Breaking down the NFL standings coming out of Week 2

The NFL closes out Week 2 on Monday evening when the Las Vegas Raiders host the New Orleans Saints in the first game at the new Allegiant Stadium. We had another wild Sunday, with a host of upsets, both outright and against the point spread.

It’s too early to draw significant conclusions about the season, but some teams are starting to emerge on our radar as teams to watch moving forward. And we’re not talking about teams like the Ravens, Chiefs, and Packers. They’re all 2-0 and seem on track to compete for a playoff berth, if not an outright division title.

Below are the eight divisional standings, along with some quick thoughts about each division after two weeks of football. We’ll update with Raiders and Saints records after Monday Night Football.

AFC East

The Bills are chugging along. They have let the Jets and Dolphins hang around the past couple weeks, but they’ve gotten the victories. Buffalo hosts the Rams in Week 3, which will be a huge one to see which of those two are legit. New England came up short on the road against Seattle, but Cam Newton and company should be in this thing till the end.

1. Buffalo Bills, 2-0
2. New England Patriots, 1-1
3. Miami Dolphins, 0-2
4. New York Jets, 0-2

AFC North

The Ravens are looking real good and get a huge test in Week 3 when they host the Chiefs. The Steelers haven’t exactly wow’d in their first two games, but they’ve taken care of business and will probably compete for a playoff berth all season long.

1. Baltimore Ravens, 2-0
2. Pittsburgh Steelers, 2-0
3. Cleveland Browns, 1-1
4. Cincinnati Bengals, 0-2

AFC South

It’s hard to fault the Texans for losing to the Ravens, but they blew several opportunities. On the other hand, the Titans are trudging along just winning games, and the Jaguars are not as bad as preseason expectations.

1. Tennessee Titans, 2-0
2. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1-1
3. Indianapolis Colts, 1-1
4. Houston Texans, 2-0

AFC West

The Chiefs are the team to beat, but the new big storyline coming out of Week 2 Sunday is Justin Herbert moving into the Chargers’ starting lineup. LA lost the game, but he looked awfully impressive in his debut.

1. Kansas City Chiefs, 2-0
2. Las Vegas Raiders, 1-0
3. Los Angeles Chargers, 1-1
4. Denver Broncos, 0-2

NFC East

Dallas was the only team to win this week, and they did it in spectacular fashion with a comeback from a 20-0 deficit. The Eagles are struggling big time and this looks like Dallas’ division to lose.

1. Washington Football Team, 1-1
2. Dallas Cowboys, 1-1
3. New York Giants, 0-2
4. Philadelphia Eagles, 0-2

NFC North

Before we decide if Mitchell Trubisky is awful, let’s see him face a legit team. The Lions are a disappointment through two games, looking abysmal in their Week 1 collapse, and then falling apart in the second half of Week 2.

1. Green Bay Packers, 2-0
2. Chicago Bears, 2-0
3. Detroit Lions, 0-2
4. Minnesota Vikings, 0-2

NFC South

This looks like a two-horse race for the time being between the Saints and Bucs. I’m really looking forward to the Saints Monday game against the Raiders to see if they can show a little more than they did in beating the Bucs last week. And, oh man, the Falcons....

1. New Orleans Saints, 1-0
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1-1
3. Atlanta Falcons, 0-2
4. Carolina Panthers, 0-2

NFC West

Arizona impressed for a second straight week, handling their business against a shaky Washington team. Meanwhile, the Rams now have wins over Dallas and Philly under their belt and head to Buffalo next week. Everybody in the division won this week, capped by the Seahawks wild fourth quarter stand against the Patriots.

1. Arizona Cardinals, 2-0
2. Los Angeles Rams, 2-0
3. Seattle Seahawks, 2-0
4. San Francisco 49ers, 1-1