NFL Week 1 Power Rankings

FOOTBALL IS BACK! Holy moly, was I excited for football to be back on. Somehow, this offseason felt longer to me than I was used to or expected. It sucked. But football is here and it felt, oh so good. 

With one week already down, and 17 more ahead of us, let's have a look at the power balance in the league ahead of Week 2. 

1.       Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0)

Washington Football Team vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland, January 9, 2021 (All-Pro Reels Photography). https://www.flickr.com/photos/joeglo/50833225907/. Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

Thursday night’s opener was closer than predicted, but that’s a better reflection of the Cowboys quality than the Buccaneers being overrated. You can see the Bucs’ quality all over the field. The run defense is immense, I have no idea how any defensive coordinator can prepare to stop this plethora of weapons, and then there’s Brady pulling the strings. It's hard to pinpoint a significant weakness. 

2.       Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)

Officially I have the Chiefs second, but they are 1b while the Bucs are 1a. It was a slow start for the defending AFC Champs, and the Browns should have won, however, the Chiefs found a way to produce just one or two huge plays to take control of the game. Once they’re in control, it’s over, and they find ways to take control an awful lot. 

3.       Los Angeles Rams (1-0)

In the interest of transparency, I was more excited to see the Matthew Stafford-led Rams than any other non-Ravens team. He didn’t disappoint. For the first time ever he has an at least competent defense and a fully stocked receiver room. He played very well and what we saw was simply scratching the surface of what the Rams could be.

4.       New Orleans Saints (1-0)

Has Jameis Winston really improved that much? The early signs are very positive, but let’s give it a little more time to crown him. Nevertheless, the quality of this team is evident in the way they totally handled the Packers. If Winston can continue to be the facilitator he was on Sunday, this team will roll.

5.       Cleveland Browns (0-1)

The Browns are the only team in the AFC I’m confident is fully equipped to deal with the Chiefs, they just have to perform for the full 60-minutes. The game couldn’t have started much better, the Browns just couldn’t keep it going. The previous two matchups have produced two painful losses for the Browns, who honestly should have won on both occasions, but cleaning up a few errors could be the difference if these teams meet again.

6.       Buffalo Bills (0-1)

Cleveland Browns vs Buffalo Bills August 17th 2018 from Erik Drost Attribution 2.0 Generic

It’s safe to say the Bills’ display on Sunday was far cry from what anyone expected from the presumed second-best team in the AFC. The offense was completed stifled by Pittsburgh, mainly T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward, but it isn’t time for alarm bells, yet. The defense played well and there is plenty of time for them to figure it out offensively – but I’d be concerned as a Bills fan if they draw the Steelers again in the playoffs.

7.       Arizona Cardinals (1-0)

Some of the dominance of the Cardinals’ win on Sunday could be attributed to the quality of the Titans, but the Cardinals look to have taken a leap. Kyler Murray raised the bar again, the offense is more balanced, and the defense played very well at every level. 

8.       San Francisco 49ers (1-0)

Despite their best efforts to lose in the fourth quarter, the 49ers put a beating on the Lions. The season-ending injury to Raheem Mostert is obviously less than ideal, but they have shown the running back is a fluid position. Jason Verrett’s injury, however, is a bigger issue. Nevertheless, the roster is very talented, well-coached, and well-schemed. Now they just need to get Trey Lance on the field full-time. 

9.       Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)

On the list of things I didn’t expect to see in Week 1 was the Steelers beating the Bills how they did. This defense is nasty. The offense is not much more than expected; Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t look improved from last season and the ground game was very poor. However, the quality of this defense can carry this team to double-digit wins.

10.   Seattle Seahawks (1-0)

In last place of the NFC West… The NFC West is uber-talented. Offensively the biggest question mark for the Seahawks is their ability to sustain a high level of offensive performance. If they can avoid the late-season slump which plagued them last year the Seahawks are going to be a fierce contender.

11.   Green Bay Packers (0-1)

Seattle vs. Green Bay • December 27, 2009 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Mike Morbeck. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0

The theories surrounding the Packers’ slump in Week 1 are intriguing. From the team over-estimating themselves, to the dysfunction of Aaron Rodgers’ off-season, or the conspiracy theory he is losing deliberately, the range of justifications is broad. The Saints did the same thing to the Buccaneers last year, remember, but clearly Green Bay has plenty to figure out.

12.   Baltimore Ravens (0-1)

The biggest concerns going into the season were realized for the Ravens on a hectic Monday night. It is easy to place blame on Lamar Jackson’s two fumbles – the first of which is worthy of blame – but there are bigger issues on this team. The offensive line is a big problem and once again the pass rush leaves a lot to be desired. The Ravens can’t consistently produce pressure without blitzing, and even when blitzing they couldn’t consistently get home to Derek Carr. Heading into a Week 2 game against the Chiefs is just about a worst-case scenario for this team in its current shape.

13.   Dallas Cowboys (0-1)

Despite losing, the Cowboys did enough to raise my opinion of them. Dak Prescott was awesome. He is a premier QB and I’m not sure any team will consistently stop their passing attack. They do need to get the ground game more involved, though. The defense still harbors the most concern, and losing DeMarcus Lawrence for 6-8 weeks is a brutal blow. 

14.   Los Angeles Chargers (1-0)

The Chargers’ victory over Washington was a little closer than I had anticipated, but it’s a victory nonetheless and it previewed the capability of this roster. Justin Herbert is going to be great and he has a very talented offense around him – he could use some better catching from his receivers, though. Defensively they have playmakers at key spots and I expect them to be a strong challenge in the AFC Playoff race.

15.   Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)

www.allproreels@gmail.com -- from the Washington Football Team at Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 3rd, 2021 (All-Pro Reels Photography). Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0

Color me surprised. It may have been against the Atlanta Falcons, but the Eagles looked very good. Jalen Hurts played very well, the offensive line was impressive, the ground game was efficient, and the defense completely stifled Atlanta. This week's matchup with the San Francisco 49ers will be a big litmus test. 

16.   Indianapolis Colts (0-1)

The Colts only needed a few plays to go differently and this could have been a dramatically closer scoreline. Save a few huge plays, the defense played well and gave the offense plenty of opportunities. Offensively the Colts moved the ball well at times, and Wentz wasn’t bad, but there are issues to clean up. With that said, Wentz did miss a lot of time in training camp, so it may take a few weeks for them to really get going.

17.   Las Vegas Raiders (1-0)

What a win for the Raiders. There were plenty of times this game appeared to have gotten away from Las Vegas, as their performance peaked and crashed as often as a child's mood at summer camp, but they made opportunities for themselves and took advantage when they could. Monday night’s game will prove to encapsulate their entire season: plenty of highs, followed by plenty of inexplicable lows, on the edge of being something special.

18.   Miami Dolphins (1-0)

Honestly, 18 feels a little low, but it is more a reflection of the logjam of average-to-good teams who’ll be part of the Wild Card push. Once again the Dolphins look to be a team who’ll compete and be a tough beat for anyone, but I don’t think they have the top-end talent to consistently win games against better opponents.

19.   New England Patriots (0-1)

The description for the Dolphins aligns a lot with what I would write here. Mac Jones had a good debut. As advertised, he showed good command and you could see his understanding of situations and the playbook. Damien Harris’ fumble late in the game was a cruel twist, otherwise, Jones almost led the team to a Week 1 victory.

20.   Washington Football Team (0-1)

Washington Football Team vs. Cincinnati Bengals from FedEx Field, Landover, MD, August 20, 2021 (All-Pro Reels Photography). Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0

The biggest story to come from Washington’s loss to the Chargers was clearly Ryan Fitzpatrick’s injury. Tyler Heinicke didn’t play badly in relief, his first two drives resulted in a field goal and a touchdown, then followed by a missed field goal, a one-play fumble, and then a punt before the Chargers took possession for the final six minutes of the game. This team will still be frisky with him under center, but I do question their ceiling.

21.   Denver Broncos (1-0)

Is Teddy Bridgewater going to make the Broncos relevant? Maybe. I’m not sure how long he will sustain this level of play and how well the Broncos will do against better opponents. Regardless, it was an exciting start and the Broncos definitely have pieces to be troublesome for playoff hopefuls. 

22.   Chicago Bears (0-1)

Justin Fields needs to be the starting quarterback. This offense has no life with Andy Dalton under center and the longer he is, the more time the Bears waste with exciting pieces. Defensively the secondary is a concern, but otherwise the roster can be a playoff team. Nagy and Dalton are holding it back.

23.   Tennessee Titans (0-1)

The Titans are bad. The offseason acquisition of Julio Jones had everyone buzzing, at least for the offense, but Sunday’s results were poor. Taylor Lewan had a meltdown, Jones and A.J. Brown were pretty much shut down, and Derrick Henry was stuffed. Meanwhile, the defense is not nearly good enough to make up for it.

24.   Cincinnati Bengals (1-0)

Just as it looked like the Bungals were going to make their first appearance of the year, the Bengals held on to seal victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Joe Burrow looked good coming off his torn ACL, Ja’Marr Chase silenced his critics emphatically, and Joe Mixon reminded everyone he mustn’t be overlooked in the best running backs conversation. This is a promising team, and they may surprise a few more teams by the season's end. 

25.   Minnesota Vikings (0-1)

Given the name talent the Vikings have, it’s miraculous how little change there has been in response to the lack of success of recent years; this game was an extension of that. The Vikings should expect to beat a team like the Bengals, but they couldn't get it done. The offense had very little in terms of a downfield passing attack and they couldn’t get the ground game going. If they can’t change those, change to the franchise will follow.

26.   Carolina Panthers (1-0)

Washington Football Team vs. Carolina Panthers at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland, December 27th, 2020 (All-Pro Reels Photography). Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0

Sam Darnold’s first game in Carolina was a success, on the whole. Though not emphatic, there were flashes of what could come from the offense, with Christian McCaffrey having his usual production and former teammates Darnold and Robby Anderson hooking up for a deep touchdown. The defense played well, too, but this is a young team who’ll need to develop to make any real noise.

27.   New York Giants (0-1)

In what is a pivotal year in Daniel Jones’ Giants career, he started with a dud. The Giants couldn’t move the ball with any regularity, Jones added another fumble to his résumé, and to make matters worse the defense let the Broncos dominate time of possession, giving up two eight-plus minute drives. The Giants feel far behind in the NFC East already.

28.   Houston Texans (1-0)

I’m not sure about everyone else, but I was thrilled to see Tyrod Taylor ball out. Of all journeymen QB in the NFL currently, Taylor has had an unfortunate run of being cast aside and replaced. He’s always been talented and has played some good football, and on Sunday he was on a mission. Time will tell if it will sustain, and he definitely has an uphill battle on a rebuilding Texans squad.

29.   Detroit Lions (0-1)

If you turned off the Lions game in the third quarter, or even at half time, I wouldn’t have blamed you. What you would have missed, though, was a furious comeback attempt which almost came through. Nevertheless, losing Jeff Okudah for the season is a blow, and the already talent-poor Lions roster became more so. They could at least produce some fun moments, though.

30.   New York Jets (0-1)

It was the dawn of a new era for the Jets, but it certainly didn’t start as planned. For much of the game the Jets looked completely overmatched as Zach Wilson was harassed in the pocket. Thankfully Makhi Becton avoided a season-ending injury, and Wilson made it out of the game alive, but there is clearly a lot of development ahead for Wilson and the Jets.

31.   Atlanta Falcons (0-1)

The Falcons are bad. Matt Ryan did not play well, at all, as the offense stumbled through sixty minutes. After two long field goal drives, 14 and 15 plays respectively, the Falcons managed no more than six plays on their ensuing eight meaningful drives. Arthur Smith has a lot of work to do on this roster.

32.   Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)

For the first time in Trevor Lawrence’s career, he lost a regular season football game. Lawrence eventually threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns, but he threw three interceptions as he showed plenty of struggles in his first NFL game. Not a lot is expected of the Jags, but not many would have predicted that big a loss to the Texans. Maybe we can chalk it up to first game struggles for Lawrence and Urban Meyer.