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FanDuel Sportsbook Promos 2024 NFL Power Rankings: Week 2
Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books. Our NFL Power Rankings -- which are powered by numberFire's nERD-based rankings -- look a bit different as we gear up for Week 2.
Only two teams pulled off upsets on Sunday: the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots. Other than those two AFC groups, the chalks won out last week. But despite results that favored the favorites, Week 1 provided plenty of insight as to how we should view certain teams moving forward.
The dominant Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers aren't going anywhere. Kansas City pulled off a 27-20 victory opposite the Baltimore Ravens and Xavier Worthy is already a player to be feared. The Niners toppled Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets by a score of 32-19 despite missing the fire engine that is Christian McCaffrey. It's the same old, same old at the tippy-top.
On the very, very bottom of the totem pole, we welcome the Carolina Panthers. Bryce Young's Year 2 debut looked like a saddening re-run of his rookie season and the defense allowed the New Orleans Saints to put a massive 47 points on the board.
Some fringe teams showed us strength on Sunday, including the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks. Others drew a bit of concern, namely Kirk Cousins and his should-be powerhouse Atlanta Falcons offense.
The injury bug struck early and often, too. How will the 0-1 Green Bay Packers fare now that they are heading into three-to-six weeks without Jordan Love (knee) at the helm? Can the 0-1 Los Angeles Rams pick up the pieces with Puka Nacua (knee) sitting on the IR?
Let's dive into our Power Rankings and see where everything stands heading into Week 2.
All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook.
NFL Power Rankings (Week 2)
Teams Ranked 32nd to 23rd
Rank | Team | nERD | Playoff Odds | Division Odds | Super Bowl Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | Carolina Panthers | -11.07 | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 31 | New York Giants | -7.50 | 2.7% | 0.7% | 0.1% |
| 30 | Washington Commanders | -6.53 | 5.1% | 1.4% | 0.0% |
| 29 | New England Patriots | -5.78 | 9.8% | 3.2% | 0.1% |
| 28 | Denver Broncos | -4.57 | 9.2% | 2.7% | 0.1% |
| 27 | Arizona Cardinals | -2.56 | 15.1% | 5.9% | 0.3% |
| 26 | Tennesse Titans | -2.53 | 18.0% | 8.8% | 0.5% |
Apologies to a few of the fanbases whose teams made this list.
We touched on the dumpster fire that is the Carolina Panthers. Daniel Jones and the New York Giants might be in a similar boat. On Sunday, Jones dealt out a pair of picks and managed just a 52.4% completion rate in a game where the Giants failed to reach the end zone. Those are the ugliest teams to speak of.
The Patriots proved just how much defense matters in their 16-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Teams like the Pats, Denver Broncos, Washington Commanders, Las Vegas Raiders, and Tennessee Titans are capable of playing spoiler on a game-to-game basis. Washington draws some intrigue, particularly after seeing what Jayden Daniels did in his NFL debut.
I'm fine to play the wait-and-see game with Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals offense, but I'm not quick to forget that Arizona's defensive line, secondary, and linebacker unit all ranked dead-last coming into the season (via PFF). It will be an uphill battle for this team in 2024.
The Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts are the clear outliers in this tier. We wouldn't be totally shocked if either of these teams made a bid for the AFC South, but we'd be gobsmacked if any of the aforementioned teams made a run for their respective division. The Colts are +198 to make the playoffs, a bet I'd be willing to check in on after seeing Anthony Richardson and company stick around with the Houston Texans on Sunday.
Teams Ranked 22nd to 13th
Rank | Team | nERD | Playoff Odds | Division Odds | Super Bowl Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Cleveland Browns | -0.25 | 26.3% | 8.8% | 1.1% |
| 21 | New York Jets | 0.52 | 41.8% | 18.6% | 1.7% |
| 20 | Los Angeles Rams | 0.55 | 31.0% | 14.0% | 1.4% |
| 19 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 0.88 | 46.5% | 20.8% | 2.2% |
| 18 | Chicago Bears | 1.02 | 44.5% | 18.5% | 2.1% |
| 17 | Los Angeles Chargers | 1.29 | 56.3% | 26.2% | 2.4% |
| 16 | Seattle Seahawks | 1.41 | 47.0% | 23.3% | 2.4% |
Here we find a solid crop of teams. Week 1 taught us a few lessons about all of them -- some good, some bad.
The Steelers still have an awesome defense but their quarterback situation is muddy. Justin Fields was fine in his Steeler debut but it's hard to wrap your head around this offense, one that won on Sunday by a score of 18-10 despite logging zero touchdown scores. Mike Tomlin always seems to find a way, so they remain a headache-laced sleeper.
The Falcons were a massive Week 1 disappointment after dropping a match to that aforementioned Steelers group. A positive takeaway? Atlanta ceded zero touchdowns in the defensive-minded Raheem Morris' head coaching debut. But Kirk Cousins was a liability after throwing a pair of picks and leaving Drake London to the wayside. This offense is still super loaded, and we should have faith that Cousins can piece it together now that he's got a game under his belt following a serious injury. Atlanta's NFC South odds dropped to +155 (39.2% implied probability), but numberFire is giving them a 49.8% shake to win the division. They'll visit the Philadelphia Eagles this week, so perhaps we'll have an even better buy-low opportunity next week. Even still, I'm good with backing Atlanta in the NFC South at +155.
It's easy to love what Matthew Stafford and the Rams bring to the table, but losing Sunday night's game and Nacua is a tough Week 1 draw. A date with the Niners is set for Week 3, but at least they may be in for a meeting with the potentially Jordan Love-less Packers in Week 5.
Caleb Williams was abysmal in his Chicago Bears debut. It's pretty wild that the team managed a 24-17 victory over the Titans despite Williams throwing for a measly 93 yards and the team's lead rusher managing just 30 yards. We'll see if the potentially over-hyped rookie can take some of the onus off Chicago's show-stopping defense.
Teams Ranked 12th to 1st
Rank | Team | nERD | Playoff Odds | Division Odds | Super Bowl Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Green Bay Packers | 2.35 | 37.5% | 15.4% | 2.3% |
| 11 | Minnesota Vikings | 2.44 | 47.8% | 20.3% | 3.0% |
| 10 | New Orleans Saints | 3.39 | 64.1% | 41.1% | 3.9% |
| 9 | Cincinnati Bengals | 3.42 | 59.6% | 30.7% | 4.1% |
| 8 | Houston Texans | 3.49 | 77.1% | 65.0% | 7.4% |
| 7 | Miami Dolphins | 3.52 | 69.0% | 40.7% | 4.4% |
| 6 | Detroit Lions | 4.26 | 72.5% | 45.9% | 8.4% |
The Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints got invited to the top tier after their encouraging play in Week 1, albeit against the bottom-ranked Panthers and Giants. At the risk of short-selling either of these squads, it's important to remember that Week 1 is peanuts in the grand scheme of things, and numberFire's Super Bowl chances are a keen reminder of just that. For example, the 13th-ranked Eagles own numberFire's fifth-best chances at hoisting the Lombardi this season.
Green Bay's Super Bowl odds have plummeted in the wake of a Week 1 loss and Love's injury. An ugly start to the season could be inbound with Malik Willis taking over signal-calling duties. The Pack entered the season with the hopes of playoffs and more. They now struggle with +168 odds to even reach the postseason.
The Buffalo Bills found themselves in a 17-3 hole opposite the Cardinals on Sunday but powered through to notch a 34-28 victory. They currently have +180 odds (35.7% implied probability) to win the AFC East but numberFire gives them a 37.5% chance to complete the task. I'm pretty sour on the Jets (+190) here, so I like Buffalo's odds in this spot.
As mentioned, it's nearly impossible to have a Super Bowl conversation without mentioning either the Chiefs or 49ers, but the NFL isn't short on teams who could make a run, and we've already seen just how much can change in this league on a week-to-week basis.
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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.
