Tom Brady might be retired from playing, but he still sees the game like a quarterback—which is exactly why his weekly power rankings have become must-read material for NFL fans. After two weeks of the 2026 season, the scoring was down a bit from the opening Sunday, but the quarterback play remained the league’s most fascinating storyline. In Brady’s latest top ten, he wasn’t just rewarding wins; he was weighing context. Short weeks in raucous road stadiums, travel from Australia, backup quarterbacks forced into action, point differentials, and, above all, limiting negative plays. That’s what stood out across his rankings. There were a couple of new undefeated teams breaking in, a few familiar giants sliding down, and one very dangerous-looking team from western New York moving up. Brady’s biggest takeaway from Week 2 was that the quarterback who takes what the defense gives him, protects the football and lets the game come to him is the quarterback he trusts most. His top ten, from ten to one, paints a picture of a league still being defined by decision-makers at the most important position in sports.
Starting at No. 10, Brady had the Detroit Lions, a 1-1 team that dropped one spot but kept his respect. He knew the Lions were in an absolute grind—playing on a short week in Buffalo against a Bills team opening a brand-new stadium in front of a raucous Bills Mafia. That, Brady said, is about as hard as it gets. Even in a loss, he made sure to shout out Jared Goff, who had been lights out with six touchdowns and no interceptions through two games. Brady made it clear he likes the Lions’ prospects as the season moves forward. Not far behind, at No. 9, was the team Brady jokingly insisted he wasn’t giving a hometown boost—though if you know Brady’s ties to the Raiders, you can’t help but smile. He credited Kirk Cousins, who already had six touchdown passes in only two games, and praised a plus-26 point differential, the third best in the league. He loved the fact that they went on the road and beat the Chargers. Undefeated is undefeated, Brady said, offering a simple philosophy: “Just win, baby.”
The middle of Brady’s rankings was full of respect for tough, well-coached teams. At No. 8, he had a 2-0 squad that had gone undefeated in the division despite having to rely on a backup quarterback. No one expected it, Brady admitted, but the work done by Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores deserved a ton of credit. He praised O’Connell’s amazing IQ, EQ, and charisma, calling him a great leader of men who is always able to put his players in a position to win. Brady also noted that this team had held Chicago to three points—just a week after the Bears had scored 59. He recognized that the elements were nasty, but three points is still three points. At No. 7 was a team that had to deal with all the noise about their Australia trip, and they refused to let it define their season. Brady called the travel talk overplayed and behind them, and he gave them credit for taking care of business at home. Even without Myles Garrett, without Puka Nacua, and with Aaron Donald limited, this team proved it was more than just big names. Davante Adams erupted for 195 yards and two touchdowns, the exact kind of performance Brady believed they needed to get back on track.
Then came the teams that looked like true Super Bowl contenders. At No. 6, Brady had the Cincinnati Bengals, and he loved what he was seeing from Joe Burrow. It wasn’t just about the offense either—the Bengals defense, for the first time in a while, was playing complementary football. Brady pointed out that Cincinnati had eight sacks and four takeaways through the first two games, and he called that defense music to Bengals fans’ ears. Ja’Marr Chase, after only two catches in Week 1, scored twice in Week 2, including what was quite possibly the catch of the year with a perfect toe-tap along the sideline. At No. 5, the Philadelphia Eagles moved up after a couple of close wins, and Brady was surprisingly fine with that. He said it was nice to see a Northeastern team go on the road in hot, humid September and show some toughness. Close games early in the season, according to Brady, aren’t necessarily a bad thing; they build character, and he thought the Eagles would be better for those tests down the road. It was a nod to the Philadelphia fanbase, who knew their team was finding ways to win without being dominant.
By the time Brady got into the top four, he was starting to separate the real contenders from the pretenders. At No. 4, he had the Kansas City Chiefs, a team he said looked like it had forgotten all about any early-season rust. Patrick Mahomes looked invincible in overtime at Arrowhead, throwing for nearly 400 yards, and Travis Kelce was doing vintage Travis Kelce things. Brady was a little concerned about the Chiefs’ pass rush, though—they need to find more ways to get pressure on the quarterback. But he was confident Steve Spagnuolo, the defensive coordinator, would figure it out. At No. 3, Brady had the Buffalo Bills, and this was where his excitement really started to show. He praised Josh Allen for getting his team out to a fast start in a new stadium and for throwing 36 points against Houston and 41 against Dan Campbell’s Lions. More than anything, Brady was impressed with Allen’s discipline: no turnovers in two games, no reckless throws, no trying to do too much. Allen used to force big plays and occasionally miss, but now he’s accurate, patient, and playing very dangerous football. That kind of maturity from a superstar quarterback is what scares the rest of the league.
Finally, at No. 2, Brady had the San Francisco 49ers, who came home from Australia and promptly dominated the Miami Dolphins. The Niners had a plus-42 point differential—almost double the next-best team in the NFL—and their offense was averaging eight yards per play with no turnovers. Brady talked about Brock Purdy as a guy who was always making the right decisions, always in total control, and always poised. “This Niners team—watch out,” Brady said. “No one thought about them.” Still, there was only one spot for one team: at No. 1, Brady kept the Seattle Seahawks, the defending kings of his power rankings. He loved that Seattle was 2-0 and winning in all three phases: offense, defense, and special teams. Jaxon Smith-Njigba already had four touchdown catches; Sam Darnold went down early and Drew Lock stepped in and completed 73 percent of his passes without throwing a single interception. Even the running back by committee—162 yards last week—was a testament to their depth. “In order to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best,” Brady said. And with the Seahawks sitting at the top once again, that’s exactly the challenge everyone else in the NFL is going to have to figure out.
