God it feels so great taking in that our first week of NFL happened. Nothing has pleased me more than having football back, and now we move onto something else that makes me just as happy; making the NFL Power Rankings!
#32
New York Jets (0-1)
Previous Rank – 27
Losing Le’Veon Bell for a few weeks is going to hurt this team so much especially with the way they blew ass against the Bills last week. The only positive player that came out was Crowder, and that was on one play when the Bills were up by a lot. This might be this year’s Bengal team, and it is hard to see why not with Adam Gase still coaching. It won’t get any better when they take on a pissed off 49ers team after losing to the Cardinals.
#31
Carolina Panthers (0-1)
Previous Rank – 30
It was a decent debut, but all for not as the Panthers lost to the Raiders when the defense failed to stop Josh Jacobs on the run. Beside Derrick Brown, this defense has nothing to offer. We saw that this weekend. Teddy did well in his debut as a Panther, but needs to use his weapons more wisely ahead of his week two matchup with the Buccaneers.
#30
Detroit Lions (0-1)
Previous Rank – 29
Detroit should have had this goddamn game, but yet they choke again, and let Mitch Trubisky roll off into the 4th quarter for a comeback. You could blame it on the fact they didn’t have Golladay, but they had a decent rushing attack. This defense just let it slip through their fingers. Now they have to take on Green Bay after they just put the hurt on Minnesota.
#29
New York Giants (0-1)
Previous Rank – 28
The Giants almost made a stand against the Steelers, but the defense shut down Saquon Barkley like it was nothing and forced Jones to throw the ball which to his credit led to two Darius Slayton touchdowns. However, he was eventually overrun by the defense and it cost them. Not bad for the first week, but Jones might have a better shot this week against the Bears.
#28
Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)
Previous Rank – 26
To be fair, the Bengals should have at least had a better chance at this. AJ Green should have had that touchdown, and Randy Bullock shouldn’t have shanked that kick. As much as I hate the Bengals, this was going to be a victory for them and for Joe Burrow. They might have a better chance this week when they face a Browns team that got absolutely embarrassed by the Ravens.
#27
Miami Dolphins (0-1)
Previous Rank – 24
Miami gave New England a decent ride, but the offense was the overall cause of their demise. Fitzpatrick threw three interceptions, and DeVante Parker went out of the game with a hamstring injury. From then on, the Dolphins defense got pillaged by the Patriots and their rushing attack led by Cam Newton. You have to wonder at this point when Tua will start, and a game against the Bills might determine their fate.
#26
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0)
Previous Rank – 32
What in the actual f**k just happened? The Jaguars beat the Colts?? Is this real life? What an odd way to start the season for the Jaguars; a team that everybody thought was selling its soul for Trevor Lawrence. Maybe they still are, but a victory over a big team like the Colts deserves big praise for Minshew Mania.
#25
Cleveland Browns (0-1)
Previous Rank -19
How are the Browns this bad with this amount of talent? I just don’t get it man. They were the only team to have a single digit score this past week. Even the Jets got into double digits. The Browns continue to disappoint, but maybe there is light in the dark. This Thursday, the Browns face the Bengals. maybe they’ll actually get a win.
#24
Chicago Bears (1-0)
Previous Rank – 25
Chicago was able to do it, and they did it with Trubisky. Now granted, he does normally play well against Detroit, and Allen Robinson is starting to maybe become a problem with all his deletion of everything Bears, but for now Chicago has a win. It will remain to be seen if they can beat the Giants this upcoming week.
#23
Los Angeles Chargers (1-0)
Previous Rank – 22
The Chargers move down here because in reality they should have lost this game to the Bengals, but an overturned touchdown and a botched field goal put the Chargers on a roller coaster ride to their first win of the season. Like I said, I don’t believe it is justified which is why they move down on the rankings. Let’s see how they do against a much better team in the Kansas City Chiefs.
#22
Denver Broncos (0-1)
Previous Rank – 21
The Broncos should have won this game with the amount of mistakes the Tennessee Titans made especially on the kicking side of the ball. Gostkowski, the kicker missed three field goals and two extra points and the Broncos still lost. The loss of Bouye hurt this secondary, and they couldn’t stop Derrick Henry either. I don’t see great things from them when they face the Steelers this week!
#21
Philadelphia Eagles (0-1)
Previous Rank – 20
Well that was weird… The Eagles lost to the Washington Football Team… The Eagles put up 17 points to start, and then got shut out the rest of the game. The defense might be the real deal here with Young, Sweat, and Kerrigan. The Eagles running and receiving options were limited in this one, and I don’t see things getting any better against the Rams this upcoming week.
#20
Washington Football Team (1-0)
Previous Rank – 31
Maybe this is a bit too high, but overall, this was a stellar performance against a divisional rival. I believe this defense is gonna be great with all of these additions. Now granted, the offense still needs some work, but I believe it can do right under Rivera’s direction. Next up is a matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
#19
Atlanta Falcons (0-1)
Previous Rank – 18
Atlanta moves down one spot after a shoot out loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Overall, the main component that needs to get better is defense. They got absolutely torched by Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense. The offense of the Falcons did nicely though with Matt Ryan being the passing leader of the week. If this defense doesn’t get it together though, they’ll fire Dan Quinn for sure.
#18
Indianapolis Colts (0-1)
Previous Rank – 13
This is still the biggest head scratcher from week one. How did the Colts lose to the Jaguars? It just doesn’t make sense. Rivers was off a bit, they lost Marlon Mack for the year, and they essentially lost to the worst team in football. The defense got exploited by Minshew when he only missed one pass attempt. Embarrassing indeed for Indy. Now they gotta go play Minnesota.
#17
Las Vegas Raiders (1-0)
Previous Rank – 23
Say what you want about the Raiders. New home, but also a new win. Granted it was against the Panthers, but the Raiders hammered the ball on the ground with Josh Jacobs. He almost had 100 yards on the ground, and had three rushing touchdowns. Derek Carr was sharp, and it may not last, but the Raiders are doing good things.
#16
Houston Texans (0-1)
Previous Rank – 14
Man the Texans looked like a shell of their former selves without Hopkins there. I will say the acquisition of David Johnson might not turn out as bad as people think if he stays healthy, but man the receiving core has to get better (aside from Fuller). Watson also needs to take some more deep shot chances. He doesn’t even look like the same person out there anymore. He and the Texans will take on Baltimore this week.
#15
Minnesota Vikings (0-1)
Previous Rank – 11
The Vikings were supposed to give Aaron Rodgers what was coming to him, but instead they got absolutely torched. The defense got smoked by Aaron Rodgers. This defensive unit that everyone thought was going to do something got destroyed. Their offense did okay, but only when Green Bay let them. They get the Colts to play after an embarrassing loss to the Jaguars.
#14
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)
Previous Rank – 9
Well…that was awkward. The Bucs did not live up to the hype in their debut against the Saints. Their defense got swept, and Tom Brady did not look good. Missing throws, messing up plays, miscommunications, etc. The Bucs did not live up to the hype even though everyone had them Super Bowl bound. We’ll see if they rebound against the Panthers this week.
#13
Los Angeles Rams (1-0)
Previous Rank – 17
The Rams made a comeback. I thought with so many weapons missing on defense and the loss of Todd Gurley that it would come back to haunt them with a bloody passion. Instead, they beat America’s Team; The Dallas Cowboys, and they did it with their rushing attack and some help from the defense. Next week, they’ll look to best the Eagles.
#12
New England Patriots (1-0)
Previous Rank – 15
Man it feels good to see Cam Newton in action again. Granted he didn’t throw much, and he didn’t throw any touchdowns, but he ran for 75 yards and scored two on the ground. It remains to be seen how New England’s system is gonna work, but a win is a win. Now they’ll look to a big challenge in Seattle.
#11
Dallas Cowboys (0-1)
Previous Rank – 7
I just love dropping the Cowboys a bunch and watching them react to it. Granted they shouldn’t drop this much, but we saw similar play calling and settling that it made me a little Jason Garrett-like. Granted the pass interference call was a load of crap that prevented the Cowboys from tying the game. They lost a big time game, and who knows where it will go from her, especially after fans are calling for Mike McCarthy’s firing after one damn game.
#10
Arizona Cardinals (1-0)
Previous Rank – 16
I expected Arizona to be good this year. I did not expect them to beat a team that went to the Super Bowl last year. This marks the third time in a row that Kyler Murray made a decent impact against the 49ers. This time resulting in a win. Hopkins exploded with Murray catching 14 balls for 151 yards. I expect big things from Arizona this year. They look to the Washington Football Team this week.
#9
Green Bay Packers (1-0)
Previous Rank – 12
Green Bay proved they still have what it takes on the offensive side of the ball. The defense however still had some holes to fill when the Vikings started coming from behind. That’s why they aren’t further up in the ranking. I will say Aaron Rodgers looks like he’s out to tear the Green Bay system a new one for screwing him over the years.
#8
Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
Previous Rank – 10
Pittsburgh actually got Big Ben back last night, and man did it feel great seeing him in action. True it started off slow, but the Steelers were able to beat the Giants and put pressure on Daniel Jones. The most important thing they did was neutralize Saquon Barkley. It feels good to be a Steelers fan. They now head into Heinz Field this week to take on the Broncos.
#7
San Francisco 49ers (0-1)
Previous Rank – 2
The 49ers dropped a real ball this weekend with their loss to the Cardinals. Not only that, but they might be without their main weapon for a week or two in George Kittle after a costly throw by Jimmy Garappolo. They play the Jets next week which should be an easy win, but who knows without all their weapons to muster.
#6
Tennessee Titans (1-0)
Previous Rank – 5
The Titans won, but move a spot down the list. It’s nothing personal, but the way they played against the Broncos didn’t intrigue me as much. They let Drew Lock and his weapons walk over them. Their offense did its job though, but they would have been up higher had Gostkowski made his kicks.
#5
Buffalo Bills (1-0)
Previous Rank – 6
The Bills are not shying away from trying to take the AFC East. They delivered a powerful statement by crushing the Jets in week one. Granted there were some mistakes that were made, but Buffalo looks to win this division by far. Josh Allen and the Bills look to take on the Dolphins this week to get further up on their division.
#4
New Orleans Saints (1-0)
Previous Rank – 4
The Saints stay where they are even though they beat the Buccaneers last weekend. The main reason they stay where they are is because of the Michael Thomas injury. Having a star like that suffer an ankle injury is a big concern. Hopefully, he will be fine, but time will tell. They’ll go up against the Raiders this week.
#3
Seattle Seahawks (1-0)
Previous Rank – 8
Russell Wilson and the Seahawks blew past the Atlanta Falcons this past weekend. Wilson balled out only missing five pass attempts all game. He even led his team in rushing. The defense may need work, but honestly Jamal Adams is such an inquisition to the team. Look for Seattle to have a good battle against New England this week.
#2
Baltimore Ravens (1-0)
Previous Rank – 3
Baltimore moves up a spot in the power rankings after their dominant victory over the Cleveland Browns this past week. Lamar did well passing and rushing with the ball. The rookie J.K. Dobbins put in excellent work on the ground with two rushing scores. Marquise Brown looked like his old self, and the defense looked sharp as well. We’ll see how they do against the Texans this week. Something tells me Jackson vs Watson will be a grand stage to everyone.
#1
Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
Previous Rank – 1
The Super Bowl Champs knocked it out of the park with the season opener against Houston. Their defense shaped up, and the offense looked better than ever. The addition of Clyde Edwards-Helaire was a bright spot that really didn’t need to be added, but got added anyway. It’ll be hard for anyone to take them down this year, but teams are going to try. A divisional matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers awaits.
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