.
    Justin Fields disappointed his fantasy and DFS owners in the win over the Falcons, but he wasn’t asked to do much. He didn’t make any mistakes, and he made a few key plays. He should keep his job heading into Week 2.

  16. Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns (0-1) – Previously: 13.
    Cleveland usually has a great offensive line, but the team was missing both tackles in the opener. I wouldn’t read anything into that defeat with Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin sidelined against the Micah Parsons-led Cowboys. Both tackles should be back soon.

  17. Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Falcons (0-1) – Previously: 12.
    New team, different result. Kirk Cousins continued to struggle mightily with pressure. He’s lucky he didn’t commit four turnovers against the Steelers. The Falcons will improve as all the new pieces begin to gel.

  18. Tennessee Titans Tennessee Titans (0-1) – Previously: 17.
    Will Levis sucks. He sucks! How do you commit two turnovers while leading in the fourth quarter!? Unbelievable. The Titans would have been better off running the Bobby Boucher offense. Simply kneeling down on every play would have given them a better chance of winning! They have a great roster otherwise, so they need to make the switch to Mason Rudolph.

  19. Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks (1-0) – Previously: 22.
    The Seahawks won 26-20, but they were up 26-13 until a garbage touchdown by the Broncos. It’s tough to take this result too seriously, however, as the Broncos might be one of the worst teams in the AFC.

  20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) – Previously: 23.
    The Buccaneers looked great in the opener, but it was a dream matchup for them on both sides of the ball. The real test will be next week against the Lions, as it’ll be interesting to see if they can keep the game closer versus Detroit compared to the divisional-round playoff defeat in January.

  21. Los Angeles Chargers San Angeles Chargers (1-0) – Previously: 24.
    The Chargers beat the Raiders, but it wasn’t the most convincing victory. They were trailing in yardage for most of the game, and they needed the Raiders to implode with countless mistakes to win the game. On the bright side, J.K. Dobbins looks like his former self despite coming off a torn Achilles.

  22. Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers (0-1) – Previously: 6.
    “No Cookie” Jordan Love was terrific against the Eagles, but his 2024 debut ended in tragedy with an injury on the antepenultimate play of the game. I was wondering if Love would be able to copy Aaron Rodgers and throw another Hail Mary, but it wasn’t meant to be. Fortunately for the Packers, Love won’t be sidelined for too long. This ranking is with Malik Willis at quarterback.

  23. Las Vegas Raiders Las Vegas Raiders (0-1) – Previously: 18.
    The Raiders added Christian Wilkins to further improve their already-stellar defense, but the problems remain at quarterback and the offensive line. The Raiders shot themselves in the foot too many times in the opener, and it didn’t help that Antonio Pierce made some bone-headed coaching decisions.

  24. Arizona Cardinals Arizona Cardinals (0-1) – Previously: 26.
    The Cardinals did well to add some talent to their offensive line, acquiring Jonah Williams and Evan Brown. It showed in the opener when they moved the ball well on Buffalo’s defense. However, the cornerbacks could be the worst in the NFL. This has been a huge need since Patrick Peterson’s departure, yet Arizona has never addressed it for some reason.

  25. New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints (1-0) – Previously: 28.
    Call me skeptical, but I’m not buying the Saints despite their 47-10 victory in Week 1. All of Carolina’s opponents may win similarly this year. I still have major worries about the Saints’ offensive line.

  26. Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings (1-0) – Previously: 29.
    If the Vikings knew that Sam Darnold would play this well, would they have drafted J.J. McCarthy? The answer is probably yes because the Giants could be the worst team in the NFL. Their secondary might be historically bad, as evidenced by Darnold beginning 12-of-12 in Week 1.

  27. Chicago Bears Chicago Bears (1-0) – Previously: 20.
    Caleb Williams was credited with the victory, but he had just 93 passing yards. Granted, this may have been Williams’ toughest matchup all year, but he couldn’t do anything all afternoon. The Bears had some lottery ticket-winning luck that they ended up beating Tennessee. Prior to their victory, teams with fewer than 150 net yards were 28-231 since 1989.

  28. Washington Redskins Washington Redskins (0-1) – Previously: 25.
    The Redskins will win several games because of Jayden Daniels’ brilliance this year, but wow, their secondary is awful. It wasn’t even good last year, and yet it lost Kendall Fuller and Kamren Curl to free agency.

  29. Denver Broncos Denver Broncos (0-1) – Previously: 30.
    It’s still way too early to tell if Bo Nix will be good or not, but he predictably struggled in his debut. He was a checkdown machine who committed multiple turnovers. It’s possible that the Broncos could end up with the top pick, given how unforgiving the AFC is. Check out whom I have them taking in my 2025 NFL Mock Draft.

  30. New England Patriots New England Patriots (1-0) – Previously: 32.
    Despite the win, the Patriots are still one of the worst teams in the NFL. Their offensive line is still a huge question mark, and the defense will likely struggle versus teams that are actually focused. The win over Cincinnati might be New England’s only victory of the year.

  31. Carolina Panthers Carolina Panthers (0-1) – Previously: 27.
    I love the moves the Panthers made this offseason, but maybe there’s just no salvaging this situation because Bryce Young is so terrible. Also, the defense doesn’t look too great without Brian Burns. I was honestly shocked by how bad Carolina was in the opener.

  32. New York Giants New York Giants (0-1) – Previously: 31.
    The Giants improved their pass rush with Brian Burns this offseason, but everything else still sucks. Daniel Jones is a disaster, the offensive line can’t block, and the secondary might be the worst group in the NFL.



2024 NFL MVP Projection:

1. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs
2. Josh Allen, QB, Bills
3. C.J. Stroud, QB, Texans
4. Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles
5. T.J. Watt, DE, Steelers


Go to 2025 NFL Mock Draft




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2022 NFL Power Rankings. Week: Post-Super Bowl Power Rankings | Post-Free Agency Power Rankings | Post-NFL Draft Power Rankings | Post-Preseason Power Rankings | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17

2021 NFL Power Rankings. Week: Post-Super Bowl Power Rankings | Preseason Power Rankings | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Playoffs |

2020 NFL Power Rankings. Week: Post-Super Bowl Power Rankings 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Playoffs |

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