After an exciting Week 1, it is already time to figure out who the best and worst teams are in the NFL. Check out our twitter @fosportz for our Preseason NFL Power Rankings to see the teams initial standings and many more NFL and sports media content
We will be posting our Weekly NFL Power Rankings every Tuesday @ 1:00 pm
Top-10
1. 49ers (1-0)
Dominating the New York Jets was supposed to be a thing of the past but even with Aaron Rodgers, the Jets couldn't do anything against the 49ers. Even without Christian McCaffrey, the team was able to do whatever they wanted to on offense while simultaneously holding the Jets to 19 points, (only 13 while Aaron Rodgers was in the game.
The 49ers have one goal this season, win the Super Bowl. With a start like this it's hard to believe their season will go any other way after being so dominant in all 3 phases of the ball. With a road game in Minnesota next week, the 49ers will look to further solidify their case for the #1 team in the league.
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2. Chiefs (1-0)
The Chiefs and Ravens had another classic game to start this NFL season Thursday night and the Chiefs once again came out on top. The Chiefs have come far from being the Mahomes-dependent dynasty a few years ago, displaying their strengths at defense and running the ball.
While they did struggle to contain Lamar Jackson, they kept Derrick Henry and Mark Andrews in check almost the whole game. First-round rookie Xavier Worthy flashed his potential as well with 68 yards on 3 touches and 2 touchdowns adding another weapon for opposing defenses to be afraid of. While they did not come out as the best team in the league over the weekend, they proved that they haven't missed a beat and are in the hunt for a 3-peat.
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3. Ravens (0-1)
The ravens may have lost this weekend, but they still enter Week 2 with a lot to be happy about. Offensively, Lamar Jackson did his thing and showed that while he's in the game, the Ravens have a chance in EVERY game they'll play this year. Second-year Tight End Isaiah Likely had the game of his life and was one toe away from securing a would-be third receiving touchdown which would have won the game.
Defensively, the Ravens were able to shut down the run game for most of the game while consistently pressuring Mahomes. The front-7 for the Ravens seemed to have gotten even better from last season with Nnamdi Madubuike being the best of the bunch with 1 sack and 3 QB pressures.
The Ravens BARELY lost a great game against the two-time defending Super Bowl champs. They are still very much a Super Bowl contender and with their home opener vs the Raiders this week, should prove just that.
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4. Lions (1-0)
For the second time this calendar year, the Lions have beaten the Rams and they start their season 1-0. It was not a pretty game for the Lions admittedly, but they had flashes in this game, especially in the sole Overtime possession where they looked like the almost-NFC champions of last year.
This team's identity was and is around running the ball. Rushing for 163 yards on over 5 yards per carry, while holding the Rams to 83 yards on 3.6 yards per carry is outstanding. However, obvious holes were apparent in their secondary, allowing 317 yards through the air with a 69% completion percentage. That being said, the Rams have one of the best passing offenses in the NFL and was a great test early in the Lions' season.
Jared Goff will need to be better if this team wants to go far which is completely attainable throughout the rest of the season. A Divisional Round rematch from last year is next for them at home vs the Buccaneers in a game that is huge for the state of the NFC.
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5. Texans (1-0)
The Texans round out our Top-5, with an impressive offensive performance against divisional rival the Colts. C.J. Stroud had multiple impressive throws and newcomer Joe Mixon had a monster day, rushing for 159 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries. The defense had its troubles through the game but impressively held Jonathan Taylor to only 48 yards on 16 carries.
Time management was a concern, leaving points on the board before halftime due to a coaching-mismanagement after a penalty. The tea would also allow a blocked punt in the 3rd quarter leading to a touchdown and would let a 60-yard bomb TD from Anthony Richardson in the 1st. If they hadn't made those three mistakes, the game could've easily been won by 17-20 points.
The defense will get even better through the year and time management should be better as well soon. With C.J. Stroud's connection to Collins, Dell and Diggs already crisp, this team looks to be as good as advertised.
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6. Eagles (1-0)
The Eagles hope they played their worst game of the season this week in Brazil. With obvious excuses about the game's location out of the way, (long travel for Week 1, off-field security concerns and turf problems) the Eagles showed major problems this week while also showing major strong points for the team as well. Let's start with the positives...
Saquon Barkley is going to work in Philly. 131 all-purpose yards and 3 TDs against a very good Packers' defense and impressive awareness to recover a fumble during a failed Tush Push has already endeared Barkley to Philadelphia. A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith also went off in the game and while we all expected this trio to be amongst the best in the league for skill positions, they may have even exceeded expectations. Now for the negatives...
Jalen Hurts still has his limitations as a passer, throwing two easily-avoidable interceptions. Without Jason Kelce, Hurts even had problems with snaps this weekend fumbling them twice. Also, the Eagles will need to tighten up their secondary. It could be that they happened to face a great pass offense in Week 1 but that group will need to do better next week at home vs the Falcons on MNF.
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7. Cowboys (1-0)
After a highly-scrutinized offseason that saw 0 Free Agent signings of meaning and "disruptive" contract negotiations with stars Ceedee Lamb and Dak Prescott, the Cowboys haven't missed a beat. Highly-efficient against a daunting Cleveland defense, the Cowboys controlled the pace of the game and put up 30 points in the first three-quarters to coast to a 33-17 win.
While they're 4th quarter performance left a lot to be desired in how this team will finish games, it can be forgiven as they were in no danger of losing. Deshaun Watson could still have a bounce back season, but the Cowboys certainly didn't let him start here, allowing a measly 9.3 QBR with two INTs to their credit. A week 2 matchup against an explosive Saints offense in Dallas will be crucial to showing how good this team truly is.
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8. Jets (0-1)
The fact that Aaron Rodgers made it through a game without injury is really all Jets fans have be happy about right now. A season opening away game in San Francisco is perhaps the hardest game the Jets will have all year, so the best thing for the Jets to do is put it behind them and basically start over next week in Tennessee.
Aaron Rodgers had an eye-opening 51.1 QBR and while he had some decent throws, also had some visible errors including multiple underthrows including a failed 4th and 1 to Garrett Wilson. Breece Hall also filed to truly get going out of the backfield. The defense didn't have a terrible game despite giving up 32 points, only allowing 2 touchdowns all night. Sauce Gardner had a solid game and even picked up a sack.
The feeling is that the Jets weren't terrible, the 49ers were just outstanding, even for their standards. The Jets should still have a great season but will need to get this early defeat out of their heads and quickly.
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9. Dolphins (1-0)
Tyreek Hill headlines dominated Sunday for a pre-game arrest and it may have hindered the Dolphins who looked middling offensively. A far-stretch from last season, the Dolphins running game was neutralized by the Jaguars, only earning 81 yards on 25 carries. In fact, if not for a great catch-and-run from Tyreek, the Dolphins probably would have lost this game.
A great second-half showing for the defense was the best takeaway for the Fins who shut out Trevor Lawrence and company from the 3rd Quarter on. 3 team sacks and multiple pressures was an excellent sign for the Dolphins who's main defensive concern before the season was the pass rush.
Tua had a decent game with over 300 yards, and while the trio of Hill, Waddle and Achane all had fantastic games receiving the ball, I can't be clear enough when I say this win was completely dependent on Tyreek making his 80-yard TD. Not a winning strategy Mike McDaniel will want to rely on every week.
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10. Buccaneers (1-0)
Finishing our Top-10 power rankings is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While facing a below-average Commanders team, the team still checked every box they should have offensively and defensively. Baker Mayfield showed that his contract extension seems to be worth it throwing for 4 TDs and an 85.9 QBR. Defensively, never letting Jayden Daniels get settled in the pocket worked well enough but they will need to work on containing the QB scramble for the next mobile QB they face as Daniels went for 88 yards and 2 TDs on the ground.
The Buccs pass rush and run defense were very good besides the QB runs however, only allowing 50 yards to Washington RBs. They also had a solid gameplan against Washington's #1 option terry MacLaurin who only got 2 catches for 17 yards.
The Buccs will look to pass the ball all year and made a big statement for just that this week. With a HUGE matchup in Detroit looming, a repeat performance could be possible and would prove to a lot of people that Tampa Bay means business this year.
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Rest of Power Rankings
11. Rams (0-1)
12. Bills (1-0)
13. Bengals (0-1)
14. Jaguars (0-1)
15. Colts (0-1)
16. Steelers (1-0)
17. Falcons (0-1)
18. Saints (1-0)
19. Browns (0-1)
20. Packers (0-1)
21. Cardinals (0-1)
22. Seahawks (1-0)
23. Chargers (1-0)
24. Vikings (1-0)
25. Bears (1-0)
26. Patriots (1-0)
27. Raiders (0-1)
28. Titans (0-1)
29. Commanders (0-1)
30. Broncos (0-1)
31. Giants (0-1)
32. Panthers (0-1)
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Make sure to stay tuned as we posted NFL Power Rankings every Tuesday.
-Z.D.
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