NFL Power Rankings Week 1

Week 1 Power Rankings

By:  James Watkins

1. Kansas City Chiefs: A team that already seemed to be one of the best in the AFC went into Foxborough and ran circles around the defending champion Patriots. When you can break 40 against a Bill Belicheck-coached team and make Tom Brady look human in the same game, the rest of the league better be on notice. Obvious congratulations are in order for rookie Kareem Hunt.

2. Green Bay Packers: Wait, is the defense actually on par with the offense this season? It’s way too early to know for sure, but the pass rush looks dangerous at the moment. It’s important to keep in mind that Seattle’s offensive line is a complete mess. Still, Aaron Rodgers is Aaron Rodgers, and Aaron Rodgers is the best QB in the league. The Pack are contenders.

3. Oakland Raiders: There’s a lot to like about this team and how they played in week 1. Marshawn Lynch added an extra dimension of grit on offense, and Derek Carr picked up right where he left off before getting hurt last year. The defense has something left to prove, but holding Tennessee to 13 at home is a great start.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers: There’s just too much talent on this team for them to be any lower at this stage, but Antonio Brown bailed them out big time. 13 penalties for 144 yards is completely inept and would have led to a surefire loss against most other teams. Curiously, Le’Veon Bell looked like a guy who hasn’t played meaningful football in months. They’ll get stronger as the season goes on, but they’re still playing to the level of their competition. Championship teams don’t really do that.

5. New England Patriots: I nearly placed them out of the top 5 for their completely lackluster performance against Kansas City. But does anyone really buy into the idea that this team is in trouble? Their division is weak at best, and I hate to break it to you, but Tom Brady isn’t falling off a cliff. Yet. Let’s see how this he and the rest of the defending champs respond before we stick a fork in anyone.

6. Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott got the monkey off his back by beating the Giants for the first time in his young career. Ezekiel Elliot ran for 104 yards in an impressive start to his rushing title defense campaign. The defense stifled a New York offense with no run game and arguably the worst offensive line in football, as they well should. Solid performance, but that secondary will be tested soon enough, especially with Orlando Scandrick out with a broken hand.

7. Atlanta Falcons: You can already hear whispers of “Super Bowl hangover” floating around this franchise. Of all the offensive stars on this team, it was tight end Austen Hooper who saved the day for the Falcons. His 88 yards catch-and-run TD in the fourth quarter put the game seemingly out of reach. But last year’s runners-up still needed the Chicago receivers to forget how to catch a pass in order to claim victory. Even worse: Aaron Rodgers is coming to Hotlanta next week.

8. Seattle Seahawks: So, is the o-line going to be this bad for yet another season? It’s easy to harp on what has been one of the most maligned units in the entire league for a few years now, but they really are the story of Seattle’s performance. Russell Wilson can only do so much while getting sacked 3 times and hit another 7 times. Green Bay’s pass rush isn’t even that dangerous. The Legion of Boom welcomed back senior member Earl Thomas by keeping the game relatively close. Defense will decide this team’s fate. Again.

9. Detroit Lions: Matty Millions earned his paycheck this week with a 4 touchdown performance at home against Arizona. The story is the same as in years past: questions in the backfield and on defense. Plenty of firepower on offense. If Stafford keeps performing the way his contract says he should, Detroit will be able to hang with anyone.

10. Carolina Panthers: Their rebound campaign got off to a solid start with a routine win over an outmatched San Francisco team. This is all about getting over last season’s year-long Super Bowl hangover. Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly are the key to snapping this team back into contention.

11. Philadelphia Eagles: I believe in Carson Wentz. I really do. He made Nelson Agholor look like a dangerous receiver. He led the offense to 30 points despite a lack of a consistent ground game. He gave Philly their first win against Washington in 3 years, even though his team didn’t play their best. Say it with me now. I believe in Carson Wentz.

12. Denver Broncos: Trevor Siemian won’t win any end of the season honors, but there are far worse options at quarterback in this league (yes I’m talking about you, Brock). The defense is good enough to make up for his shortcomings, and the passing game still has the potential to be lethal with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders on the outside. Oh, and that little shimmy to get away from Joey Bosa doesn’t hurt either.

13. Minnesota Vikings: Similar to the Broncos, this is a team expected to win games through stellar defensive performances, but started off the season looking pretty damn sharp in the passing game. Only difference is, the Vikings did it against New Orleans, who continue to field a putrid pass defense year after year. A win is a win, no doubt about that. We’ve seen fast starts in Minnesota before, however. Does the phrase “five and oh” ring any bells?

14. Baltimore Ravens: Surprise, surprise, the team leaned on a stout, swarming defense to secure victory. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and it’s worked for over 20 years now when it comes to this franchise. The secondary is at full strength for the first time in forever, which makes up for a limited pass rush outside of Terrell Suggs. On the other side of the ball, Jeremy Maclin proved to be an immediate difference maker.

15. Los Angeles Rams: For the first time in what feels like years, the Rams have a collection of legitimate talent on both sides of the ball. Todd Gurley is back to his rookie-year habit of steamrolling would-be tacklers. The defense is opportunistic and physical, two traits that any quality defense must have. Finally, finally, Jared Goff looks comfortable in the pocket. This is what a good young team looks like in the early stages of development. If Goff stays consistent, look out.

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: It might seem bold to place a team that hasn’t even played yet ahead of half the league, but that offense just has too much potential to be any lower. DeSean Jackson is the perfect downfield compliment to Mike Evans’ jump ball prowess. Cameron Brate and rookie O.J. Howard comprise an intriguing one-two punch at tight end. The defense is young and hungry. There is one reason to pump the brakes: the backfield situation is completely up in the air, even more so with the continued suspension of Doug Martin.

17. Tennessee Titans: Losing at Oakland isn’t cause for too much alarm, but it’s a disappointing result when the division is ripe for the taking. In a clash of two great young QBs, Derek Carr outplayed Marcus Mariota when it really counted. Those great leadership qualities from the former Heisman winner need to translate into statement wins. Like, right now.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars: They won’t be this low for long if the defense continues to get to the quarterback like they did against Houston. Dante Fowler Jr. Is coming into his own as a disruptive force off the edge. Leonard Fournette pounded his way to 100 yards in his first real NFL game. Most important of all, Blake Bortles didn’t turn the ball over. Not once. Cue collective gasps and crossed fingers from Jags fans everywhere.

19. Miami Dolphins: Either the week off distributes another coat of rust to the entire team or it gives Jay Cutler ample time to prepare for his first Dolphins start. This was a playoff team a year ago, but any team that loses its starting QB before the season and then faces the unique task of enduring 16 games in a row is going to be playing from behind right off the bat

20. The Washington Team: No, I don’t like that, Kirk Cousins. Washington’s hopes of a third straight winning campaign will live or die by your play. I know Pierre Garçon and DeSean Jackson are gone, but you’ve still got weapons in Jordan Reed and newcomer Terrelle Pryor Sr. This is a good team, but they need Cousins to be great in order to compete in an increasingly tough division.

21. Los Angeles Chargers: Different city, same on-field issues. Consistently playing from behind? Check. An inability to win close games? Check. Phillip Rivers being forced to carry too much of the offensive load? Check. Joey Bosa turning a perfect read into a missed tackle on Trevor Siemian’s touchdown run perfectly encapsulates the problems with this team (yeah I’m bringing that up again). Teams that can’t finish can’t compete, especially in a division as stacked as the AFC West.

22. New Orleans Saints: There wasn’t much room to run for Adrian Peterson. Or Mark Ingram. Or Alvin Kamara. Does Drew Brees have enough left to spend another season carrying this entire franchise on his right arm? Oh, and the defense still isn’t very good. Wash, rinse, repeat.

23. Buffalo Bills: The only reason they aren’t higher is because they beat the Jets. Anyone can beat the Jets. 408 yards of offense is still nothing to sneeze at, but I will stress… it was against the Jets. Unlike the Rams, who also beat up on lowly competition, the Bills aren’t a young team on the rise. Stiffer competition will arrive as the weather gets worse in Buffalo. Then the lack of high end talent (particularly at wide receiver) will start to manifest.

24. Arizona Cardinals: Not a terrible performance on the road against Detroit. However, the injury to David Johnson looms large over the rest of this season. Kerwynn Williams can’t fill the void completely, but he did score in relief of Johnson. Arizona is going to need more of that, and drastic improvement in the secondary. Good news: Indy is their next opponent.

25. New York Giants: When you have an O-line as porous as this, it’s easy to understand why Eli Manning looked so pedestrian on Sunday night. Throw in a toothless rushing attack, and the Giants have serious doubts on the offensive side of the ball. The defense looked OK against the high-powered Dallas attack. They’ll be on the field a lot this season, because Manning isn’t going to stop forcing throws anytime soon. He just doesn’t have time back there.

26. Chicago Bears: Sure this team still has questions at QB and a defense without a single Pro Bowler, but did you see Tarik Cohen? Kid’s got speed to burn, and he compliments Jordan Howard very nicely. Mike Glennon was adequate, and the team came within a few dropped passes of a serious upset of the defending NFC champions. Not too shabby.

27. Cleveland Browns: Much like Chicago, the Browns played competitively against a team that made a deep playoff run last year. DeShone Kizer was fairly impressive in his debut as the starter, especially considering how talented the Steelers are up front. The defense also deserves recognition for making Pittsburgh look entirely out of sorts for long stretches. It’s important to remember this is still Cleveland, and this is still the youngest roster in the league. There will be quite a few growing pains moving forward.

28. Houston Texans: They have problems, although Deshaun Watson looked alright in his first regular season game. He led an impressive touchdown drive after he replaced Pitt alum Tom Savage under center. Watson followed that up with a fumble, a punt, and an interception on his next three possessions. One step forward, three steps back. Unless this team can find more consistency on both sides of the ball, that’ll be the story of the entire season in Houston.

29. Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton had a healthy AJ Green. Andy Dalton had a healthy Tyler Eifert (finally!). Andy Dalton had 3 talented running backs to help open up the passing game. Andy Dalton posted a 0.6 Total QBR. Andy Dalton was sacked 5 times against a team with a middling pass rush. Andy Dalton and his team are in deep trouble.

30. San Francisco 49ers: The cupboard is pretty bare in terms of talent, and their week 1 performance reflected that. Pierre Garçon and Carlos Hyde were bright spots on offense, but you can’t win unless you score points. This team looks very likely to struggle in that regard.

31. Indianapolis Colts: We all knew the QB situation would be rough with Andrew Luck on the bench for the foreseeable future. But two pick sixes and barely reaching 150 yards through the air? The Rams had a top 10 pass defense last season, but Indy won’t beat anybody with that kind of play under center. Oh, and the defense allowed Jared Goff to pass for over 300 yards. Yikes.

32. New York Jets: It’s easy to pick on a team that many expected to be the worst in the league. But the Jets showed exactly why that perception existed in the first place, so this is where they land. LeSean McCoy and Tyrod Taylor blew through the New York defense with ease. Josh McCown looked like a career journeyman, throwing two picks and no touchdowns. The run game was non-existent. The Jets are exactly who we thought they were. Strap in for a long season.