New England has taken the momentum from last year’s Super Bowl win and challenged that into the first two weeks of the 2015 season. The Patriots have started the year 2-0 and top the list in the latest power rankings.
With Tom Brady looking ageless and the passing game the best in the league, it could be a long year for the rest of the AFC East, especially if they start to get the running game on track.
NFL analyst Sean Tomilinson of Bleacher Report has Green Bay in the number two position, despite the preseason loss of wide receiver Jordy Nelson. This week the Packers play Kansas City and a win will give credence to his ranking and would make the “Pack” early season favorites in the NFC.
The third spot in the updated rankings are where things get interesting. Experts are split with Cincinnati, Dallas, and Denver all being consideration, but with the injuries that have hit the Cowboys the last two weeks, it’s hard to imagine America’a Team keeping pace with the top teams in the league.
The Bengals have become one of the more consistent franchises in the league, making the playoffs in each of the last four years, but until this squad learns to win after the regular season is over, placing them any higher then the top-2 is out of the question.
Reports of Peyton Manning’s demise might delight some fans, but he and his Denver Broncos team mates continue to win football games. In week 1 they won without an offensive touchdown and this past Sunday they looked much like the offense that made them candidates to return to the big game at seasons end and third in the updated rankings from many sport sites.
With the good comes the bad, and while many thought Oakland would hold down this spot, it now appears Chicago is the worst team in the league. The Bears have struggled with a new coach and now have at least two weeks without Jay Cutler and while that might not be bad news for some, it looks like the front office can do their research on college quarterbacks a bit earlier than expected.
