- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
NFL Power Rankings: Initial Post-Sunday Breakdown Ahead of Week 2
- Updated: September 12, 2016
The National Football League is back with a vengeance. No matter how many times you hear or read that fact, it never seems to lose it’s tantalizing awesomeness.
Sunday’s slate of games included a palpitation-inducing number of nail-biters whose outcomes were decided in the final seconds, and that’s without mentioning Thursday’s thrilling Super Bowl 50 rematch.
While it’s likely that an attempt to derive too much from one week of action would be in vain, we can anticipate another season of hard-hitting football riddled with incredible scoring plays and too much complaining about penalties.
Through Sunday’s Week 1 contests, some rising teams brashly pulled up their chairs at the big-boy table, while many the league’s heavyweights reminded us how they earned that reputation.
Without further ado, here’s this year’s version of the Way-Too-Early Power Rankings.
Notable Rankings
1. New England Patriots
This might be an unpopular place to slot the New England Patriots, but they stomped into the University of Phoenix Stadium without legendary quarterback Tom Brady and hulking tight end Rob Gronkowski and sealed a 23-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals in the final seconds.
In Brady’s absence during his four-game suspension for his role in the Deflategate scandal, his position will be occupied by Jimmy Garoppolo, who proved on Sunday night that he is more than just a worthy substitute for Brady. Garoppolo completed 24 of his 33 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown while navigating a brutal Arizona pass rush.
Bill Simmons, the host of HBO’s Any Given Wednesday and Patriots diehard, theorized one reason for Garoppolo’s success:
Jimmy G is so handsome that Arizona’s defense can’t concentrate.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) September 12, 2016
The next three teams the Patriots will face without Brady—the Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, and Buffalo Bills—don’t compare to the status of the Cardinals.
And just imagine the fire Brady …
