NFL: Weekly Power Rankings Surprises in Week 2! Quarterbacks in the Spotlight.

After a weekend full of last-minute victories, Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season concluded with exciting matchups on “Monday Night Football.” How did the Buccaneers and Chargers victories affect our power rankings? We analyze all 32 teams heading into Week 3. In addition to our rankings, NFL Nation reporters named the most important thing they’ve learned from the starting quarterback, or from the quarterback situation in general, this season. Some of those starters will change in the coming weeks, as five quarterbacks are dealing with injuries: Brock Purdy of the 49ers (toe and left shoulder), Joe Burrow of the Bengals (toe surgery), Jayden Daniels of the Commanders (knee), Justin Fields of the Jets (concussion), and J.J. McCarthy of the Vikings (ankle). Will the backups be able to keep their teams on the right track? And how have veteran quarterbacks like Daniel Jones and Geno Smith looked so far with their new teams? Let’s start with team number 1. (Our expert panel, made up of over 80 writers, editors, and television personalities, evaluates how NFL teams compare to each other, ranking them from 1 to 32).

• ARI
• ATL
• BAL
• BUF
• CAR
• CHI
• CIN
• CLE
• DAL
• DEN
• DET
• GB
• HOU
• IND
• JAX
• KC
• LAC
• LAR
• LV
• MIA
• MIN
• NE
• NO
• NYG
• NYJ
• PHI
• PIT
• SF
• SEA
• TB
• TEN
• WSH

1. Buffalo Bills (2-0)

Result of Week 2: They defeated the Jets 30-10 Week 2 Ranking: 1 The most important thing about the QB: Josh Allen continues to show that he doesn’t need to be Superman

Although Allen sometimes has to carry the Bills, he struggled early in his career trying to do too much on his own. That still happens sometimes, but the Bills have shown they don’t have to rely solely on Allen’s arm and legs. That was demonstrated against the Jets, as Buffalo’s dominant running attack led the way. James Cook finished with 132 yards and two touchdowns, and Allen didn’t score in a start for the eighth time in his NFL career. – Alaina Getzenberg

2. Philadelphia Eagles (2-0)

Result of Week 2: They defeated the Chiefs 20-17 Week 2 Ranking: 2 The most important thing about the QB: Jalen Hurts continues to do what is necessary to win His passing statistics are far from flashy, as he finished with 101 passing yards on Sunday and completed only one pass of more than 10 yards. But Hurts played nearly error-free football and again made a crucial play when he needed to, this time a deep pass to DeVonta Smith to set up a critical touchdown. He also converted four first downs and scored a touchdown on a “tush push.” With the win over Kansas City, he improved to 48-20 as a starter during the regular season. – Tim McManus

3. Green Bay Packers (2-0)

Result of Week 2: They defeated the Commanders 27-18 Week 2 Ranking: 4 The most important thing about the QB: Jordan Love still hasn’t found his number 1 receiver Losing Jayden Reed to a fractured collarbone early in the Week 2 victory won’t help Love identify a go-to player. Through two games, tight end Tucker Kraft leads the Packers with eight receptions for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Among the receivers, Dontayvion Wicks leads in receptions (six) and Romeo Doubs leads in yards (96). First-round rookie Matthew Golden only has two receptions for 16 yards, but Love missed him twice on what could have been big plays against Washington. – Rob Demovsky

4. Baltimore Ravens (1-1)

Result of Week 2: They defeated the Browns 41-17 Week 2 Ranking: 3 The most important thing about the QB: Lamar Jackson remains the favorite for the NFL MVP

The two-time MVP has already positioned himself to win a third award by adding seven touchdowns and no turnovers. This is the fifth time in the last 20 years that a quarterback has reached that mark in the first two weeks. The previous four quarterbacks who achieved this (Peyton Manning (2013), Patrick Mahomes (2018 and 2022) and Jackson (2019)) won the NFL MVP. Now, can Jackson keep up the pace against a Lions defense that has allowed four touchdown passes and made one interception this season? – Jamison Hensley

5. Detroit Lions (1-1)

Result of Week 2: They defeated the Bears 52-21 Week 2 Ranking: 8 The most important thing about the QB: Jared Goff can still produce at an elite level

It goes without saying that the Lions struggled in Green Bay in the season opener, but Week 2 reminded the world that Goff and the Lions can still be dominant. Goff became the first quarterback in Lions history with an 80% completion percentage and five passing touchdowns in a game, and he also surpassed Bobby Layne (118) for the second-most passing touchdowns in franchise history. If he receives solid protection from an offensive line that is still adapting to new players, there shouldn’t be a drop-off for Goff in his tenth NFL season. – Eric Woodyard

2:12 Was Week 1 or 2 a fantasy overreaction for the Lions? Field Yates, Daniel Dopp, and Stephania Bell examine the Lions’ fantasy performances in Week 2.

6. Los Angeles Rams (2-0)

Result of Week 2: They defeated the Titans 33-19 Week 2 Ranking: 7 The most important thing about the QB: Matthew Stafford’s back doesn’t seem to be affecting his game

Despite missing a significant portion of training camp with a disc aggravated in his back, Stafford has played well to start the season. Coach Sean McVay said Stafford was “in complete control” in the second half of the Rams’ victory over the Titans. And although Stafford didn’t have as much practice time in training camp as he hoped with new wide receiver Davante Adams, the pair demonstrated the chemistry they’ve built on Sunday, connecting six times for 106 yards and a touchdown. – Sarah Barshop

7. Los Angeles Chargers (2-0)

Result of Week 2: They defeated the Raiders 20-9 Week 2 Ranking: 9 The most important thing about the QB: Last season was an aberration for Justin Herbert

Herbert began last season with unusually low passing numbers in his first season with Jim Harbaugh. It wasn’t until Week 6 that he had a game with at least 200 passing yards. Part of his slow start can be attributed to the various injuries he played through. But he threw four interceptions in the Chargers’ playoff loss to the Texans, more than he had during the entire regular season. In Week 1, Herbert had one of the best games of his career against the Chiefs, throwing for 318 yards and three touchdowns, and threw two more touchdown passes in Week 2 against the Raiders. With an improved offense, he seems poised for a dominant year. – Kris Rhim

8. Kansas City Chiefs (0-2)

Result of Week 2: They lost against the Eagles 20-17 Week 2 Ranking: 5 The most important thing about the QB: Patrick Mahomes might have to do it all again The Chiefs’ support around Mahomes isn’t ideal, especially at the running back position. Consider this stat from ESPN Research: Mahomes joined Cam Newton (2020) as the only QBs since 1950 to record twice as many rushing yards as any other player on their team in each of the first two games. Without receiver Rashee Rice for four more games (suspension), Mahomes has essentially had to be a superhero to drive the Chiefs down the field on their four touchdown drives this season. – Nate Taylor

9. Washington Commanders (1-1)

Result of Week 2: They lost against the Packers 27-18 Week 2 Ranking: 6 The most important thing about the QB: Jayden Daniels needs to find his rhythm Daniels has completed 59.7% of his passes in 2025 after completing 69% all of last season. The Packers were, as expected, a difficult challenge by pressuring him on 46% of his throws, but the Commanders’ passing game has been notably out of sync in both games, especially the connection between Daniels and receiver Terry McLaurin. The latter missed most of the spring and all of the camp due to a contractual situation, costing the duo valuable repetitions. The second-year QB has a passer rating of just 48.4 and a completion percentage of 53.8% when targeting McLaurin, compared to 89.4 and 67.3%, respectively, last season. And Daniels is now dealing with a knee injury, which could keep him out on Sunday and prevent him from finding his rhythm sooner. – John Keim

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0)

Result of Week 2: They defeated the Texans 20-19 Week 2 Ranking: 10 The most important thing about the QB: Baker Mayfield is a player Mayfield’s Week 1 performance was shaky, as he completed 53.1% of his passes against the Falcons. But he made plays with his legs when it mattered most, running four times on third down for 39 yards. Then, in the two-minute drill, he found rookie Emeka Egbuka on a 25-yard touchdown pass to take the final lead. He did the same in Week 2, leading an 11-play winning drive in the final two minutes. There was no panic. This is what you want from a franchise quarterback and was a hallmark of his predecessor, Tom Brady. – Jenna Laine

11. San Francisco 49ers (2-0)

Result of Week 2: They defeated the Saints 26-21 Week 2 Ranking: 14 The most important thing about the QB: The 49ers can win with Mac Jones under center When Brock Purdy missed two games due to injury in 2024, backups Brandon Allen and Joshua Dobbs recorded QBRs of 33.2 and 23.4, respectively, and the 49ers lost both games by a combined total of 51 points. Before Sunday, a quarterback other than Purdy hadn’t started and won with the 49ers since Jimmy Garoppolo in December 2022. But Jones stepped in against the Saints and recorded a QBR of 67.2 with three touchdown passes. San Francisco hopes Purdy returns soon from injuries to his toe and left shoulder, but their confidence in Jones is real if Purdy has to miss more time. – Nick Wagoner

12. Cincinnati Bengals (2-0)

Result of Week 2: They defeated the Jaguars 31-27 Week 2 Ranking: 12 The most important thing about the QB: Jake Browning is good enough to take the Bengals to the playoffs In his own words, Browning was “delirious” on Sunday. Despite throwing three interceptions, he was unfazed as he led the Bengals on a game-winning drive that culminated in a leap over the goal line. Although Joe Burrow is expected to be out for at least three months with a toe injury, there is immense confidence that Browning can lead the team going forward. Bengals coach Zac Taylor said there is still a lot of optimism in the team that the offense can be efficient and effective behind Browning, who helped Cincinnati win four games in 2023 while Burrow was out with a wrist injury. – Ben Baby

1:25 Why Stephen A. believes the Bengals can succeed without Joe Burrow Stephen A. Smith says the Bengals could still be competitive if Joe Burrow returns later this season.

13. Denver Broncos (1-1)

Result of Week 2: They lost against the Colts 29-28 Week 2 Ranking: 11 Most important thing about the QB: Defenses may have found a problematic point for Bo Nix

When surveying defensive coaches and personnel executives across the league about the challenges awaiting Nix in year two, some said teams would try to force Nix to work more outside the numbers and keep him away from his more comfortable throws in the middle of the field. On throws outside the numbers this season, Nix has thrown three interceptions and had another possible interception that was dropped. Several times there has also been a safety lurking behind the receiver in the group coverage. – Jeff Legwold

14. Indianapolis Colts (2-0)

Result of Week 2: They defeated the Broncos 29-28 Week 2 Ranking: 23 The most important thing about the QB: Daniel Jones is playing with extreme efficiency No QB is averaging more yards per pass attempt than Jones’ 9.3. That was unexpected for a player who had never averaged more than 6.8 in a single season in his career. He’s doing it in two ways. First, Jones is getting the ball to players in position to run after the catch, which they are doing at a high rate (5.5 YAC per reception). Second, Jones was more aggressive on Sunday, throwing more intermediate and deep passes despite a high blitz rate from Denver. – Stephen Holder

15. Atlanta Falcons (1-1)

Result of Week 2: They defeated the Vikings 22-6 Week 2 Ranking: 17 The most important thing about the QB: Michael Penix Jr. will at least keep the Falcons in games Penix would have been the star in Week 1 with two gutsy fourth-down runs in the final quarter, the second of which resulted in a go-ahead touchdown. But the Falcons gave up the lead on defense, and a missed field goal cost them the game. Penix’s stats didn’t set the world on fire in Week 2, but he didn’t turn the ball over and made key third-down completions when they were most needed in front of a hostile Vikings crowd. The second-year quarterback ranks ninth in the league in success rate (48.6%). – Marc Raimondi