Graphics: CB
Ratingologist: Zstvr
Analyis: Arod, Zstvr, Fallen
1. New England Patriots (2-0) (LW:2): Kyle Dugger had just four interceptions last season, but he led the Patriots defense this week with two interceptions out of the five that were forced. New England won the game by 6 points, which you’d expect a much larger margin with how many times the Dolphins turned the ball over. Nonetheless, New England is the team to beat in the AFC.
2. Cleveland Browns (2-0) (LW:3): Another 55 points and almost 550 yards put up by the Cleveland offense, can anyone in the AFC North slow down their dominance? Daniel Jones has my vote for comeback player of the year.. No, he didn’t get hurt last season, but he hasn’t had this kind of performance since, well, ever.
3. Los Angeles Rams (1-0) (LW:1): As of publication, the Rams and 49ers have not played their week 2 game, therefore we will ultimately have a fair sim. Good chance the 49ers take the simulated game, which is a shame for the Rams who probably would have won the game clean if they game were to be played. This season may very well be the goodbye tour for Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald as the two aging superstars may be ready to hang it up after the season ends, or at the very least, take a back seat from their lead roles. No better time than now for the three-peat.
4. Green Bay Packers (2-0) (LW:4): HypeMike seems to have the Cowboys number after dismantling them in Dallas 52-24. Although he had one interception on the day, Jordan Love torched the Cowboys secondary for 305 yards and 4 touchdowns while only completing 11 passes on the day. This game also brought us an early NFC Rookie of the Year contender in Jawhar Jordan, who carried the ball 7 times for 63 yards and a touchdown, but also added 141 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air on only three catches. The Packers will visit the Commanders next week in what should be a manageable game.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) (LW:6): Kansas City earned a dominating win in week 2, defeating the visiting New York Giants 45-10. They had a strong first half, taking a 31-7 lead with them into the locker room. The running game in Kansas City looks strong as Isiah Pacheco only needed 8 carries to rush for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Kansas City will look to take this momentum into a primetime matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football.
6. Los Angeles Chargers (2-0) (LW:7): Speaking of the Chargers, they also find themselves undefeated through the first two weeks of season 3. They’ve scored 99 points in the first two weeks and have jumped out to big leads early in games. An early divisional tilt in Kansas City awaits Justin Herbert and Coach Codes. With 3 teams in the AFC West sitting at 2-0, every game counts and this is sure to be an important one for both teams.
7. Denver Broncos (2-0) (LW:8): After a surprisingly rough first two seasons, the Broncos appear to have righted the ship. Sitting at 2-0, they head into Las Vegas for a divisional tilt against Mike and the Raiders. While the Broncos needed a few things to go their way to overcome Jacksonville in week 2, you can only control what’s in front of you, and the most important result from a week is a victory. The return of All Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II should also bolster the Broncos defense.
8. Atlanta Falcons (2-0) (LW:10): Every week the Atlanta Falcons seem to impress me a bit more. They’ve taken down some of the top users in the league this cycle including KMFO and this past week JC, so who is to say they wouldn’t be able to make a deep playoff run given the right circumstances. I’ve learned at this point of the cycle to never count Nef out. Great turnaround not only for this cycle, but for your entire PML career. Hats off.
9. Baltimore Ravens (2-0) (LW:14): Lamar Jackson had just 314 rushing yards last season, but in his first two games this season, he has 230 rushing yards and is averaging 9.2 yards per carry. This is the type of production that Arod should be getting out of Lamar. Baltimore has the best rushing offense in PML through two games and what’s even more impressive is their 2-0 start and their ability to close in the fourth quarter and clutch out the tight win.
10. Minnesota Vikings (2-0) (LW:11): The Vikings picked up a big win over the Lions, who had their number last year. This places them right on the heels of the Packers for first place in the NFC North. The only unfortunate news out of Minneapolis this week was the injury to off-season field general Tua Tagovailoa. He broke his wrist during the game, and will be out the next four weeks. With a tough divisional tilt with the Bears on the docket for next week, we’ll see if Joe Milton III has what it takes to keep the Vikings rolling.
11. Carolina Panthers (2-0) (LW:16): The Panthers boast the number one defense in total yards and rush defense, and the number four defense in points allowed. So yeah, the defense has shown up and balled out the first two games of the season which is a big reason why they sit at 2-0 to start the year. Can they keep up the pace? They have two big tests ahead against the Jaguars and Patriots. A confident JT is a scary JT.
12. New Orleans Saints (1-1) (LW:5): The Saints were upset by the Falcons this past week, and don’t look now but they sit behind the undefeated Falcons and Panthers in the NFC South. Sure we expect them to rise to the top eventually this year, but I love the rise in competition in what many thought would be a timeshare for JC this cycle. Saints may have to work a little bit this year it seems.
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) (LW:13): Jacksonville couldn’t quite tie the game with under thirty seconds in the fourth quarter, but they’ve shown a lot of grit. The kind of tenacity that you must have in order to compete in PML. I think the Jaguars are going to have a winning record this season, that’ll be a first for the franchise this cycle.
14. Detroit Lions (1-1)(LW:9): The Lions fell to their division rival this week and have nowhere else to look but at themselves, as they turned the ball over 6 times against Minnesota. Although Jared Goff threw for 4 touchdowns, It’s tough to beat anyone when you also threw four interceptions. There wasn’t much to write home about regarding the ground game either. While third-year back Jahmyr Gibbs ran the ball well (12 carries for 90 yards), he fumbled three times. The theme of practice this week in Detroit will assuredly be ball security. The one positive was the dominance of DT Chris Jones, who had 3 TFL and 3 sacks. He was worth every pick the Lions traded for him. Jack Campbell also chipped in with 4 TFL and a sack of his own. They host HD and the Eagles next week.
15. Miami Dolphins (1-1) (LW:12): Deebo wasn’t kidding when he said that he was going to lock in this season. Despite a loss this week, he kept the game close against the Patriots. Drew Allar had one of the worst games he’s ever played in his football career, but the young signal caller is still learning how to navigate tight windows. He has the arm strength to fit the ball in, but some of the timing this week needed to be better. Achane averaging 7.2 yards per carry will help alleviate the pressure off Allar this season.
16. Tennessee Titans (1-1) (LW:15): Are the Tennessee Titans the style of team that can compete against the average opponents in the league but fold against the playoff caliber coaches? Will Levis threw five interceptions this week after his magnificent performance this week. I am curious how long Dlloyd is going to give Levis before Malik Willis fills his spot, but for now, Cade Klubnik is redshirting on the practice squad this season.
17. New York Jets (1-1) (LW:20): New York has a habit of beating up on their divisional opponents but then dropping the ball against the rest of their league opponents similar to how they have started this season. The offense has been less than stellar, but picking off Josh Allen sealed the game for them this week. New York gave up some firepower in the trade to acquire Jonathan Allen, but his 2 tackles in two games is not what they were hoping for. Allen has to start producing on the field for New York to be happy with their compensation.
18. Houston Texans (1-1) (LW:22): CJ Stroud’s 447 passing yards is very impressive, but a one point victory over the Colts doesn’t show the league that Houston is back to the team that they were in season 1. Sixth round pick Marshawn Lloyd was one of the biggest steals of the draft, but he hasn’t had an impressive start in two games. He’s averaging just 4.4 yards per carry, but as the lead back, Houston can easily open the running lanes for Lloyd, especially if Stroud is going to be slinging the ball as efficient as he did this week against the Colts.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1) (LW:23): Nice road victory as the Buccaneers took care of business upsetting the Seahawks on a walkoff field goal this past week. Milroe slang the rock 35 times, and ran for just four attempts. It begs to ask the question- wouldn’t Baker Mayfield, or even drafting Drew Allar been a better fit for Cammy’s scheme of high volume passing with a more traditional pocket quarterback?
20. Chicago Bears (1-1) (LW:26): After a tough week 1 loss, the Bears were able to get back in the win column with a win over the Washington Commanders. They took a 27-14 lead into halftime and continued their momentum, eventually defeating the Commanders 48-35. To the surprise of everyone, it was Marcus Mariota that led the Bears in passing (I believe due to a Fields injury), throwing for 273 yards and 2 touchdowns. Breece Hall was also able to get it done, carrying the ball 19 times for 113 yards and 3 touchdowns.
21. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) (LW: 29): The Eagles offense had their way in week 2, amassing over 495 yards of offense, including 293 on the ground, good enough to place them firmly as the number one rushing offense in the league. This win puts them at 1-1, and in first place in the NFC East. The problem you might ask? The Eagles have been here before, and unless they can beat the Cowboys and Giants, we won’t have a lot to say about this team. They also will have to improve their run defense to take the step towards winning the division, conceding 143 yards to Josh Jacobs is not ideal, and they will play better quarterbacks than Jayden Daniels.
22. Arizona Cardinals (0-2) (LW:17): Just when the Cardinals seemed like they were turning the corner to contend for the division, they’ve now dropped two straight to the Falcons and Panthers. A big reason for the rough start has been the lack of production from superstar running back Emari Demercado. Through two games, he has compiled just 107 yards and a pair of scores for the Cardinals offense. A far cry from the per-game averages he was putting up the past two seasons.
23. Seattle Seahawks (0-2) (LW:18): I am just not sure Bo Nix is the answer in Seattle. They haven’t played at a high level since the departure of Geno Smith after season 1. Will the Seahawks look to swoop in and grab their quarterback in the upcoming draft now that most teams have their franchise signal caller? If I am Z, this is a scenario I am looking at this upcoming off-season especially if the opportunity presents itself.
24. Dallas Cowboys (0-2) (LW:19): Much like last season, the Cowboys are off to another slow start. Although they can still count on their division to keep them in the playoff race, they have a tough road ahead with the Vikings, Broncos, Rams, Chargers, Saints, Patriots, and Lions still left on the schedule. This offseason saw Dallas lose several key components of their team as well as key players regress. Will Drama have what it takes to outlast his team’s regression to the mean? Only time will tell, as they play the Giants in week 3.
25. New York Giants (0-2) (LW:21): The Giants drop another one in which they had a miserable day through the air. After a solid opening drive where they allowed Saquon Barkley to dominate touches, the Giants quickly got away from it (whether they were forced to by the Chiefs defense or the score is up to your interpretation). Four interceptions from Quinn Ewers certainly won’t help. On the bright side, Saquon did still have success on the ground with 121 yards and a touchdown. If they can keep up production like that, get Dexter Lawerence (who surprisingly only had one sack on the day) going, and cut down the turnovers, they have a chance to beat Dallas next week for the first time this cycle.
26. Buffalo Bills (0-2) (LW:24): Josh Allen is tied with Zach Wilson for the league leader in interceptions, both quarterbacks have thrown 8 interceptions. Buffalo is strapped for cap space this season and they’ve been loading the trade block up with players that are on expiring contracts. With that said, it could be a very long season for Buffalo, if James Cook’s fumblitis combined with Josh Allen’s inaccurate passes are the norm for this team.
27. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-2) (LW:25): Zach Wilson isn’t living up to the contract that Pittsburgh paid him, but he’s their quarterback of the cycle, so they better start making decisions that keep him upright. After four interceptions this week, Kenny Pickett was asked to relieve him and he completed 62% of his passes and threw for a touchdown. Pickett will never be the starter, barring an injury, but a healthy competition will keep Wilson on his toes.
28. Indianapolis Colts (0-2) (LW:27): I am going to spin it in a positive way for the Colts. They are 4 points away from being 2-0, instead the couldn’t win two close games against their divisional opponents. Anthony Richardson has only thrown one interception in the first two games this season, whereas in 2024 he had 6 interceptions, and in 2023 he had 7 interceptions thrown by this point in the season. Indy is making progress on offense, and while they have the 3rd best defense against the run, they’re giving up over 400 yards through the air. They have to stiffen up on defense in order to win in this league.
29. Las Vegas Raiders (0-2) (LW28): After getting dismantled by the Eagles at home, Coach Mike and the Raiders are searching for answers. Despite the final score, the Raiders actually played well, with some critical Jayden Daniels mistakes and a fumble by the backup running back ultimately doing them in. It’ll be interesting to see how the Raiders defense adjusts when opposing teams express the desire to run the ball against them. Allowing 293 yards on the ground is unacceptable, and I expect there to be a tackling clinic going on in Las Vegas all week. They host the 2-0 Broncos next week.
30. Washington Commanders (0-2) (LW:30): For the second week in a row the Commanders have conceded over 48 points. While they’ve scored 35 in both games, this isn’t the Big 12, and you won’t win unless you can get stops and get off the field + prevent your opponent from scoring from turnovers you may commit yourself. A week 3 matchup against the Packers doesn’t bring any more positive outlook to the Commander fanbase.
31. Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) (LW:31): Just embarrassing for Joe Burrow, the Bengals, and the new coach of the Bengals. It takes some time adjusting to PML, but with an X-factor quarterback, we expected him to at least be able to beat the former back to back number one overall pick Baltimore Ravens. No discredit to Arod, but this was the perception before the season started. The Bengals are getting a dose of reality and they face off against Beast and the struggling Buffalo Bills next week, if they can’t get a victory at home, the PML gossip team is going to have its pitchforks ready and waiting.
32. San Francisco 49ers (0-1) (LW:32): As of this publication, the 49ers and Rams game was unplayed and will ultimately be a fair sim. The 49ers may very well pick up a huge victory against the back-to-back Super Bowl champions. Could this give them the jumpstart they need for the rest of the season? Not a fan of fair sims, but it is what it is sometimes so it would be up to CEO to take advantage of it if the 49ers come out on top.
