Welcome to the Revenge of the Bird’s NFL power rankings! We’re really excited to see where this year’s season is going to go, so let’s get started with our Week 1 Power Rankings!
Disclaimer: We are not including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Miami Dolphins in this week’s power rankings because they did not play due to Hurricane Irma. We wish all of those in Florida and other affected states good luck, and stay safe!
#1 - Kansas City Chiefs (-)
There is no question about this one. The Chiefs came back from a pretty rough 1st Quarter to dominate the 2016 Super Bowl Champion, New England Patriots. Alex Smith threw four touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt came on strong in his debut. If Kansas City can keep up this performance, they’re going to be tough to beat.
#2 - Green Bay Packers (-)
Aaron Rodgers played like the best quarterback in the NFL, which is especially impressive against the Seattle defense. He threw a nasty interception, but I won’t give them too much flack for that considering that the rest of their team played very well, including a big outing from Jordy Nelson. Oh yeah, and I’ve gotta give big props to the Green Bay defense controlling Seahawks and giving Russell Wilson a ton of pressure.
#3 - Detroit Lions (-)
The Lions played better than we expected. Their defense (unexpectedly) shined, and they bullied Carson Palmer the entire game. Matthew Stafford threw 4 touchdowns, and led Detroit to a 35-23 victory. It’s hard to put them so high, but it’s we must give credit where it is due.
#4 - Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys are showing that they’re not ready to give up after losing in the playoffs last season. Dak Prescott, after an excellent rookie season, is ready to take the next step. And that’s exactly what he and the Cowboys looked like they have done in week one.
#5 - Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota? Number five? Yeah, I honestly can’t believe it myself. But Sam Bradford played amazing. In addition, Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen were great, and with that defense, this could be a very successful season.
#6 - Oakland Raiders (-)
Derek Carr played a nearly mistake free game, but you hope to see a little more out of the Raiders offense as a whole.
#7 - Pittsburgh Steelers (-)
Gotta love Roethlisberger! This was a surprisingly close game against the Browns, but the Steelers were still definitely the better team. Roethlisberger wasn’t himself, but the star of the Steelers, Antonio Brown, rang up 182 yards, and Jesse James picked up two touchdowns to help the Steelers eek one out..
#8 - Philadelphia Eagles (-)
This Eagles team looks for real. Carson Wentz especially, who threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns. That’s impressive, and the Eagles are looking like a well-rounded team.
#9 - Jacksonville Jaguars (-)
Jaguars played great. Honestly, I don’t see them keeping this top-10 position for long, but after this great game against a 2016 playoff team, I have to put them up there. It’s hard to put the Jaguars above the Falcons, but I think they really deserved it. Also, Blake Bortles scored a touchdown unlike Tom Brady so, there’s that.
#10 - Atlanta Falcons (-)
This game was closer than it should have been, but maybe that’s just saying something about the apparently new and improved Chicago Bears. That being said, Matt Ryan played really well, throwing for 321 yards. While only one of those passes went for a touchdown, the rest of his team was able to carry the scoring load.
#11 - Seattle Seahawks (-)
This was a tough matchup for the Seattle, I’ll give them that. But, Russell Wilson is better than how he played, and he’s going to have to step it up. They played against a team that is maybe the best offense in the league and looked good on defense. The Seahawks played like an actual professional team, unlike some of the other teams in the NFC West.
#12 - New England Patriots (-)
The performance by the Patriots was not great Thursday night against the Chiefs, but, it wasn’t terrible until late. The Patriots still played like a well oiled machine early, and I have to give them that.
#13 - Los Angeles Rams (-)
I don’t think anyone expected the Rams to play this well. The Rams, led by Jared Goff, a quarterback who struggled in his rookie season, turned it on against a bad Colts team. Could this be a new era for the Rams? Maybe, as long as Jared Goff plays like this.
Disclaimer: I would put the Rams higher up based on points alone, but they were playing against a pretty crappy Indianapolis team. We’ll have to see how the Rams continue to perform, and then I might rank them higher.
#14 - Carolina Panthers (-)
Is Cam Newton back? Maybe. But, he and his team played really well, and they deserve to be up in the rankings even if their success came against the 49ers. We know that San Francisco is a pretty bad team and that the Panthers were probably going to win, but they showed up and put it on the 49ers.
#15 - Denver Broncos
Trevor Siemian isn’t the greatest QB out there, but he held his own against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Broncos did enough to hold.
#16 - Buffalo Bills (-)
The Bills played excellent, especially Tyrod Taylor with 2 TDs and LeSean McCoy with 110 yards. It was against the terrible Jets, but hey, a win is a win!
#17 - Baltimore Ravens (-)
Baltimore won something! Their game was a big blowout win against Cincinnati, but Joe Flacco didn’t look great. He threw a touchdown, but he also threw an interception. In fact, they only let him throw 17 times.
#18 - Washington Redskins (-)
This was a sad game to watch. Kirk Cousins has yet to take the step so many were expecting. He threw for a respectable 240 yards, but ended up throwing an interception in a pivotal time and only one touchdown. Although, he didn’t get much help, as Cousins tied for the most rushing yards.
#19 - Tennessee Titans (-)
Marcus Mariota is a quarterback with huge potential, but they ultimately did not live up to it in week one. That being said, I think that Mariota and his team will be able to see find the victoriy column against teams that aren’t as good as Oakland.
#20 - Chicago Bears (-)
Bears didn’t play horrible! Not good, but not horrible either! I want to see Glennon do well, but he’s shown that he can’t make throws late in games, and he’s letting his running backs do most of the work.
#21 - Cleveland Browns (-)
I’m impressed with the Browns. And I’m not joking! They made this game a relatively close game (21-18) against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a well rounded team. DeShone Kizer showed that he can hold his own, even against a good defense. Maybe the Browns finally have a chance to turn it around.
Quick and Dirty Final 10 (minus two)
#22 - Los Angeles Chargers
#23 - New Orleans Saints
#24 - New York Giants
#25 - Arizona Cardinals (-)
This game made me want to tear my hair out, and I’m sure that everyone else felt the same way. Carson Palmer played awful, and David Johnson was extremely underwhelming even before the injury. Even worse, he has a wrist injury, and D.J. Humphries is having right knee issues, so we’ll have to see how that’s going to go. Overall, a really broken team that has the potential to do so much better.