One week down, and already the NFL looks like complete chaos. Some teams backed up the hype, others fell flat on their face, and a few came out swinging harder than anyone could have expected. After stacking Week 1 results against my preseason rankings, there’s already plenty of movement: Some risers, some fallers, and a couple of teams reminding us not to overreact.
Let’s get after it:
1) Buffalo Bills (1-0) (+3)
Josh Allen didn’t just win; he imposed his will. Their ability to find a way to win, even while the Ravens were dominating most of this game, makes them look every bit like the best team in football. If this is the baseline, everyone else is playing catch-up.
2) Green Bay Packers (1-0) (+3)
Jordan Love looks settled, the ground game is effective, and that defense is flying around. The NFC might still run through Philly, but the Packers aren’t going anywhere.
3) Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) (-2)
Not the cleanest game, but Jalen Hurts did enough, and the roster is still the most complete in the NFC. That first showing, albeit without Jalen Carter, was rough, though.
4) Baltimore Ravens (1-0) (-1)
Lamar looked sharp, the defense locked in, and they took care of business…until it was time to salt the game away. It’s going to be a long season if there are more games like Sunday, but I don’t think there will be…
5) Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) (-3)
Mahomes will keep them in any game, but the WR room continues to test everyone’s patience. Still, nobody wants to see this team in January.
6) Washington Commanders (1-0) (+4)
Jayden Daniels and this Washington offense decided to make a statement on Sunday against the Giants. The Commanders are here, and they are not leaving anytime soon.
7) Detroit Lions (0-1) (-1)
They ran into a buzzsaw at Lambeau, but I still have faith that the Detroit Lions aren’t out of the top ten teams yet…not yet…
8) Los Angeles Chargers (1-0) (+5)
Well, hello there, Justin Herbert. These Chargers may be a handful to deal with if the defense is going to play like that.
9) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) (even)
The four-time NFC South champs started fast again. Baker Mayfield is playing with confidence, and that defense is loaded with vets who know how to win.
10) Los Angeles Rams (1-0) (+2)
Stafford is still slinging it, and the defense played with real edge. Don’t write them off just yet. This is a team that can still throw haymakers with the best of them.
11) Denver Broncos (1-0) (even)
Stayed exactly where they were, because they are exactly who I thought they were. Bo Nix is questionable, but Sean Payton is going to make him successful and the defense is elite. That feels about right.
12) Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) (-4)
Yeah, sure, they won. But that was not a showing worthy of anything other than doubt. The offense can’t afford another slow start with the defense looking that inept against a floundering Cleveland team.
13) Houston Texans (0-1) (-6)
The seismic drop is because all my fears about this team came true in week one. The offensive line looked just like last season’s, and while that may be enough to continue to win the AFC South, it’s not enough to foster much confidence beyond that.
14) San Francisco 49ers (1-0) (+1)
Shaky start, but a win, especially in the division, is a win. Hopefully, the team can show me more, but with Purdy out for potentially an extended time, it’s tough to tell where this season will go.
15) Las Vegas Raiders (1-0) (+7)
Geno is back, baby. And the offense looks really fun with Bowers, Jeanty, and Meyers. Add the defense looking as fun as it can until Pete Carroll, and I’m all the way in on the silver and black.
16) Minnesota Vikings (1-0) (-2)
There were a lot of teachable moments in that game, but at the end of the day, the young gun came out with his first victory. J.J. McCarthy didn’t look pretty, but he and that feisty Vikings roster found a way to get it done.
17) Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) (+2)
Nah, seriously. What the hell was that? Arthur Smith, Aaron Rodgers, Calvin Austin. All of you, what the hell was that? Is this sustainable? I don’t know. I’m very skeptical. But it did look good for one week, so you move up.
18) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0) (+6)
I like it when plans come together. And the plan for the Jaguars came together quite nicely on Sunday. There’s still a few questions about Trevor Lawrence and whether he’s the future, but there’s no doubt that he’s got a pretty good roster surrounding him.
19) Dallas Cowboys (0-1) (+2)
Now wait a minute. This offense may be cooking with something. And how many times can we rely on CeeDee Lamb to drop four passes? Yeah, they may have lost, but that’s a solid first showing.
20) Seattle Seahawks (0-1) (-1)
Ehh, you win some, you lose some. This defense still gave the 49ers fits, and it’s only going to get better with time.
21) New York Jets (0-1) (+6)
Justin Fields, what on earth? There’s a part of me that sees the 2024 New Orleans Saints with this offensive output, but I’m also curious to know whether this offensive system, featuring Fields and Breece Hall in the backfield, may be dangerous.
22) Indianapolis Colts (1-0) (+8)
I’m not buying it. Not yet. I’ve seen this movie with Daniel Jones before, and I’d much rather be late to the parade than early. That being said, that offense looked awesome on Sunday.
23) Arizona Cardinals (1-0) (even)
I felt very neutral watching the Arizona Cardinals win that game against the Saints on Sunday. The roster is still scrappy, but that is only going to get you so far in this league.
24) Atlanta Falcons (0-1) (-8)
Is this low considering you lost on a missed field goal to a team ranked in the top ten? Sure. But the margins on this season for the Falcons are razor-thin, and the depth concerns that made this team so difficult to bet on showed up in numerous ways on Sunday. Hopefully, they can bounce back on Sunday night. If Penix plays like he did on Sunday, that is very much in the cards.
25) Chicago Bears (0-1) (-7)
Monday night was a look into what can only go one of two ways for the Bears’ season: They can either learn from it and build on the positives to continue building toward Ben Johnson being the wunderkind we think he is. Or, this can plummet disastrously, and we point the finger specifically at Ryan Poles for the construction of this roster. There is no middle ground, and that frightens me.
26) New England Patriots (0-1) (even)
That offensive line needs some TLC. Vrabel had them playing with a bit more fire, but this is still a team clearly devoid of talent throughout.
27) Carolina Panthers (0-1) (-2)
Even as a divisional rival, I don’t wish this version of the Carolina Panthers on anyone. Not the one where Bryce Young doesn’t look confident, and the offense falters despite having some kind of tools to work with. At least make it fun for us.
28) Cleveland Browns (0-1) (+3)
Kickers stink. But they hung in the game longer than they had any business hanging in there, and that in itself is a win. Plus, the offense with all the weird tight end stuff may be interesting to watch if the rest of the games in the 1 o’clock window are blowouts. We’ll see. For now, out of the basement.
29) Miami Dolphins (0-1) (-9)
I’m not entirely sure what to call that. The Dolphins came in unprepared and left a truly uninspiring product on the field. There aren’t many fans I feel genuinely bad for, but Dolphins fans, you didn’t deserve that on Sunday.
30) Tennessee Titans (0-1) (-1)
Cam Ward is going to do rookie things in his debut; that’s going to be fine. But this team is going to struggle for a bit while he figures out what he can and can’t do on an NFL field, and that’s okay.
31) New Orleans Saints (0-1) (+1)
They actually looked like a good team on Sunday. Rattler was one miraculous catch away from pulling off the upset. But that didn’t happen. And, the team still struggled mightily on that side of the ball. But, it was a better showing than I surely expected from them.
32) New York Giants (0-1) (-4)
That was ugly. I understand, the Commanders are really good. But, that was ugly.
