The NFL has concluded Week 2 of the 2022 season, and now that we have a little more information on all of the teams, we can continue to reassess them.
The old saying is that ‘a week is a long time in politics’, but the exact same can be said about sport, as there are always a lot of moving parts that require us to step back, think again, and work out exactly what the landscape of things are moving forward.
For example, the injury to Trey Lance for the San Francisco 49ers is set to drastically change what the team looks like moving forward, and as a result is going to have a major impact on them and the rest of the NFC West, the same can be said for the Los Angeles Chargers and quarterback Justin Herbert.
Meanwhile on more positive news, now that the Miami Dolphins look like they’re clicking with Tua Tagovailoa, the optimism around them should be skyrocketing (and it is with us, but, spoiler alert, it’s just not good enough to make it into this week’s top ten).
But what does the top ten of the NFL look like, at least in our eyes? Well, let’s find out:
10 - San Francisco 49ers (Not ranked last week)
This might sound harsh, but now at least they have a reasonable quarterback playback and look like they’ll be able to actually manage to get through games easier than they would if Trey Lance was still their quarterback. Add in that defence and this team can go places.
9 - Dallas Cowboys (Not ranked)
A much better showing than in Week 1, but some of that can be put down to who their opponents were (the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) whilst their opponents this week in the Cincinnati Bengals look like they’re in the midst of a Super Bowl hangover, but the Cowboys as a whole were still a lot slicker and showed why they can cause teams problems on their day.
8 - Baltimore Ravens (-2 from last week)
On offense, there isn’t really anything to be concerned with as Lamar Jackson was back to his best with 437 yards of total offense. The defence is clearly an issue after their collapse, but you would imagine that John Harbaugh won’t allow that to happen again so see this as the exception rather than the rule.
7 - Los Angeles Chargers (-4)
Whilst the defeat itself wasn’t necessarily a setback, this was a game that could have gone either way and they didn’t exactly let themselves down against a tough opponent, the injury to Justin Herbert is worrying and a lot of their season will come down to his long-term health.
6 - Green Bay Packers (+2)
After a major scare in Week 1, everything was back to normal as they steamrollered through the Chicago Bears in Week 2. Aaron Rodgers was on a much better page with his receivers this week and that is going to be crucial for them moving forward.
5 - Philadelphia Eagles (Not ranked)
Came out of nowhere to explode into life in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings. Offense was humming just as much as it was in Week 1 and the defnece managed to sort themselves out after a horror show against the Detroit Lions.
4 - Los Angeles Rams (-1)
Some worrying signs creeping in that they almost let the Atlanta Falcons in through the backdoor to steal something, but managed to write a lot of the wrongs from the previous week that should keep them on the straight and narrow as they get into the groove of the 2022 season.
3 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+1)
Dispatched the Dallas Cowboys with relative ease in Week 1 and managed to keep the New Orleans Saints in control for large parts of Week 2 before letting rip in the 4th quarter. Defence is making its case of being the best in the NFL right now and taking a lot of pressure off the offense and their struggles with personnel.
2 - Kansas City Chiefs (No change)
Passed their biggest test of the season so far and managed to do it with authority on their home turf off the back of a short week. Defence has given up points but that’s against some very good opponents on the other side, so expect those numbers to go down in the coming weeks.
1 - Buffalo Bills (No change)
Let’s make this quick shall we? 72 points in their first two games and showing no signs of slowing down