The NFL is finally back in full swing with the first Sunday of the 2023 season now complete. Two powers in the AFC are off to a sluggish start, with both the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals falling in Week 1. Over in the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles held on for a tight win, while the San Francisco 49ers looked like a dominant force in their victory. While Monday Night Football will bring forth a high-powered matchup between the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets, let's first look at some Week 2 NFL Power Rankings.

Previous 2023 NFL Power Rankings: Week 1

32. Arizona Cardinals (no change from Week 1)

Starting off their 2023 season with Joshua Dobbs as their starting quarterback, the Arizona Cardinals actually held their own against the Washington Commanders. However, a three-fumble day (two lost) from Dobbs may mean that rookie Clayton Tune will soon start earning starts instead of the journeyman veteran.

There really is not much to take away from this loss for the Cardinals, except that their loss was a lot closer than most probably expected. As first-year head coach Jonathan Gannon embarks on a tough season to start his tenure, there won’t be much movement for the Cardinals outside of the basement on this NFL Power Rankings list.

31. Houston Texans (-1)

Congratulations to the Houston Texans for being a part of the most recent NFL scorigami! But they were on the wrong end of it, so that’s as far as the congratulations go.

C.J. Stroud was efficient in his first career start, although he did lose a fumble. Having shown some real poise back in the pocket, the Texans have something to hang their hat on. The defense also held Lamar Jackson under 200 passing yards and under 300 total offensive yards, impressive elements to move forward with.

30. Carolina Panthers (-3)

Bryce Young’s first-ever start was a bit rocky, and there is a long ways to go for this Carolina Panthers roster. Only scoring 10 points, the offense under Frank Reich needs some work if they want to help develop Young right out of the gate.

Miles Sanders was treated like the workhorse back he was paid to be this offseason, earning 18 carries and six targets (four receptions), and tight end Hayden Hurst was Young’s top target, earning five catches and the team’s lone TD.

29. Indianapolis Colts (-1)

The Anthony Richardson era is fully underway, and accounting for two touchdowns is a solid way to get his feet wet. 10 carries is also an easy way to make sure he feels comfortable in the game, which was evident from his 223 passing yards, and a late injury scare seems to be nothing to worry about.

This team desperately misses Jonathan Taylor, as their rushing attack outside of Richardson turned 16 carries into only 25 yards. Michael Pittman came out and re-established himself as the WR1 for Richardson, turning 11 targets into eight receptions, 97 yards, and Richardson’s first-career NFL TD throw, so there is some promise for a team that likely won't see much improvement from the bottom half of the NFL Power Rankings.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+1)

Having Baker Mayfield as your new starting QB certainly doesn’t instill much confidence in the future of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he more than held his own against the Minnesota Vikings. While he did throw for less than 200 yards (173), Mayfield kept it clean, committed no turnovers, and found Mike Evans and Trey Palmer for scores.

16 targets were spread between Evans and Chris Godwin, with 11 of those connecting for receptions. While Mayfield holds the role mostly of game manager at this point, he showed that he has a solid handle on the offense, at least in Week 1.

27. Los Angeles Rams (+4)

Can the Los Angeles Rams exist without Cooper Kupp? If Week 1 has anything to say to that topic, then the answer could be yes. Surprising the Seattle Seahawks on the road is the first step in Matthew Stafford’s return tour, and he looked pretty alright.

It was the tale of two surprises on offense who led the way, as running back Kyren Williams (15/52/2) and rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua (10/119) were the leaders for the Rams. While it's just a first step, things could be pointing up for this team — at least for right now.

26. New England Patriots (no change)

A hard-fought home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was not how many people thought the New England Patriots would perform in Week 1. But a five-point loss was quite an impressive feat, helping keep them out of the basement of these Week 2 NFL Power Rankings.

Mac Jones was pretty impressive, although throwing the ball 54 times likely will make any quarterback look efficient. But Jones targeted six players six-plus times in the game, and maybe since they finally have an offensive mind leading the way, Jones can finally be a stronger part of the offense moving forward.

25. Chicago Bears (-2)

Hopes were high entering the Week 1 matchup with the Green Bay Packers, looking to finally break through with Aaron Rodgers not tormenting them anymore. However, the losing streak has continued.

Justin Fields was running for his life all game, as the offensive line still isn’t super talented. DJ Moore only saw two targets in his Chicago debut, and the defense was picked apart by Jordan Love — things may not be all sunshine and rainbows as many may have thought for the Bears.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers (-4)

It was quite the disappointing start to the season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that excelled in the preseason to the point where the outlook looked good for the offense. But Kenny Pickett looked like the Pickett of old, something that the Steelers will not be successful having to deal with.

T.J. Watt looks ready to make a claim for Defensive Player of the Year with his three sacks and five QB hits, but letting Christian McCaffrey go for 150+ total yards and Brandon Aiyuk for two TDs is a telling sign that maybe this unit isn’t as good as in years past.

23. Las Vegas Raiders (+2)

There really wasn’t anything special about the Las Vegas Raiders and their Week 1 win over the Denver Broncos — and, honestly, no headlines is good. In Jimmy Garoppolo’s first start, he was aided by a healthy dosage of Josh Jacobs, leading to only having 26 passing attempts.

The Raiders mostly kept the Denver offense in check, as Russell Wilson threw for less than 180 yards. There isn’t a lot here for the Raiders to hang their hat on news wise, but an early-season win is good for a team not many expect to succeed.

22. Minnesota Vikings (no change)

The NFC North title is wide open, and yet, the Minnesota Vikings don’t quite seem willing to take it. Their performance at home against the Buccaneers left a lot to be desired, especially when it comes to the rushing attack.

Kirk Cousins showed out again in a noon Sunday game (344 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), but the offense averaged 2.4 yards per carry as a whole, putting too much on the passing attack to move the ball.

21. Washington Commanders (+3)

The Sam Howell era officially opened with a bang for the Commanders, even if their Week 1 win over the lowly Cardinals was a lot closer than it needed to be.

A 202-yard passing attack was led by Logan Thomas, Curtis Samuel, and Jahan Dotson, all of whom received at least five targets. Howell is still very much a work in progress, but signs are pointing up after his first start in the NFL.

20. Tennessee Titans (-1)

Signs were pointing toward Ryan Tannehill not being the starting QB for the Tennessee Titans for long, but it looks like that day may be coming here sooner than originally thought. A dreadful three-interception performance kept this team from beating the Saints on the road.

Derrick Henry was limited to only 15 carries and while DeAndre Hopkins’ debut included 11 targets, the offense never really got moving and was pretty stagnant for most of the contest.

19. Denver Broncos (-3)

Sean Payton’s debut with the Broncos was not pretty, and their divisional loss to the Raiders shows that pretty plainly. Russell Wilson was never able to get going, the offense as a whole was pretty below average, and it looked very evident that Jerry Jeudy was very missed.

On the positive side, it was refreshing to see Javonte Williams back out on the field, and his workload was a bit heavier than thought it would be.

18. Green Bay Packers (+3)

The Jordan Love era for the Green Bay Packers is in full swing, and did he look good. While there were plenty of growing pains that Love experienced, it was his poise in the pocket that stood out the most.

The defense in Green Bay was strong too, having forced Justin Fields into a fumble and a pick-6 — a unit that likely will need to help carry this team as Love figures out the starting role.

17. New York Giants (-4)

An absolutely dreadful performance on the first Sunday Night Football of the season was what the New York Giants produced at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys. On a night where Daniel Jones seemingly was running for his life on every drop-back, the Giants' offense had no rhythm to it at all.

Darren Waller’s team debut was good to see, but that offensive line unit as a whole has a lot of work left to do. There were a lot of doubts this offseason about the Giants, and maybe, just maybe, they were right.

16. New Orleans Saints (+1)

Derek Carr was very Derek Carr-esque for the New Orleans Saints, which was just enough to help lead this team to victory. A one-TD performance was missing a lot of juice, but the former Raiders quarterback looked at home when targeting Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and Rashid Shaheed.

As one of the tougher teams to pick for these Week 2 NFL Power Rankings, there is a lot left to be decided in terms of what kind of team New Orleans wants to be. With the NFC South wide open, could the Saints actually pull it off?

15. Atlanta Falcons (+3)

Desmond Ridder entered his first full season as the team’s starter but was outperformed by rookie Bryce Young. While only given 18 passing attempts, Ridder didn’t do a lot with them, although he did connect with rookie Bijan Robinson for a score.

Tyler Allgeier was the main beneficiary of the ground attack on Sunday, as he took 15 carries for 75 yards and two TDs, with fellow running back Robinson earning 10 carries.

14. Seattle Seahawks (-2)

There are not many ways to win a game when your starting QB only throws for 112 yards, and the Seattle Seahawks found that out the hard way to open their 2023 NFL season.

Geno Smith was not good, to summarize it, and the rest of the offense showed those struggles too. Kenneth Walker III earned 12 carries to rookie Zach Charbonnet’s three, rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba tied for the team lead in targets with five, and Tyler Lockett left the game with a head injury.

13. Cleveland Browns (+2)

In the rain fest, the Cleveland Browns performed a lot better than their divisional foes, the Cincinnati Bengals. Having held Joe Burrow to a measly 82 yards passing, the defense used the elements to their advantage in their Week 1 win.

Nick Chubb led the way on offense, taking 18 carries for 106 yards, and he even hauled in all four targets in the passing game. Both Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore tied for the team lead with seven targets, and the defense held the Bengals to under 150 total offensive yards.

12. Jacksonville Jaguars (-1)

A 14-point fourth quarter was needed for the Jacksonville Jaguars to earn their first win of the 2023 NFL season over the Colts. A welcoming party was held for Calvin Ridley in the Colts’ secondary, as the former Falcons receiver racked up 101 yards and a TD on eight receptions.

Travis Etienne also looked good, finding the end zone after a carry and earning 23 total touches (five receptions), a sign that he is still a big part of the offense. As long as the offense keep chugging along like a well-oiled machine, the Jaguars likely will find themselves knocking on the door of the top 10 of the NFL Power Rankings on a weekly basis.

11. New York Jets (-2)

There must be some sort of hex on this New York Jets team, because as soon as everyone thinks something is going to go their way, the absolute worst thing possible could happen. In this case, Aaron Rodgers didn't even complete his first regular-season pass with the Jets before going down with an injury, and reports are likening what he suffered to a season-ending Achilles injury.

Overtime heroics from rookie punt returner Xavier Gipson and his 65-yard TD were the saving grace for a Jets team that had the life sucked out of them when Rodgers went down. Zach Wilson stepped in in relief and looked alright, but don't be surprised if this team starts sniffing around QBs around the league (Kirk Cousins?) to try and keep their win-now window slightly open.

10. Los Angeles Chargers (no change)

In what looks like the best game of Week 1, the Los Angeles Chargers played host to the Miami Dolphins in what turned into a shootout. While Justin Herbert only threw for 228 yards and a TD, Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley combined for 32 carries, 208 rushing yards, and a pair of TDs.

Defensively, the Chargers were picked apart by Tua Tagovailoa, but they did recover a fumble and force an interception of Tagovailoa as well.

9. Detroit Lions (+5)

Their surprising road win over the Kansas City Chiefs means that the runaway hype train for the Detroit Lions is still on the tracks, right? Well, their placement into the top 10 of these Week 2 NFL Power Rankings certainly says so.

An all-around performance by the Detroit offense included another interception-free game from Jared Goff, 110+ combined rushing yards from David Montgomery and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs, and the first TD of the season from Amon-Ra St. Brown. With their sights set on making the playoffs at a minimum, the momentum has the Lions on the rise.

8. Cincinnati Bengals (-4)

Disappointing isn’t even the half of it to describe how the Bengals performed against the Browns, even with how poor the weather was.

Joe Burrow struggled mightily, Joe Mixon was busy but semi-inefficient, and Tee Higgins didn’t haul in a single one of his eight targets, which speaks to how poorly this team performed. The largest tumble of any team in the Week 2 NFL Power Rankings goes to the Bengals, who maybe should have had their starters play a bit together in the preseason. Burrow's training camp injury didn't help matters, but this was especially ugly.

7. Buffalo Bills (-2)

It was quite the ugly showing for the Buffalo Bills in their Monday Night Football contest, and Josh Allen was uncommonly turnover-prone. Throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble, the star QB looked off his game all night, allowing for the Jets to stay in the game and win in overtime.

The AFC East was supposed to be a top-heavy division, but with the injury to Aaron Rodgers, it likely turns it into a two-team race – it all just depends on if the Bills actually want to take advantage of the opportunity or not.

6. Baltimore Ravens (no change)

It wasn’t pretty, but the Baltimore Ravens got it done against the Texans to open their 2023 season. Lamar Jackson barely eclipsed 200 total yards, the rushing attack as a whole only had 110 yards, and without Mark Andrews, only one receiver (Zay Flowers) had over 50 receiving yards.

Having lost J.K. Dobbins to a season-ending Achilles injury is a tough blow to a team that needs all of its weapons, so Gus Edwards and Justice Hill look to be the next options up.

5. Miami Dolphins (+3)

Miami got into a high-scoring brawl with the Chargers, and Tua Tagovailoa understood the assignment. A 466-yard performance for the ages, Tagovailoa regularly targeted Tyreek Hill, who went for 215 yards and a score on 11 receptions alone.

A usually stout defense allowed 433 yards of total offense and 5.7 yards per offensive play. While they did keep Justin Herbert under 250 passing yards, this Chargers' offense mostly had its way, especially Austin Ekeler and his 100+ total yards. The Dolphins very well could be a dark-horse AFC champion contender this season, so seeing them just outside the top five in the Power Rankings likely won't last.

4. Dallas Cowboys (+3)

A drubbing of the New York Giants on primetime television is probably the best way to write the beginning of the script for the Dallas Cowboys, especially on the road. It was an effort led by the defense, as their ferocious pass rush got home on what felt like every play.

Not much was asked of Dak Prescott or CeeDee Lamb on the night, but Tony Pollard was able to showcase his RB1 abilities all night, finding the end zone and showing that he can handle a bell-cow role. A top-five placement in the Week 2 NFL Power Rankings speaks volumes about just how dominant the Cowboys looked.

3. San Francisco 49ers (no change)

The San Francisco 49ers didn’t really have a tough time dispatching the Steelers, and the box score paints a pretty clear picture of the one-sided affair.

Brock Purdy looked very comfortable in the pocket, Christian McCaffrey is still who we know him to be, and Brandon Aiyuk and his two-TD performance showed that maybe he is the top target this season, not Deebo Samuel. It was tough to keep them below the second-place team on this list in the Week 2 NFL Power Rankings, but another dominant week should have them make a jump.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (-1)

A lot of the offensive plays felt like pulling teeth for the Kansas City Chiefs, ultimately a big part of why they lost their season opener. Unable to rely on any of his weapons with Travis Kelce being out with an injury, it was up to Patrick Mahomes to basically run the entire show.

A drop by Kadarius Toney that caromed off of his hands led to a pick-si6 by Detroit, and that was what made the difference in the Chiefs’ loss.

1. Philadelphia Eagles (+1)

Our new top team for the Week 2 NFL Power Rankings, the Philadelphia Eagles withstood a late rally from the New England Patriots to earn a Week 1 victory. A below-average performance from Jalen Hurts (170 passing yards, 37 rushing yards) was just enough to earn the win, as A.J. Brown (7/79) and Devonta Smith (7/47/1) led the way in the passing attack.

Defensively, Darius Slay picked off Mac Jones on a deflection and took it all the way back for a 70-yard pick-6, and a late-game defensive stand was all that the Eagles needed to earn win No. 1