Week 1 NFL Power Rankings

September 5, 2017

Week 1 NFL Power Rankings

Carlos Peterson

The NFL season is upon us and with that I bring you my Week 1 power rankings compiled by me and based on what I’ve seen up until this point. These will be succinct and to the point. Let’s begin.

  1. New York Jets

They desperately need a quarterback, however they won’t find one in Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg. All signs point to them tanking.

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars

Yet another team that needs a quarterback. Just two years ago Bortles was deemed “ THE GUY” and shortly after is being run out of town for being a turnover machine. They have a lot of talent in other places.

  1. Cleveland Browns

Hue Jackson is in his second year as head man for the Cleveland Browns, and they may have finally found their man at quarterback in rookie Deshone Kizer. Cleveland has a long way to go but at least now they’re facing the right direction

  1. San Francisco 49er’s

First year General manager John Lynch should be commended for stabilizing the dysfunction of the Niner’s front office. The mess left by the previous to regimes will take time to get past but drafting defensive stud Solomon Thomas out of Stanford is a start.

  1. Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are in limbo right now. The team is more than capable of competing with a majority of the league. However Tyrod Taylor has made it evident through his play that he is not the future. They’re a talented team but will need to find a future quarterback.

  1. Chicago Bears

Ryan Pace is doing an outstanding job of rebuilding this roster with great draft picks and savvy free agent signings. Mitchell Trubisky has impressed this preseason, but a year of seasoning will do wonders for him as the veteran Mike Glennon will take the early lumps.

  1. Los Angeles Rams

Despite a new coach and stadium the Rams look to be a team that will struggle from the very start. There is still no indication as to whether or not Jared Goff can play football at the pro level. The addition of Sammy Watkins should help. The defense is nasty and young; perhaps there is hope, but I’ll believe it when I see it.

  1.  Indianapolis Colts

The health of Andrew Luck is the biggest question surrounding this ball club this offseason. This team goes as he does. General Manager Chris Ballard has done a good job of undoing some of the horrible moves made by previous General Manager Ryan Grigson. It’ll be a while before they can compete without Andrew Luck.

  1. Cincinnati Bengals

There’s very little suspense from the Bengals. We know what we are getting from them year to year. They’re a very solid regular season team that simply cannot show up when it counts, or they screw up their opportunity for great things.

  1. Minnesota Vikings

This team is remarkably talented on the defensive side of the football, but the question will always remain with their offense. Sam Bradford led the league in completion percentage last season but became known as a quarterback who couldn’t jump start an already stagnant offense.

  1. Detroit Lions

Similarly to Indianapolis, the Lions will only go as far as Matthew Stafford will take them, and so far it leaves a lot left to be desired. Defensively they drafted two studs out of Florida in Jarrad Davis and Teez Tabor, but in a division with Aaron Rodgers you just wonder if that’s enough.

  1. Tampa Bay Bucaneers

Jameis Winston enters his third year with weapons all around him. This may be the lowest ranking for a team with this much talent, but at this point the Bucs are a “show me” team. They have a a lot of talent defensively, but the development of Jameis Winston is the key to it all.

  1. Houston Texans

I LOVE their personnel on defense and offense, but they haven’t been able to put it together it recent years. Quarterback has been a major sore spot for this team. Rookie Deshaun Watson is waiting in the wing but will sit and learn. This team is as talented as any in the league.

  1. New Orlean Saints

Drew Brees and Sean Payton are in their 11th year together and the same question remains: Can they get enough defensive pieces worthy enough to have a defense equipped to get Brees to another Super Bowl?

  1. Philadelphia Eagles

They have a ferocious front seven that can compete and often dominate anyone in the league. This team is poised for a shot at the division title they just need to know if second year quarterback Carson Wentz is ready for the ride.

  1. Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton had the horrid Super Bowl hangover last year and reverted back to his quarterback play of years past. The talented rookie Christian McCaffery will give them a huge boost on offense in terms of production, but this year falls on Cam.

  1. Denver Broncos

Yet another team that is talented on the defensive side of the football but just can’t seem to get it right at the quarterback position. Trevor Simeon has done some good things for the Broncos but looks to be nothing more than a quality backup. Elway must have answers soon.

  1. San Diego Chargers

Philip Rivers is one of the most forgotten quarterbacks in the NFL but continues to produce at a high level past the age of 30. The health of the offense is the No. 1 key to their success this season, and if that happens Philip Rivers will take you places.

  1. Miami Dolphins

Ryan Tannehill out for the year? No problem. Enter Jay Cutler, a guy who had a lot of success under Adam Gase in Chicago during his 2015 campaign. Miami is loaded with talent. The question now is, can Cutler do just enough to not screw it up?

  1. Dallas Cowboys

I love what I saw out of Dak Prescott last year, but now with Ezekiel Elliot serving his six game suspension a lot more offensive responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Dak. It remains to be seen if it can be done, but knowing a kid as tough as Dak, I’m sure it can be done.

  1. Arizona Cardinals

David Johnson emerged as arguably the best back in football last year with over 2,000 yards of total offense last year. This will be a huge help to Carson Palmer, who has struggled to stay healthy in recent years. Defense will continue to be a strength.

  1. Baltimore Ravens

Joe Flacco seems to recovering nicely from his back injury this offseason, which means good things for the Ravens faithful. While defense is the trademark of a Baltimore team, the offense has weapons to make a deep run this postseason.

  1. Washington Redskins

Kirk Cousins is playing on the feared franchise tag for the second straight season. This team has the talent to compete on most nights. The question for them is consistency now that most of their familiar offensive weapons are gone. Jordan Reed and Terrelle Pryor need to step up in a big way.

  1. Kansas City Chiefs

Alex Smith looks to be on his last legs as a starting quarterback, but this Chiefs team is absolutely loaded. They return Tyreek Hill, a touchdown machine in his rookie year, and Travis Kelce, who is emerging as arguably the best tight end in the league.

  1. Tennessee Titans

Marcus Mariota is healthy and ready to get after it. Their two-headed monster in the backfield of Demarco Murray and Derrick Henry should frighten defensive coordinators around the league along with the improvisation ability of Mariota.

  1. New York Giants

Can the Giants finally be physical enough to win late in the year? Receivers Odell Beckham, Brandon Marshall and Sterling Sheppard are as talented as they come, but too often this franchise can be found in the bottom third of the league in rushing. That has to change if they want to win late this year. That defense will help in that department.

  1. Pittsburgh Steelers

Perhaps the most talented offensive team in the league. The biggest question mark they face is, did they do enough this offseason to counteract Brady and the New England offense? That is the only thing standing between them and a Lombardi.

  1. Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers is the most talented thrower of the football the league has ever seen, but the man needs more help around him. The year they won the Super Bowl the Pack were able to run the ball and play lights out defense. If they can repeat anything remotely close to that, the Lombardi should be coming home this year.

  1. Oakland Raiders

Perhaps I am higher on this team than most, but I truly believe this is the year Derek Carr and company take the next step. They added the volatile and talented Marshawn Lynch, who should add a physical presence to their offense. Khalil Mack will continue to terrorize offenses this year.

  1. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons return everybody from the previous year after the most devastating collapse the sport has ever seen. While the loss was heartbreaking, this is an unbelievably talented team that should find themselves in the mix again this year.

  1. Seattle Seahawks

This may be one of the last runs for this historic defense in the pacific northwest, but Russell Wilson and a talented Seattle offense has the firepower to return to the Super Bowl. After another devastating Super Bowl loss orchestrated by New England, this team is headed back to get their money’s worth.

  1. New England Patriots

Did you really expect anyone else? These are the defending Super Bowl champions who have the greatest quarterback who ever played the game and the greatest coach we’ve ever seen. Oh and they added more talented veteran weapons. Good luck NFL.