NFL Week 2 Power Rankings: Chiefs rise to No. 2 while Super Bowl teams fall, but don’t overreact to wild start

NFL Week 2 Power Rankings: Chiefs rise to No. 2 while Super Bowl teams fall, but don’t overreact to wild start
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We’ve had one week of the NFL season and let’s just say it’s already nuts.

The San Francisco 49ers, considered a possible Super Bowl team, lost on the road to the Chicago Bears, who are far from it. 

The Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts tied in a game that the Texans actually dominated.

The Cincinnati Bengals lost a game in overtime to the Pittsburgh Steelers thanks to a blocked extra point on the final play in regulation, a game that started with Joe Burrow looking awful.

The New Orleans Saints needed a late kick to rally to beat the Atlanta Falcons as their supposedly dominant defense sure didn’t look that way in that game.

It was just a weird open to the season. The only two constants were the dominance shown by the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs. They both opened on the road with statement victories that featured high-flying offenses with their star passers putting on impressive shows.

The Bills remain in the top spot of my Power Rankings, with the Chiefs now in the second spot. Just remember, though, it’s just one week for all 32 teams. That means overreactions all this week leading into the second week.

Such as: 

The Packers are done.

The Patriots can’t score.

The Eagles are going to the Super Bowl.

Maybe one or two of those will be true, but not yet. It’s way too early. We can’t get a true gauge on this league until October. We really won’t know the true contenders until November, when separation really begins. 

So take that into account when reading these Power Rankings. Just because a team pulled off an upset doesn’t mean they should shoot up 10 spots. Let it play out for a bit.

The Bears won’t finish with a better

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NFL Power Rankings: Broncos, Ravens, Chargers among big risers post-draft, Rams stay No. 1, new team in cellar

NFL Power Rankings: Broncos, Ravens, Chargers among big risers post-draft, Rams stay No. 1, new team in cellar

Aside from a few veteran moves here and there, most NFL teams have a good idea of who they will be bringing to training camp. That means with free agency and the 2022 NFL Draft behind us, it’s time for another batch of my Power Rankings.

I bet you can’t wait.

I always keep the defending Super Bowl champions in the top spot until the regular season kicks off, so the Los Angeles Rams stay there. There is no reason to believe they can’t be in the mix to win it all again. 

They will once again be a talented team loaded with stars, but general manager Les Snead also knows how to supplement his roster with young players who can contribute. That won’t change, which is why the Rams remain in the top spot.

Some teams have moved up in these Power Rankings after impressive offseasons, while others have fallen off because they haven’t kept up. The NFL formula seems to be about going for it now, which is the formula the Rams used to win a Super Bowl last year.

In a league of copycats, that seems to be catching on. That’s why the offseason has been wild with a ton of big-name trades that have kept the interest at an all-time high.

The top team from the AFC in these rankings is the Buffalo Bills. I think they were the best team at the end of last season and would have won it all, were it not for those horribly-played 13 seconds at the end of the playoff loss to the Chiefs.

The Bills have done a nice job of filling in some key spots this offseason, but made a big splash adding pass rusher Von Miller. Sacking the quarterback late in games won’t be an issue

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NBA MVP Rankings: Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic battling for top spot; Stephen Curry still in striking distance

NBA MVP Rankings: Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic battling for top spot; Stephen Curry still in striking distance

We’re well past the halfway point, nearing the trade deadline and less than three weeks out from All-Star Weekend. Every year I say this, but the season just always goes faster than you expect. The playoff race is taking shape and so are the awards. Below is where, in my opinion, the MVP race stands entering play on Friday, Feb. 4th. 

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Joel Embiid is the new betting favorite (+225 at Caesars Sportsbook), but I’m sticking with Jokic (second at +300) at the top for now. Jokic has been the best player all season, plain and simple. Embiid is going to be tough to beat with the aid of everyone rooting for him because Ben Simmons left him in the lurch, but Jokic, let’s not forget, has been without his second-best player in Jamal Murray all season, too. And Denver’s third-best player, Michael Porter Jr., only played in nine games. 

Jokic’s case rests on the same on-off foundation that has supported it all season: When he’s on the floor, the Nuggets are elite; when he’s off the floor, they’re literally one of the worst teams, statistically speaking, of the past 20 years. 

To put a number to it, the Nuggets are a staggering 26.7 points per 100 possessions better with Jokic on the floor, per Cleaning the Glass (plus-10.7 when he’s on, minus-16.1 when he’s off). Take Jokic off the floor, and the Nuggets post an offensive and defensive rating that would register as the worst in the league. 

Yet here they are — with Jamal Murray having missed the entire season and Michael Porter Jr. all but nine games — sitting at No. 6 in the West just two losses back of a top-four seed. Absolutely remarkable. 

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Since Dec. 1, Embiid is the league’s leading scorer at 31.5 points per

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NBA Power Rankings: Suns keep dominating; Anthony Davis’ return gives Lakers hope; Cavs taking league by storm

NBA Power Rankings: Suns keep dominating; Anthony Davis’ return gives Lakers hope; Cavs taking league by storm

1


Suns

Ho hum, another week, another four wins for the Suns, who have now rattled off eight in a row. The win over the surging Mavs was impressive, and Phoenix played all week without big man Deandre Ayton, as Bismack Biyombo, JaVale McGee and Jalen Smith filled in the center minutes. This team really does seem to be plug and play, and with Devin Booker and Chris Paul at the peak of their powers, they are incredibly difficult to beat. — 41-9
2


Cavaliers

Holy moly, Cleveland just keeps on rolling. Lauri Markkanen went down with an ankle injury and Jarrett Allen missed a game this week — pfft, so what? Three more victories for the Cavs, including a statement win over the Bucks on Wednesday. Kevin Love stepped up with Markkanen and Allen out, putting up 22.5 points and 10 rebounds on 11-for-21 3-point shooting over the last two games. Darius Garland averaged 18.3 points and 10.3 assists in three games, while Evan Mobley added 15.3 points and 12 rebounds. The Cavs are a game and a half out of FIRST PLACE in the Eastern Conference. Let that sink in. 4 31-20
3


Heat

Jimmy Butler inexplicably missed an alley-oop layup in the final 20 seconds and then clanked a potential game-winning 3-pointer in the Heat’s loss to the Hawks to start the week, but they bounced back to beat the Lakers and Knicks. Miami played all week without Kyle Lowry, who’s out for personal reasons, which allowed Gabe Vincent to step in and average 11 points and 6.7 assists per game on 41 percent 3-point shooting. Speaking of 3-point shooting, Duncan Robinson caught fire this week, going 18 for 32 from long distance en route to 23 points per game. 1 32-20
4


Warriors

After beginning the
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Dot Esports’ global League of Legends power rankings: Preseason 2022

Dot Esports’ global League of Legends power rankings: Preseason 2022

The global League of Legends scene has changed immensely in just two months, with the offseason bringing about countless roster alterations across the world. Since EDward Gaming claimed the Summoner’s Cup just over two months ago, the landscape of international League has certainly shifted. Whether those shifts have crossed international boundaries or not, it’s evident every region in the professional League scene has felt the rippling effects of a vivid offseason.

From legendary players switching teams to established veterans creating superstar-packed lineups, the 2022 season is already shaping up to be one of the most competitive campaigns League has ever seen. High-octane, world-title-contending rosters are being assembled in every region across the globe. 

To celebrate the beginning of the 2022 pro League season, we asked our team of League writers to assess the dozens of teams participating in competitive play across the world. We’ve ranked the teams of the world across all regions based on the strengths of their rosters, their previous recorded results, and the state of the global professional climate. As a result of our assessment, we’ve come to a consensus and have ranked the top 10 pro League teams in the world ahead of the 2022 season. 

Rank Team Home Region
1) Edward Gaming LPL
2) Gen.G LCK
3) T1 LCK
4) Royal Never Give Up LPL
5) DWG KIA LCK
6) LNG Esports LPL
7) Weibo Gaming LPL
8) Team Vitality LEC
9) Bilibili Gaming LPL
10) Top Esports LPL

10)Top Esports 

Top Esports failed to meet expectations in 2021. The favorites to win Worlds 2020 and dominate the LPL made only one change a year ago that, on paper, was supposed to strengthen their weakest link in the support role. Now, the squad is looking ahead after an even bigger roster overhaul. 

Veterans Zoom

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LEC power rankings: 2022 Spring Split week one

LEC power rankings: 2022 Spring Split week one

We’re only a person week into the 2022 League of Legends European Championship (LEC) Spring Split and the league is presently in the procedure of currently being flipped on its head. With preseason favorites crumbling and unlikely underdogs gaining early floor in the standings, the LEC is shaping up to be far extra competitive than we originally imagined. 

This week, our ability rankings replicate the tightening mother nature of the LEC. Seven of the 10 teams in the league have seen their posture on our desk adjust to some diploma considering the fact that the preseason. Right after the 1st “super week” of the year, two teams sport undefeated records, whilst two much more have nevertheless to file a earn. With the first 3 online games of the time in the textbooks for everyone, our sights of unique groups may perhaps have shifted, with some squads soaring up our power rankings and selected title contenders sliding down. 

With the effects of 7 days just one in thoughts, we questioned our team of League writers to rank the squads of the LEC primarily based on relative toughness and to start with impressions. Here are our LEC Spring Break up electrical power rankings following one week of video games in 2022. 

Rank Team Rank improve
1) Fnatic +1
2) MAD Lions +2
3) Rogue +2
4) Workforce Vitality -3
5) G2 Esports -2
6) Misfits
7) SK Gaming +2
8) Excel Esports
9) Staff BDS -2
10) Astralis

There’s work to be finished: Workforce BDS, Astralis

Photograph through Riot Game titles

Each Astralis and Crew BDS finished the initially tremendous week of 2022 in a tough state. The previous shut out the week with 3 losses, when the latter picked up just one get versus Excel. 

Astralis held their

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