NFL 2013 TABRankings: Week 2

For those looking to hit the panic button, it’s best to know which teams are truly looking poor en route to an 0-2 start. With MetLife Stadium hosting Super Bowl XLVIII, the media quickly pointed out the 2007 Giants winning Super Bowl XLII despite their 0-2 start. However, it should be immediately pointed that those two losses came to eventual 13-3 teams. Other teams, like the 2008 Vikings and Chargers, suffered close and/or heartbreaking losses in those opening games. (In particular, the 2008 Chargers lost their first two games on a walk-off touchdown and a no call for a game-ending turnover.) Of course, with those teams, have the run of the mill bad teams starting off their bad season with bad losses.

According to the TABRankings, it’s best not to yet give up hope on the Carolina Panthers. They lost both of their games — including a heartbreaking loss in the final two seconds in Buffalo last Sunday — by five points or fewer. As a result, they rank best among 0-2 teams for their 2013 TABR total. That results in Carolina ranking at least six spots higher than any other winless team. A fellow NFC South winless team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the first team ever to blow a lead on a game-winning field goal in the final five seconds in each of their first two games. While their 0-2 start looks “promising,” such hope gets tempered by the very poor early play of Josh Freeman and the supposed “turmoil” in the Tampa Bay locker room. Two those teams have the respective participants of the aforementioned Super Bowl XLII this Sunday, as Carolina hosts the Giants and Tampa Bay visits the New England Patriots.

As for teams like those Giants, a fellow NFC East disappointment in the Washington Redskins, and the shockingly inept Pittsburgh Steelers, there’s good reason to hit the panic. They are three of five teams to own a negative point total in 2013. Only the lowly Browns and Jaguars join the group. Perhaps it’s time to abandon postseason hope, especially if Sunday results in a loss.

Now to the rankings. Remember, the formula for the 2013 TABRankings looks like so:

The TABRankings formula:
(Win Pct x 2)+(Pyth Pct)+(Div Pct x 0.5)+(Qual Pct x 0.5)+(3rd/4th Down Diff x 2.25)+(TO Margin x 3)-(FK Diff x 0.75)+(Sack Diff x 0.75)+(Time Ahead Avg x 1.2)+(Time Ahead Big Avg x 1.5)+(Real Quarterback Rating Diff x 1.25)+(Relative Pts Avg x 1.8)

Of course, two games should not mean everything. The results are strictly not reliable enough just yet. Therefore, these rankings will feature some TABR from 2012 and some TABR from 2013. The total from the above formula will be called the Raw TABR. Add in the 2012 TABR, and this will create the True TABR for Week 2. The 2012 TABR will have a decreasing influence over the first four weeks.

The TABRankings opponent adjustment for Week 2:
(Raw TABR * 0.5) + (2012 TABR * 0.5) = True TABR

With now all that put together, the results for Week 2 are available below. Make sure to check back in the upcoming weeks for the newest installments of the TABRankings . We will be publishing these results weekly!

The TABRankings top eight:
1, 2, 3, 4
5, 6, 7, 8

True TABRankings — Week 2