NFL Power Rankings Week One: A Break In The Clouds

The NFL season has arrived and not a moment too soon. 32 teams will start of with a blank page to fill in their story of the 2020 season. History shows us that a few of the top teams don’t look as good and a few of the bottom teams will actually look great.

Week one should be extra fun, in a season that has been highly anticipated all year.

 

1. Baltimore Ravens
Many people have the Ravens penciled in as Super Bowl champions. They have great players on both sides and the ultimate game changer in Lamar Jackson.

 

2. Kansas City Chiefs
Pat Mahomes and Andy Reid come in ready to defend their title. Clyde Edwards-Helaire has the speed and pass catching ability to fit right into Reid’s intricate offense. They’ll be good upfront on defense but will be young in the secondary.

 

3. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers lost the Super Bowl but kept most of the roster intact. Rookie defensive tackle Javon Kinkaw should make that front four even scarier than last season. Can the 49ers buck the trend and make it back to the big dance?

 

4. New Orleans Saints
The Saints have some tougher competition within the division than in the past. They added Emmanuel Sanders to an already terrific offense. Alvin Kamara’s recent holdout could be detrimental to the team if it goes very long.

 

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Let’s see…the Bucs added Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, LeSean McCoy, Leonard Fournette the Incredible Hulk, Aquaman, Thanos and whoever else they could sign. This should be good.

 

6. Seattle Seahawks
The addition of safety Jamal Adams should bolster a defense that was very suspect in 2019. The offense added veteran Greg Olsen, who could be a game changer when healthy.

 

7. Green Bay Packers
Have the Packers started the clock on Aaron Rodgers’ retirement? Drafting Jordan Love and not much else on offense is still a head scratcher. They should still be good, but probably not a 13 win team this year.

 

8. Buffalo Bills
Buffalo is the sexy pick to win the AFC East now that Tom Brady is gone. Buffalo has one of the best defenses in the league but will need to rely on their offense to win more games.

 

9. Tennessee Titans
Tennessee might be the most dangerous team in the NFL. Nobody is really picking them to win the whole thing and they have a roster that can do it. The addition of Jadeveon Clowney should upgrade a defense that was already effective.

 

10. Minnesota Vikings
This is the year for Kirk Cousins to prove his lone playoff win wasn’t a fluke. The offense see should still be explosive with Adam Theilen, Kyle Rudolph and Dalvin Cook. Rookie Justin Jefferson should fill in nicely at wide receiver for the departed Stefon Diggs.

 

11. Philadelphia Eagles
This team underachieved in 2019 and still won the division. Is Carson Wentz a top tier quarterback in the NFC? Can the Eagles’ defense step up to another level?

 

12. Dallas Cowboys
With Dak Prescott’s contract situation up in limbo, will he play motivated or be disappointing? They got a steal when rookie wide receiver Ceedee Lamb fell to them in round one. He’s an absolute game breaker that should provide a big time target for Prescott.

 

13. Houston Texans
Bill O’Brien might’ve gotten rid of a few players but he wasn’t crazy enough to not sign Deshaun Watson to a long term deal. Does Watson have the targets to be successful?

 

14. New England Patriots
Is this the year the Patriots lose their stronghold on the AFC East? Bill Belichick unleashes a very motivated Cam Newton to continue the Patriots’ trend of making the playoffs. The team will have to overcome a bunch of losses due to the pandemic and free agency.

 

15. Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray shocked a bunch of people with his arm last season, not his legs. The team has added a massive weapon in DeAndre Hopkins to go along with the veteran Larry Fitzgerald. The defense got a gift in the draft when Isaiah Simmons fell to them in round one.

 

16. Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh just missed the playoffs last season mostly due to some shaky quarterback play. Ben Roethlisberger returns to the offense and the defense is stout with playmakers all over the field.

 

17. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons’ offense was too pass happy in 2019, whether by design or out of necessity. Todd Gurley will vastly improve one of the league’s worst rushing attacks. Can the Falcons improve their defense with oft-injured players and rookies?

 

18. Cleveland Browns
Baker Mayfield has to get back to the form that he showed in his rookie season. The defense should be dangerous.

 

19. Denver Broncos
Denver’s defense should be just as good as their top ten defense from 2019. Drew Lock should have a plethora of weapons, including a loaded backfield. Can he take the next step as a starting quarterback or will Denver need to go back to the drawing board?

 

20. Indianapolis Colts
Does Phillip Rivers have a few more good seasons in that aging arm? Last season wasn’t a great indicator that he does.

 

21. Chicago Bears
Mitchell Trubisky will have to show he’s ready to be a winning starter, with super back up Nick Foles looming. Watch out for rookie cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who has great speed and ball hawk skills. If Chicago’s secondary becomes stout, it will be really hard to move the ball on them.

 

22. Los Angeles Rams
What would you call the Rams as a team? Are they a defensive team, an offensive team, or a balanced team? Jared Goff threw for a bunch of yards last season to go along with a bunch of interceptions. If Leonard Floyd can stay healthy, the defense should be much better.

 

23. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers’ defense in 2019 could be viewed as bend and then eventually break. Kenneth Murray is said to have sideline to sideline speed at the line backer position. The offense will struggle if they are not able to run the football.

 

24. Las Vegas Raiders
Pro football in Vegas seems like it could be a good idea or the worst idea ever. Henry Ruggs III could be a rookie of the year candidate. Josh Jacobs has the tools to move into the upper echelon of running backs.

 

25. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have added a bunch of defensive players to bolster the worst defense in the league last season. Will Tua Tagovailoa be the right choice for quarteback of the future?

 

26. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have lost every one of their veteran leaders and will start 2020 with somewhat of a clean slate. Christian McCaffrey should once again be an MVP candidate, as he will get plenty of touches. Watch out for rookie defensive tackle Derrick Brown, who has been compared to Warren Sapp.

 

27. New York Giants
The Giants tried to upgrade their offensive line to better protect Daniel Jones and give more holes to Saquon Barkley. Will the defense be able to stop the bleeding when it counts, or will they allow a ton of points like the 2019 season?

 

28. New York Jets
Adam Gase is supposed to be an offensive guy…but coached the league’s worst offense last year. Sam Darnold probably has one more year to prove he’s a franchise quarterback. Both have a very short leash to produce wins this year.

 

29. Detroit Lions
Matthew Stafford has a great stable of running backs with the addition of D’Andre Swift and Adrian Peterson. Can Matt Patricia’s defense be good like the 2018 season or terrible like last season?

 

30. Washington Football Team
This will literally be a team searching for an identity in 2020. From the team name right up to the play on the field. Dwyane Haskins has to prove he can do more with less.

 

31. Cincinnati Bengals
Year one of Joe Burrow should come with some growing pains. Not only will he be thrown into the middle of a division with three better teams, but he will have an offensive line that allowed 48 sacks in 2019.

 

32. Jacksonville Jaguars
The “tank” is real in northern Florida. Poor little Gardner Minshew will have very little to work with after Jacksonville has gutted the team in the offseason.