NFL Preseason Power Rankings: Week 0

The preseason is finally in the rear view, and now the focus of the 32 NFL teams shifts to Week 1 of the regular season. Before we kickoff the season on Thursday, September 8th when the Buffalo Bills take on the Los Angeles Rams we take a look at the preseason Power Rankings going into the first week of the regular season.

1) Los Angeles Rams

The Rams are the defending Super Bowl Champions and no one can take that away from them, especially before Week 1 of the regular season. Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp are still the center pieces of one of the top offenses in the league last year, and Aaron Donald is still the anchor on the defensive end.

2) Buffalo Bills

Who could forget how close the Bills were to getting to the AFC Championship last year after that epic playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs? They got a taste of how difficult it is to win a game when there are expectations surrounding the team, but will use that experience and the veteran leadership added in by signing guys like Von Miller and some youthful talent like first round pick Kaiir Elam to beef up their defense.

3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It’s hard to imagine the Bucs can be this high up on the Power Rankings with a 45 year old under center. It’s also hard to fathom most of the things Tom Brady does on the football field. The ageless wonder led Tampa Bay to a second seed in the NFC, and almost outlasted the Rams in that memorable Divisional Round playoff game against the eventual champions. Brady missed some time in the preseason, which may have interrupted him and new coach Todd Boyles building up chemistry but I doubt it’s a concern of Brady’s or the Bucs.

4) Cincinnati Bengals

Can Burrow and the Bengals do it again? At the beginning of last season, if you were to tell people Cincinnati would make the Super Bowl, they would have looked at you like you were nuts. At the end of the season Burrow had the Bengals offense running like a well oiled machine and the defense was responsible for the Bengals getting to SB LVI.

5) San Francisco 49ers

There’s a change at the helm of the Niners offense with Jimmy Garoppolo making way for Trey Lance in the Bay. San Fran pulled the trigger and named the second year QB the starter for this year, and the face of the franchise for the future. Lance will have his ups and downs like any first year starter, but he will add another dimension with his mobility and his ability outside of the pocket. Jimmy G had his fair share of ups and downs, but if there’s anything Lance should have learned from his predecessor, it’s how not to lose a game. The Niners run game and defense are enough to win games until Lance finds his footing in the league.

6) Green Bay Packers

It pains me to keep the Packers out of the top five of the opening Power Rankings of the season, but losing Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling will take it’s toll on the offense for the first few weeks of the season at least. Aaron Rodgers is coming off of back-to-back MVP seasons, and there is never a reason to doubt him, but he did show a shadow of a doubt in his receivers during the preseason. The good news for the Pack, is their NFC North looks to be underwhelming for yet another year.

7) Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have been the reference point in the AFC for the last half decade, and I see no reason to see a drop off this year. Tykree Hill and Bryron Pringle may have shipped out, but Patrick Mahomes is still the best quarterback in the conference, and Juju Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling will give them plenty of balance on the offensive end. Carlos Dunlap and Justin Reid will strengthen a defense that was one of the bottom units in the league.

8) Baltimore Ravens

Sure, the Ravens missed the playoffs last year when Lamar Jackson was sidelined for the final stretch of the season with an ankle injury. What we tend to forget, is that the Ravens injury problems began before the season started. They lost their top three running backs in preseason and and were still in contention before Jackson got hurt. They have lost some of their weapons on the offensive end. Hollywood Brown and Sammy Watkins are gone, and really haven’t replaced them. Depending on Jackson’s contract situation he could be in a contract year. It’s a scary thought to think what Jackson could be capable of when he is playing for a new contract next season.

9) Denver Broncos

Broncos nation, Let’s ride! That’s been the war cry since Russell Wilson joined the Mile High Franchise this offseason. Somehow the Broncos flirted with the playoffs in the AFC West despite struggling desperately at the quarterback position. Nathaniel Hackett will have plenty of pressure on his shoulders in his first year as an NFL head coach, but having a veteran quarterback and a rock solid defense have Denver in the mix for the AFC West title.

10) Las Vegas Raiders

Despite everything the Raiders went through last year, they still made the playoffs and weren’t far off from beating the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals. Derek Carr pleaded for no drama off the field in a press conference earlier in the preseason, but it is the Raiders, and they are in the City of Sin. Josh McDaniels is getting his second gig as head coach in the NFL, and has a QB who has been a stud in the regular season and now has to show it in the post season.

11) Los Angeles Chargers

There’s a lot of hype in LA coming into this season, and it’s not just around the Rams title defense campaign. The Chargers gave their fans plenty to be excited about coming into Justin Herbert’s third season. In his sophomore season he threw for more than 5,000 yards and 38 touchdowns. The addition of Khalil Mack at linebacker will make this defense even better. But again, the AFC West in stacked and there is likely to be at least one team left out of the playoff picture.

12) Dallas Cowboys

It’s make or break time for Mike McCarthy who has had his time to implement his ideas in Big D. He is already on the hot season entering his third season as the Cowboys coach even after he led the Dallas to the playoffs last year. Jerry Jones is know to have a short fuse, and if he feels he has a team that isn’t reaching expectations he won’t take long to pull the trigger. With Sean Payton currently working as a TV analyst, Jones could come calling sooner rather than later before the era of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott comes to a close.

13) Indianapolis Colts

Can you blame them in Indy if they are having some delusions of grandeur? Matt Ryan was brought in over the offseason, hoping that he will come in and deliver much like Matthew Stafford did in LA last year. Johnathan Taylor is likely to be an MVP candidate, and Frank Reich has without question the best team he has had since taking over in 2018.

14) Arizona Cardinals

Kyler Murray and the Cardinals looked like the best team in the NFL for the first seven weeks of the season, but then flat lined as the season went on. Murray got that blockbuster deal he was looking for this offseason, and got a big time receiver in Hollywood Brown, and resigning Zach Ertz is going to give Murray his quarterback that reliable option in the middle of the field. Kliff Kingsbury has seen his teams collapse in the second half of the season too many times. He’s got the team to compete in the NFC, but the Cardinals coach may be on his way out of Arizona if the Cardinals fail to meet expectations again this year.

15) Tennessee Titans

The Titans held on to earn the top seed in the AFC last year, even without Derrick Henry for the final nine games of the regular season. Give credit to Ryan Tannehill, but give more credit to Mike Vrable who has whipped this Titans defense into a one of the top units in the league. Losing A.J. Brown is going to have an effect on the offense, but with a healthy Derrick Henry and Tannehill under center the Titans will be in the playoff picture, and if they get into the post season, this is a team that knows how to win games.

16) Philadelphia Eagles

Philly shocked the world by making it to the playoffs last year after wrapping up the final Wild Card spot with Jalen Hurts under center. Despite the post season appearance, Hurts still has his doubters in Philly, and this year will speak volumes about the direction the franchise wants to go moving forward.

17) New Orleans Saints

There are a lot of experts around the league pretty high on the New Orleans Saints. I neither claim to be an expert, nor am I too high on the Saints this year. They have a first year coach in Dennis Allen and a quarterback that is coming off of a season ending knee injury last year. Hopefully Jameis Winston is fully recovered and back to his best, but even at his best he never took a team to the playoffs in the NFL.

18) Miami Dolphins

The big question coming into this season is Tua Tagovailoa. It’s has been an offseason in which the Dolphins have equipped him with one of the top receiving corps in the game. Tyreek Hill joins Jalen Waddle in South Beach and if everything goes to plan the Dolphins offense should be a tough one to contain. The Dolphins lost seven straight only to win seven straight last year. With a little more consistency this year, Miami could complete for a Wild Card spot given that the Bills are likely to have the AFC East wrapped up soon.

19) New England Patriots

Sam Jones was without question the best performing rookie of last year’s draft class. How will the Pats and Jones fair without their long time coordinator Josh McDaniels? The Patriots were under the radar last year as they were looking for consistency at the QB position. Now that the league knows that Jones fits in Belichick’s system, can the sophomore take them back to the playoffs?

20) Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings are under new direction with young gun coach Kevin O’Connell. O’Connell will be relying on veteran Kirk Cousins to lead the team after a season in which he threw for 33 TDs and just 7 interceptions. Signing Za’Darius Smith on the defensive side of the ball will strengthen the defense, but where the Vikings need to improve is defending the pass. They were dead last in the league last year, allowing a league high 4,300 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2021.

21) Pittsburgh Steelers

The clock struck midnight on Big Ben’s time in the NFL and now where do the Steelers turn after the Ben Roethlisberger era? Mitchell Trubisky looks poised to take starting quarterback duties at least for the short term in the Three Rivers City, but for how long? There is tons of hype surrounding the only quarterback to go in the first round of this year’s draft. Kenny Pickett had a fantastic preseason and is a University of Pittsburgh legend, but Trubisky played well enough to seemingly convince coach Mike Tomlin that he is ready for the QB1 role.

22) Chicago Bears

There is a complete changing of the guard in the Windy City after a dreadful season left them third in the NFC North. Justin Fields was thrown into the fire after finally convincing Matt Nagy to name him the starter halfway through the season. The new regime seems to be starting a rebuilding process, which could prove disastrous for a second year quarterback with not many weapons around him.

23) Carolina Panthers

Has Carolina finally found a quarterback that will bring them some consistency at the position? Brining Baker Mayfield in over the offseason has given a sense of hope in Charlotte, but that’s not the only thing the Panthers need to become a contender in the NFC. With Christian McCaffrey in the back field the Panthers will always be electric, I just don’t know if they have what it takes to be relevant in the NFC. I’m putting the Panthers at 23 hoping they surprise me.

24) New York Jets

Zach Wilson’s injury in the first week of preseason means that Joe Flacco will most likely be the Jets starter on Week 1. Best case scenario is that head coach Robert Saleh has a tough decision to make when Wilson gets back to full strength because of Flacco’s great play in the first few games of the season. If not he will go to his second year quarterback to try to bring the Jets back from the dead.

25) Cleveland Browns

The Browns took a gamble former Deshaun Watson knowing his legal troubles could keep him out a substantial time in his debut season in Cleveland. That gamble came back to bite them in the butt when Watson was suspended for 11 games after an appeal of the original ruling of six games. Now the Browns will depend on Jacoby Brissett as their most probable Week 1 starter, although nothing has been announced officially. The Browns reluctance to name a starter should tell you everything you need to know about their status going into the regular season.

26) New York Giants

Daniel Jones will be the starter for the New York Giants in Week 1, barring some last gasp trade or signing that could threaten his starting job to open the regular season. He has failed to impress since the end of his rookie year, but it hasn’t been all on him. Saquon Barkley has been battered by injuries and and Kadareous Toney has been underwhelming since hopping aboard in the Meadlowlands. Brian Daboll has his work cut out for him in his first year as an NFL head coach.

27) Washington Commanders

The capital city side brought in Carson Wentz this offseason after Matt Ryan jumped ships to Indianapolis. Wentz has proven he can win in this league, but the Commanders need more than just a quarterback to straighten the sails DC. Ron Rivera is always a sure bet to field a competitive defense. If Wentz can build up his chemistry with WR Terry McLaurin then the Washington offense could pull off a few surprises.

28) Detroit Lions

It’s easy to believe in this team, or at least root for them after watching Hard Knocks all preseason long. Jared Goff knows how to win in this league, and has developed some great chemistry with WR D.J. Clark. The defense got a potential generational talent in DE Aidan Hutchinson, and the fact that he is a Michigan kid only helps his case to be a fan favorite in the Motor City.

29) Seattle Seahawks

What will life be like in the post Russell Wilson era? Their position on our preseason Power Rankings should tell you all you need to know. Geno Smith and Drew Lock are the incumbents for the QB1 spot, which doesn’t bode too well for the short term future of the franchise. Smith took over when Wilson was injured halfway through the 2021 season, and Seattle only managed to beat Jacksonville in that four game span. Lock has been looking to make himself a mainstay as a started in the league, but never took off in Denver and will start the season as Smith’s back up.

30) Jacksonville Jaguars

They may be coming off of a season in which they finished with the worst record in the league, but there is something about this Jags team that should spark some interest this season. Last year’s number one overall pick, Trevor Lawrence, has a year of experience under his belt and has a proven coach that has won in the league. Travis Etienne Jr. is set to make his regular season debut and that should be cause for excitement in Jacksonville, but Jags fans shouldn’t be expecting the Jags to be in the playoff picture at the end of the season. Good things are to come in J’Ville, but they need to be patient.

31) Houston Texans

There is not a whole lot to be excited about in Houston these days. Davis Mills was thrown into the spotlight as a rookie after Tyrod Taylor was injured in the second week of the season, and while he played better than many expected the Texans still struggled. They are coming off of a 4-13 season, and there is not much hope that they will be competitive in AFC South in 2022.

32) Atlanta Falcons

Matt Ryan is gone after a decade in Atlanta, and the Falcons didn’t seem too bothered in replacing him. Marcus Mariota is tabbed to be the Week 1 starter, but he has seen almost know action over the last few years. Desmond Ridder gave Falcons fans something to look forward to in the future, but the here and now does not paint a pretty picture for the Falcons.