Hello and welcome to Week 2 of SI’s NFL power rankings. We’re coming to you from an airplane over the Atlantic Ocean, aboard which we just finished watching Panthers-Saints. Who said we were a dying civilization?
To me, we have one more week before we can start to pour cement into our hottest takes and firm them up. I think you can go through this list and see some very heady thoughts in the making.
Author: Michael
Through two weeks, the NFL rookie class is getting its bearings.
Early on, Bijan Robinson looks like an absolute star, while the early-round receivers have struggled for the most part. Then there’s the quarterbacks, with C.J. Stroud garnering stats but also some empty numbers.
We looked at all the rookies and gave our assessments of 10, including five stocks rising, three falling and two holding steady.
Photo by Edmund So/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
The Mercedes boss sets the stage ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix
In the closing laps of the Singapore Grand Prix, a bold strategy call from Mercedes seemed to be paying off.
Then in a flash, dreams of a double podium for the Silver Arrows were shattered when George Russell, running in third, slid off the track and into the barrier. Teammate Lewis Hamilton secured a spot on the podium with his eventual third-place finish, but in an instant, thoughts of a stunning win for the team were vaporized.
Deion Sanders’ tenure at Colorado has gotten off to a perfect start. While things did get dicey against a less-than-stellar Colorado State team in Week 3, Colorado is a perfect 3-0 after grinding out a win over the Rams.
The come-from-behind victory was noteworthy in its own right, but the fact that Colorado was able to secure the win in overtime with Sanders not even understanding the rules makes it that much more impressive.
The Cleveland Browns lost their star running back, Nick Chubb, for likely the rest of the season on Monday night after he suffered a knee injury that was so gruesome ESPN refused to show replays of it.
After fans in Pittsburgh gave Chubb a classy send off as he left the field on a cart, fans on social media waited for updates on his injury.
That’s when ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who is one of the most connected NFL insiders in the business, decided to post an update on X (which was formerly known as Twitter) that could have been worded a lot better than the way he opted to frame it.
Luke Fickell doesn’t want to spend one second of time talking about players who decide to leave the program.
Wisconsin is currently sitting at 2-1 following a frustrating start to the season. While the team might have two wins, the Badgers also lost to Washington State and have started all three games slow.
To make matters worse for the Badgers, the team’s receiving depth took a hit when Keontez Lewis decided to hit the portal last week. Lewis was expected to have a bigger role than what he’d been given through two games, and decided it was time to find a new home.
Pittsburgh was able to pull through, but losing its All-Pro running back was Cleveland’s biggest loss.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed after Monday’s loss to the Steelers that star running back Nick Chubb is expected to be out for the remainder of the 2023 NFL season, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Chubb sustained a horrific knee injury during the second quarter of the game against the Steelers after rushing up the middle on first-and-goal. He was hit by safety Minkah Fitzpatrick on the play, and was seen grabbing his leg on the ground in the aftermath. The 27-year-old was carted off and ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson avoided a penalty Monday despite appearing to push a referee during a heated exchange in the fourth quarter against the Steelers.
Watson scampered to the sideline for no gain, and was then flagged for a personal foul after he grabbed the helmet of Kwon Alexander and dragged him toward the bench on Pittsburgh’s sideline.
Tensions flared afterwards, and amid the ensuing chaos, Watson tried to get in the face of some Steelers defenders. An official attempted to impede his path, and he could be seen shoving the referee to the side.
For all the drama the Browns have had over the years, they at least had Nick Chubb. A pillar for the organization since he entered the league five years ago, the running back has provided support in more ways than one, from his leadership to his rugged running style that’s respected throughout Cleveland and across the NFL.
Cleveland took a gut punch after Chubb was carted off the field with a severe leg injury early in the second quarter of Monday night’s game against the Steelers.