NFL Power Rankings Week 1, A Brand New History

At the beginning of preseason, the Hall of Fame game made us ecstatic the NFL had returned (as usual). Watching the the different players get inducted, reminded us that the history of the NFL was built off of big moments. The better players grab a piece of history with huge throws, catches, runs and defensive stops, which we’ll never forget.

The 2026 season will provide us with a new set of memorable moments that will live forever.

Here are the NFL Power Rankings

 

1. Los Angeles Rams
They’ve added two of the best defensive players of this generation to the mix, so maybe they’re going to be pretty good this season. Is there any other team that’s as scary on both sides of the ball?

 

2. Seattle Seahawks
Seattle might be feeling disrespected since they’re not the popular pick to repeat as champions. It’s hard to believe they’ll be back-to-back champions when we didn’t believe they’d be first time champions last year.

 

3. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills have never won the Super Bowl. Josh Allen has never won an overtime game. I personally have never seen a team be picked to do so much year after year of them not ever succeeding.

 

4. Denver Broncos
The Broncos were the top seed in the AFC last season and they should be somewhere at the top this season. Bo Nix has some new weapons, most notably Jaylen Waddle, and the defense should pick up right where they left off last season.

 

5. Houston Texans
C. J. Stroud will try to prove he isn’t as bad as he was in that playoff run last year. With a motivated starting quarterback, some offensive upgrades and a menacing defense, the Texans are on the short list of real Super Bowl contenders.

 

6. Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson has reached the status of being so good he’s somewhat boring. We’ve seen him do everything you can possibly do from the quarterback position except win the championship. The only thing he can do to surprise us this season is win the Super Bowl.

 

7. Philadelphia Eagles
Imagine winning a championship with a Super Bowl MVP award and still having something to prove. That’s pretty much where Jalen Hurts finds himself heading into this season.

 

8. Los Angeles Chargers
Is this Justin Herbert’s year to finally make a deep playoff run? The team bought in Mike McDaniel to unlock some sort of gear Herbert supposedly has. There’s some people who just don’t believe it’s there.

 

9. New England Patriots
A.J. Brown is a true No. 1 option on the wing and Drake Maye is entering another year where he’s an MVP candidate. The defending AFC champions could find themselves right back in the title game if they could stay healthy.

 

10. Chicago Bears
The Bears were 7-4 in games decided by one score in 2025. Can the 2026 Bears live on the edge all season or will Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams take another step forward as the best head coach/quarterback duo in the league?

 

11. Detroit Lions
The Lions have gone 9-8, 12-5, 15-2, and 9-8 in their past four seasons. They’ve been top five in both points scored and total yards from scrimmage in each of those four seasons. The defensive rankings have been significantly worse.

 

12. Dallas Cowboys
It’s been Dallas’s year for 30-plus years now. This seriously could be their year with a revamped defense and arguably the best wide receiver duo in the league on offense. They’re going to be hard to stop on both sides of the ball.

 

13. Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow has played six seasons in the NFL. He’s only played 16 games or more in three seasons and Cincinnati has made the conference title game twice out of those three seasons. I wrote all of this confusing stuff to say the Bengals’ season depends on Burrow’s health.

 

14.  San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers spent much of last season with a long list of injured players. So far since training camp, the 49ers are dealing with a long list of injured players. Oh, let’s not forget that whole weird Brandon Aiyuk situation.

 

15. Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes is a future Hall of Famer even if he retires tomorrow. The Chiefs have made some notable changes to their roster, but probably not enough to win in a winnable division.

 

16. Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love is 1-3 in four playoff games. The Packers have paid him like he’s an elite quarterback and it’s time for him to prove them right or wrong.

 

17. Minnesota Vikings
When Kyler Murray has been healthy, it hasn’t necessarily translated to wins for his teams. So with that knowledge, I’m wondering how a healthy Murray is supposed to automatically translate to more wins for the Vikings.

 

18. Jacksonville Jaguars
The forgotten division winners from last season didn’t make any big splashes in free agency or the NFL draft. Is that them saying they’re good where they are or did they just lack the money (or imagination) to do anything?

 

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

No Mike Evans in Tampa Bay sounds crazy considering not talking about an injury. Baker Mayfield and company will start the post-Evans era searching for a new No. 1 target. Could their be a post-Mayfield era coming soon to Tampa Bay?

 

20. Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers should probably be on a porch somewhere complaining about all this newfangled technology and what not. Instead he’ll suit up at quarterback for what seems to be his 100th season. He’ll go out there and do things that probably shouldn’t be attempted at his age.

 

21. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have steadily improved every year Bryce Young has been there at quarterback. They haven’t upgraded the running back room yet, but I guess they’re waiting for the right opportunity.

 

22. Indianapolis Colts
There’s a lot of good things that could be said about the Colts and their chances this season. Instead let’s focus on the fact that they are sticking with Anthony Richardson as their backup quarterback for the season.

 

23. The Washington Commanders
Other than being hurt his lone year in Houston, Stefon Diggs has been pretty consistent his last eight seasons. A healthy Jayden Daniels and Diggs could make for a lethal combination.

 

24. New Orleans Saints
The Saints need Tyler Shough to take another step forward after a productive rookie season. The Saints will start the season without rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tydon but Shough will have a few weapons at his disposal including a loaded backfield.

 

25. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons have announced that Tua Tagovailoa will be their opening day starter. This has to be more of a case of Michael Penix Jr. not being healthy enough over Tagovailoa being this incredible option. Why would they even rush Penix back?

 

26. New York Giants
John Harbaugh has to figure out what he has in quarterback Jaxson Dart pretty fast. Dart has all the tools to be successful, but his hardcore playing style and attitude could keep him off of the field at times.

27. Las Vegas Raiders
Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza should not be a competition. It should be a tag team situation where Cousins tags in Mendoza when he’s ready to play.

 

28. Tennessee Titans
The Titans have added over 20 new players in the offseason. With a huge roster overhaul and the arrival of new head coach Robert Saleh, all incumbent players might be playing for a 2027 roster spot.

 

29. New York Jets
The Jets went 3-14 last season and analysts are projecting them to double that win total in 2026. With a plethora of first-round picks in the 2027 draft, this season could potentially be more about development.

 

30. Cleveland Browns
The Browns are tied at the waist line to the Deshaun Watson contract at least until the end of this season. Watson’s time in Cleveland has been tumultuous at best, but now his presence could be hindering other players’ development.

 

31. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are a team devoid of overall talent but they could have some young core pieces that could serve them well in the future. They aren’t projected to win many games and that notion seems to be fine with their front office and fans alike.

 

32.  Arizona Cardinals
Arizona’s skill position players group might resemble a nice Mercedes Benz you’re driving through the neighborhood. The Cardinals quarterback room might represent the engine that has you pulling over on the side of the road with smoke coming out of the hood.