Shutdown Corner NFL Power Rankings: So who should be No. 1?

If you knew nothing about the NFL before Sept. 4, were dropped in and watched the first two weeks and had to determine the best team in the NFL just off that, the answer would be easy.

It's the Cincinnati Bengals. It's not particularly close, either.

In Week 1, the Bengals played very well in a road win against the Ravens. Four days later, the Ravens looked phenomenal against the Steelers. The Falcons couldn't be stopped against the Saints in a Week 1 win. Then Atlanta played Cincinnati, and the Falcons didn't score until deep into the fourth quarter when the game's result was not in doubt anymore. Also, the Bengals won that game without their best player, receiver A.J. Green, who left early with a toe injury.

The Bengals' defense looks like one of the best in the NFL. The offense has a lot of playmakers. They have been dominant in both games. So are they the best team in the NFL?

I'll explain here:

I don't do these power rankings in a one- or two-game vacuum. If you want something that ranks teams in exact order of their win-loss record, this link has the only power rankings you'll need. It's not always that easy. I don't think 2-0 Houston would beat 0-2 New Orleans on a neutral field, and I doubt you do either. Similarly, I'm not quite ready to buy into Andy Dalton and Marvin Lewis being the leaders of the best team in the NFL. But they're creeping up. A few more dominant weeks like the first one, and they'll be in the discussion. They've clearly moved into the small group of teams that is clearly good enough to be called Super Bowl contenders. But I don't think the Bengals should be No. 1.

So who is on top after the 49ers' loss? Let's go to the post-Week 2 power rankings.

32. Oakland Raiders (0-2, LW: 30)
They're likely going to be underdogs in each of their last 14 games. It's hard to figure out how Dennis Allen saves his job.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2, LW: 31)

On one hand, they should play Blake Bortles. On the other, would you play your rookie quarterback behind that terrible line?

30. New York Giants (0-2, LW: 26)
I know you can't demote an offensive coordinator after two games. But there just can't be any confidence in Ben McAdoo's offense right now.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2, LW: 25)
Unbelievable.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (0-2, LW: 23)
Full credit to them for playing very hard to almost at least take the game at Denver to overtime. But they're just not that good.

27. Washington Redskins (1-1, last week: 32)
I'm still not sold on Kirk Cousins. I think the shine on him is bright because he hasn't played enough yet to expose his weaknesses (they kind of were late last season, but the Kirk Cousins Fan Club ignores that). We'll see how he does.

26. Dallas Cowboys (1-1, LW: 28)
DeMarco Murray has been the best running back in the NFL this young season. And the defense looks far better than anyone expected.

25. Cleveland Browns (1-1, LW: 29)
You have to give a lot of credit to Browns coach Mike Pettine. With a shorthanded team, he guided it to a win over a good Saints team. Nice way to get your first win.

24. St. Louis Rams (1-1, LW: 22)
So I guess you have to stick with Austin Davis at quarterback now, right?

23. Minnesota Vikings (1-1, LW: 21)
You can't have Teddy Bridgewater make his first start at New Orleans. But after that? I mean, we all know what Matt Cassel is.

22. Tennessee Titans (1-1, LW: 17)
So what exactly to make of this team? One impressive win at Kansas City, and an absolutely horrible loss to Dallas. Guess that's what happens when you have an inconsistent quarterback.

21. Houston Texans (2-0, LW: 27)
They've done all they could so far. I'd really like to see them face a real team. They get the Giants next, so it won't happen in Week 3.

20. Atlanta Falcons (1-1, LW: 20)
I'm willing to bang the gong and move on from their Week 2 loss. They just went up against a really good team.

19. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1, LW: 11)
I'm not jumping completely on the "Pittsburgh is terrible!" bandwagon. Too soon. We've seen teams struggle on the road on Thursday nights before. But after what happened last week, I couldn't keep them ahead of Baltimore either.

18. Buffalo Bills (2-0, LW: 24)
Think about this: They're 2-0 with wins over Chicago and Miami. Those opponents' other two games are wins against New England and San Francisco. What a start in Buffalo.

17. Baltimore Ravens (1-1, LW: 19)
Steve Smith isn't what he used to be, but he's been a really good short option in that offense. And that's what Baltimore needed.

16. Miami Dolphins (1-1, LW: 14)
This is why the Lamar Miller preseason hype was dumb: When Knowshon Moreno went down, the Dolphins gave Miller 11 carries and had Ryan Tannehill throw 49 times. I'm not sure all the reasons, but the Dolphins do not trust Miller at all. They never have. Remember this.

15. Detroit Lions (1-1, LW: 15)
I know that Carolina's front seven is amazing, but a team with this many weapons should not be held to seven points.

14. New York Jets (1-1, LW: 18)
Yeah, they lost, but they showed plenty in that game. If Geno Smith keeps progressing they'll be in the playoff hunt. (Though, their "move up" is more due to other teams that were ahead of them dropping.)

13. San Diego Chargers (1-1, LW: 16)

Mike McCoy is a really, really good coach. No questioning that anymore. The Seahawks had almost 100 more hours to prepare for Sunday's game than San Diego. It looked like the opposite was the case.

12. Chicago Bears (1-1, LW: 12)
So which team is it, the one we saw in the first eight quarters (remember, Week 1 went to overtime) or the one that dominated the fourth quarter on Sunday night?

11. Indianapolis Colts (0-2, LW: 10)
I'm not one to constantly jump all over play-calling. But the final series for the Colts on Monday night was absolutely horrendous. Can't blame the refs for that.

10. New Orleans Saints (0-2, LW: 5)
You just know a blowout of Minnesota is coming this week. That's what they do. They're unbeatable at home. They're as talented of an 0-2 team as you'll ever see. They'll be fine.

9. Arizona Cardinals (2-0, LW: 13)
I don't care if it was just the Giants, winning on the road with Drew Stanton being thrown in at quarterback is a great win. That might matter in late December when playoff spots are handed out.

8. Green Bay Packers (1-1, LW: 8)
It's possible Jordy Nelson ends up this season as the NFL's best receiver. Scoff if you wish, but he was on that kind of pace last year when Aaron Rodgers was healthy.

7. San Francisco 49ers (1-1, LW: 1)
I think the defense, even without two All-Pros until midseason, is good enough. I'm starting to question if Colin Kaepernick is, though.

6. Carolina Panthers (2-0, LW: 9)
They're really good. Some teams can exploit what they don't do well, but not too many.

5. Philadelphia Eagles (2-0, LW: 6)
You knew when they got Darren Sproles that he was going to be an insane playmaker in that offense.

4. Cincinnati Bengals (2-0, LW: 7)
They're in the circle of trust. This is one of the few teams that is good enough to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender. They've been announcing to us so far that they're elite.

3. New England Patriots (1-1, LW: 4)
Ahhh, remember last week when they were just Any Other Team and should have been ranked in the teens? Fun times.

2. Seattle Seahawks (1-1, LW: 2)
I thought long and hard about making them No. 1. Not much shame in losing at San Diego. I guess we'll find out on Sunday who will be No. 1 in these rankings a week from now.

1. Denver Broncos (2-0, LW: 3)
I don't feel too great about them here. However, one could easily point to the too-close win against Kansas City as the biggest "look ahead" game on the entire 2014 NFL schedule. Their mind was on Week 3.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab