Carolina Panthers

NFL Power Rankings: Week 1

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Cleveland Browns

Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

The Browns are who we thought they were. After suffering a wholesale of departures in the off-season, Cleveland’s lone marquee signing was quarterback Robert Griffin III. Not much was expected of RG3, especially considering the rotten time he endured in Washington, and it looks like his luck isn’t changing much. According to NFL.com, the Browns have placed their QB on the injury-reserve list due to a knock to his shoulder.

In their season opener vs the Philadelphia Eagles, their defense allowed rookie Carson Wentz to throw for 278 yards and two touchdowns while their offense also struggled to get going. Neither receiver was able to post more than 70 yards and running back Isiah Crowell, despite rushing for a touchdown, only garnered 62 yards on the ground. It’s going to be a long season.

Los Angeles Rams

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Monday Night Football was the worst possible way that Jeff Fisher could have kicked off his campaign. Perhaps the most under pressure head coach in the NFL due to the Rams’ inability of holding a winning record during his tenure, Fisher needed a win over their divisional rivals to get the year off to a positive start.

What Fisher got, however, was an embarrassing 28-0 drubbing at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers. Case Keenum will still be QB1 for next week’s matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, despite throwing for only 130 yards. On the side of the defense, Aaron Donald’s frustration poured over which led to his ejection. No wonder. The Rams front seven failed to register a single sack on Blaine Gabbert throughout the whole game.

Tennessee Titans

Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

You have to feel for DeMarco Murray. After spending a long, brutal season in Philadelphia, it seemed that his move to Tennessee would rejuvenate the 28-year-old. Rushing wise, he was sub-par but that’s mostly due to the Vikings suffocating defense. Receiving wise, he was able to gain 35 yards and add on two touchdowns. It’s the taking care of the ball part that cast a dark shadow over Murray’s Titans debut. Two fumbles in the fourth quarter cost his side any chance of a victory.

Mariota still looks like an exciting prospect while Derrick Henry showed in his first game that he might well settle into the big leagues just fine. They managed to keep it close against a team that holds Super Bowl aspirations, so there is hope for this young team. It may just be a year or two too soon to start thinking of playoffs.

New Orleans Saints

Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

The Saints were seconds away from a huge win over Oakland in week 1. Had they prevented a successful 2 pt conversion or been able to convert a FG attempt from midfield, then they would have snatched the W. Unfortunately for Drew Brees & co., neither scenario occurred and their defensive shortcomings are still very much obvious.

The Saints allowed 486 yards of offense, with zero sacks and a lack of pressure of QB David Carr a concern for Sean Payton. Unless their defense miraculously improves over the next few weeks, New Orleans could find itself in the bottom tier of the NFL for a second year running. Brees is an elite quarterback and his weapons in Willie Snead & Brandin Cooks make for an exciting offense. But their efforts will be in vain unless the Saints get better on the other side of the ball.

Chicago Bears

Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Bears already look better this year than they did for the majority of the 2015 season. Up against one of the more intimidating defenses of the NFL, despite JJ Watt not being at full fitness, Chicago’s offense managed to keep it close for most of the game. Old habits are hard to kill, though, and Jay Cutler’s ugly interception is a perfect example of why this team will struggle to win matches.

Their offensive line struggled to cope with Jadeveon Clowney & Whitney Mercilus as the Texans racked up 5 sacks. Chicago’s secondary also became a problem in the second half as Brock Osweiler easily picked them apart. Next up is rookie QB Carson Wentz, who has the ability to do the same.

Buffalo Bills

Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Rex Ryan may well look back at the week 1 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens and wonder ‘what if?’, towards the end of the year. Games on the road are never easy in this league but Baltimore were certainly there for the taking. It was a slow, lethargic game which suits Buffalo and they will be left to rue this defeat for some time.

LeSean McCoy and his rushing comrades failed to get going on the ground as the Ravens’ run defense stepped up to the challenge. Tyrod Taylor only managed 111 yards from 22 attempted passes as Baltimore had almost twice as much offensive yards as their opponents. The defensive side was solid enough, and all you ask is for them to give the offense a chance to win the game. They did. But Taylor, McCoy & co. failed to get the job done. A home divisional match-up versus the Jets on Thursday Night Football should be interesting.

San Diego Chargers

Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Losing a 17 point lead in the fourth quarter to your divisional rival isn’t the way you want to start the season. The Chargers were looking really good until those last 15 minutes. Danny Woodhead and Melvin Gordon paired up nicely together to form an impressive partnership on the ground, while despite Keenan Allen’s ACL season-ending injury, Philip Rivers also had a solid outing, throwing for 263 yards and a touchdown.

What cost the Chargers was their defense. The pass rush was non-existent as Kansas City surged for an unbelievable comeback. Rookie DE Joey Bosa has finally been activated on the roster but it’s hard not to imagine he would have made a huge difference down the stretch last Sunday.

San Francisco 49ers

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Hands up to those who thought the 49ers would struggle this season….*raises hand slowly* After enduring a tough couple of summers, San Francisco seemed to have been a team that was built for the future. Chip Kelly came in as head coach to install a new offensive system as the rebuilding continued. Despite the cap space available to them this off-season, the 49ers resisted the temptation to over spend on free agents while watching players like Alex Boone & Reggie Bush walk out the door.

The Rams were awful on Monday night but the Niners weren’t. And that’s why they comfortably managed a 28-0 victory. Mistakes were few as the offensive line protected their QB, Blaine Gabbert, while the defense was able to celebrate a total shutout on national TV. A big part of San Francisco’s victory came in their third down D. Rams were only able to convert 3/15 of third downs.

Dallas Cowboys

Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

This may seem a little too low for a team that would probably be 1-0 if it wasn’t for Terrence Williams’ lapse of concentration in not getting out of bounds to set up a field goal attempt for Dan Bailey. But there’s still a lot of question marks hanging over Dallas. Ezekiel Elliot will be a star once he settles into the offense, though the first couple of weeks could see him struggle. Dez Bryant recorded just one catch for 8 yards as Dak Prescott focused most of his 45 attempts at Jason Witten & Cole Beasley. The defense still looks shaky, especially in the red zone as the Giants held a 100% efficiency from those opportunities.

We seen the Cowboys without Tony Romo last year and it wasn’t pretty. Granted, Prescott is a more reliable and exciting option than Matt Cassell or Brandon Weeden, but Dallas are still struggling to score touchdowns. It was field goals galore when Romo was absent last season. They can’t afford to go down the same route this time around.

Atlanta Falcons

Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

No team was expected to improve in 2016 as much as the Atlanta Falcons. Their additions in the offseason, most notably center Alex Mack, brought much hype to the Georgia Dome for the upcoming year. That’s why a home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 1 is such a disappointment.

Jameis Winston had a field day against their secondary, picking out open receiver after open receiver for 281 yards and 4 touchdowns. MLB Kwon Alexander manhandled Atlanta’s offensive line, registering 15 tackles and a sack as running backs Devonta Freeman & Tevin Coleman failed to garner more than 22 yards rushing for the entire game.

Indianapolis Colts

Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard to feel sorry for Indianapolis. When the era of Peyton Manning was winding down, the franchise lucked (pun intended) into a once in a lifetime QB. Andrew Luck was nowhere near at fault for the loss to Detroit last Sunday as he managed to throw for 385 yards on 47 attempts while also passing for 4 touchdowns.

The problem is a bit similar to how Drew Brees will be feeling down in New Orleans. The defense is just not capable of giving Luck the chance to win games. Theo Riddick had over 100 yards of offense between catching and rushing, with Matthew Stafford able to complete 31 from 39 passes.

Miami Dolphins

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Miami were a Kenny Stills catch away from leaving Seattle with a W. One of, if not THE most fearful place to play football in the NFL and the Dolphins more than showed they belong at that level. Russell Wilson will probably have nightmares of Ndamukong Suh over the next few nights as the DT led his defense into overpowering Seattle’s offensive line countless times.

The dropped catch by Stills in open coverage will be hard to forget for Miami as they get set to take on New England in Foxborough. Another tough game on the road but much like they managed in Seattle, the Dolphins shouldn’t look too out of place as they line up versus the Patriots.

Washington Redskins

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The big question surrounding Monday night’s drubbing at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers is why cornerback Josh Norman wasn’t picked to cover Antonio Brown. Brown had 126 receiving yards as well as a couple of touchdowns with Washington unable to deal with the firepower of the Steelers offense. Imagine if they had Le’Veon Bell!

Monday’s defeat was a showcase of everything that’s wrong with the Redskins. An average defense, a running game that just couldn’t get going and a quarterback who has a nice arm but is prone to interceptions, like the 2 that he threw in the 38-16 defeat.

Detroit Lions

Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Lions are a good football team, make no mistake about it. The shocking retirement of Calvin Johnson during the off-season will have led to many doubting the talents within this team’s roster but all you have to do is look at guys like Matthew Stafford, Golden Tate, Theo Riddick and Ameer Abdullah to know that the Lions are going to do just fine this year.

On the other side of the football, Darius Slay and Ezekiel Ansah are quality. Slay may have gotten beat for a big gain in the second half on a Luck to Phillip Dorsett completion but he’s still one of the best around. The Lions have Tennessee at home next week before two big divisional rival games in Green Bay and Chicago. A 3-1 record following them isn’t out of the question.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

The off-season departure of Lovie Smith as head coach doesn’t seem to have affected the momentum that Tampa were riding on last year. They may have gone 6-10 but Jameis Winston showed plenty of potential, and as mentioned already, his stellar performance in week 1 is further proof he’s a star in the making.

The Bucs run defense stuffed Atlanta’s attempts to establish a run game and the 24-31 scoreline was a bit generous to the Falcons. Tampa always seemed to be in control, and despite Doug Martin rushing for only 62 yards, were still able to put up 30+ points on the road. Dark horse playoff contender for sure.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a tough few years for Jaguars fans. Rebuild after rebuild has seen them end up in the same spot of mediocrity they started off with. This time around, however, things look like they may be different. Blake Bortles still needs to learn to take care of the football, but it’s never an easy feat to gain more offensive yards than Green Bay which what Jacksonville managed to achieve on Sunday.

The game came down to the final play, where Allen Hurns failed to convert on a fourth down bubble screen but the future is bright for Jacksonville. Indianapolis & Tennessee certainly looked worse than their division counterparts with Houston performing only mildly better. Gus Bradley certainly has his team ready for what could be a breakout year.

Baltimore Ravens

Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

It wasn’t pretty vs Buffalo, and on another day they could have lost that game, but the Ravens will just be happy to have gotten their first W of the season. Joe Flacco had an error-free outing, where he introduced newly acquired Mike Wallace to the offense by helping him receive 3 catches for a total of 91 yards and a touchdown.

Whether or not Wallace can remain consistent is another question, but if the defense can keep containing opponents to low scores like they did last Sunday, the Ravens may just return to the postseason.

Philadelphia Eagles

Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

Carson Wentz won’t always have it as easy as he did vs Cleveland last Sunday, but that shouldn’t take away from his impressive QB play. It’s never easy for a rookie in his first year, never mind his first game, though Wentz looked like anything but a newcomer against the Browns. His reading of the defenses helped him to an impressive 278 yards and two touchdowns while the running backs combined for over 130 yards.

New York Giants

Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

They may have gotten a tad lucky versus the Cowboys, but luck is certainly something the Giants haven’t had much of it since their Super Bowl win in 2012. An ugly interception by Eli Manning brought back memories of worse times, though now he has Odell Beckham, rookie Sterling Shepard and a fully recovered Victor Cruz to throw to, those mistakes shouldn’t be consistent.

The Giants do need to be concerned that a rookie QB was able to pass for 227 yards, without much trouble, but they contained the running game well enough that Ezekiel Elliot only managed 51 yards. New York’s ground game, offensively, also impressed as Rashad Jennings and Shane Vereen rushed for over 110 yards.

Houston Texans

Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The win over the Bears came because the offense limited turnovers and the defense caused them. Houston have enough when Brock Osweiler is throwing for 231 yards, completing 22/35 passes and Lamar Miller rushing for 106 yards that all they need from their stellar defense is to do what they are capable of doing.

Jay Cutler was picked off, and sacked 5 times with JJ Watt not even playing at full fitness. Add in the potential of Will Fuller to become a viable receiving threat alongside DeAndre Hopkins and the Texans are suddenly the favourites to claim the AFC South.

Oakland Raiders

Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Going into New Orleans and pulling out the W in a shootout with Drew Brees is the sort of stuff that helps teams make the postseason. Gutsy calls by head coach Jack del Rio, going for a 2 pt conversion when the game was on the line, is what Oakland seem to be about in this new era. Derek Carr done what he had to do to push the Raiders to victory and he was helped by a strong running game.

The defense was a concern, however. New Orleans had over 500 yards of offense as Willie Snead & Brandin Cooks ran rings around the secondary. Sean Smith struggled in his debut for the Raiders but playing him in 1-on-1 coverage with the speedy Cooks is always going to cause problems. Oakland have the Falcons next at home, with Julio Jones & Mohamed Sanu likely to challenge Smith just as much. Hopefully, for Oakland’s sake, he performs better.

New York Jets

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

You can’t help but feel sorry for the Jets. A missed field goal and extra point decided a home opener vs Cincinnati, with Nick Folk seeing better days. The offense looked much the same from last year, Ryan Fitzpatrick dishing out touchdowns to Eric Decker and Quincy Enunwa but also losing a fumble and throwing an interception. Another problem was their red zone efficiency. They got to the promised land 5 times, but only managed to convert twice which isn’t the recipe for winning football games.

The run defense done its part, though, and that’s a reassuring sign for Todd Bowles. Especially when he watches the tape and witnesses the slaughtering the pass defense took. AJ Green had 180 yards in receiving as Brandon LaFell went close to 100. The Jets still look like a playoff team, they might just regret not sneaking a W in this one when it comes to the end of the season.

Minnesota Vikings

Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Hopefully you enjoyed the Vikings performance vs Tennessee on Sunday because chances are, that’s how Minnesota are going to look for most of the campaign. Since the franchise was stunned when Teddy Bridgewater went down with a serious injury, the Vikings’ future has been up in the air. However, their week 1 victory shows they’re still Super Bowl contenders.

Shaun Hill didn’t risk anything under center, while Adrian Peterson only had 31 rushing yards. What took Minnesota to victory, and what will carry them for the rest of the year is their defense. DeMarco Murray struggled to get going, causing two turnovers in the process, while Marcus Mariota was picked off for a touchdown by Eric Kendricks. Once Sam Bradford learns the playbook and settles in even more with the roster, we can expect him to see starting. Until then, all Hill has to do is to hand his defense the chance to win the game. A strategy that worked last Sunday, but how will they fare against Green Bay?

Kansas City Chiefs

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

For three quarters of the opening matchup with San Diego, it looked as if the Chiefs were in for a long season. Phillip Rivers, Danny Woodhead and Melvin Gordon were getting what they wanted against the defense, while the offense struggled to get anything going. In stepped Spencer Ware.

The running back rushed for 70 yards, held 129 yards from receiving and also got into the end zone as the Chiefs pushed for a remarkable comeback. The win felt really good for Alex Smith and company, but they won’t be happy when viewing game tape Monday morning. Mistakes were made and they need to be fixed as the Broncos & Raiders showed the AFC West division is arguably the toughest to win this year.

Denver Broncos

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There’s a case for the Broncos to be a lot higher in these rankings. They are the defending champions and just knocked off one of the best teams in the NFL after beating Carolina. There’s also a good bit wrong with Denver this year. Trevor Siemian, much like he did versus the Panthers, is going to make mistakes. His two interceptions were bad and the offense seemed to have gotten most of its yards from poor defensive plays rather than offensive talent.

The Broncos’ performance definitely had weaknesses in it, ones which will be exposed by future opponents. Carolina seemed to have played a little bit too conservative as their typical stout run defense was nowhere to be seen. Being placed in such a competitive division could see the champs miss out on the postseason, especially if they play like they did for the majority of their opener.

Cincinnati Bengals

Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports

One of the more consistent teams in the NFL for the past few years, had to fight and claw for victory in week 1. The Jets are always a stubborn team to play on the road to but the Bengals, aided by the receiving core of AJ Green & Brandon LaFell, were able to sneak away with a crucial victory.

The running game struggled but against a defense as talented as New York’s, there won’t be too much cause for concern. Jeremy Hill & Giovani Bernard are a good 1-2 punch, so you’d expect them to find form soon enough.

Seattle Seahawks

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Such was the admirable play of Seattle’s defense these last couple of years, the disappointment of the offensive line seemed to have sneaked past the microscope. Not anymore. Russell Wilson was hassled, annoyed and sacked by Miami’s front seven countless times. Wilson was forced to play the rest of the game with an ankle injury that isn’t thought to be serious but one wonders how long he can afford to play behind such a poor line of players.

Despite the offensive line, Seattle remains one of the best teams around. They might not have proved it on Sunday, but with two divisional games coming up versus the Rams & 49ers, we could see them move to a 3-0 start. Not bad for a team that could hold a losing record if Kenny Stills was able to catch a pass.

Arizona Cardinals

Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Last Sunday really was a lose-lose for the Cardinals. Had they beaten the depleted Patriots, no-one would have given them any credit considering the absence of Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski & others. A defeat, meanwhile, is downright embarrassing. Jimmy Garoppolo may be the second coming of Brady, but his lack of NFL experience should have played into the hands of the supposed fearful Arizona defense.

On the bright side, Larry Fitzgerald is still a factor in the Cardinals offense, which actually had a decent game. The defenses inability to take advantage of a much different, less talented Patriots offense was the deciding factor in this one.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

No Le’Veon Bell, no problem for the Steelers. DeAngelo Williams rushed for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns while Antonio Brown had 126 receiving yards as well as nabbing two touchdowns for himself. If Williams can continue to flourish as Bell awaits a return from suspension in week 5, then Pittsburgh should get on just fine.

Washington converted only 30% of their third downs while the Steelers were successful on 9-of-14 attempts. Anytime the Redskins threatened to pull close, Mike Tomlin’s side simply just moved up field and added on more points. If Pittsburgh can remain as ruthless as they did on Monday then they will be able to challenge the AFC’s best come playoff time.

Carolina Panthers

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

I still believe the Panthers are the best team in the NFC, maybe even the NFL, but performances against Denver can’t happen too often. It was an emotional game with a team that defeated them in the Super Bowl seven months ago, but the Panthers can’t play as flat as they did last Thursday.

Cam Newton got roughed up and penalties should have been called. Graham Gano is usually reliable so his missed field goal is unlikely to happen often. However, the defense has little excuse. No-one, barring Luke Kuechly, stood out as having an impressive game. It’s back to the drawing board for the 49ers on Sunday.

Green Bay Packers

Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

We’re only finished with Week One and Aaron Rodgers is already the MVP favorite. In other news, the sky is blue. Rodgers was up against a much-improved and better organized Jaguars team last Sunday but that didn’t stop him from throwing for 199 yards, 2 touchdowns, and running one into the end zone himself. Jordy Nelson was welcomed back to competitive football with an uninspiring 32 yards, but he should settle back into the offense in no time. Eddie Lacy also looked better than last year as he rushed for 60 yards, which included a couple of impressive runs after contact.

New England Patriots

Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

What can be said about Bill Belichick? The guy just always finds a way to win. No Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Rob Ninkovich, Dion Lewis. Up against one of the favorites to come out of the NFC this year, on the road in front of a national audience. Still, the Patriots are able to pull out a win. Jimmy Garoppolo kept it solid and simple as Patriots fans suddenly feel a lot more at ease with Tom Brady’s retirement approaching.

The Cardinals defense is one of the best in the league but that wasn’t on display last Sunday as Garoppolo pushed his team to victory. Three games remain in Brady’s suspension but none appear as tough as the one they just played….and won.