Bills Jump to No. 1 in PFF Week 2 Power Rankings; Chargers Slide After Cardinals Loss

# Quick summary The first week of the 2026 NFL season produced large swings in PFF's power rankings. Buffalo moved up to No. 1 after an offensively explosive outing. The Los Angeles Chargers tumbled 10 spots following a loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Other notable moves include big climbs for the Chiefs and 49ers and a small fall for the Rams.

# Top movers and why they moved

• Arizona. The ranking reflects the scale of the upset and how the Week 1 result altered PFF's holistic evaluation.

• San Francisco 49ers: Also up seven spots following a dominant game in Australia. Fred Warner returned with a strong overall grade (91.1 PFF), and new addition Mike Evans contributed right away, especially on contested catches. San Francisco's defense missed few tackles and allowed a low scoring-drive rate.

• Melbourne against the 49ers. Matthew Stafford struggled (a low overall PFF grade was cited) and the typically strong defensive line underperformed. All-Pro acquisition Myles Garrett is out at least four games with a knee injury, which alters expectations for the Rams' defense in the near term.

• Small sample caveat: PFF notes that while Week 1 provides data on every team, the sample size is limited and future weeks will determine which trends hold.

• Offenses that produced multiple explosive plays (e.g., Buffalo, Kansas City) rose in the model's rankings.

• Defensive health and immediate availability of top players mattered: losses like Garrett's expected absence have concrete impacts on short-term roster evaluations.

# Team spotlights

• Kansas City Chiefs: The run game reappeared as a meaningful factor and rookie defensive standouts improved the team's grade.

# What to watch next week

• Leonhard after permitting a 53.2% success rate to Houston's offense.
• Rams' defensive performance without Myles Garrett for at least the next four games.
• Whether Kansas City's rushing resurgence persists and if Patrick Mahomes returns to peak form, which would affect Kansas City's ceiling in the model.

# Bottom line Week 1 produced outsized movements in PFF's model: Buffalo vaulted to the top primarily on offense, the Chargers' loss dropped them considerably, and several contending teams improved their positioning after strong Week 1 performances. Expect these rankings to continue shifting while the league's small-sample noise resolves into clearer trends.