NFL Week 2 Power Rankings: Steelers Climb After Opener; Colts, Rams Slide

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Opening weekend of the 2016 NFL season was rich with drama, as 11 of the 16 games were decided by seven points or fewer and four were decided by a single point.

Here’s a look at where each team stands in NESN.com’s NFL power rankings as we head into Week 2. (To see our Week 1 rankings, click here.)

1. New England Patriots (Week 1: 1): The kings stay the kings in these rankings after upsetting the Cardinals on the road in Jimmy Garoppolo’s first NFL start.

2. Arizona Cardinals (2): Despite what general manager Steve Keim might believe, Arizona’s loss to Garoppolo & Co., while surely disappointing, was not the end of the world. The Cards will be a tough out all season.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (6): Playing without the suspended Le’Veon Bell, the Steelers shook off a slow start Monday night to trample the Redskins 38-16 behind 143 rushing yards by DeAngelo Williams. It was the second-largest margin of victory of any game on opening weekend.

4. Green Bay Packers (5): A touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Davante Adams in the final moments of the first half put the Packers ahead for good as they held off a pesky Jaguars squad in Week 1. Rodgers accounted for all three Green Bay touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in a 27-23 win.

5. Seattle Seahawks (3): We won’t overreact to one game, but needing a last-minute touchdown to beat the Dolphins as 10 1/2-point favorites wasn’t how the Seahawks wanted to begin their season.

6. Carolina Panthers (4): The beatdown the Broncos put on Cam Newton bordered on unsettling. The Panthers’ franchise quarterback is a physical freak, but Carolina can’t have him taking those type of hits week in and week out.

7. Denver Broncos (9): Trevor Siemian looked … actually pretty good in his real taste of NFL action. If he can maintain that, the Broncos will climb this list in a hurry.

8. Cincinnati Bengals (7): Andy Dalton was sacked seven times but still managed to carve up the Jets’ defense to the tune of 366 passing yards, his highest total since Week 3 of last season.

9. Oakland Raiders (10): Twenty-two points in the fourth quarter, a gutsy two-point conversion and the tweet of the weekend? That’s enough to earn Oakland a one-spot bump.

10. Kansas City Chiefs (9): Like the Raiders did, the Chiefs fell into a massive hole early before staging a wild comeback. The AFC West rivals combined to score 45 points in the fourth quarter and overtime of their respective season openers.

11. Houston Texans (13): Quarterback Brock Osweiler, running back Lamar Miller and rookie receiver Will Fuller all looked solid against the woeful Bears.

12. New York Jets (11): The Jets only lost to the Bengals by one point, but A.J. Green’s demolition of Darrelle Revis has to concern Gang Green supporters.

.@ajgreen_18 when covered by Darrelle Revis today…very impressive. #CINvsNYJ pic.twitter.com/64edP0OuI6

— NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2016

13. Baltimore Ravens (15): Baltimore held old friend Rex Ryan and the Bills to a single score in a 13-7 win.

14. New York Giants (16): Eli Manning’s troops did just enough to beat the Tony Romo-less Cowboys.

15. Minnesota Vikings (14): Minnesota’s defense was ferocious in a win over Tennessee, but failing to score a single offensive touchdown would result in a loss against most NFL opponents.

16. Washington Redskins (12): The Redskins led the Steelers 6-0 20 minutes into their Monday night matchup. They were outscored 38-10 the rest of the way.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars (18): The Jags hung right with the Packers all game. They could surprise some people this season.

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (22): The Bucs’ climb up the rankings has begun after Jameis Winston’s four-touchdown performance against the Falcons.

19. Detroit Lions (21): Neither the Lions nor the Colts deserved to win their Week 1 matchup…

20. Indianapolis Colts (17): But Indy definitely deserved to lose after falling behind 21-3, rallying all the way back to take a 38-35 lead with less than a minute remaining and then immediately squandering it by allowing a game-winning field goal in the final seconds.

21. Buffalo Bills (19): Through one week, the Bills rank last in the NFL in yards and passing yards and second-to-last in points.

22. Atlanta Falcons (20): The Falcons just look destined for mediocrity this season.

23. Miami Dolphins (26): Kudos to Miami for hanging tough with Seattle. That front seven has the potential to be seriously disruptive this season.

24. Dallas Cowboys (23): C’mon, Terrance Williams. Just run out of bounds, man.

25. Chicago Bears (24): See: Falcons.

26. San Diego Chargers (27): We’re just going to leave this here:

27. San Francisco 49ers (30): The Chip Kelly era got off to a rollicking start Monday night, hence the slight rankings bump.

28. New Orleans Saints (28): Saints defense: Still bad.

29. Los Angeles Rams (24): Rams offense: Possibly even worse.

30. Philadelphia Eagles (31): Is Carson Wentz the real deal? He certainly looked like it in Week 1, albeit against the miserable Browns.

31. Tennessee Titans (29): Three turnovers and dearth of offense in the second half doomed the Titans against the Vikings.

32. Cleveland Browns (32): The Browns lost to the Eagles in an early-season Toilet Bowl, and their quarterback already is on injured reserve. So, business as usual in Cleveland.

Thumbnail photo via Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports Images

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Kane backs Tottenham in Champions League opener against Monaco

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London (AFP) – Harry Kane is confident Tottenham’s England stars will ensure Wembley becomes a successful second home in their Champions League opener against Monaco on Wednesday.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side return to the Champions League for the first time in five years in unfamiliar surroundings after deciding to stage their European matches at Wembley rather than White Hart Lane.

The prospect of bigger crowds at the English national stadium convinced Tottenham to make the short move across north London and the crowd is expected to set a new record for the largest attendance for a home Champions League game in Britain.

Fans of Tottenham’s bitter rivals Arsenal can testify to the struggles of a Wembley relocation as they won just two of their six fixtures in Europe when temporarily playing there in the late 1990s.

But Tottenham striker Kane believes a strong English core that includes internationals Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Eric Dier, Dele Alli and himself, can help them instantly settle in the venue where they play for their country.

“If there are 85-90,000 Tottenham fans in there it’s only going to make you play better,” Kane said.

“A lot of us have played there already, so it feels like even more of a home. Everyone knows how iconic Wembley is, but that’s what we’ve got to be careful of.

“Monaco are going to come here and it’s a big occasion for them as well. We have to make sure we’re ready for that.”

Tottenham head into the Monaco clash on a high after winning 4-0 at Stoke in the Premier League on Saturday.

– Amazing atmosphere –

Kane ended a nine-game goal drought by netting for the first time this season and he believes the result was emblematic of the positive mood at Tottenham.

“The lads are excited and we wanted a good result here,” he said.

“Now we can go there on Wednesday and enjoy the record-breaking crowd. It’s going to be an amazing atmosphere and the lads cannot wait to play in that one now.

“There’s a buzz about that one and coming off the back of a 4-0 win you can’t ask for much more. We have to prepare well for Wednesday now.

“We’re not there just to participate. We want to go as far as we can, we feel we have a group that we can definitely qualify from. A good start is important.”

Kane’s strike came after Alli had also opened his account for the campaign, while Son Heung-min scored twice in his first appearance of the season.

And unlike his English colleagues, the South Korean midfielder got his first taste of the most famous stadium in England when Spurs trained there recently.

“For every player, it’s a dream to play in the Champions League,” Son said.

“For me also, It’s two years since I played in the Champions League. I can’t wait for this night.

“My first time I went training at Wembley, the stadium was unbelievable. I’m excited to play there, so many fans will be there and we have to win this game.”

Monaco arrive in London in confident mood after climbing to the top of Ligue 1 with a 4-1 win at Lille.

Leonardo Jardim’s team are unbeaten in four league matches, including an upset of French champions Paris Saint Germain, and survived two tough rounds of qualifying against Fenerbahce and Villarreal to reach the Champions League group stages.

According to former France and Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit, Jardim’s men should not be underestimated.

“Monaco will not be intimidated. They are in good form and they beat PSG just before the international break,” he said.

“They are organised and are playing well. Spurs need to be careful of them.”

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Alli, Sturridge, Smalling out for Allardyce’s England opener

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London (AFP) – England manager Sam Allardyce will drop Dele Alli, Daniel Sturridge and Chris Smalling for the opening match of his reign in Sunday’s World Cup qualifier against Slovakia, British media reported on Saturday.

Allardyce replaced Roy Hodgson in the aftermath of England’s woeful last 16 defeat against minnows Iceland at Euro 2016 and he has decided to start his spell in charge by leaving out Tottenham midfielder Alli, Liverpool striker Sturridge and Manchester United defender Smalling

Alli started three of England’s four matches at the Euros, while Sturridge and Smalling also contributed to a lacklustre tournament from Hodgson’s team.

Although that trio have been axed by former Sunderland boss Allardyce, he has still kept faith with eight of the team humiliated by the 2-1 loss against Iceland in Nice.

Joe Hart, who joined Torino on loan after slipping to third in the pecking order at Manchester City, remains in goal despite his lack of action this season because Fraser Forster’s arm injury leaves him as the only established goalkeeper.

With Smalling out of the United team at present Allardyce has settled on a defensive pairing of Gary Cahill and John Stones, the latter back in favour having not played a minute in France.

Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson is due to return in midfield alongside Eric Dier, with Adam Lallana restored in a rejigged forward line.

Allardyce had already stated his intention to use his captain, Rooney, in the same number 10 role he has been performing for Manchester United and that leaves no room for Tottenham playmaker Alli.

Rooney will become England’s record outfield cap-holder when he lines up at Trnava’s City Arena, surpassing David Beckham’s 115.

England look likely to begin with a 4-2-3-1 formation similar to United’s, with Harry Kane leading the line.

He has yet to score for Tottenham this season but has done enough in training at St George’s Park to convince Allardyce he should keep Sturridge and Jamie Vardy on the bench.

Tottenham’s Danny Rose has retained the left-back role despite competition from fit-again Manchester United full-back Luke Shaw.

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Chelsea Man Close To Exit After Season Opener?

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Antonio Conte’s Chelsea tenure got off to a good start last night, but his squad selection raised some eyebrows.

Cesc Fabregas was left on the bench throughout, with even Victor Moses getting a run out ahead of the Spaniard when Chelsea were chasing a winner – which was duly claimed by Diego Costa.

And, according to The Telegraph, that’s because Conte doesn’t see the former Barcelona man as part of his plans for the season, and has offered him to a host of top clubs around Europe.

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Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus have all been notified of Fabregas’ availability, as Conte seems happy to pair new signing N’Golo Kante with Nemanja Matic in the Blues’ midfield.

Matic himself has been heavily linked with a move to Juventus – as a replacement for Paul Pogba – but Fabregas looks closer to the exit door after last night’s ommission, and could fill the void left by the world’s most expensive player in Turin.

Fabregas enjoyed a brilliant first season back at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho in 2014, but has since fallen from grace in dramatic fashion.

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He’s now 29, and doesn’t seem to fit in with Conte’s preference for energetic, combative midfielders. Kante will be a regular feature in the Chelsea midfield, and with Matic and Oscar getting picked ahead of him in the season opener, Fabregas could be set for an.

Conte himself has insisted he ‘doesn’t see any problem’ with the midfielder, but that won’t stop the rumours flying and a possible exit being talked about.

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