Lions crack the top three, Cowboys on the rise; Bengals and Browns plummet

The Chiefs and 49ers did well. The Panthers and Giants lost heavily. The Lions narrowly defeated the Rams in a classic at Ford Field.

In week 1 everything was exactly as we left it, right?! Not quite.

There were surprising results, like the Bengals—my future Super Bowl champions!—losing to the up-and-coming Patriots. Derek Carr and the Saints scored 47 points against Carolina. The Broncos got two safeties… and lost.

There's also some major transactional news. Dak Prescott was paid before the game, then the Cowboys dismantled the Browns. Justin Fields replaced the injured Russell Wilson and helped the Steelers to a hard-fought road win. Christian McCaffrey was cut from the roster at short notice, helping Jordan Mason become an overnight sensation.

And a little bit of old and new, too. Jim Harbaugh earned his first NFL win in nearly a decade, powered by a throwback performance from JK Dobbins. As for favorite rookie quarterbacks… well, they weren't all that popular on their first Sunday.

But the action in the opening week was pretty exciting. Three teams picked up wins after staging comebacks of 14+ points. There's been a lot of movement in the rankings of this file since Week 1: Three teams climbed four spots and another climbed three. And in perfect harmony, three teams fell four spots and another fell three spots.

Everything here is temporary anyway. Power rankings are like roadside motels: no one stays in one place for very long.