NFL Power Rankings: Division rankings after Week 2
By Brad Rowland
1) NFC West
Even in a “down” week, the NFC West still inspires the most confidence of any division in football. The defending champion Seahawks went on the road and lost to the San Diego Chargers, but they didn’t look overwhelmed in doing so, and that is certainly a tough place to play. It is common knowledge at this point that Seattle is simply a different team away from home, but it isn’t as if they are incapable of winning elsewhere (see their Super Bowl dominance), and I thought the Chargers looked spectacular.
The San Francisco 49ers, however, had a more debilitating defeat on Sunday evening, as they inexplicably blew a late lead in dropping a decision to the Chicago Bears. Colin Kaepernick was incredibly careless with the ball late, and it is a safe bet to assume that Jim Harbaugh did not enjoy that display. However, the Niners defense has been effective in navigating the first two weeks without some significant talent (Aldon Smith, NaVorro Bowman), and that duo will be returning around mid-season.
Don’t look now, but the Arizona Cardinals are actually leading the West after a road win over the hapless Giants, but the concern at this moment is surrounding the health of Carson Palmer. The Cards managed to grab a victory with Drew Stanton at the helm, but he looked mediocre (to put it very kindly), and would be a large downgrade from Palmer.
Lastly, the St. Louis Rams bounced back from their horrific week 1 defeat with a win, and that helped to solidify the overall performance of the division. It certainly wasn’t pretty, but Austin Davis captained a road victory over Tampa Bay, and there was never a question that the Rams had big-time talent on the defensive side of the ball.
MORE FROM FANSIDED.COM
MLB Power Rankings: Angels on top as playoffs take shape
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s 5 worst mistakes
FanSided College Football Top 25 Poll: Week 3
NBA: Top 25 players for 2014-15