NFL WEEK 1 POWER RANKINGS
By Neil Reynolds
The NFL returned with a bang in Week 1 and while it was just one round of games, it did raise hopes and concerns for teams across the league. It will take a while to settle down and find out who's hot and who's not. Until that actually happens in this wild and unpredictable league, here are my rankings from 1 to 32.
- BUFFALO BILLS +2
In the fourth quarter on Sunday, Buffalo had a one percent chance of beating the Baltimore Ravens. Josh Allen breaks super-computers, though. As long as the Bills have Allen leading them, they are a strong contender to finally break their Super Bowl-winning duck in 2025.
- BALTIMORE RAVENS -1
Apart from finishing off the Bills at the end of the game, there is nothing to worry about for the Ravens on the offensive side of the ball. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are studs and Zay Flowers leads a more-than-good-enough receiving corps. But what about that defense?
- PHILADELPHIA EAGLES -1
The Eagles had more than 100 yards in penalties, Saquon Barkley was held to 60 rushing yards and A.J. Brown had just one catch… and they still won against a highly-motivated division foe. Jalen Hurts' ability to make things happen with his legs is absolutely vital.
- GREEN BAY PACKERS +1
The Packers looked complete during Sunday's win over the Detroit Lions. We might have overlooked this given all the attention paid to quarterback Jordan Love and pass-rusher Micah Parsons, but Green Bay's defense held the Lions to just 46 rushing yards.
- LOS ANGELES CHARGERS +9
The Chargers will be well rested heading into Week 2. They played in Brazil last Friday night and do not play again until the second of two Monday Night Football games, taking on the Raiders. Justin Herbert will hope to pick up right where he left off in Sao Paolo.
- WASHINGTON COMMANDERS +1
The Commanders enjoyed a 'take care of business' victory over the Giants in Week 1 without really having to get out of second gear. Jayden Daniels was solid enough but what was really impressive was the 220 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. That sends a message.
- KANSAS CITY CHIEFS -1
Patrick Mahomes was brilliant but looked very much like a one-man band on the offensive side of the ball. And for once, the Chiefs didn't wrap up a close game; losing their first decided by a single score since Christmas Day of 2023! I'm worried about KC's weapons.
- DETROIT LIONS -4
That was a hugely-concerning first outing and Detroit must rebound against the Chicago Bears in Week 2. Jared Goff was ineffective and the running back pairing of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery (more than 3,000 scrimmage yards and 30 TDs in 2024), was invisible.
- TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS +8
Baker Mayfield is fun to watch and his gun-slinging mentality means the Bucs are always going to fancy their chances in games going down to the wire. I don't see this team rising to be one of the league's elite, but they are definitely set to contend in the NFC South again.
- LOS ANGELES RAMS -2
The Rams flexed their muscle in defeating the Houston Texans in Week 1. This team is not going to be solely-reliant on pretty passes from Matthew Stafford. The pass-rush was ferocious and Los Angeles pulled out an old-school victory that bodes well for the future.
- PITTSBURGH STEELERS +1
One game does not make a season, but this Pittsburgh aerial attack should be pretty good under Aaron Rodgers (four touchdown passes in Week 1). That said, I want to see more from the rushing attack (53 on the ground at New York) and the defense needs to tighten up.
- DENVER BRONCOS -3
The Broncos saw a sloppy performance from second-year quarterback Bo Nix. You can survive such games when you have one of the better defenses in the league and when you are facing the Titans. But tougher challenges await and Denver need to clean some stuff up.
- MINNESOTA VIKINGS -2
JJ McCarthy may have blown hot and cold for far too long in Minnesota's season-opening win against Chicago, but he found his footing at the right time to deliver the win. The role of head coach Kevin O'Connell has become even more vital as he nurtures and guides his young QB.
- SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS +1
The 49ers dug deep to win a tough game on the road in Seattle and should be commended for that. Importantly, Christian McCaffrey was their bell cow with 31 touches. But now George Kittle is out with a hamstring and QB Brock Purdy is nursing shoulder and toe injuries.
- CINCINNATI BENGALS -5
The Bengals have too much talent to continue struggling on offense the way they did in Cleveland on Sunday. But it should be a concern until this unit hits top speed. Joe Burrow threw for just 113 yards and was supported by just 46 rushing yards. That's not good enough.
- HOUSTON TEXANS -3
We can say all we like that this is a big year for Texans quarterback CJ Stroud, and it is. But how can he be judged when he is so poorly protected? Houston gave up three sacks in losing to the Rams and allowed their passer to be pressured on 41 percent of his drop-backs.
- INDIANAPOLIS COLTS +4
Daniel Jones may not be flashy, but he can be efficient and that's good enough for Shane Steichen after the roller-coaster effort put forth by Anthony Richardson. Rookie tight end Tyler Warren (seven catches in Week 1) is going to be a QB's best friend in Indianapolis.
- ATLANTA FALCONS -3
The Falcons did a pretty decent job of rushing the passer in Week 1, but their continued lack of sacks is glaring. They took Baker Mayfield down just once in the game. And the late field goal miss from Younghoe Koo undid a decent showing from quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
- SEATTLE SEAHAWKS +1
Seattle's defense – led by our very own Aden Durde – is the real deal. But the offense needs to step it up through the air. It took deep into the fourth quarter before Sam Darnold broke the 100 passing yards barrier. Otherwise, Seattle will be in weekly slug-fests.
- JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS +3
There are tougher opponents to come, but the Jaguars took care of business in Week 1. They constantly harassed Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, they created turnovers and they ran the ball. That said, the Liam Coen-Trevor Lawrence partnership remains the biggest key.
- CHICAGO BEARS -3
Caleb Williams started off red-hot against the Minnesota Vikings but he, and the team, tailed off and couldn't finish the job for a Week 1 win. But there were some encouraging signs from the second-year passer as he starts his journey alongside head coach Ben Johnson.
- DALLAS COWBOYS +3
The embattled Cowboys played well on Thursday night and their attack – led by Dak Prescott – is going to score points in 2025. Whether they can get enough defensive stops remains to be seen. If not for those second half drops from CeeDee Lamb, Dallas could be sitting 1-0.
- NEW YORK JETS +4
There are concerns over the usually-stout defense shipping 34 points to Pittsburgh, but there were so many positives to come out of Week 1. Justin Fields looked very good at quarterback and the whole team seemed to take on the aggressive persona of head coach Aaron Glenn.
- ARIZONA CARDINALS -5
A win is a win in the NFL but when it comes against a porous opponent and is pretty non-descript, we're going to need to see more to get excited about the 2025 Cardinals. I do think the Cards have one of the sneakier-good run games in the league (146 yards in Week 1).
- LAS VEGAS RAIDERS +1
This may not be a playoff team, but Pete Carroll and Geno Smith know how to win football games when paired together. Geno gets so overlooked compared to other NFL quarterbacks – his 362 passing yards against New England was one of the performances of the weekend.
- NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS -4
A disappointing second half that saw New England score just three points against the Raiders has raised questions about the Patriots' attack. QB Drake Maye has a world of potential, but he also has an issue with turnovers. Not an inspiring start in New England.
- CLEVELAND BROWNS +4
The Browns looked very strong on defense against Cincinnati with Myles Garrett recording two sacks. But Cleveland let Cincinnati off the hook by making too many mistakes. Joe Flacco threw two picks that hit his receivers right in the hands. And the missed FG hurt, too.
- NEW YORK GIANTS --
The Giants offered very few reasons to get excited in Sunday's loss to Washington. Russell Wilson failed to bring any juice to the attack and head coach Brian Daboll was hardly throwing his supportive weight behind the veteran. Jaxson Dart Watch has officially begun.
- TENNESSEE TITANS +1
The only way is up for Tennessee. In their Week 1 loss to Denver, the Titans amassed just 133 total yards. And they were penalised to the tune of 131 yards. Whichever way you break that down, the maths is not going to be good. Giving up six sacks of Cam Ward also didn't help.
- NEW ORLEANS SAINTS +2
It feels like this whole season is going to see the Saints travelling on a slow and painful treadmill to the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. They will have some competition for that spot, of course. One thing we know… this team needs to find a franchise quarterback.
- CAROLINA PANTHERS -2
A bit like CJ Stroud in Houston, Bryce Young has some questions to answer in Carolina. And it's hard to properly judge this young passer when he spends half his NFL life either running to buy time or – worse still – flat on his back. The Panthers are not doing right by him.
- MIAMI DOLPHINS -8
Tua Tagovailoa struggled badly at QB, the receivers could not get anything done and the defense allowed the Colts to score on every single possession in Week 1. And head coach Mike McDaniel had no answers. Miami have been widely lambasted. Can they respond?
