Shutdown Corner NFL Power Rankings – Seattle is No. 1 after two weeks, but it’s very close

After some consideration, I couldn't bring myself to move Denver ahead of Seattle for the top spot in this week's power rankings.

The Broncos have played well, but how can you deny the Seahawks the top spot after what they did to the 49ers on Sunday night?

Many people freaked out about the Seahawks after they beat Carolina in Week 1, but it's tough to travel three time zones and win a NFL road game. Then they absolutely proved their worth by dismantling the 49ers 29-3 on Sunday night. That Seattle defense is nasty. The Seahawks are the best team in football right now. But the Broncos aren't far behind.

Denver has dominated each of the last two Super Bowl champs, Baltimore and the Giants, the past two weeks. The Broncos look strong in all phases. Potentially losing left tackle Ryan Clady to a foot injury for a chunk of the season (maybe all of it) is a big blow, but right now this is clearly the class of the AFC.

Seattle will have to continue to play at a very high level, as it did on Sunday night, to keep holding off the Broncos for that top spot.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2, last week: 32)
It's unfathomable how bad their offense has been through two weeks.

31. Cleveland Browns (0-2, LW: 29)
I hate to do this to Browns fans, but the offense has no punch. Maybe receiver Josh Gordon's return from suspension will help.

30. Oakland Raiders (1-1, LW: 31)
The loss at Indianapolis was way, way more impressive than the win vs. Jacksonville. A win against the 2013 Jaguars is like a FBS team beating a FCS team.

29. Arizona Cardinals (1-1, LW: 30)
Nice win over Detroit. Still don't trust their offensive line or running game, or their quarterback, to carry them very far.

28. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-2, LW: 24)
I have no idea how this team will score enough to win eight (seven? six?) games.

27. Washington Redskins (0-2, LW: 19)
If you don't count the garbage time rallies, this team has more than earned this spot. Forget Robert Griffin III, the incompetence of their defense has been remarkable.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2, LW: 25)
Tough to rank after two excruciating losses, but do they inspire any confidence in you? It seems to be unraveling for Greg Schiano.

25. New York Jets (1-1, LW: 26)
Some in the Jets organization reportedly want to pull the plug on Geno Smith after two games and let Matt Simms play quarterback, which tells you how screwed up the Jets organization is.

24. New York Giants (0-2, LW: 18)

I hate how they've given up on David Wilson. Tom Coughlin is sacrificing his offense to prove a point.

23. Carolina Panthers (0-2, LW: 17)
I flat out underestimated how badly the Ron Rivera-Mike Shula combo would screw up this team.

22. Buffalo Bills (1-1, LW: 27)
I like EJ Manuel, but let's not forget that if they don't get a pretty shaky pass interference call late against Carolina, they're 0-2 with two home losses.

21. San Diego Chargers (1-1, LW: 28)
I still don't love this roster. But given the circumstances, their win at Philadelphia was one of the most impressive of Week 2.

20. Minnesota Vikings (0-2, LW: 23)
Christian Ponder isn't good. But I laugh when anyone brings up the name Matt Cassel ... if that's your answer, you're in way more trouble than any of us could have possibly realized.

19. St. Louis Rams (1-1, LW: 20)
I liked the fight they showed after falling behind big at Atlanta. But they need a running game. Rookie linebacker Alec Ogletree is exactly what he was at Georgia though: a tackling machine.

18. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1, LW: 12)
Overreacted a little to Week 1. The offense is fine. Michael Vick looked good. But that defense needs an offseason overhaul.

17. Indianapolis Colts (1-1, LW: 13)
They can't protect Andrew Luck that well, the defense isn't great, they just lost running back Vick Ballard ... just not a lot to like so far. Luck is the only reason they're still this high.

16. Tennessee Titans (1-1, LW: 22)
The Texans needed a lot of big plays to rally for a home overtime win against Tennessee. The Titans defense is much better than anyone predicted. This is an interesting team.

15. Baltimore Ravens (1-1, LW: 16)
They won, but I can't imagine any Ravens fans feel like this is a finished product without flaws.

14. Detroit Lions (1-1, LW: 11)
I wish, from week to week, there was some way to predict which Lions team will show up.

13. Dallas Cowboys (1-1, LW: 14)
Didn't think they played that well despite a close road loss at Kansas City, but they are probably the NFC East's best team.

12. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0, LW: 15)
Didn't think the Chiefs played all that well either in beating Dallas. But, that's the kind of game they have to win if they want to be in the playoff hunt.

11. Miami Dolphins (2-0, LW: 21)
Big mover this week. They played a really nice overall game on Sunday at the Colts. The AFC East might have a compelling race for once.

10. Atlanta Falcons (1-1, LW: 10)
They'll be good at home again. If they prove it on the road, they'll move up.

9. New Orleans Saints (2-0, LW: 9)
There are a lot of teams in the top 10 who came oh-so-close to another loss or two the first couple weeks. The Saints are inches from 0-2. But, wins are wins.

8. Green Bay Packers (1-1, LW: 8)
Man, Aaron Rodgers covers up a lot of problems.

7. Chicago Bears (2-0, LW: 7)
Pretty amazing how close they came to going 0-2 with two home losses.

6. Houston Texans (2-0, LW: 5)
Neither team they've gone to the wire against is great. Wouldn't mind seeing a dominant performance pretty soon.

5. New England Patriots (2-0, LW: 4)
Let's calm down. The reason everyone is panicking is they didn't play well on a short week without Danny Amendola, Shane Vereen and Rob Gronkowski ... in a downpour. Oh, and some foolishness about Tom Brady's body language. They did win, don't forget.

4. Cincinnati Bengals (1-1, LW: 6)
Rookies Giovani Bernard and Tyler Eifert are going to make a huge impact on this team as the season goes on.

3. San Francisco 49ers (1-1, LW: 2)
Still think they're a very good football team. Seattle is just better.

2. Denver Broncos (2-0, LW: 3)
If this team can get whole at some point, with Von Miller, Champ Bailey and Ryan Clady all in the lineup together, look out.

1. Seattle Seahawks (2-0, LW: 1)
Let's just mark them down for a 8-0 home mark right now. And if they get home-field for the playoffs, it's over.

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