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Hey everybody, welcome to week number two. Welcome to the NFL Power Rankings, presented by Energizer. We're a show, We're a podcast. Regardless of how you are watching or listening. We thank you for joining us in Los Angeles. My name is Andrews. Siciliano, the man on the other side of the screen, live from his Chicago home studio, the man who puts together these.
Power Rankings, now available on NFL dot com. That's Eric at home. Good day to you, sir, Good day to you.
It's an exciting weekend. Lots to talk about.
How was your week? One mail bag?
Have you changed your home address yet or tried to make your your number unlisted?
Are you okay?
You just said I lived in Chicago. You gave the can out of the bag. I think everybody knows Tad's a big place. I'm in. It is at least narrows it down a little bit now. I have not gone zero dark thirty yet, so I'm in good shape. People have been a little rough. Couple fan bases are giving it to me, though.
Who's the worst fan base? So far. And by worst I mean, yes.
Worse best. I mean these are my people I grew up in New England. The Patriots fans this week at least have been given it to me. They were very impressed, apparently with a three point loss. It was a good effort, but did you know came up a little short.
Okay, So they are frustrated and the fans in New York are just sad. As we tape this on Tuesday morning, we'll get to the Jets and where they are in your new rankings coming up at a second, Eric, I think all of us just kind of feel heartsick for Aaron Rodgers and for the team certainly, but this totally changes the face of the NFL season on so many levels.
Absolutely toughest division arguably, or one of them, certainly. I mean, the Jets pinned all their hopes on Rogers. They've got a banner defense. You know, certainly, anybody who has the Jets on the schedule from here on out is you know, looking at a better and more favorable matchup, assuming Zach Wilson is the quarterback. So yeah, I mean the AFC is completely loaded. It was going to be tough for the Jets to get in anyway. Now here we are
with the backup quarterback four plays in the season. It's wild, but it sort of fits with their history with bad luck everywhere at.
Yeah, and when I said it changes everything, they still have four more primetime games and the Black Friday standalone game the day after Thanksgiving, and four more games in the late four pm Eastern doubleheader window as well. This does change a lot. We'll get to the Jets in a second. Let's get your top eight. However, on the screen, you can scan the QR code on your left or go to nfl dot com slash Power Rankings to see the forty nine Ers up three from number four. They
are your new number one. Kansas City lost on opening night. They're the two, followed by the Eagles, who eked out that win over the disfrontled Patriots fans. Then you have the Dolphins at five, the Lions, the Jaguars, and the Bills the new number one. The forty nine Ers. We said this would be eric the most physical game of the week. They went into Pittsburgh and punched a team in the mouth that had been all through a Mike Tobland training punching each other in the mouth.
Yeah, how's my Steelers pick? Looking not too good? I would say, Yeah, I thought the Steelers would give them an excellent game. Thought maybe the forty nine Ers kind of get going a little bit slowly in this one. Not to be the case. Brock perty set a statement I thought, and you know, just everybody kind of questioning, is he back fully from the elbow? Do they manage this thing? Right? I think they did all right. Christian McCaffrey was severit superb. Brandon iuk at a terrific game.
And oh, by the way, that defense. Yeah they lose Tobiko Ryans, but Steve Wilks did a fantastic job, as you said, being the aggressors physically in Pittsburgh and dominating from the opening snap. If I had to pick one team that looked the best on both sides of the ball in Week one, this is it. That's why they're number one.
Yeah, and the forty nine Ers now come to La to face the Rams will get to them a little bit later as well. They were certainly impressive week number one to win in Seattle. The forty nine Ers have out physical the Rams really for a number of years. You know, put aside the twenty twenty one Rams Super Bowl win. Fascinating to see how it goes this week here at SOFI Stadium. The Chiefs at number two, the Eagles at number three. Time now for the team of
the week was that of by truest Bank. That would be the team that you had going to the Super Bowl.
From the NFC.
The Dallas Cowboys are up two to four after shutting out the Giants on Sunday night.
I caught a little heat for putting them at number six in my first rankings. I haven't heard of peep since then. I wonder why. Maybe it was because one of the more domin how about that? Yeah it was bright, Hey, I'll get I mean I think that big, big brained defense. I said, the reason why, unbelievable performance. It really started from the block field go on, special teams carry it over to the defense. Leave offense got a little bit
going there in the third quarter. So yeah, maybe it wasn't as dominant offensive performance, but I don't think Dak Prescott, Mike McCarthy, ceedee lamb, all these guys Tony Pollard have to worry about being special every single week out because they have that group behind them, and you know, an experienced kicker performed well his first game too. Everything went according to plan. It was the same field conditions for both teams, So you can't use that as an excuse
for how the Giants played. Boys just dominated him from the start. That was pretty impressive stuff.
They move on up, and now the Cowboys go home to face the Jets, and look, we'll get to them in a second. Obviously their season has changed, but their defense did not fascinating on the week two course correction, which we always see. Right, people come down to earth a little bit. What does Dak and what does this offense do this week against what we saw Monday night from the Jets.
Defense, That to me is something to watch.
You have the Cowboys at four, you have the Dolphins now at five.
Eric, I love what they did offensively.
Are you not concerned, however, with giving up two hundred yards on the ground to a team that has never shown any dedication to running the football.
It might be a different year for the Chargers. They do seem like they're gonna do that this season. But it's a fair question, Andrew, Right, you see that number, it pops out, Sure you hold justin Herbert under his average and all that and keep those receivers relatively in check. But I think it sort of speaks to what Vic
Fangio wants to do as a defensive coordinator. He doesn't mind you running on him, right as long as they're not those twenty yard explosive plays, etc. He'll give up four or five yards a clip if it means you're not throwing the full yard ball with your star quarterback. It's a tradeoff, and I think Vic's defense still kind of getting used to his system. I assume they'll be better,
but I thought they're late stops kind of showed that. Hey, even without Jalen Ramsey on this team till possibly December, they still have some playmakers on that side of the ball. So I'm not too two cerned, but I am keeping an eye on it.
It was so interesting because Brandon Staley is a Vic Fangio disciple, right took it there with the Rams, took it across the street to the Chargers there, but it was the Dolphins defense, and look, they gave up plenty of big plays. That was seemingly more comfortable in Vic Fangio's scheme than the Chargers players who were now in it for year three.
I know J. C.
Jackson missed a lot of time last year most of the season due an injury, but he made a couple of bone headed plays cost them that field goal the end of the second quarter with the just I mean crazy dpi.
I don't know what you're thinking.
And then he crossed them again in the second if he got the pick in the end zone, then brought it out and backed his offense back up. So look, the Chargers I think are going to be good here, but the Dolphins were the better team. They are number five at number six, how about the team that won
on Thursday night? Time for a Future Champs presented by fan Duel, the NFC North odds have despite the Packers looking good with their victory in Chicago, has Eric your number six team now is a clear favorite to win that division.
A day it is right the NFL, right one game can really make that big a difference. I think a lot of people felt like the Lions had a chance to win the division, but a lot of us just really needed to see it for our own eyes. Right, they went out there on Thursday night, delivered an epic performance, and they've now got the little mini by to kind of rest, and yet I think Dan Campbell's probably just waiting to get out there for the next game, like
he's itching a little bit. Probably watched the Sunday and Monday games and everything. But it's such a young, exciting defense, right, They've they fixed that side of the ball at least through one week. We saw Hutchinson take over in that game. We saw Brian Branch in his first game have a fifty yard pick six, So that's the really encouraging thing. Offense still kind of coming along, only two big drives the other day. I think they'll be better once they
get the ball in Jamier Gibbs's hands. You saw Andrew, I mean, even on limited touches, you can see what a difference this kid could make with an expanded rule.
They were eleven last week, so the Lions go up five to number six.
I'm with you on Gibb.
I also think, and I heard the same thing on Thursday night, why don't we get more from Jamiir Gibbs, well, David Montgomery right up the middle without Chris Jones. Right, you're gonna run power, You're gonna run right at the Chief's weakness. On Thursday night. Chris Jones is now back, but he wasn't there and I'm all for running David Montgomery. The Lions are six, the Jaguars are seven. They really didn't do much until the fourth quarter.
They kicked it in. They beat the Colts.
The Bills are down five, eric they go from three to eight. After Josh Allen turns the ball over four times. He said, I'm not gonna play hero ball said that in the offseason anymore, or at least I'm going.
To try to pull that back. But he got out there.
And give the Jets defense credit, especially that front seven, but you can't give the ball away four times on the road against that kind of defense.
They go home and down and get the Raiders.
Yeah, it's so hard to place this team right now because obviously they came into the season liked it in a year ago super Bowl expectation, right, people look at him obviously, the Week one win over the Rams last year was everything. This game wasn't it was, or sorry, the thing the Thursday game in the opener last year. But yeah, it just felt like after that touchdown, when everything was going right, that was such a big statement.
While we're back, we have this thing rolling again. The next thirty five minutes, they've been rolled in to the end zone. I don't want to put it all on Josh's shoulders because I think it is a team effort up and you know, we need to see more than from other players. But he said it and I believe him right. Those three turnovers and the other fumble that they recovered, those are as overstakes. You can't have happened consistently. I mean, it seems like every few weeks we're getting
used to this type of game from him. So the dangerous place and that window is maybe slightly closing. But they've got a chance to turn this thing around if they can get him right.
And I understand that the first interception was in essence an arm punt, right it was chucked in into the end zone whatever. But the last one, the fumble after the amazing Garrett Wilson touchdown came and that was sick. I mean, that was one of those ones you heard Joe Buck screaming and yelling all of us no matter where you were watching, chances are you had the same kind of guttural reaction. So the momentum turns there. The crowd now is back into it again. Zach Wilson's feeling himself,
and what does Josh Allen do? He fumbled the snap, Oh, but then he picked it back up. He's fine, and then he fumbled it again. Steve Watch and I were doing an NFL Game Day Final the network. Steve made the point, it's almost as if he has the yips now, hmmm.
He wants to kind of like take control of games and like, don't worry you pile on my back. I'll get this done. And I think that's right. It's almost like he's got that mentality, but the yips are something, right, some kind of trigger in his head where it's like mistakes happened more free frequently in this in this zone. He said, I don't know what it is, but they've got to figure a way to get out of that zone.
Hey, that said, he did at the end of regulation get him into field goal range and Tyler bast Joint didn't send it to overtime, but in the end it's Xavier Gibson running it off. We have yet to reveal the New York Jets coming up next on NFL Power Rankings presented by Energizer. Where are your AFC East Zach Wilson led Darlings in the new ranking. Okay, everybody, NFL Power Rankings presented by Energizer. Let's get nine through sixteen.
The Jets are number nine, followed by the Ravens, the Bengals, the Chargers, and the Cleveland Browns are up five. They're not the biggest mover, however. The Saints are at fourteen. The Packers are the biggest mover more than them. At a second, They're up six to fifteen. The Falcons are up one to sixteen.
Eric at home. Put all these together.
Eric, Obviously it's your job to defend all of these and there's no easy way to do this. Okay, So philosophically, I think it's hard to accept for me that the Jets are now the ninth best team in football with Zach Wilson a quarterback. But I think the bigger question here is, you have them up to you had them go from eleven to nine. How do you back up saying that, in essence, they're better now than they were a week ago?
Yeah, it was. They were probably the toughest team to slot this week. Now they kind of got hell a little bit, and that the you know, two teams ahead of them moved down, and so it was a little bit of a musical chairs type thing. But also it was more of a respect pick than anything else. I'm willing to admit that. You know, there are probably more than nine or eight teams that are better than them at this point in a night. Given the quarterback situation,
you know, they're obviously gonna have to change things. Daniel Hackett's getting used to a new quarterback and Zach Wilson and all that. But at the same time, the way they ban it together as a team in that game down ten points, able to come back without their starting quarterback, win the other you know, two fakes and at least play a stalemate on offense. I gave him a lot of respect for that. Robert Salad could have hung his head.
We all saw his expression after the Rogers news entered his ear, But I think he did a great job of saying, all right, guys, let's show everybody we're more than just one guy here. It's what a coach has to do in that point. But I tell you what, I'm not ready to quit this team yet, Andrew. I get that nine is probably a little bit more of a Participation Trophy at this point. But at the same time, I really believe Levact they are a good team at this junction.
Do you really believe that they're the ninth best team in football? Or is this just say hey, I got to put him here because that's how the board fell.
A little bit of the ladder. But at the same time, I'm okay giving them some like a one week shot. I also felt like, boy, if I have them three or four spots below the Buffalo Bills, I'm gonna really get that hate bail. And I think it's fair because obviously we saw them play very evenly in that game.
So they go to Dallas this week, as mentioned, if Zach Wilson somehow is in that game of the fourth quarter because the defense keeps them in that game of the fourth quarter, like look out here, Wow, that is appointment viewing. At the same time, I have said this, and I said it on game day final, Woody Johnson has to call Tom Brady and what's the worst.
He could say?
No?
I expect him to say no, right, he already did the Instagram paying look, I'm shooting hoops with my kids on Tuesday morning.
But he has to at least call. I think he should call the Niners about Sam Darnold. Don't laugh.
Yes, Sam Darnold was undoubtedly a better quarterback now than he was when the Jets I think bamboozled the Panthers for what they got and sent him to Carolina.
You have to make that call.
I love Zack Wilson, I love the story, and most importantly, I love the Jets confidence, at least that locker room that they showed Monday night to rally behind the kid and to win that game. I just don't think it's sustainable over the next seventeen weeks, over four more primetime games, at a Black Friday game and four games in in late four o'clock Eastern Time doubleheader.
The world is watching windows. I just can't see it.
But I commend you for being bold Eric at home, and for keeping them at number nine and actually moving them up from number eleven. The Ravens are ten. Your new number eleven team got whooped. That's the Cincinnati Bengals. They were beaten by the Browns. A lot of people said, Oh, I'm so surprised. You shouldn't be surprised. I told you the Browns were going to win. Now, admittedly, Eric, I didn't think they were going to win by three touchdowns.
Right, Yeah, it was a tremendous defensive performance in one who watched that knows that Jim Schwartz deserved to get the game ball, and you know the eleven guys who started and everybody after that. I didn't see too many weaknesses on that side of the ball, at least in that first game. The Browns have had a formula, no matter who's coordinator, to beating Joe Burrow lately. So you know, there's a little bit of a context there. We know
Burrow had the injury last year, didn't play well. They started out lad O, two offensive lines struggled, So we're repeating a lot of the same themes that we've seen in recent years. At the same time, it was such a bad performance for Burrow in the offense, you know, t Higgins eight targets and no catches. Some of them weren't even close to the point where I said, I've got to punish him, right and this at the Jets giving the boost. That's one end of the spectrum right now.
The Bengals being kind of over punished here maybe perhaps, but right now, you know, you have to consider these major concerns. I didn't think they played well at all, and I'm I'm taking the to him for it a little bit.
Joe Burrow threw for eighty two yards. Eighty two yards. He had over thirty attempts. He didn't throw an interception. That was an historically low number of passing yards in like the top five of all time for guys with thirty or more attempts without throwing an interception.
The Browns got after him.
The Browns have owned owned Joe Burrow, and that's not an exaggeration here. He came in averaging two hundred ninety five passing yards against them in his career, but a lot of those were garbage yards late. Regardless, the Bengals are down six, they go from five to eleven. Then you have the Chargers at twelve, You have those Browns
at thirteen. And how about a team making a power move presented to you by energizer up six the opposite here of the Bengals, the Green Bay Packers are up six because they whooped the team in your backyard and are now fifteen.
Maybe this is an overcorrection I heard from Packers fans Week one twenty First, are you kidding Melee? We're better than that. You'll see week one? I sure did. I mean, look, the first half was a relatively evenly played game. I still thought the Packers were a little better. In the second half. They turn it on. It was Stordan Love, it was Aaron Jones, it was those young defensive players they drafted the last couple of years getting returns on
those picks. I thought that was terrific. Thought Matt Lafleur out coached the Bears coaching staff as well. There were just so many face this game that made you think Green Bay still owns the Bears, right Aaron Rodgers transferred ownership over to Jordan Love apparently right. So I just felt like they look like a complete football team we saw earlier. Not quite as much national respect as the Lions are getting to win the North, but I think a lot more people open their eyes saw, look, this
is a good Packers team. They're going to be competitive this year. And Jordan Loves has a ring. Especially in third and fourth down, they were great.
Yeah, And I think that that's the key here because I tweeted during the game, Hey, Jordan Love, everybody on that fourth down play where he hit Aaron Jones. Yeah, and Joanes screened at the end zone eventually grabbed his hamstring. There, I said, ladies and gentlemen, Jordan Love, and people said, here, it is a screen right there. People said, oh, no, no, no, no, that's Aaron Jones. Like dude, that was a fourth down perfect throw.
Yeah.
And to your point, Eric, on third and fourth down, maybe the numbers don't show it, but on third and fourth down, when they needed Jordan Love to make a throw, he made a throw. And you know that this was a one sided game in the second half. When the questions on Monday to Khalil Herbert and to Matt Eberflus were about effort, did your team show appropriate effort? Iber Flu said, the effort is there, okay, But this was an you know, tip of the cap to Kyle brand here.
He said this all summer on Good Morning Football, as big a Bears game for that fan base in years years, and they laid meg.
It was shocking to see them lay down Packers. Fans came in, enjoyed their win, got out of town, and it's the same as it you see. It has to be very, very frustrating. Not only the fans, but also the new management, the new coaches and everything they have to get this thing right. And fig O jgre out Weston Fields is or isn't this year? This is the year to do it with all the draft capital they have Next.
Year we are halfway home. We have yet to reveal the Bears. Here's a hint. We're not going to reveal them anytime soon. But coming up on NFL Power Rankings presented by Energizer seventeen through thirty two.
The rest of the list. Don't go anywhere.
Eric at home of the new power rankings. Here NFL Power Rankings presented by Energizer. Eric has the Vikings at seventeen, followed by the Seahawks, the Steelers, and the Broncos riding out the top twenty the Commanders, the Titans, the Raiders, and the fighting Baker Mayfields there at.
Twenty one to twenty four. Eric is with us. I'm Andrews Ciciliano.
The Seahawks. Eric were thirteen last week. They are eighteen this week after gaining only twelve yards in the second half against the Rams.
Yeah, well you spelled it out right there. I'm in a dismal offensive performance and also losing both starting offensive tackles in the game. I mean, adding injury to insult, I guess if you will. And yeah, it was just shocking. I mean Gino Smith had pressure into space as you see here, just wasn't getting those clean pockets, especially after the backups were in there. It tackled, So they got a problem. I mean they've signed Jason Peters, forty one
year old Jason Peters the practice squad. I don't think that's going to be a solution. So you hope for good health from these guys. But also defensively, they didn't turn in a good afternoon. They let the Rams kind of dictate the pace of play, power runs inside, dicing them up with the pass game. It just was not the coming amount of Week one performance I expected, especially after such a strong year last year making the playoffs. And yeah, this is not the team I thought i'd see a Sunday.
And now the Seahawks have to go to Detroit to face a very good in a very well rested Lions team. Let's get some other numbers in here. We showed you seventeen to twenty four. We have the Patriots at twenty five, followed by the Rams, the Panthers, the Giants, the Bears, the Colts, the Texans, and the Arizona Cardinals who fought but could not beat the Commanders. The Rams were thirty eric some quick hitters. Let's go to them first. They move up four to twenty six.
Yeah, I got to give him some respect, right. They went up to Seattle and turn in a terrific performance without Cooper Cup. Who needs Cooper Cup when you have Poka Nakua after all? Right, a tremendous debut from him. They ran the ball almost forty times, so I really liked the approach there, covered up a defense that just doesn't have a lot of names outside Aaron Donald. What about number twenty eight? My biggest dropper of the week, the New York Giants dropping nine spots and a man,
I was tempted to go further. I don't think they're quite that bad. This was just a brutal performance from Dale Jones. The offense defense respectable at least competitive, but yeah, so many questions on that side of the ball, and a lot of questions with the Bears dropping three spots to number twenty nine. Look, Chicago fans thought this was the game where they could send a statement not only to Green Bay but also for the rest of the NFL that Justin Fields is getting better. Our coaching staff
knows what it's doing. The defense has improved, Andrew. I had trouble finding evidence of any of those things right now. That's why they fell to number twenty nine.
I had the Bears have to go to Tampa to face the fighting Baker Mayfields and the Buccaneers. The Giants a chance for redemption, they go to Arizona to face Josh Dobbs and the Cardinal.
Obviously, it's far easier said than done.
The Cardinals actually fought and hung around in Washington before Sam Howell made some plays and that.
Defense stepped up in the second half. Eric, this is fun. Have you had fun? It is okay.
I've had a lot of yea. I was expecting this to be painful, not today.
Be nice to Eric. You can find them on Twitter. By the way, if you want to send up a message. We're going to be here every week.
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For Eric, I'm Andrew, so long.
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