It’s time to react too much.
It’s an annual fall rite to take everything that happened in the NFL during week 1 and make quick judgments. In this case, the Bills and Packers were greatly overrated during the preseason. NFC West and AFC West send all four teams to the playoffs. Jaguars coach Urban Meyer is not incarcerated for professionals. And much more.
Some of the observations made during the First Week games will be maintained. Some will be laughing as soon as next week.
Trying to maintain a head level, here are The Post’s power rankings for week 2:
1. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
That 75-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Tyreek Hill to get a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit was nothing more complicated than two friends improvising in the yard. The remade Chiefs offensive line was better in Week 1 than in the Super Bowl LV defeat, but it’s still a work in progress.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0)
Raise your hand if you think Tom Brady couldn’t bring the Buccaneers to the winning score when he got the ball back in the final two minutes against the Cowboys? Anyone? If Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown – two reflections after last year’s offensive – can recover any of their first moments as they did in week 1, this team will be unstoppable.
3. Los Angeles Rams (1-0)
Months of talks about Matthew Stafford as an MVP candidate and the Rams as a Super Bowl candidate became a little hard to stomach in late August. Then, Stafford threw three touchdown passes and got a quarterback just a few points from perfect to justify all the publicity.
4. Cleveland Browns (0-1)
It didn’t take long for the first team to appear without a win. But the Browns led the two-time AFC Chiefs champions for most of the game. That’s twice in his last two games that the Chiefs could have outscored, just to not be able to make one more play. This time, a fallen fist condemned a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
5. Seattle Seahawks (1-0)
Russell Wilson was the MVP of the first half of last season before it all crumbled. Remember the reports I wanted to change because the offensive calls were too heavy? Coach Pete Carroll does, so Wilson threw 23 times (four touchdowns) and the Seahawks ran 50 times to chew the Colts ’clock.
6. San Francisco 49ers (1-0)
Good news: The 49ers maintained a 24-point lead in the fourth quarter. Bad news: The 49ers somehow needed a late defensive stop to keep the Lions from tying the score. It was strange to see a team coached by Kyle Shanahan lose focus. It was not uncommon to see Shanahan find a way to turn rookie safety quarterback Trey Lance into a weapon.
7. New Orleans Saints (1-0)
It’s not entirely “Who’s Drew Brees?” time, but the first game without its future Hall of Fame could not have gone better. Coach Sean Payton’s reputation as a whispering quarterback jumped several levels after rotation-prone Jameis Winston threw five touchdowns and zero interceptions in a 38-3 thrashing of the Super Bowl Fashion Packers.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
That quickly everyone forgot that the Steelers started 11-0 last season. The loss of five of the last six games, including a historically bad first quarter in a loss to the Browns, will do. But then the Steelers annoyed the Power Bills by scoring two touchdowns in a three-minute period in the fourth quarter to steal an ugly win. The ugly still counts.
9. Arizona Cardinals (1-0)
Yes, they are the top four NFC West teams in the top 10. The Cardinals could win some divisions, but they could finish last. Their demolition of the Titans by 38-13 was one of the biggest surprises of Week 1. Kyler Murray’s four touchdowns dazzled, but the defense that contained the trio of games of Julio Jones, AJ Brown and Derrick Henry went be the most impressive.
10. Los Angeles Chargers (1-0)
Chargers need this “Madden” video game setting: “Disable Injuries.” Once again, going back to the days of LaDainian Tomlinson, it would be nice to see this healthy team. Maybe it is now. Justin Herbert played a clever, unattractive game, and set aside the west-east travel ticket by defeating defending NFC East Washington champion.
11. Buffalo Bills (0-1)
12. Green Bay Packers (0-1)
13. Miami Dolphins (1-0)
14. Dallas Cowboys (0-1)
15. Las Vegas Raiders (1-0)
16. Baltimore Ravens (0-1)
17. Tennessee Titans (0-1)
18. Indianapolis Colts (0-1)
19. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
20. Denver Broncos (1-0)
21. New England Patriots (0-1)
22. Cincinnati Bengals (1-0)
23. Carolina Panthers (1-0)
24. Washington Soccer Team (0-1)
25. Minnesota Vikings (0-1)
26. Houston Texans (1-0)
27. Chicago Bears (0-1)
28. New York Giants (0-1)
The cold fries weren’t the only one felt from 2020. The offensive, with additions from Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, Kyle Rudolph and a healthy Barkley sack, bounced back where he stopped fighting to get points. The biggest surprise and the red flag? A presumptuous defense was crushed by the Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
29. Detroit Lions (0-1)
30. New York Jets (0-1)
A loss in the standings, but a moral victory because quarterback Zach Wilson showed promise, and the development of the rookie should be judged this season. The Jets should manage to keep Wilson healthy, though. And the total lack of a hasty attack and an offensive line yielding six sacks will not help the cause.