WEEK 1 NFL Power Rankings

Roquan Smith and his Ravens lead the NFL Power Rankings heading into week 2.

1. Baltimore Ravens - I know, they lost. The Ravens lost a heartbreaker in Buffalo, but controlled the game. They led 20-13 at half and led by 15 points with less than 5 minutes to go. Derrick Henry's fumble will get most of the conversation, but his combination of speed, power, and size still seems unfair even at 31 years old. Henry had 182 total yards and 2 touchdowns. Lamar Jackson had 279 total yards with 3 total touchdowns. The Ravens defense forced four punts and held the high-powered Bills in check for three quarters. The Ravens averaged 8.6 yards per play and 8.2 yards per rush. The redzone defense needs to be better but the Bills are possibly the best offense in the league.

2. Buffalo Bills - Just beat one of the best teams in the league because of not quitting. The Bills scored 16 straight points in the final 5 minutes to win by one. This team was beaten most of the game, but their key players shift into a higher gear in late moments. Ed Oliver forced a late fumble. Josh Allen was up to his usual heroics and is the best quarterback in the league. We will know more about their defense when not playing the Ravens, but for now the Bills are still number 2 in this week's NFL Power Rankings.

3. Philadelphia Eagles - The Eagles didn't play the cleanest game, but they took care of business in their typical steady hand fashion. The defense didn't look as good as we expect the Eagles to look. Their pass rush generated 0 sacks against an offensive line that is middle of the league. They did play without their star tackle Jalen Carter, but just didn't generate enough pressure. They also gave up 120 rushing yards. The offense was good, but had to resort to Jalen Hurts escaping for many of their successful drives. This team is still great, but didn't look as good as the top 2 in week 1.

4. Kansas City Chiefs - This is the second time I have the losing team ahead of the team who just beat them, but don't panic yet on KC. KC still looked good defensively with 3 sacks and 6 tackles for loss. The offense needs to run the ball better and get better on third down.

5. Los Angeles Chargers - The Chargers are coming. Look out. I am serious. This isn't a week 1 overreaction. I said this before last season when they hired Harbaugh. The Ravens, Bills, Chiefs have some formiddable challengers and one of them is this Chargers team. Herbert dominated the short to mid range passing game as displayed some incredible speed when carrying the ball as well. All three of their top receivers were open often. The run game wasn't great but you can expect a Harbaugh led team to improve all year here, especially with rookie Omarion Hampton. The defense was good and forced the Chiefs to 3 punts and a terrible 3rd down percentage. I still love my +3200 Super Bowl Future pick. It has dropped to +1800 at some books.

6. Green Bay Packers - The single most impressive victory to some but not to me. I have been fading the Lions all off season. The Lions are still a good team with a great roster, but they are not as good as so many have said and we saw that Sunday. Even though I do think the Lions are taking a step back this year, this was still a dominant victory against a tough squad. The Packers had 4 sacks, 9 tackles for loss and held the Lions to 5 for 15 on 3rd Down. The Lions were also only 1 for 4 in the redzone. Parsons and Brooks were excellent. The offense was also very good giving up 0 sacks to the Aidan Hutchinson led pass rush. Jordan Love looked great in the mid range game again this season. The Packers will be able to pass on anyone.

7. Denver Broncos - The Broncos did exactly what a good defense should against a rookie quarterback. They had 6 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, and 2 takeaways. They forced the Titans to a 14% 3rd Down rate and 8 punts. Bo Nix looked much worse than I expected with 2 interceptions and a fumble. Both interceptions were forcing the ball into spots he definitely shouldn’t have. The fumble was a tough hit, but you have to protect the football. Nix took responsibility after the game, but I won’t sugar coat it. That was a bad performance. The run game looked good with both backs having success.

8. Washington Commanders - In dominant fashion, the Commanders took care of the Giants are surge to 1-0. Some predicted a sophomore slump for Jayden Daniels and the Commanders, but they showed no signs of it in week 1. They played the 30th team on this list, but this is the National Football League where nothing comes easy. Well easy it was for these Commanders. Over 400 yards total offense, almost 7 yards per rush, and the Giants only had 3 drives with over 10 plays. The most impressive part of the Commanders game was the redzone defense. The Giants had the ball inside the 10 yard line two different times for a total of 12 plays and only came away with a field goal. The first time the Giants only got there because of a penalty and had first and goal at the 8. The Commanders stopped them 4 times and forced a fumble, but they were penalized again so the Giants got another first and goal and this time at the 1. The Commanders stopped three more times and the Giants opted for a field goal. In the 4th quarter the Giants got to redzone again by means of a Commanders penalty and failed to score on 4 straight tries from the 3 yard line. The Commanders need to clean up their penalties, but they are tough.

9. San Francisco 49ers - Purdy made a few dumb throws in crunch time, two of which were picked off, but he also led a game winning touchdown drive. McCaffrey looks good and so does the young receiver, Ricky Pearsall. That front four is something special again, too. Nick Bosa had the second fastest sack of the weekend. The Niners need to clean some things up, but they look tough.

10. Minnesota Vikings - Had to wait for Monday Night to see the Vikings and they weren’t super impressive, but they do look like a team that is only to get better and better. The Brian Flores defense gives different looks all game long and gets to the passer. Aaron Jones didn’t have a great game on the ground but down hill runner, Jordan Mason, was excellent in the second half. McCarthy looked like a handoff specialist in the first half, but got aggressive in the second and made some big time game winning throws. O’Connell is one of today’s best coaches and will have this team improving every week.

11. Detroit Lions - I was already down on the Lions and then they came out with that performance in week 1 and have dropped even farther. I didn’t really want this team to have the big set back I predicted, but it is looking very real after that whooping from the Packers. Goff is still very accurate and had a decent game, but the run game was non existent and it almost seemed like Aidan Hutchinson is still on the sidelines because he was a non factor. The Packers are very good in the trenches, but the Lions looked like a bottom half team. This roster is too good for that so I am sure they’ll show some signs of relevance very soon and prove they are a top 12 team.

12. Los Angeles Rams - The Rams looked pretty good and got a close win against a tough Texans defense. They moved the ball well both on the ground and in the air. They pressured Stroud and got 3 sacks and 2 takeaways. This team might be better than 12th though we may not see it until week 3 against the Eagles.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - The Bucs came out on top of one of the best games of the weekend. Both teams fought hard and played clean games with 0 turnovers by either team. It was looking like overtime but Baker found his new rookie target Emeka Egbuka for a 25 yard game winning TD. Baker didn’t play his best game but he’s a fighter. The Bucs were out-gained and took their first lead with 7:33 to go in the 3rd Quarter. Coach’s speak annoys us all, but if there is a gritty, resilient team that can muster wins out of pure heart, it’s this one.

14. Cincinnati Bengals - Typical Bengals. Starting slow and looking silly, but they got a week 1 WIN! It’s their first opening win since 2021. This team should be lower, but I fear that would be an overreaction and all my readers know I try to keep from overreacting. This team just doesn’t look good though. They have incredible star power but are so weak in important areas. Flacco is a veteran and a good quarterback, but the Bengals made the 40 year old journeyman look like an OPOY candidate. 290 yards? Really? The offensive line gave up 3 sacks and 8 tackles for loss. This was a pitiful performance once again from a team who should be so much better. This team doesn’t look close to being a Super Bowl contender at all.

15. Houston Texans - This is a tough team who does a lot right but just doesn’t seem to have enough. The offense was decent but couldn’t finish drives. The defense was tough but not able to get off the field. The Rams were 7 for 13 on 3rd Down. One of the most concerning parts of the game was the Rams ability to run between the tackles. This team is close to be very good but not there yet.

16. Seattle Seahawks - Will Darnold regress without O’Connell? Likely, but with the only test being the tough Niner defense so far, it’s worth believing in Sam at least awhile longer. The offensive line was definitely a weakness as we expected, but Darnold did a pretty good job under the pressure. The defense is tough and the offense has some great pieces with good experience. The offensive line though is going to present some issues for this group this season though.

17. Dallas Cowboys - This team looked good. Maybe it was a bad night for the Eagles, but Cowboys fans should be proud of that performance. We all know the Eagles are a top tier team. The Cowboys protected Dak, ran the ball well, and only punted twice against a great defense. The Boys also did a decent job against the traditional run game. The Eagles had to resort to Jalen Hurts scrambling all over the field to extend drives. The Cowboys made good adjustments to that in the second half as well and held Jalen in check. AJ Brown had one catch. DeVonta Smith had 3. Saquon Barkley averaged 3 yards a carry. Jalen Hurts rushed for 9 yards in the second half. This Cowboys team did a great job in one of the toughest places to play against the Super Bowl Champs. This team could be the most underrated team in the league right now. People get tired of talking about the Cowboys, but just when you under estimate them, they may surprise you.

18. Atlanta Falcons - The Falcons lost a heartbreaker at home against the Bucs. Sure-footed Koo missed the game-tying field goal in the final seconds. This team played a clean game against a tough team and could be another sleeper this year. I didn’t expect the defense to be very good this season but they played a good game. Penix was an unknown, but he looked good as well. I don’t expect a ton from this group but that was a good week 1 and with one of the weaker divisions, this team could be a playoff threat.

19. Arizona Cardinals - This team rarely jumps off the page, but they are an improved unit. The offensive line did a fine job in week 1. The 5 sacks were rollouts where Kyler usually escaped out of bounds. It wasn’t a great performance in week 1 against possibly the worst team in the league, but they do move the ball. The offensive success of the Saints is worrisome and why the Cardinals are sitting at 19th.

20. Chicago Bears - Was this an improvement or more of the same? I believe in Ben and think this team will show definitive improvement by the end of the season. However, week 1 sure seemed like more of the same. The defense is tough as nails for a large portion of the game, the offense shows some flashes of greatness, then a hail mary, a double doink, or some other crappy misfortune bites them in the butt. That’s a tough Vikings squad though and this team held their own very well. Stay tuned on these Bears.

21. Jacksonville Jaguars - Take the wins however you can get them in this league. Is Etienne back? Is Lawrence gonna be everything everyone though he was? Hard to tell after only playing the Panthers. Only connecting with Brian Thomas Jr. once on seven targets is disconcerting.

22. Pittsburgh Steelers - Rodgers looks like he might still have it, or maybe that is some week 1 goofiness. He was obviously extra motivated to get a win against his old team. He had a good game throwing for 244 yards and 4 touchdowns. It stops there though and fast. The Jets dominated the rest of the game. The Steeler’s strength was supposed to be defense, but they allowed almost 400 yards of total offense and only had 1 sack.

23. Indianapolis Colts - The Colts won in dominant fashion and seem to have found the answer in Daniel Jones. Jonathan Taylor had 98 all purpose yards. Danny Dimes was excellent going 22/29 for 272 and 1 touchdown. He also ran in two touchdowns. The defense had 3 takeaways, 3 sacks, and a 0 on the board until 6:21 to go in the game. Can’t call them sneaky after a 33-8 win, but if this wasn’t just the Dolphins being awful, the Colts might rise a bunch.

24. Las Vegas Raiders - Pete Carroll is a mastermind and has won all four of his opening games with new teams. He is a special coach even at 73 years old. I very much believed this team was going to better than what many thought. They are in the best division though and will get tossed around a bit. Wins may be tough to get this season, but this team won’t go away easy and will a play lots of close games.

25. New York Jets - Here is another team who could climb the ranks with their heavy run game, but the lack of defense against the Steelers looked pretty bad. Maybe Rodgers is back to 2011 form, but I am not buying that yet. We’ll see when they host the Bills next week.

26. New England Patriots - The Patriots showed little signs of being the “dangerous revamped offense” so many claimed. Diggs did look good, but Maye was average and the run game was pitiful. The 4 sacks and 10 tackles for loss are a great sign though and this team may be a little better than their ranking.

27. Carolina Panthers - The Panthers are only rising on my rankings because the Dolphins were about as bad as a team can be. I thought the Panthers could possibly be a sneaky team this year due to some success late last season. They showed again though why they struggle to win. The defense is awful. The run game was pretty good and the passing game showed some signs of life as well minus the turnovers.

28. Cleveland Browns - The defense for the Browns is still very tough. No offense wants to play these guys. They held the high powered Bengal air attack to only 95 passing yards. They also had 3 sacks, 8 tackles for loss and forced 6 punts. The offense looked like they de

    served to win as well with almost 300 passing yards of their own. Two interceptions and a missed field goal ruined their chances off knocking off their in-state rival. Those are the kind of losses that can crush a team. They travel to Baltimore this week and after the heartbreaker the Ravens just lost, it’ll be tough to expect much out of the poor old Browns.

29. Miami Dolphins - That was maybe the worst performance I’ve ever seen in the NFL. I don’t mean to take anything away from the Colts, but the Dolphins looked like they couldn’t find their own food dish. There were reports and a lot of skeptics regarding the Dolphins this offseason. I didn’t really want to believe them, because they still have some great players and a good young coach, but these Dolphins may be looking at the number one pick.

30. Tennessee Titans - Hard to place the Titans after a pretty tight game against the very popular Denver Broncos. The Broncos have been high on almost everyone’s list and were by far the most popular pick in Survivor Leagues this week. Turnovers can be misleading and I think in this case they may be deceiving us a little. 8 punts and allowing 6 sacks makes it pretty hard to win.

31. New York Giants - The Giants played a tough team, too, but look like they are gonna struggle against anyone this season. Russell did not look very good, the run game has plenty of issues, and they only connected with their star receiver, Nabers, on 5 of his 12 targets.

32. New Orleans Saints - The Saints moved the ball decently but they are definitely eyeing that number one spot. They may have some competition though.