Nfl Power Rankings (week 1): Sorting Them Out Before The Season

Wednesday brings us the start of the NFL season, and the same matchup as the last NFL game we saw, as the Seahawks and Patriots face off in a Super Bowl rematch. After that, we have the 49ers-Rams Australia game Thursday, and then Sunday we have a full normal slate of games. It’s here, folks.

After months of waiting, we’re finally to the point where we can stop imagining what we might see and finally start just seeing it. On the field, they’ll sort things out and figure out the Super Bowl winner over the next five-plus months.

But before that, we’re going to try to do it. That brings us to our weekly power rankings. Each week, our team of rankers — Aaron Schatz, Jeff Ratcliffe, Tyler Orginski, Frank Brank, Mike Talas — will rank the teams 1-32, and we’ll show them all to you, with a few thoughts on each team. Check out our NFL Betting Model with the latest data, and our experts put all their top bets into the NFL Bet Tracker.

Check out the team-by-team rankings below.

NFL Power Rankings Heading into Week 1

1. Los Angeles Rams (Average Score: 1.0)

2025 record: 12-5, lost in Conference Championship Week 1: vs. SF (Thursday in Australia)

It’s hilarious we get to open the season with a science experiment on the effect of international flight on football players’ preparedness.

2. Seattle Seahawks (Average Score: 2.4)

2025 record: 14-3, won Super Bowl Week 1: vs. New England (Wednesday)

We’ll soon know just how important Klint Kubiak was to the Seahawks, with Brian Fleury taking over as the OC this year.

3. Buffalo Bills (Average Score: 3.0)

2025 record: 12-5, lost in Divisional Round Week 1: @ Houston

If there were ever a Week 1 must-win game, it might be Buffalo and Josh Allen taking on that Houston defense on the road this week.

4. Houston Texans (Average Score: 5.2)

2025 record: 12-5, lost in Divisional Round Week 1: vs. Buffalo

The way this defense looks, it’s all going to come down to C.J. Stroud in 2026. The time is now.

5. Denver Broncos (Average Score: 5.6)

2025 record: 14-3, lost in Conference Championship Week 1: @ Kansas City (Monday)

The Broncos almost certainly should have made the Super Bowl last year. Now, they’re running it back plus Jaylen Waddle. Is the window still open?

6. New England Patriots (Average Score: 6.4)

2025 record: 14-3, lost in Super Bowl Week 1: @ Seattle (Wednesday)

New England has to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke, and with Seattle-Pittsburgh-Jacksonville-Buffalo in the first month, it’s a good time to show something.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (Average Score: 8.0)

2025 record: 11-6, lost in Wild Card Round Week 1: vs. Washington

There’s plenty of pressure on Jalen Hurts to prove he can be a good passer this year with A.J. Brown shipped out of town.

8. Los Angeles Chargers (Average Score: 9.0)

2025 record: 11-6, lost in Wild Card Round Week 1: vs. Arizona

If the line can stay healthy, Justin Herbert’s ceiling in a Mike McDaniel offense is sky high. Of course, Tyler Biadasz is already out for the year, and Rashawn Slater was banged up for much of camp, so we’ll see.

9. Baltimore Ravens (Average Score: 9.2)

2025 record: 8-9, second in AFC North Week 1: @ Indianapolis

If Dallas isn’t decent this year (they should be, but “if”), the Ravens’ schedule to open the season — Colts, Saints, Cowboys, Titans, Falcons, Browns — is one of the friendliest in the league.

10. Kansas City Chiefs (Average Score: 9.8)

2025 record: 6-11, third in AFC West Week 1: vs. Denver (Monday)

After a disaster season and a torn ACL for Patrick Mahomes, there’s actually something to prove in Kansas City this year.

11. Detroit Lions (Average Score: 11.2)

2025 record: 9-8, last in NFC North Week 1: vs. New Orleans

Detroit’s going full throttle on Jahmyr Gibbs this year. If anything happens to him, they’ll be on the phone immediately.

12. Green Bay Packers (Average Score: 11.6)

2025 record: 9-7-1, lost in Wild Card Round Week 1: @ Minnesota

Can the Packers’ defense tread water until Micah Parsons is back and healthy? It’s a team with no glaring weakness but no dominant strength.

13. Dallas Cowboys (Average Score: 13.8)

2025 record: 7-9-1, second in NFC East Week 1: @ NY Giants (Sunday night)

The Cowboys’ defense actually looks competent this year. That could set up DC Christian Parker for Coordinator of the Year, even if it’s only decent.

14. San Francisco 49ers (Average Score: 14.0)

2025 record: 12-5, lost in Divisional Round Week 1: vs. LA Rams (Thursday in Australia)

If the 49ers can ever stay healthy, they can have a monster year. Of course, that’s like saying “If I can just win the lottery, my problems will be solved!”

15. Chicago Bears (Average Score: 14.4)

2025 record: 11-6, lost in Divisional Round Week 1: @ Carolina

What’s real in Chicago — Ben Johnson making the best offense ever, or the team that needed a bunch of miracles to get to 11-6? We’ll find out soon.

16. Cincinnati Bengals (Average Score: 16.4)

2025 record: 6-11, third in AFC North Week 1: vs. Tampa Bay

The offensive line and defense should be better this year (at last), but this team will still live and die through Joe Burrow-Ja’Marr Chase-Tee Higgins.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars (Average Score: 17.2)

2025 record: 13-4, lost in Wild Card Round Week 1: vs. Cleveland

The Jacksonville defense thrived on turnovers last year. That’s usually fluky. Is that going to be an issue in 2026?

18. Indianapolis Colts (Average Score: 17.6)

2025 record: 8-9, third in AFC South Week 1: vs. Baltimore

If Daniel Jones looks good at the start of the year, we’ll need to basically throw everything we thought we knew about Achilles recoveries out the window.

19. Minnesota Vikings (Average Score: 17.6)

2025 record: 9-8, third in NFC North Week 1: vs. Green Bay

This team went 9-8 last year with J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer. If Kyler Murray is even competent, there’s a very high ceiling in Minnesota.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Average Score: 18.2)

2025 record: 8-9, second in NFC North Week 1: @ Cincinnati

The Bucs won the division at 8-9 in 2022. They finished tied for first in 2025 with the same record, but they missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker. Can they actually get back over .500 this year?

21. Pittsburgh Steelers (Average Score: 20.2)

2025 record: 10-7, lost in Wild Card Round Week 1: vs. Atlanta

Either the Steelers finally finish under .500 and Mike Tomlin gets more respect, or they finish over .500 yet again and Tomlin gets treated as overrated.

22. Washington Commanders (Average Score: 22.6)

2025 record: 5-12, third in NFC East Week 1: @ Philadelphia

2024 showed the ceiling of the Jayden Daniels experience. 2025 showed the floor. We’ll see what 2026 can offer.

23. New York Giants (Average Score: 23.8)

2025 record: 4-13, last in NFC East Week 1: vs. Dallas (Sunday night)

John Harbaugh is in town now. We’ll get an idea this year of how much of the Ravens’ recent run of success was Harbaugh vs. how much was Lamar Jackson.

24. New Orleans Saints (Average Score: 24.4)

2025 record: 6-11, last in NFC South Week 1: @ Detroit

The Saints might have the most hype entering the season of any team that went 6-11 or worse last year (Chiefs excluded).

25. Carolina Panthers (Average Score: 24.4)

2025 record: 8-9, lost in Wild Card Round Week 1: vs. Chicago

The Panthers made the playoffs last year but weren’t actually good. We’ll see if they can actually climb toward “good” this year.

26. Atlanta Falcons (Average Score: 26.8)

2025 record: 8-9, third in NFC South Week 1: @ Pittsburgh

The Falcons haven’t finished over .500 since going 10-6 in 2017. The team has won exactly 7 or 8 games in seven of the last eight years.

27. New York Jets (Average Score: 28.0)

2025 record: 3-14, last in AFC East Week 1: @ Tennessee

If Geno Smith is Seattle Geno and not Las Vegas Geno (and the line could help with that), the Jets could actually put together a decent little offense.

28. Arizona Cardinals (Average Score: 28.0)

2025 record: 3-14, last in NFC West Week 1: @ LA Chargers

Jacoby Brissett put up numbers last year, but he went 1-11 as the starter. There’s a big risk of that happening again this year.

29. Las Vegas Raiders (Average Score: 28.4)

2025 record: 3-14, last in AFC West Week 1: vs. Miami

When do we see Fernando Mendoza?

30. Tennessee Titans (Average Score: 28.6)

2025 record: 3-14, last in AFC South Week 1: vs. NY Jets

Everything comes down to whether Cam Ward can take a step forward in Year 2. The team got him weaponry.

31. Miami Dolphins (Average Score: 30.2)

2025 record: 7-10, third in AFC East Week 1: @ Las Vegas

A Malik Willis/De’Von Achane offense coached by Mike McDaniel would be a fascinating proposition. Without McDaniel? It could still be fascinating, but right now we don’t know.

32. Cleveland Browns (Average Score: 31.0)

2025 record: 5-12, last in AFC North Week 1: @ Jacksonville

When do we stop seeing Deshaun Watson?