NFL power rankings, built on results through September 21. The order is computed from results; the notes explain it.
Two weeks in, San Francisco, Minnesota and Kansas City are 2-0 at the top; the Chargers, Commanders and Falcons are 0-2 at the bottom. Nobody in the top half has yet beaten a team with a winning record, and the Rams and Patriots jumped 20 places anyway. Early tables reward movement, not proof.
1. San Francisco 49ers — 2-0 (up 3)
San Francisco has won both games by wide margins, and the Miami win turned on a third quarter in which the 49ers scored 21 unanswered points to stretch a 14-6 half-time lead into 35-6. They are scoring 31 a game, fourth in the league, while giving up 10, third. They look like the league's best team.
2. Minnesota Vikings — 2-0 (up 4)
Minnesota is 2-0 and has won its games by more than almost anyone, though the second was a grind: 6-3 at half-time, 6-3 after three quarters, 9-3 final. The defence allows 12.5 points a game, fourth-fewest in the league, while the offence sits 13th at 24.0. This is a team built to win low-scoring games, and the offence has yet to prove it can carry one.
3. Kansas City Chiefs — 2-0 (down 2)
One win was a pull-away and one came down to the last quarter. Kansas City led Denver 24-10 after three quarters and won 31-10, then trailed Indianapolis 17-20 at half-time before taking it 33-30. They are scoring 32 a game, third-most in the league. The offence is doing the lifting; these wins have been less comfortable than 2-0 sounds.
4. Cincinnati Bengals — 2-0 (up 8)
Cincinnati never trailed in Houston: 0-0 after one, 7-3 at half-time, 17-6 after three, and 20-6 at the finish. The Bengals are allowing 16.5 points a game, and only seven teams give up fewer. The defence has been the constant; the offence has yet to be asked for more.
5. Buffalo Bills — 2-0 (up 8)
Buffalo buried Detroit early, leading 27-10 at half-time and 34-17 after three quarters before a late Lions rally made the 41-31 final look tighter than the game was. They are scoring 38.5 a game, most in the league, and allowing 31.0, which is 28th. The offence is carrying a defence that keeps letting teams back in.
6. Seattle Seahawks — 2-0 (up 10)
Seattle is 2-0 after beating Arizona 31-7, pulling clear of a 7-7 half-time tie with a 14-0 fourth quarter. The defense has allowed 8.5 points a game while the offense scores 22.0, and that gap is the story of this team so far.
7. Philadelphia Eagles — 2-0 (up 7)
Philadelphia led Tennessee 14-10 at half-time and was level at 17-17 after three quarters before a 7-3 final quarter delivered a 24-20 win. The offence scores 24 a game, 13th in the league, and the defence allows 21. Winning this narrowly says the record is doing more work than the play.
8. Las Vegas Raiders — 2-0 (down 1)
Las Vegas Raiders sit 8 of 32 at 2-0, down 1 on last week.
9. Chicago Bears — 1-1 (down 7)
Chicago scores 31 a game, fourth in the league, and has won by more than almost anyone. Minnesota was the opposite: a 3-9 game, the Bears ahead after one quarter and behind from half-time on, scoreless after the first. A team that scores this easily should not be held to three points.
10. Jacksonville Jaguars — 1-1 (down 7)
Jacksonville won its opener by more than almost anyone, then led Denver 13-6 after three quarters and lost 13-20, with the final quarter going 0-14. They allow 15.0 points a game, 6th of 32, while scoring 23.5, 15th. The defense is carrying them; the offense has to learn to finish.
11. Los Angeles Rams — 1-1 (up 20)
The Rams never trailed the Giants, leading 14-3 at half-time and 21-6 after three quarters before closing out a 28-6 win. Neither of their games has been decided by one score, and they give up 16.5 points a game, eighth in the league. That defence is real; the offence, at 17.5 a game, is what has to catch up.
12. New England Patriots — 1-1 (up 20)
New England is 1-1, and the 20-3 win over Pittsburgh (1-1) showed why: the defence allows 8.0 points a game, 1st of 32, while the offence scores 15.0, 26th. They led 13-3 after three quarters and closed with a 7-0 final quarter. The defence is carrying this team; the offence is the reason they sit at 12.
13. Baltimore Ravens — 1-1 (down 8)
Baltimore led New Orleans 17-9 after three quarters, then gave up 15 in the fourth and lost 17-24. The offense is scoring 29 a game, seventh in the league, while the defense allows 23.5, 16th. This team can put points on anyone; closing out a lead is what it has not shown.
14. New Orleans Saints — 1-1 (up 10)
New Orleans Saints sit 14 of 32 at 1-1, up 10 on last week.
15. Green Bay Packers — 1-1 (up 5)
Green Bay was behind the Jets after three quarters and still won 20-17, the kind of close game this team has taken. They are scoring 21 a game, 18th in the league, while allowing 28, 24th. A late comeback says something about resolve; the points allowed say this will stay a fight.
16. Denver Broncos — 1-1 (up 1)
The Kansas City game got away, 10-31, and Denver trailed Jacksonville 6-13 after three quarters before scoring 14 in the fourth to win 20-13. Two games in, the pattern is clear: the defence allows 22 a game and keeps them close, while an offence scoring 15 a game, 26th in the league, has to find a late burst to matter.
17. Carolina Panthers — 1-1 (up 11)
Carolina is 1-1, with a 34-3 win over Atlanta in which the Panthers led 20-3 at half-time and 34-3 after three quarters, and a wide-margin loss. The offence is scoring 35.5 a game, second-most in the league, but the defence allows 31.0, 28th. The points are there; the stops are not.
18. New York Jets — 1-1 (down 10)
The Jets led Green Bay 14-7 after three quarters and lost 17-20, the one-score game they have played this season. They allow 15.0 points a game, sixth of 32, and score 20.0, 20th. That is a defence good enough to keep them close and an offence not yet good enough to finish.
19. Detroit Lions — 1-1 (down 4)
Detroit is scoring 31 a game, fourth-most in the league, but giving up 35.5, more than all but one team. Buffalo scored 14 in the first quarter and Detroit none; the Lions trailed 10-27 at half-time and 17-34 after three quarters, then took the final quarter 14-7 in a 31-41 loss. The offense can score with anyone; the defense is why they sit here.
20. Dallas Cowboys — 1-1 (down 2)
Dallas led Washington after every quarter, ahead 17-10 at half-time and 27-13 through three before closing it out 37-20. The offence is scoring 28.5 a game, eighth in the league, while the defence gives up 24.0. The points are coming; the stops are the question.
21. Arizona Cardinals — 1-1 (down 12)
Arizona was level at half-time in Seattle, then gave up 10 in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth and never scored again. It lost 7-31, and the offence is managing just 16.5 points a game, 24th in the league. The defence, 14th at 22.5 allowed, is carrying a team that has not yet put four quarters together.
22. Cleveland Browns — 1-1 (up 7)
Cleveland was level with Tampa Bay at 16-16 after three quarters, then took the closing period 7-3 and won 23-19 against a team that is 0-2. The other game was a loss by a wide margin. Scoring 16.5 a game, 24th in the league, the offense is the part that still has to come around.
23. Pittsburgh Steelers — 1-1 (down 12)
Pittsburgh scored three points in the second quarter and none after half-time, losing 3-20 to New England. Two games in, the offence is scoring 11.5 a game, 31st of 32, while the defence allows 16.5, eighth. The defence is holding up its end; the offence is the reason they are here.
24. New York Giants — 1-1 (down 14)
Two weeks in, the Giants have a win and a 6-28 loss to the Rams, and they lose by more than almost anyone. They trailed 3-14 at half-time and 6-21 after three quarters, never leading after the break. The offense is averaging 17 points a game; that is what has to change.
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — 0-2 (down 2)
Tampa Bay was level with Cleveland at 16-16 after three quarters, then the fourth quarter went 3-7 and the game ended 19-23. They are scoring 23 a game, 16th in the league, while allowing 28, 24th. The offense keeps them in games; the defense is why they sit at 0-2.
26. Indianapolis Colts — 0-2
Indianapolis has scored 26.5 points a game, 10th in the league, and led Kansas City 20-17 at half-time before losing 30-33. But they allow 37.0 a game, 32nd of 32, and that is why they are 0-2. The offense is keeping them in games; the defense is the problem.
27. Miami Dolphins — 0-2 (down 8)
Miami is 0-2 and has not been in a one-score game. Against San Francisco (2-0), the Dolphins were within 6-14 at half-time, then gave up 21 in the third quarter and trailed 6-35. They are scoring 13 a game, 30th in the league, and allowing 31, 28th. Neither unit is working; the offence has yet to put a game within reach.
28. Tennessee Titans — 0-2 (down 3)
Tennessee went to the fourth quarter level with Philadelphia at 17-17 and lost 20-24 anyway. That is the shape of this 0-2 start: close enough to touch, never closed. They are scoring 15.0 a game, 26th in the league, and no amount of hanging around fixes an offence that cannot pull away.
29. Houston Texans — 0-2 (up 1)
Houston is 0-2, and neither of their games was decided by one score. Against Cincinnati they went 0-3-3-0 by quarter, trailing 3-7 at half-time and 6-17 after three quarters in a 6-20 loss to a 2-0 team. They score 18.5 a game, 21st in the league, and allow 28.0, 24th; two games do not settle much, but the offence has to be better than this.
30. Los Angeles Chargers — 0-2 (down 8)
Los Angeles never led in Las Vegas, level after one quarter and behind the rest of the way in a 14-26 loss to a Raiders team that is 2-0. The Chargers are scoring 14 a game, 29th of 32, and allowing 26, 21st. At 0-2, the offence is the reason they sit here.
31. Washington Commanders — 0-2 (down 10)
The Commanders have trailed in both games and never led in the loss to Dallas, scoring 21 a game (18th) but allowing 30.5 (27th). One game was decided by a single score and they lost it; the other was a 20-37 loss. The offense is not the issue — the defense is.
32. Atlanta Falcons — 0-2 (down 5)
Atlanta is 0-2 and has not been close. Against Carolina it trailed 3-20 at half-time and 3-34 after three quarters, with the final quarter scoreless. At 8 points a game, 32nd of 32, the offence is the reason the Falcons are here.
