We’re two weeks into the regular season, and so it’s time -- coincidentally -- to offer up our Week Two Power Rankings.
So feel free to check them out and, as usual, complain loudly if you disagree with where we’ve put your “team” . . . and remain completely silent if you completely agree.
And, yes, we nearly bumped the defending champions out of the top spot even though they won last night.
1. New Orleans Saints (No. 1 last week; 2-0): They’re still the kings, but the gap is closing.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 6; 2-0): Whatever Troy Polamalu is getting paid, it isn’t nearly enough.
3. Green Bay Packers (No. 5; 2-0): When Favre returns to Lambeau in a few weeks, revenge could end up being a dish best served frozen.
4. Houston Texans (No. 7; 2-0): The old Texans were great at blowing 17-point leads; the new Texans erase 17-point deficits.
5. Baltimore Ravens (No. 2; 1-1): Maybe they knew what they were doing when they signed Marc Bulger.
6. New York Jets (No. 10; 1-1): Once the Jets quit talking about going to the Super Bowl, they finally look like a team that could. There may be a lesson in there somewhere.
7. Miami Dolphins (No. 11; 2-0): That win in Minnesota could lay the foundation for the team’s best season since they ended the year with a win over Minnesota.
8. Indianapolis Colts (No. 9; 1-1): On Sunday night, Antoine Bethea hit Mario Manningham so hard that it ruptured Bob Sanders’ other biceps tendon.
9. Tennessee Titans (No. 8; 1-1): Apparently, “benching” now appears in Roget’s Thesaurus under the word “rescue.”
10. New England Patriots (No. 3; 1-1): After escaping Revis Island, Randy Moss got lost in Cromartie Canyon.
11. Cincinnati Bengals (No. 18; 1-1): The Week One debacle notwithstanding, the Bengals could enter the bye 4-1.
12. Kansas City Chiefs (No. 16; 2-0): Maybe they should rename them the “Overachiefers.”
13. San Diego Chargers (No. 17; 1-1): Maybe the Chargers think that turnovers will sell tickets.
14. New York Giants (No. 12; 1-1): Brandon Jacobs didn’t mean to throw his helmet into the stands. He was aiming for Tom Coughlin.
15. Washington Redskins (No. 13; 1-1): Gary Kubiak turned Mike Shanahan’s face to alabaster. Which is a better color than orange.
16. Chicago Bears (No. 21; 2-0): Beat the Packers, and the Bears will move to the top 10. Maybe the top five.
17. Atlanta Falcons (No. 19; 1-1): The first crack at dethroning the Saints comes on Sunday.
18. Philadelphia Eagles (No. 20; 1-1): Lost in all the Vick hoopla is the fact that the Eagles nearly lost to the Lions.
19. Minnesota Vikings (No. 4; 0-2): If the Vikings drop any faster they’ll get the bends.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 15; 1-1): During his two-day hiatus from the Steelers, the Jaguars should have tried to bring back Byron Leftwich.
21. Denver Broncos (No. 22; 1-1): Rookie wideout Demaryius Thomas could eventually make the fans sort of forget about the receiver that coach Josh McDaniels ran off.
22. Dallas Cowboys (No. 14; 0-2): It’s not time to panic yet. Lose to the Texans, and it’ll be time to panic.
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 29; 2-0): Beat the Steelers, and the Bucs will move to the top 10. Maybe the top five.
24. Seattle Seahawks (No. 24; 1-1): Hey, a one-game winning streak is better than no winning streak at all.
25. Arizona Cardinals (No. 25; 1-1): Kurt Warner’s case for Canton is getting stronger all the time.
26. Carolina Panthers (No. 23; 0-2): The over-under on Steve Smith giving Jimmy Clausen another black eye is October 15.
27. Oakland Raiders (No. 31; 1-1): Even JaMarcus Russell lasted longer than Jason Campbell.
28. San Francisco 49ers (No. 26; 0-2): At this rate, they will not try to miss the playoffs.
29. Detroit Lions (No. 27; 0-2): Moral victories still ain’t victories.
30. St. Louis Rams (No. 28; 0-2): From 3-13 to 2-14 to 1-15, the Rams are on an early pace for 0-16.
31. Cleveland Browns (No. 30; 0-2): With a quintet of tough games on tap, Eric Mangini may not get a chance to host the Jets and Pats in consecutive weeks after the bye.
32. Buffalo Bills (No. 32; 0-2): As expected, Trent Edwards won during training camp the right to be the first guy benched.