2015 NFL Power Rankings: Week 2
Updated: September 15, 2015, 5:33 PM ET
ESPN.com
Week:
Thanks to New England's impressive opening victory and an early slipup by Seattle, the Patriots have snared the No. 1 spot in our hierarchy.
That isn't the only significant change stemming from an eventful Week 1. Two notable upsets and other impressive performances have resulted in plenty of shuffling.
ESPN's Power Panel has rewarded several teams -- including Buffalo, St. Louis and Tennessee -- for success out of the gate. The Bills cracked the top 10, jumping from No. 18 to No. 9, after dominating the Colts, while the Rams rose eight spots to No. 14 after knocking off the Seahawks. The Titans, fueled by rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota's four-touchdown gem, made a seven-spot jump to No. 23.
On the flip side, Philadelphia plummeted from No. 9 to No. 15 after its Monday night loss to Atlanta. Indianapolis took one of the biggest falls, going from No. 4 to No. 11.
Note: The comments below are provided by ESPN Stats & Information.
• Vegas Rankings 
| Football Power Index Rankings | Rough start for Colts' new pieces | Team Power Rankings charts since 2002
| 2015 Power Rankings: Week 2 | ||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | COMMENTS | |
| 1 |  | 1 Last Week: 2 | Can anyone stop Gronk? After a three-touchdown performance against the Steelers, Rob Gronkowski now has a touchdown reception in seven straight games played. | |
| 2 |  | 1 Last Week: 3 | The good? The Packers are 1-0 and heading home, where they've won nine straight (including playoffs). The bad? The Packers are playing the Seahawks, who has beaten Green Bay three straight times. | |
| 3 |  | 2 Last Week: 1 | Don't put too much stock into the Seahawks' 0-1 start. Russell Wilson is now 1-3 in his career at St. Louis. He's 35-10 everywhere else. | |
| 4 |  | 1 Last Week: 5 | The Broncos are 1-0, but there's cause for concern. Peyton Manning's last four games (including playoffs): 59.3 completion percentage, three TDs, five INTs and a 32.2 Total QBR. | |
| 5 |  | 1 Last Week: 6 | Dez Bryant's injury puts a damper on the Cowboys' big comeback win. Bryant's 56 career receiving touchdowns are second most in the NFL since 2010. | |
| 6 |  | 4 Last Week: 10 | Carson Palmer threw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter in Week 1. Palmer has an 88.0 Total QBR in the fourth quarter the past two seasons, best in the NFL. | |
| 7 |  | 7 Last Week: 14 | Still no touchdowns by a wide receiver, but who cares? Alex Smith went 13-of-16 for 164 yards and 3 TDs Sunday when targeting his running backs and tight ends. | |
| 8 |  | 3 Last Week: 11 | The emergence of Tyler Eifert adds just another weapon for Andy Dalton. Dalton passed for more than 100 yards when targeting tight ends Sunday for only the fourth time in his career. | |
| 9 |  | 9 Last Week: 18 | Since the start of 2013, the Bills' defense leads the NFL in interceptions (44) and sacks (113). It just stopped Andrew Luck in his tracks. Next up? Tom Brady. | |
| 10 |  | 3 Last Week: 13 | Philip Rivers' contract guarantees him the second most money among current NFL contracts. Rivers helped justify that by going 21-of-23 for 249 yards and two touchdowns in the second half Sunday. | |
| 11 |  | 7 Last Week: 4 | What's the worst trend developing for the Colts in their past two games (including playoffs) -- Andrew Luck's 46.3 completion percentage or the Colts allowing five rushing TDs in those games? | |
| 12 |  | 4 Last Week: 8 | No offensive touchdowns and 173 yards was not the season debut Joe Flacco and the Ravens were hoping for. No team gained fewer yards than Baltimore in Week 1. | |
| 13 |  | 6 Last Week: 7 | Steel Curtain no more. The Steelers have allowed 34 pass TDs since the start of last season, better than only the Bears and Buccaneers. | |
| 14 |  | 8 Last Week: 22 | The Rams' pass rush got off to a hot start Sunday, recording six sacks in the win against the Seahawks. The Rams had six sacks combined in Weeks 1-8 last season. | |
| 15 |  | 6 Last Week: 9 | They each scored a touchdown Monday, but the Eagles are likely looking for more than a combined 13 yards on 11 rushes from DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews. | |
| 16 |  | 1 Last Week: 15 | The Dolphins squeaked out a win, but big-money free agent Ndamukong Suh didn't make a big difference. The Dolphins allowed the third-most rushing yards in Week 1 (161). | |
| 17 |  | 6 Last Week: 23 | How good is Julio Jones? Over his past 16 games played he has 175 targets, 113 receptions, 1,734 yards and eight TDs. | |
| 18 |  | 1 Last Week: 19 | It's not always pretty, but the Panthers have won five straight regular-season games dating to last season, tied for the longest win streak in the NFL (Cowboys). | |
| 19 |  | 5 Last Week: 24 | How do you replace Frank Gore? If you're Carlos Hyde, you rush for a league-high 168 yards and two touchdowns in your first NFL start. | |
| 20 |  | 8 Last Week: 12 | How did the Lions follow up blowing a 13-point lead in the 2014 wild-card playoffs? By blowing an 18-point lead against the Chargers in Week 1. | |
| 21 |  | 5 Last Week: 26 | Rex Ryan is gone but the Jets are still going ground-and-pound under Todd Bowles. The Jets rushed on 59 percent of their Week 1 plays, highest in the NFL. | |
| 22 |  | 6 Last Week: 16 | Drew Brees got a lot of help from his friends to acquire his 355 passing yards in Week 1. The Saints gained 271 yards after the catch Sunday, most in the Brees-Sean Payton era. | |
| 23 |  | 7 Last Week: 30 | The Titans scored 28 points in the first half Sunday with Marcus Mariota at quarterback. They scored 28 points in an entire game just once last season (Week 5 vs Browns). | |
| 24 |  | 3 Last Week: 21 | Just take the sack, Eli. It's no surprise Manning threw it away late against the Cowboys. He had the second-most throwaways last season. | |
| 25 |  | 8 Last Week: 17 | Teddy Bridgewater and the Vikings raised expectations last season, but being the only team unable to score a touchdown in the opener might lower those expectations again. | |
| 26 |  | 6 Last Week: 20 | Brian Hoyer or Ryan Mallett? Hoyer's 12.3 Total QBR in Week 1 was second worst in the NFL. Mallett posted an 85.9 QBR in relief. | |
| 27 |  | 2 Last Week: 25 | The Bears have now lost six straight games dating to last season. Only the Buccaneers have a longer active losing streak (7 games). | |
| 28 |  | 1 Last Week: 27 | It might not matter who plays quarterback for the Browns this season. Cleveland has allowed 2,419 rushing yards since the start of last season, worst in the NFL. | |
| 29 |  | 3 Last Week: 32 | The Week 1 loss drops Kirk Cousins to 2-8 in his career as a starter. Only Blaine Gabbert, Derek Carr and Jimmy Clausen have a worse W-L since 2012 (min. 10 starts). | |
| 30 |  | 1 Last Week: 31 | The Jags' offense is dominated by youth as 92 percent of the team's scrimmage yards Sunday were gained by players with three or fewer years of experience. Unfortunately, that led to only nine points. | |
| 31 |  | 3 Last Week: 28 | Amari Cooper finished with only 47 receiving yards in his debut, but the Raiders tried to get him the ball. His nine targets were second most among rookies in Week 1. | |
| 32 |  | 3 Last Week: 29 | Good news. Jameis Winston's first NFL pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. The last quarterback to have that happen? Brett Favre (Elias). | |
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| Glossary |
| The rankings were determined by ESPN's Power Panel, a group of more than 80 writers, editors and television personalities. |
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