Week 1 was an absolute massacre for every single new coach in the NFL and our Against the Spread NFL Power Rankings will reflect that. All seven new head coaches in the league lost their 2018 opener, including both of the ones featured in the Monday Night Football doubleheader.
Sure, the rankings are still kind of arbitrary, but by factoring in each team’s performance against the spread, we’ve tossed a little science in there. Here are the Against the Spread NFL Power Rankings for Week 2.
1. Minnesota Vikings (1-0,ATS: 1-0): The Vikings had a tough draw with the suddenly hot 49ers in Week 1, but after a clunky start, scored all they needed with new signal-caller Kirk Cousins and that elite defense did the rest.
2. New England Patriots (1-0, ATS: 1-0): The Patriots did nothing to drop from the No. 2 position in a solid victory over the upstart Texans. Tom Brady posted a 102.2 quarterback rating and tossed three touchdowns. That quarterback cliff is looking pretty far away right now.
3. Los Angeles Rams (1-0, ATS: 1-0): The Rams didn’t play their starters at all in the preseason and it showed, for a half. The third and fourth quarters were nothing short of a display of dominance on both sides of the ball.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0 ATS: 1-0): The Eagles didn’t look great on offense last Thursday, but it didn’t matter. They looked phenomenal on defense and, in the end, all that counts is getting the victory. It is safe to say there won’t be a quarterback controversy once Carson Wentz is healthy enough to play.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0,ATS: 1-0): The Jaguars survived against the Giants, but are looking at taking the field with a hobbled Leonard Fournette for a while, if he even suits up at all after injuring his hamstring.
6. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0, ATS 1-0): Let’s not get too excited with a victory over the Anthony Lynn-coached Chargers in Week 1, but Patrick Mahomes looked outstanding, finishing with a 127.5 quarterback rating and four touchdowns.
7. Cincinnati Bengals (1-0, ATS: 1-0): Here’s the thing about the Bengals’ win over the Colts. Yes, it took a freaky fumble return off what looked like a sure Andrew Luck game-winning drive to seal it, but Cincy came back from a 23-10 deficit in the third quarter to win this game. Maybe we’ve all got this Bengals team pegged wrong. Thursday night’s match-up with the Ravens will tell us a lot.
8. Carolina Panthers (1-0, ATS: 1-0): The NFL’s invisible team just notched its first of at least 10 wins this season. Keep ignoring the Panthers, NFL pundits.
9. Baltimore Ravens (1-0, ATS: 1-0): The fact that the Ravens only picked off human interception machine Nathan Peterman twice is an albatross this defense should wear around its neck all season. You should be ashamed, Ravens.
10. Washington Redskins (1-0, ATS: 1-0): What did I tell you about September Alex Smith? September Alex Smith is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. It’s that whole October and November Alex Smith that seems to screw things up.
11. Denver Broncos (1-0, ATS: 1-0): Case Keenum is going to have to take much better care of the ball if he’s going to keep his job in Denver and the Broncos in the AFC West hunt.
12. Green Bay Packers (1-0 ATS: 0-1): Aaron Rodgers’ return on an injured leg to lead the Packers to victory was downright phenomenal. But I’m telling you right here, I think he either broke his leg or tore his ACL. He might still try to play on it, but the team is being very coy about how bad it is.
13. Miami Dolphins (1-0, ATS: 1-0): Ryan Tannehill survived one of the longest, and worst-played, games in NFL history. He and the two Titans quarterbacks combined for five interceptions.
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0, ATS: 0-1): Of all the potential upsets for Week 1, no one saw Ryan Fitzpatrick out-dueling Drew Brees in a 48-40 win over the Saints. We should have expected it, Fitzpatrick, playing for injured or suspended players, always lights up the scoreboard. It’s when he’s slated to be the full time starter that the wheels always come flying off.
15. New York Jets (1-0, ATS: 1-0): Sam Darnold bounced back from the worst possible play he could make in his rookie debut to deliver a solid performance. But the game was won by the Jets defense, which picked off Matthew Stafford four times and returned one for a touchdown.
16. Indianapolis Colts (0-1, ATS: 0-1): Any question about which Andrew Luck we would get this year was answered emphatically against the Bengals. It’s too bad Jack Doyle ate all that buttered popcorn on the sideline before the final drive.
17. New York Giants (0-1, ATS: 0-1): Watching a muffed punt end any chance of a Giants comeback against the Jaguars was a gut-wrenching way to end the opening game. But it also showed that New York is better than people think.
18. Seattle Seahawks (0-1, ATS: 0-1): Russell Wilson is going to keep the Seahawks in nearly every game this season, but there’s only so much he can fit on his 5-11 back.
19. Dallas Cowboys (0-1, ATS: 0-1): Like the Rams, the Cowboys’ choice of holding Dak Prescott, and especially Ezekiel Elliott, out of the preseason showed up on the scoreboard last Sunday. Unlike the Rams, they couldn’t knock off the cobwebs in the second half against an underrated Panthers team.
20. New Orleans Saints (0-1, ATS: 0-1): Remember last week when I told you that not only would the Saints not make the Super Bowl, but they wouldn’t even make the playoffs? If they keep playing defense like they did last Sunday, they won’t even finish .500.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0-1, ATS: 0-1): A tie against the Browns on opening day is an outrageous way to open the season for a team plenty of people picked to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
22. San Francisco 49ers (0-1, ATS: 0-1): A loss to the Vikings on the road is nothing to be ashamed of for an overmatched team like the Niners. The fact that they kept it within a score shows this team may hang around for a long time.
23. Chicago Bears (0-1, ATS: 1-0): Khalil Mack proved, in less than a quarter of football, he was worth every pick and every penny the Bears gave up to land him. Now head coach Matt Nagy just has to trust his young quarterback and stay aggressive in his playcalling. Regardless of Rodgers’ heroics, that loss is on him.
24. Los Angeles Chargers (0-1, ATS: 0-1): I picked you to win last week, Anthony Lynn. Lesson learned, my friend. Lesson learned.
25. Tennessee Titans (0-1, ATS: 0-1): It took nearly eight hours after two rain delays for Mike Vrabel to completely blow his coaching debut with one of the more loaded rosters in the league.
26. Atlanta Falcons (0-1, ATS: 0-1): How much more does Dan Quinn need to see before he loads Steve Sarkisian into the trebuchet and sends him rocketing to the unemployment line?
27. Houston Texans (0-1, ATS: 0-1): It was a tough draw to open the season against the Patriots. You can’t even blame this loss on head coach Bill O’Brien, though I’m sure you’ll be able to hang plenty on him later this season.
28. Cleveland Browns (0-0-1, ATS: 1-0): That’s right. In spite of remaining winless for the 18th consecutive game, the Browns are officially 1-0 against the spread this year. That has to be something, right? Also, this is, officially, the team’s best start since 2004. Who knew you could troll with actual stats?
29. Arizona Cardinals (0-1, ATS: 0-1): The good news for the Cardinals is Sam Bradford didn’t get hurt in their loss to the Redskins. The bad news is, he played awful after sitting out most of the preseason to keep him from getting hurt.
30. Oakland Raiders (0-1, ATS: 0-1): I’m no expert, but I have to think an elite pass-rusher would have made the difference against the Rams when Jared Goff could have unfolded a lawn chair in the pocket during the second half of Monday night’s loss.
31. Detroit Lions (0-1, ATS: 0-1): There’s embarrassing beatings, then there’s what the Lions suffered on Monday night in prime time. After an opening play pick-six gift from a rookie quarterback, no less.
32. Buffalo Bills (0-1, ATS: 0-1): I told you back in the preseason this was, at best, a 4-12 team. Now I’m not so sure they’ll even hit that mark. This is probably the worst team in the NFL.
