Ryan Clark and Dan Orlovsky praise Tua Tagovailoa for his play against the Ravens and detail what they expect from him in the future. There is a time and a place for it. The third week of the regular season is here. The comebacks took place in Week 2. The Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, and New York Jets all pulled out victories after being down a lot. The Indianapolis Colts were shut out by the Jacksonville Jaguars for the first time in three years. The Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions scored a lot of points in a single game. Jimmy Garoppolo is the new starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers after Trey Lance was lost for the season with an ankle injury. All of that and more are reflected in our updated power rankings. What adjustments do each team need to make in order to have success? The biggest adjustment will set up teams for the rest of the season. What players need the ball more and where can other changes be made? The updated rankings should be looked at. The middle of the pack was shuffled as the top three teams remained the same. Jump to a team:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LV | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN
NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH Week 2 ranking: 1 The running backs production needs to be improved. Josh Allen was the team's leader in rushing. The Bills couldn't pick up first downs in short-yardage situations. An inability to get the running game going was a problem for the Bills last year. The offense could be harder to stop if it could get consistent production from its running backs. Week 2 ranking: 2 There is more pressure on the pass rush. The Chiefs are in the middle of the pack in terms of pressures. They are in the middle of the pack when it comes to pressure. The Chiefs aren't getting the job done with their front four. An extra defender is needed. In the league, the Chiefs are 17th in the percentage of time they spend in a defensive stance. Week 2 ranking: 3 The red zone production was the biggest adjustment so far. The Bucs have scored on just 25% of their trips to the red zone, which is 30th in the league, and is an improvement over last year, when they scored at will. Brady will be given more time to build chemistry with Jones and new additions such as Russell Gage, as well as getting wide receiver Chris Godwin back, which should help. Week 2 ranking: 5 The biggest adjustment was to stop turning over the ball. Matthew Stafford threw five picks in the first two weeks of the season, and he said after the win against the Falcons that those plays are frustrating for him. Stafford knows that he needs to clean up his mistakes. He said that he was hard on himself all the time. I will try to figure out a way to prevent those things from happening. Stafford was the leader in the league with 17 picks. Week 2 ranking: 11 Get Mostert more touches in the beginning. As Mostert recuperated from a left knee injury, ChaseEdmonds was the lead back in Week 1. In the Dolphins' victory over the Ravens, the former 49ers running back gained 47 yards on 10 carries, and it was the first time in months that Miami's run game looked like it had some bite to it. Mostert should get his second start of the season against the Bills in Week 3 after Mostert broke off a 28-yard run on Miami's game-winning drive. Preseason ranking: 4 It's the biggest early adjustment. In the fourth quarter, the quarterback went to the sideline after a big hit, only to come back and get crunched by two defensive players. The third-year pro is dealing with an injury. Herbert needs to be protected so he can make it through the season. Week 2 ranking: 8 It's the biggest adjustment so far. Rodgers admitted his statistics in the Bears game looked better than they actually were. "We need to be better than this if we want to compete with the other teams," Rodgers said. The offense is still trying to work out the early-season issues, such as a fumbled handoff exchange by Rodgers. Week 2 ranking: 9 The biggest adjustment was on defense. In the season opener against Detroit, the Eagles were gashed for 35 points because the defensive backs played soft in coverage at times and didn't make the quarterback feel comfortable in the pocket. He made a change against the Vikings on Monday. The corners gave Minnesota's receivers little room to operate, making life difficult for quarterback KirkCousins, who threw multiple picks. The man must keep his feet on the ground. Week 2 ranking: 6 The biggest adjustment was turning the run game around. J.K. Dobbins needs to return soon. Baltimore's best hope of getting a once-proud run game back on track is Dobbins, who has been out since suffering a devastating left knee injury. In the first two games of the season, the Ravens' running backs have combined for 81 yards on the ground. It's the smallest group of running backs in the league. The Ravens will have a hard time finishing games if they can't run out the clock. This week, everything you need.
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1. Buffalo Bills (2-0)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0)
4. Los Angeles Rams (1-1)
5. Miami Dolphins (2-0)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (1-1)
7. Green Bay Packers (1-1)
8. Philadelphia Eagles (2-0)
9. Baltimore Ravens (1-1)
Week 2 ranking: 12
The biggest adjustment was adjusting to Jimmy Garoppolo.
The Niners should be able to adjust to Garoppolo taking over. Garoppolo has been in this position for a long time. Lance was under center during the training camp and the off season. Lance's arm strength meant a different voice in the huddle and a new type of offense that needed to be adjusted to his timing and strength. The Niners and Garoppolo need to get back to where they were before this season starts to have a chance.
Week 2 ranking: 10
It was the biggest early adjustment.
One of the curiosities of the Vikings' season is the low involvement of receiver Adam Thielen. In Week 1, he took a back seat to Jefferson, but when he was slowed by the Eagles in Monday night's game, he looked somewhere else. He didn't attempt a pass until midway through the third quarter. If Jefferson is the focus of the defense, Thielen should be more prominent.
Week 2 ranking: 13
The protection of the quarterback is the biggest early adjustment.
The Saints have given up more than any other team. Not every sack can be blamed on the O-line, but it's important that the protection is good. The point still remains that the protection needs to be better if the offense is ever going to play at its best.
Week 2 ranking: 15
The biggest adjustment was to run the ball in the red zone.
The league is a passing one. The Broncos shaped the future of the team with the trade for Russell Wilson. The head coach of the team was hired because of his work on the offensive side of the ball. The team's struggles in the red zone can be traced to penalties and an insistence on throwing the ball. In the two games they've played, they've gone 0-for-8 on their pass attempts inside the 5-yard line. The passing game will eventually be option one in scoring territory. Run the ball and score.
Week 2 ranking: 22
Early on, get more players involved.
The offense has started slow in each of the first two games. The ball needs to be spread around. The offense will start to flow once it gets some guys going. There are times when the team needs to create their own rhythm in games.
Week 2 ranking: 7
Beat cover 2 is the biggest adjustment so far.
With the safeties aligned to take away the deep part of the field, Cincinnati will see more Cover 2 looks this season. It has been the case. The Bengals were able to play with fire last year. The two high safety shells have prevented Cincinnati from breaking out. It's possible to fix the problem by getting more production out of running back Joe Mixon and the rushing attack and working the ball to wide receiver TylerBoyd over the middle of the field.
Week 2 ranking: 21
Spread the snap wealth at the receiver is the biggest adjustment so far.
DeVante Parker has played the second-most snaps of any of the five deep pass catchers. He has just one catch on the season as the 50-50 balls that were prevalent in training camp have not shown up in games. The spread of his playing time to others makes sense, and maybe less will be more with him in the red zone.
Week 2 ranking: 18
The biggest adjustment is eliminating coverage breakdowns.
The Browns are ranked 27th in defensive efficiency. They've faced quarterbacks before. Both Baker and Joe are older than 37 years old. The Browns have collapsed in coverage too often in the fourth quarter, which leads to wide open touchdown opportunities. Cleveland blew a 13 point lead in the final two minutes. The field goal was needed to avoid a collapse in Carolina. There are no good answers for why this is taking place. This season will spiral if they don't figure it out fast.
Week 2 ranking: 14
The biggest adjustment was to pass downfield.
Through the first two weeks of the season, the Steelers have leaned on a conservative game plan. Trubisky is averaging almost five yards per pass. The bigger issue appears to be play design and playcalling, as his decision-making is far from perfect. After the game, Trubisky was asked how the team could open up the downfield passing game and he told them to call concepts. Get them the ball when the coverage tells them to.
The Eagles picked off KirkCousins three times, with Slay having two of them, as Philadelphia went on to win the game.
Week 2 ranking: 24
The biggest early adjustment is to find a top receiver.
It could be someone else. He had two catches for zero yards in Week 2. The Giants have 14 targets through two weeks and it could be Kenny Golladay or Sterling Shepard. They have a player who leads the team with 10 catches. After this week's win over Carolina, the coach said there would be a "continual competition" at wide receiver to determine playing time and ultimately targets. Someone needs to take charge.
Week 2 ranking: 27
The biggest adjustment was the improvement from the secondary.
Dan Campbell, Detroit's head coach, said that the secondary needs to get more disciplined. The unit is still working on not getting beat on deep balls, which has been an issue in the first two weeks of the season. A.J. Brown had 10 catches for 155 yards and a 55 yard touchdown against the Lions.
Week 2 ranking: 26
It's the biggest early change to make.
Pass-rushers change the game more than those who are off the ball. He had two sacks and was credited with 10 pressures in the game against Cincinnati. He has speed and power. The Cowboys want to be able to line him up all over the field to create mismatches, which is smart, but he is often a mismatch when he lines up solely on defense. He could make a run at the record if they did that. He may do it anyways.
Week 2 ranking: 19
It's the biggest early adjustment to date.
In the opener, he was on the field for 34% of the snaps. It needs to be more. Ryan Tannehill had three catches for 55 yard. His sturdy body makes defenders bounce off him when he catches the ball. All rookies had at least 31 yards after the catch. To maximize his playmaking ability, Todd Downing needs to make sure there are more plays to get the ball quickly in the air.
Week 2 ranking: 17
The biggest adjustment was getting the expensive pass rush.
The Raiders need a Silver and BlackChiropractor. It's stat! The fact that Las Vegas has only one sack through the first two games is cause for concern. Maxx Crosby signed a four-year, $99 million extension after the new regime signed 32-year-old Chandler Jones to a three-year, $52.5 million free agent deal.
Week 2 ranking: 31
It was the biggest early adjustment.
The Jags did a good job getting Etienne involved in screens but he needs more touches. Let him use his speed and get him in space. Many expected him to be used more in the first two games. Pederson is trying to spread the ball. It's not unusual for Etienne to get more work in some games than others, but he only gets nine touches a game.
Week 2 ranking: 16
The offensive line made the biggest adjustment.
The Colts didn't make necessary defensive adjustments against the Jags. The offensive line is not tough. Jonathan Taylor is getting hit in the backfield and Matt Ryan is under attack. For a team with the highest-paid offensive line, this is not acceptable. The success of the offense is dependent on running and using play-action.
Week 2 ranking: 20
Limit the big plays is the biggest adjustment so far.
Four plays of 40 yards or more have been allowed by Washington's defense in the last two games. The Commanders have an exciting offense that can help them compete all season, but the defense needs to reduce the big plays because of an individual breakdown. Sometimes a defensive back takes a bad angle or plays the wrong coverage. Some guys messing up a play. Washington has dealt with some injuries on defense so that hasn't helped, but the coaching staff needs to quickly develop the young talent, or scrap some of their aggressive plans.
Week 2 ranking: 23
It's the biggest early adjustment.
The 49ers jumped out to a 20-0 first-half lead in Sunday's game and the Seahawks need to avoid that in the future. The Seahawks have the makings of one of the best backfields in the league. Through two games, Seattle's running backs have combined for only 25 carries and 96 rushing yards, not enough to get defenses out of the two-deep safety looks. Geno Smith ranked 27th in air yards per attempt in Week 1 and only completed one pass that gained more than 17 yards.
A number of players, including Christian Kirk, are offered by Daniel Dopp and Field Yates.
Week 2 ranking: 25
The biggest early adjustment is to find ways to pass.
The quarterback had 48 net passing yards. Chicago's offense must generate some semblance of a passing attack to not make them one-dimensional and easy to defend, even though the Bears ran the ball effectively behind David Montgomery's 15 carries for 122 yards. The Bears have the highest sack rate and lowest percentage of passing plays in the league through two weeks. The Bears can lean heavily on the run game with their young quarterback, but they can't abandon the passing game completely.
Week 2 ranking: 32
The biggest adjustment was giving the ball to Michael Carter.
Carter and Hall have combined for only 30 carries through two games because the Jets are too pass reliant. The duo is carrying the load with an average of 5.2 yards per carry. Balance on offense is what the Jets need to get back to making noise this season. It will be important when Wilson is back in the lineup.
The courses for the Eagles and Vikings were set by a draft pick.
• How Jets overcame 99.9% odds to lose
• The state of 49ers QBs
• Giants aren't afraid of failure
• Mayfield not living up to expectations
• Seahawks get 'humbling' reality check
• Parsons, Cowboys' D leading the way
Week 2 ranking: 28
The biggest adjustment was getting help for Ikem Ekwonu.
At the start of training camp, either get him help or switch him back to the position he was in at the end of last season. When the sixth pick in the draft, Ekwonu, was made the starter, the team decided to let him learn on the run. The problem is when defenders run past him at the most important moments, such as third-and-8 with the game on the line against the Giants. The team is one of the worst in third-down efficiency because of his inconsistent play.
Week 2 ranking: 30
The passing game needs to be improved.
In the first two games, Davis Mills didn't build on the energy he generated. A passer rating of 80 is what he has. The defense has held their opponents to 18 points in the first two games. The Texans' offense has not been able to score more than 20 points. He's completing just 36% of his passes, which is third-worst in the NFL, and he's struggling on third downs.
Week 2 ranking: 29
It's the biggest early adjustment to make.
The star tight end is doing a little bit of everything for the Falcons -- he's increased his ability as a blocker and has become a constant distraction for opposing defenses. Trying to get the ball in his hands even if he's covered can cause more stress for the opponent.
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