The NFL power rankings for Week 2 highlight the performances of several quarterbacks, with Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears emerging as a new MVP contender after scoring five total touchdowns against the Panthers. The Buffalo Bills also top the list following a victory over the Texans despite head coach Joe Brady’s debut setback. In contrast, Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams struggled in their loss to the San Francisco 49ers, raising questions about their pre-season expectations.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
A trio of legendary quarterbacks opened the season looking like they will be in the MVP hunt again, but a new challenger also emerged.
asserted
challenger → open → hunt
The Bills’ Josh Allen (one MVP), Ravens’ Lamar Jackson (two MVPs) and Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes (two MVPs) put up their standard star performances in Week 1, but the Bears’ Caleb Williams had the most dominant outing of the weekend.
asserted
Williams → put → weekend
Meanwhile, reigning MVP Matthew Stafford of the Rams played like he aged a dozen years during one offseason.
asserted
he → reign → offseason
So, how do those quarterbacks and their teams stack up in the biggest overreaction week of the season?
asserted
quarterbacks → stack → season
Something old: Allen threw a go-ahead 34-yard touchdown pass with 1:36 remaining.
asserted
Allen → throw → 1:36
Something new: The defense actually closed out a win when Greg Rousseau had his second strip sack of the day in a 36-31 victory over the Texans to mark head coach Joe Brady’s debut.
asserted
Rousseau → close → debut
The Bills won in Houston for the first time since 2006.
asserted
Bills → win → 2006
Williams threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more as the Bears scored two touchdowns in every quarter to rout the Panthers 59-37 in the highest-scoring Week 1 game in NFL history.
asserted
Bears → throw → history
D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai both reached the century mark for a 291-yard, six-touchdown rushing attack.
asserted
Swift → reach → attack
It was the fourth-most points scored in franchise history.
asserted
It → score → history
The 49ers’ 27-7 beatdown of the Rams in Australia is being judged as a referendum on travel agendas.
asserted
beatdown → judge → agendas
Perhaps it’s just further proof that the 49ers, when healthy, are a Super Bowl threat and that Kyle Shanahan has Sean McVay’s number.
asserted
Shanahan → ’ → number
Brock Purdy threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns, including one to old friend Deebo Samuel Sr.
4.
asserted
Purdy → throw → 4
Disaster struck when Sam Darnold injured his hip on the fifth snap, but the defense answered the bell against the Patriots with three fourth-quarter interceptions, including Josh Jobe’s at the 3-yard line with 26 seconds to go to seal a 13-10 comeback win in the Super Bowl rematch.
asserted
defense → strike → rematch
Drew Lock efficiently threw for 187 yards and a touchdown.
asserted
Lock → throw → yards
Derrick Henry moved into third place all-time in rushing touchdowns (125) with a trio of scores in a 41-23 pasting of the Colts.
asserted
Henry → move → Colts
Jackson threw for 324 yards and accounted for touchdowns on the ground and in the air.
asserted
Jackson → throw → air
The Ravens have scored 20 or more points in 10 straight Week 1s, but this was the first time under head coach Jesse Minter.
asserted
this → score → Minter
It couldn’t have gone worse for the preseason Super Bowl favorites against the 49ers.
asserted
It → go → 49ers
Stafford was intercepted, reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett was ineffective — and now is on injured reserve — and Tyler Higbee lost a fumble.
asserted
Higbee → intercept → fumble
Maybe arriving in Australia more than 28 hours before kickoff would’ve been smart.
asserted
arriving → arrive → kickoff
With Taylor Swift in the stadium instead of at the Emmys, the Chiefs looked like a powerhouse again as Mahomes passed for two touchdowns and ran for another.
asserted
Mahomes → look → another
Newcomers Kenneth Walker III (191 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in his first game since winning Super Bowl MVP for the Seahawks) and rookie Mansoor Delane (interception) made their presences felt.
asserted
presences → win → Seahawks
Texans 0-1
Kamari Lassiter dropped a could
uncertain
Lassiter → drop → ?
It was befitting of a day when the Texans’ vaunted defense flopped and allowed its most points in nearly 1,000 days.
asserted
defense → flop → days
David Montgomery scored three touchdowns in his Texans’ debut.
asserted
Montgomery → score → debut
Moro Ojomo stuffed the would-be game-tying two-point attempt with 61 seconds remaining to clinch a 24-22 victory against the Commanders.
asserted
Ojomo → stuff → Commanders
Jalen Hurts threw for three touchdowns, including two to Dallas Goedert, and extended his winning streak in season-openers to six under head coach Nick Sirianni.
asserted
Hurts → throw → Sirianni
Hurts also added a key 22-yard scramble on a third-and-18 to set up a field goal.
asserted
Hurts → add → goal
Lions 1-0
Detroit blew a 21-point third-quarter lead but survived with a 32-31 overtime win when the Saints missed a field goal at the end of regulation and threw an incompletion on an all-or-nothing two-point play.
asserted
Saints → blow → play
Jahmyr Gibbs carried a career-high 29 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns, and Amon-Ra St. Brown caught two touchdown passes.
asserted
Brown → carry → passes
Malik Nabers (69 receiving yards) and Isaiah Likely (78 and two touchdowns) looked like a dynamic duo for Jaxson Dart, who completed 23 of 29 passes for three touchdowns in a 28-20 win against the Cowboys.
asserted
who → look → Cowboys
The offensive line paved the way for 165 rushing yards and kept Dart mostly clean.
asserted
line → pave → Dart
Just how head coach John Harbaugh drew up his debut.
asserted
Harbaugh → draw → debut
Set up in a revenge game against fired former head coach Robert Saleh, the Jets instead got the last laugh in a 23-10 win to spoil Saleh’s debut with the Titans.
asserted
Jets → Set → Titans
Geno Smith passed for 215 yards and wasn’t sacked, and Breece Hall ran for 102 yards — all a credit to the offensive line.
asserted
all → pass → line
Rookie David Bailey notched his first sack.
asserted
Bailey → notch → sack
The Aporia
