NFL Power Rankings after Week 1: Bills win instant classic, Chargers send early message, Rodgers leads Steelers in a thriller

There were points. There were walkoff winners. There were instant classics. Most importantly there was football. Actual, competitive football and ohhh how sweet it was. The season got started with the defending champs beginning their title defense with a narrow win over a division rival. Then we took a trip down to Brazil where the Chargers unleashed some samba fever on the Chiefs. Aaron Rodgers showed he’s still got plenty of gas in the tank against a team that thought he was on empty. The Packers made their claim to be the new Kings of the North from Lambeau Field. While the Bills and Ravens gave us another timeless matchup to wrap up the first Sunday of the new campaign.

Without further ado, here are our first Power Rankings of the new season:

1) Buffalo Bills (1-0)

The Bills scored on their first possession to take the lead, but aside from that they were never in command of the game. They spent the next 55 minutes chasing the Ravens, and only a rare Derrick Henry fumble gave them the slightest opening to capitalize and take a late lead. Fortunately for the Bills, they have the reigning MVP and that was all Josh Allen needed to put his team in a position to win. Allen went for nearly 400 yards and 4 total TDs. The only thing he didn’t do was convert a two point conversion all night. That could have made life easier for the Bills, but then it wouldn’t have been the instant classic that these two rivals have grown accustomed to delivering whether they meet in September or January.

2) Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)

The Super Bowl champs started their title defense campaign against the Dallas Cowboys, and got their first taste of what it’s like to wear the bullseye on their back. They are going to get the best of every opponent they play this year and that’s what happened on Thursday night against the Boys. Losing DT Jalen Carter in the first five seconds of the game didn’t help, but they were able to hold the Cowboys out of the end zone for the entire second half. The forced fumble inside the 10 yard line at the start of the 3rd quarter changed the game, and seemed to wake the defense up for the rest of the way. Hurts wasn’t great, neither was Saquon but championship teams find ways to win, and that’s what they did on Thursday night.

3) Green Bay Packers (1-0)

Is there a new beast in the NFC? It certainly seems so after Week 1. It’s true that Jordan Love had struggled against division opponents over the last couple of years. That’s no surprise considering how good the Vikings and the Lions have looked lately. But there was no sign of struggle for him, the offense or the newly revamped defense with Micah Parsons at the heart of the defensive line. This is a team that was going to make noise in the NFC even before Parsons came to the Tundra. With Parsons Green Bay should immediately be considered a Super Bowl contender and Sunday showed you exactly why.

4) Baltimore Ravens (0-1)

Sometimes football can be a fickle witch. Baltimore spent the entire offseason thinking of getting revenge on the Buffalo Bills after their heart breaking loss in the Divisional Round. That game it was a Mark Andrews dropped two point conversion that cost them the game. On Sunday night it was Derrick Henry’s fumble that opened the door for the Bills, and they put Baltimore to the sword. Lamar was fantastic, Henry was near perfect all night, and even though the defense was iffy, the Ravens dominated the game. Despite all that, they still lost their Week 1 matchup, after leading by double digits in the fourth quarter. That seems to be a growing trend in Baltimore, which is concerning for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. I know it’s Week 1, but this game could come back to haunt them when it’s time to shell out playoff position.

5) Los Angeles Chargers (1-0)

Did we just witness a changing of the guard in the AFC West? After a decade of domination by the Kansas City Chiefs, the LA Chargers just sent a stern warning to those in the division and in the AFC. For so long, the Chargers were on the wrong end of those tight games that went down to the wire. This time it was Justin Herbert beating Patrick Mahomes at his own game. The crowning moment was the 19 yard scramble from Herbert to seal the game on 3rd and long. That was the defining play in a game in which he threw for 318 yards and three TDs. The defense is already a top unit in the NFL, if Harbaugh has Herbert playing like a top QB than this team could be among the best in the league a lot sooner than a lot of people expected.

6) Washington Commanders (1-0)

A division win to start the season is nothing to turn your nose up to. It might not have been the most impressive win of the week in Washington, but the Commanders never seemed in trouble against the New York Giants. Jayden Daniels was strategically efficient, and managed the game to a tee after putting his team ahead by a TD early in the first quarter. Little did they know that would be all they needed as the defense shut down New York for the rest of the way, but newcomer Deebo Samuel polished off the win with a patented jet sweep TD run to close out the Giants and wrap up the Week 1 win. Was it astonishing? No. Was it a no nonsense performance to start the season? Yes, and head coach Dan Quinn will have no problem with that.

7) Kansas City Chiefs (0-1)

The Chiefs game plan to their Week 1 matchup against the LA Chargers was blown up from the start. With no Rashee Rice available, Xavier Worthy was going to make up a heavy part of the Chiefs offensive strategy. He went down in the first possession and never came back. That left Mahomes a bit strapped for options, but the three time Super Bowl winner managed a way to keep the Chiefs in the game until the end. The turning point was a missed Harrison Butker field goal which forced the Chiefs turned the tides and put the Chargers in control for the rest of the way. KC fans were hoping to get one last possession to let Mahomes work his magic, but Herbert’s game winning scramble on 3rd and 14 gave the Chiefs a taste of their own medicine as LA handed Mahomes just his second loss on opening weekend.

8) Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)

Aaron Rodgers made a statement to all those who doubted him back in New York. He made it on the field, but he made sure to send them a message in the postgame interview as well. It was he game of the early slot on Sunday with two teams who were expected to grind out a defensive battle lit up the scoreboard in the Meadowlands. The Steelers defense may not have looked like we are used to, but they will fix that and everyone knows that. The most important thing was seeing Aaron Rodgers look like Aaron Rodgers again. Four TDs, accurate, mobile for his age and when it was time to go out and win the game, he put the team on his back and set up a game winning field goal which the Ice Man Chris Bosworth.

9) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0)

It’s fitting that the Bucs and the Falcons faced off in the first week of the season, because you have to figure they will be the two teams battling it out in the NFC South for the duration of the year. If Sunday’s game in ATL is any indication, it’s going to be a tight race until the end. The Bucs rookie first round draft pick Emeka Egbuka shut up a lot of those people who wondered by they would take a WR with that pick. His two TDs were what made the difference in Atlanta, and Baker Mayfield seemed ecstatic with his newest weapon in the arsenal. Once Chris Godwin comes back this could be one of the best receiving corps in the league, and with that defense on the other side, that spells trouble for the Falcons and the rest of the NFC South.

10) Detroit Lions (0-1)

You hear that? That’s the sound of a whole lot of people jumping off the Lions ship just 60 minutes into the new season. Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves just yet. I get it, Detroit didn’t score a TD until the game was over late in the 4th quarter. The defense was more than underwhelming after a offseason in which Dan Campbell’s guys got healthy and geared up for the new campaign. This was not a typical Lions performance we are used to seeing, but how much of that has to do with the changes on the sideline? They are still getting used to their new offensive and defensive coordinator. That’s going to take some time, but patience is thin in Detroit after decades of disappointment.

11) Minnesota Vikings (1-0)

You could see the progression of J.J. McCarthy from quarter to quarter. Let’s not fool ourselves, it started rough. The QB struggled to deal with the rush and the speed of the game in the first half, but he got exponentially better as the game went on. The turning point? A pick six he threw early in the third quarter. Instead of crumbling, he turned it on and became the first QB to be involved in 3 TDs in the fourth quarter during his NFL debut. He was the only question mark coming into this game on this Vikings squad. The defense kept Chicago quiet all game aside from the opening drive. The run game turned on with a blend of Mason and Jones. McCarthy showed he’s ready to be the man in Minnesota, and what’s even more comforting for Vikings fans is he looks like he gets better when times get tougher. Something you can’t say about the Vikes last QB.

12) Los Angeles Rams (1-0)

You wouldn’t have thought the Rams and the Texas would have been locked in a rock em sock em slugfest from LA to start the season. These are two finess teams for a lack of a better word, but that was far from the case from Sofi Stadium. Matt Stafford didn’t participate in preseason and really hadn’t got many reps before coming into Week 1. The offense showed a little rust, scoring their first points with under a minute to go in the 1st half. That would usually mean trouble but the Rams D held Houston to just 3 FGs all game, and LA’s two TDs on each side of halftime were enough to put the Rams in the lead and keep them in the lead thanks to a late forced fumble inside the 20 yard line with under 2:00 to go.

13) Denver Broncos (1-0)

I don’t want to say that Sunday’s win over the Tennessee Titans was a let down for those in Denver, but after an offseason of building anticipation over Bo Nix, Sean Payton and their second season together the Broncos looked less than impressive. Let’s not forget the Titans defense was a top unit in yards allowed per game last year, but the Broncos should have never had sweat the game against the Titans at home. Luckily for them, the defense teed off on the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and lifted the Broncos to victory in the Mile High City.

14) San Francisco 49ers (1-0)

The 17-13 scoreboard doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about the Niners win in Seattle. On the road, against a division rival with a banged up receiving corps and your QBs favorite target on the sideline for the last three quarters. Brock Purdy came up with the plays he needed to when he needed to, even with no Brandon Aiyuk or Demarcus Robinson or Jauan Jennings or George Kittle who went down in the first quarter and didn’t return. With a limited amount of fire power down field Christian McCaffery was contained as well, but the Niners defense did what were are used to seeing the Niners defense do and gave Purdy a chance to take the lead late. Once in the lead the D came up with one more play, forcing a red zone fumble to seal the deal in Seattle.

15) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0)

The Jags couldn’t have drawn up a better way to start the season. A home game against the Carolina Panthers after an injury plagued year full of disappointment and despair. The Liam Coen era got off to a perfect start as Trevor Lawerence shared the spotlight with the run game. Lawerence went for 178 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT but it was Travis Etienne Jr. who went off for 143 yards on 16 carries. If the Jags are going to be a competent team this year, the run game is going to need to be a staple of success each and every week. So far so good for coach Coen and the Jags. Now let’s see if they are capable of following the same formula against a team that isn’t Carolina.

16) Cincinnati Bengals (1-0)

All that cash splashed this offseason just for Joe Burrow to throw for 113 yards and the offense to score 17 points against the Cleveland Browns? Only time will tell if it was all worth it, but that was a lackluster performance from an offense that put up mouthwatering numbers last season. In the end it was Trey Hendrickson and the defense that delivered when it mattered, and even then Cincy still needed a missed field goal with just over 2:00 left to win the game. The good news is they won their Week 1 game, which has proved to be almost impossible for the Bengals over the last few years. The bad news is it looked less than convincing which has become an all too common trend at the start of Cincy’s seasons.

17) Atlanta Falcons (0-1)

The Falcons scored touchdowns in the first two minutes of the game and the last two minutes of the game. Everything else seemed to lack a little bit of urgency. Let’s not forget that Penix Jr. is still maturing after playing the final month of last season. He’s going to need time to learn how to manage a game and not just make plays when his team needs him to. Having said that he had a couple of sensational scrambles that put the Falcons in the lead late, and then put his team in position to win with a late field goal in the 4th quarter. Unfortunately for the Falcons, kicker Younghoe Koo couldn’t hit the 44 yarder to force the game to OT.

18) Las Vegas Raiders (1-0)

It’s way too early to start getting too excited about the Raiders, but this is a team that hasn’t been very good for quite a long time. They have a QB and a coach that know each other well. They have a rookie running back that might just be the next big thing in the NFL and a second year tight end that is already the best at his position. Smith went for 362 yards, Jeanty got his first rushing TD of his career and the defense held New England to 13 points in Foxborough. Let’s proceed with caution, but the Silver and Black might surprise a few people who are used to fading the Raiders against them on the Vegas strip.

19) Indianapolis Colts (1-0)

The shock of Week 1 came out of Indianapolis as Colts fans saw shades of Payton Manning in Daniel Jones debut in Indy. Maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but the Miami defense made him look like a Pro Bowl QB, and you know what? Maybe he is. He’s finally out of New York, with a new lease of life and a revived career, and his era in Indy got off to the perfect start. Of course it helps when your defense forces three turnovers. Not only did Jones go 22/29 for 272 yards, but the ground game had 156 yards on 40 carries as they pounded the dilapidated Dolphins defense into the ground. This is a promising sign for the Colts, but they are going to have to see how they fair against an actual NFL caliber team.

20) New York Jets (0-1)

Sure waking up on Monday hurts after you score 32 points and still lose the game. That’s ok. It should hurt. But that’s a better pain than the Jets are used to waking up with most Mondays. Over the last few years the irrelevance and the frustration numbed the Jets fans into indifference. Heartbreak is ok at times, because it means you feel something. It’s good to feel like that sometimes, but the Jets can’t make a habit of it. They lost, sure but there were a lot more positives to take from Sunday’s game against the Steelers than their were negatives. Justin Fields might have played his best game ever in his first game in Green. The stars were allowed to be stars with Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson showing they are ready to be difference makers when they have the ball in their hands. The defense will get better under new coach Aaron Glenn as the season goes on. More than anything, the excitement on the sideline and in the stands was something we hadn’t seen in a long time in MetLife Stadium.

21) Houston Texans (0-1)

I must admit, I don’t remember that much about the Texans season last year. I know they had Stefon Diggs and a handful of other weapons to surround CJ Stroud with in his second NFL year. But the one thing that stood out more than anything was the fact that they couldn’t score in the second half of games. What happened on Sunday in LA? They were once again shut out after the halftime break. Old demons creeping in on Week 1 is never a good sign, and Stroud and the offense need to sort this out soon or Houston could have a problem.

22) Seattle Seahawks (0-1)

It was a bit of a flat performance for the Seahawks and Sam Darnold. After resurrecting his career in Minnesota and signing for Seattle, I’m sure there were fans imagining a high flying offense like the Vikings had last year, but that was anything but the case on Sunday against the Niners. Darnold passed for 150 yards, and 124 of those went to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That sort of one dimensional offense isn’t going to do Darnold or the offense any favors. Despite that, the Seahawks still had a chance to win the game but a costly fumble inside the 10 yard line shut the door on any late game heroics from Darnold in Lumen Stadium.

23) Arizona Cardinals (0-1)

There was nothing that really stood out in the Cardinals win over the Saints. Murray had modest numbers, the run game had one nice long run from Trey Benson, and the defense shut down a Saints offense that is about as toothless as Patrick from Spongebob. Did they get the job done on the road? Yep. Did they give us a whole lot more to talk about? Nope.

24) Dallas Cowboys (0-1)

Despite the preseason drama that followed the Cowboys. Despite the last second departure of Micah Parsons, the Cowboys came out and gave the Eagles all they could handle in the first half. Unfortunately there are two halves in football, and Dallas came out flat for the final 30 minutes of the game. The fumble in their first possession of the third quarter seemed to take the wind out of their sails and that set the tone for the next four possessions in which the Cowboys came up empty. Going to the house of the reigning champs and losing by four isn’t the worst result. Maybe them being this far down on the rankings is harsh. But the Cowboys have to earn their way up the ladder. Now the question is how do the Cowboys bounce back?

25) Cleveland Browns (0-1)

You have got to give it up for Joe Flacco who outperformed Joe Burrow in the Browns season opener from Cleveland. He threw for 290 yards and a TD, and kept his team within striking distance all day while the defense held Burrow to less than 120 yards all day. He even put them in position to take the lead in the final minutes of the game, but a missed field goal and then an interception that hit off his receivers hand proved to be too much to overcome for the 40 year old QB. I know there is a lot of pressure in Cleveland to put the rookie QBs to the test but Flacco give the Browns the best chance to win now.

26) Chicago Bears (0-1)

What a start it was for the Chicago Bears. Caleb Williams went 6/6 on his first drive, and began the game a perfect 10/10. The defense forced a couple three and outs and it looked like all those sorrows were soaring out the window in the Windy City. But you had to know it wasn’t going to be that easy. And of course, it wasn’t. The Bears collapsed in the second half, unable to build drives, and giving the Vikings life by conceding excellent field position to a team that couldn’t move the ball in the first two quarters. The Bears seemed helpless at times in the second half, and Williams decision making got poorer and poorer as the game progressed. It was a dream start in Soldier Field, but it was a nightmare finish. That’s a microcosm of last year’s season in which the Bears began well but tanked in the final half of the season.

27) New England Patriots (0-1)

For all the hype and excitement surrounding Drake Maye’s second season and Mike Vrable’s debut season as head coach in New England, the Patriots came out and laid a dud on Sunday from Foxborough. You would think with an old school guy like Vrable, he would want to ground and pound the ball and let his defense do the heavy lifting. That was far from the case against the Raiders. Their running backs got a total of 12 handoffs all game while Maye threw the ball 46 times. It wasn’t like the Pats were in a deep hole and in need of points in a hurry, the Raiders never led by more than 10 points, and New England even led in the 2nd half but for some reason Vrable abandoned the run game when that was one of the more promising things to come out of the Pats preseason.

28) New Orleans Saints (0-1)

It doesn’t matter how good of an offensive coach you bring to the sidelines, if you don’t have the talent especially at the quarterback position, your team is going to suffer. Having said that, when desperation set in Spencer Rattler almost put together a game tying drive in the final seconds of the game. There is a lot of work to be done in every facet of the game for New Orleans. Head coach Kellen Moore is going to have his work cut out for him after winning the Super Bowl as the Eagles offensive coordinator last year.

29) Tennessee Titans (0-1)

There are going to be days like these for Cam Ward and the Titans. Despite going 12/28 for just 112 yards in his NFL debut, Tennessee was still in the game until the end. Give credit to the defense who kept Bo Nix and the Broncos offense quiet all afternoon but Ward wasn’t done any favors going up against a Denver defense that has been one of the stingiest in the league over the last few years. The Titans had just two first downs in the second half, as the Broncos suffocated the rookie QB. It was a debut to forget for Ward who is going to have to build on this and shake some of these losses off. What the No. 1 pick can’t get caught up doing is trying to keep up with rookie years like CJ Stroud or Jayden Daniels. That’s not the norm in the NFL. The norm is for rookies to struggle like Cam did on Sunday.

30) New York Giants (0-1)

The state of affairs for the Giants is bleak. Having said that, there is still no need to pull the plug on Russell Wilson. I know they have Jaxson Dart on the bench. And I know this is the third straight year the Giants have failed to scored a TD in the opener. The frustration is understandable. But throwing a rookie QB into a lion pit isn’t going to do him or the fans any favors. They have the Cowboys, Chiefs and Chargers coming up in the next few games. In October, they have the Eagles and Broncos. That’s not exactly the warm welcome you want to give your young quarterback who is supposed to be the face of the franchise for the next few years.

31) Miami Dolphins (0-1)

Pitiful doesn’t being to descirbe the Dolphins performance against the Colts on Sunday afternoon. We knew the Dolphins were a soft team coming into the season. That’s been their MO for the last few years. The only thing they could lean on was their explosive offense that was capable of keeping them in games. That no longer seems to be the case. The situation has gone from fragile to volatile. With Tyreek already gesticulating on the sideline, and Mike McDaniels trying to be everyones friend, the locker room isn’t going to break, it’s going to explode. Disastrous start to the season for a team that isn’t far from being in shambles.

32) Carolina Panthers (0-1)

The Panthers had a chance to show they were turning a new leaf in Jacksonville on Sunday. In the end it was more of the same from the NFL’s most depressing franchise. Blame it on the weather delay if you want, but nothing about the way the Panthers played was indicative of a team ready to be competitive this season. They scored one measly field goal through the first 55 minutes of the game, as Bryce Young struggled to hold on to the ball. He threw two picks and lost a fumble while the defense got shredded on the ground, giving up 200 yards rushing. Panthers fans welcome back to the bottom of the Power Rankings.

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