Week 1 NFL Power Rankings

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32. Carolina Panthers:

Either the Saints are REALLY GOOD…or the Panthers are still the Panthers.

31. New York Giants:

Malik Nabers is very good, the defensive line is very good. Everything else is less than desirable though for the Giants. They need to go find a franchise quarterback if they want to have success in the future.

30. Las Vegas Raiders:

Gardner Minshew is clearly just a bridge quarterback to a future rookie starter. The Raiders are clearly going into rebuild and will be competing for the top draft selection this season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see veterans such as Davantae Adams and Jakobi Meyers traded before the deadline this year.

29. Tennessee Titans:

Will Levis has some upside left but it is projecting towards Tennessee pursuing a new young signal caller this year. The Titans have a plethora of overrated weapons and a disastrous offensive line so I doubt Levis will have an opportunity to turn this team around after an embarrassing start against Chicago.

28. Denver Broncos:

Bo Nix had a rough opening weekend but showed flashes with a very poor team around him. The defense is still very solid and this team could find success in the future if they surround Bo with better weapons.

27. Washington Commanders:

Jayden Daniels looks like the best rookie quarterback after the first week, however the team around him is far worse than the other first year quarterbacks. Washington traded away their WR2 for nothing, had a poor OLine, and has no dominant threat on the defense.

26. New England Patriots:

Yes the Patriots won, but it wasn’t necessarily a tone setting victory screaming that New England is back. Rhamondre Stevenson looks like he will have a bounce back season but with maybe the worst receiving core in the league and Jacoby Brissett as the starter, this offense is going nowhere this year. On the other hand the defense looked incredible against Cincinnati led by Keion White having 2.5 sacks.

25. Cleveland Browns:

Deshaun Watson played horrifically, Amari Cooper looks like he has regressed, David Njoku got injured, and Nick Chubb is still injured from last year. In other words Cleveland’s offense has gone through the gutter and will not find success this year no matter how well the defense plays. This team is not a competitor. 

24. New Orleans Saints:

The Saints absolutely dominated against the Panthers, however it’s not enough to say this success was due to the Saints strength or the Panthers incompetency. It is certainly promising to start out the season winning by 37 points though. 

23. Minnesota Vikings:

The Vikings are this low for the same reason as the Saints. The Giants team is very bad. Sam Darnold and the Vikings dominated and looked great, however it is too early to say the success was due to Minnesota’s talent vs their opponents failure. 

22. Seattle Seahawks:

Yes Seattle won their game, but this game was far closer than it should have been. Seattle with proven star weapons at every position should’ve blown a struggling Denver team out of the water yet it came down to the final drive. So far Seattle looks like the worst team in the division.

21. Chicago Bears:

Caleb Williams looked like the worst rookie quarterback in the opener. After a terrible game against a bad opponent, Chicago got bailed out by a disgusting pick 6 thrown by Will Levis. Chicago has miles to go to prove that they are a competitor this year.

20. Cincinnati Bengals:

This loss was embarrassing for the Bengals going up against New England. Without Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for most of the game and losing Joe Mixon to the Texans, there was sure to be visible rust on Joe Burrow in his first game back from injury. Despite the bad loss there is faith this team will turn around.

19. New York Jets:

Aaron Rodgers looked like a 40 year old quarterback coming off of an injury. There was sure to be some adjustment pains for the Jets offense, especially against arguably the best team in the league. The 49ers dominated the Jets, but the promise is there.

18. Atlanta Falcons:

This game was gross for both teams, and even the refs. Kirk Cousins is clearly going to need some adjusting period, much like Aaron Rodgers and Joe Burrow. Even then, you have to look at this team and trust that they will figure it out. I have faith Atlanta will put it all together later in the season. 

17. Arizona Cardinals:

Kyler Murray looks like he’s finally back and healthy, impressing both as a passer and runner. The run game was great, but to unlock this offense’s potential they NEED to involve Marvin Harrison Jr. more. The offense should be explosive, but the defense will hold them back.

16. Los Angeles Chargers:

Herbert and the passing game was atrocious against the Raiders with the exception of rookie receiver Ladd McConkey. Despite this, JK Dobbins was able to explode and bring in a victory for this team helped out by the defense shutting down the Raiders. You have to hope to see more from Herbert later in the year.

15. Indianapolis Colts:

Anthony Richardson’s arm talent is insane. Against the talented Texans, Indy held right in there and had a legitimate chance to upset the Texans. If the defense and Jonathan Taylor step up as expected in the future and Anthony Richardson stays consistent this team will be scary!

14. Pittsburgh Steelers:

The refs held back Pittsburgh from having a much more dominant win against Atlanta. Justin Fields looked far better than the numbers suggest, playing exceptionally with a very lackluster surrounding offense outside of George Pickens. The defense of course is still elite. If Fields plays well this team will be good.

13. Green Bay Packers:

The Packers played a great game against the Philadelphia Eagles coming down to the last drive and I would have had them higher if it weren’t for Jordan Love’s injury. Thankfully Love avoided a serious season ending injury, but I’m still worried he won’t be 100% this year.

12. Jacksonville Jaguars:

The Jaguars lost this game, however they dominated nearly the entire game against the Dolphins in Miami’s heat. If Travis Etienne doesn’t fumble on the 1 yard line leading to an 80 yard Tyreek Hill touchdown, then the Jaguars would have won this game by a good amount. Duval will bounce back later this year. 

11. Miami Dolphins:

The Fins did not win this game, the Jaguars lost this game. Miami was still somehow able to put a W on their schedule either way. The team outside of Tyreek Hill and De’Von Achane didn’t look great last week, but Miami has a very talented squad and great coach that should continue to find success.

10. Los Angeles Rams:

The Rams lost a very close game to the Lions but impressed very heavily. Matthew Stafford looked fantastic and Cooper Kupp dominated the entire game looking like he was back to his prime. The young defense displayed flashes and Kyren looked good as well. This team will look fantastic especially when Nacua is back from injury. 

9. Dallas Cowboys:

The Cowboys dominated the Browns and the defense looked stellar as the Browns offense couldn’t get anything going. The Cowboys offense was somewhat disappointing compared to the teams higher on this list though as Dak and the passing game wasn’t too explosive and the run game was extremely lackluster.

8. Houston Texans: 

C.J. Stroud is very good and Joe Mixon is a great workhorse back. The Texans offense is great basically across the board, however the OLine is shaky and the defense could hold them back from Super Bowl hopes this season.

7. Buffalo Bills:

This team is all Josh Allen. The do it all quarterback was able to carry his offense to a win over the Cardinals. It was apparent that he was missing Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis though as the passing game started out slow. The defense may be better than expected though led by Greg Rousseau.

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Wow! Baker Mayfield looked like the best quarterback in the NFL last week. 24/30 and 4 passing touchdowns. It was just week 1, but if the Bucs continue to look anywhere close to as dominant as they were last week then the Buccaneers will be legitimate contenders.

5. Baltimore Ravens:

The Ravens lost to the back to back champions, but it came down to the very last play only an inch away from tying up the game. This Ravens team is great, they will bounce back and dominate throughout this season.

4. Philadelphia Eagles:

Jalen Hurts played miserably against the Packers but this team is so stacked that they still were able to get a win against a very good team. Jalen Hurts should turn around and play better in the future, which will only elevate this Eagles squad further.

3. Detroit Lions:

This team is extremely good and I believe has a strong chance to be this year’s Super Bowl Champions, but I worry about the Lions consistency and depth compared to the 49ers and Chiefs. The top 3 teams are a jump ahead of the rest of the league.

2. San Francisco 49ers:

A statement win against a Jets team that some believe will be legitimate contenders this year, is the perfect way to go out and start your season. Especially considering they were missing the greatest running back in football, this 49ers team is determined to get another crack at a Super Bowl win.

1. Kansas City Chiefs:

Back to back Super Bowl champions led by the undisputed best quarterback in football went up against Baltimore in the Thursday night lights and looked better than they did last season. It was a competitive game, however this may be the best overall surrounding offense Mahomes has ever had. It is impossible for the Chiefs to be anywhere except 1 on the power ranking so far.