Week one of the NFL season has finally concluded. Overall, there was bad quarterback play around the league and slow starts for a lot of teams. Here are the rankings.
32. Carolina Panthers
Week one result: 47-10 loss to Saints
Week two opponent: Home vs Chargers
All things considered, it's not the best start for Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers. Nothing seemed to go well on Sunday. Carolina spent lots of money on the offensive line in the offseason, and it did not look any better than last year. The defense for Carolina did not look good at all. This looks like an uninspired team on the field. To make matters worse, Derrick Brown suffered a serious knee injury and is expected to be out long-term. The Dave Canales era in Carolina starts in a depressing way.
31. New York Giants
Week one result: 28-6 loss to Minnesota
Week two opponent: At Commanders
The Daniel Jones contract extension could go down as one of the worst contracts given out in NFL history. After signing a four-year, $160 million contract in 2022, it has all gone downhill. New York doubled down by giving Jones an offensive line and some weapons on offense, but nothing has translated to points thus far. New York has to figure out the Quarterback position, and something tells me Daniel Jones might not be the answer.
30. Denver Broncos
Week one result: 26-20 loss to Seattle
Week two opponent: Home vs Steelers
Bo Nix debuted in the NFL and did not go as planned. Not only did the Broncos lose the game, but inconsistency on offense also transpired, and Nix did not throw the ball downfield. It was a rather conservative style of play that Sean Payton elected his rookie quarterback to go into. Bo Nix will have an up-and-down rookie year; the Broncos will struggle regardless. Payton has to air it out with his rookie.
29. Washington Commanders
Week one result: 37-20 loss to Tampa Bay
Week two opponent: Home vs New York Giants
Watching this game, you can see Jayden Daniels' talent. The rookie flashed offensively against Tampa Bay, and the offense looks drastically better this year. Washington has some work to do on the defensive side of the ball as the Bucs steamrolled them. It will be fun to watch Jayden Daniels improve and develop this season.
28. New England Patriots
Week one result: 16-10 win over Cincinnati
Week two opponent: Home vs Seattle
I don't think there was a bigger surprise this week than the New England Patriots beating the Bengals. The Jerod Mayo-led Patriots were outstanding defensively and ran the ball effectively with Rhamondre Stevenson. The defense was as advertised, holding Joe Burrow and the Bengals to 10 points. With all the question marks and questions about quarterback play in New England, Jacoby Brissett was good enough, and the Patriots are now 1-0.
27. Las Vegas Raiders
Week one result: 22-10 loss vs Chargers
Week two opponent: At Baltimore
The quarterback questions are very real for the Las Vegas Raiders. Gardner Minshew played okay in this game but did nothing special to try and win it for the Raiders. Davante Adams is still underutilized in this offense, and the defense is top-heavy. With Baltimore coming next week, this is a crucial game for the Raiders to try and get back on track.
26. Seattle Seahawks
Week one result: 26-20 win vs Denver
Week two opponent: At New England
Mike Macdonald's tenure as the head coach for the Seahawks starts with a win. Geno Smith and new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb put together a good game, and it was just enough to squeeze out the victory against Denver. Two turnovers by Geno Smith and the offense made this game close, but Seattle was just too much defensively for rookie Bo Nix to deal with.
25. Tennessee Titans
Week one result: 24-17 loss to Chicago
Week two opponent: Home vs Jets
The Titans blew the opener against the Chicago Bears. No way else to put it. They did such a good job defensively on Caleb Williams and the Bears offense, but the inconsistent play of Will Levis and a special teams miscue is why the Titans lost this game. Will Levis will have plenty of chances to prove himself this year in his second year at the realm of the quarterback for the Titans. So far, Levis was good in the first half but then struggled in the second half.
24. Minnesota Vikings
Week one result: 28-6 win vs New York Giants
Week two opponent: Home vs 49ers
So far so good for Sam Darnold and his time as the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. He did just enough on the offensive side of the ball to lead his team to a 28-6 win over the New York Giants. Darnold was able to distribute the ball to playmakers offensively for Minnesota. Justin Jefferson looked good offensively, but the defense was the story for the Vikings. Brian Flores and his unit held the Giants to six points offensively and even had an interception returned for a touchdown by Andrew Van Ginkel.
23. Arizona Cardinals
Week one result: 34-28 loss to Buffalo
Week two opponent: Home vs Rams
The Cardinals came out flying offensively early on against the Buffalo Bills. Kyler Murray is back healthy and played a good game offensively. At the end of the day, Josh Allen and the Bills offense was just too much for Arizona. The lack of involvement for Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride has to be concerning for the Cardinals. Those two only combined for 34 total receiving yards.
22. Los Angeles Chargers
Week one result: 22-10 win vs Raiders
Week two opponent: Home vs Panthers
The Jim Harbaugh era officially began for the Chargers, much like what we saw in Michigan. Run the ball, and play elite defense. The Chargers rushed for 176 yards offensively, and J.K. Dobbins accounted for 135 of them. The defense was perfect for Los Angeles, forcing a turnover on Gardner Minshew. The typical Jim Harbaugh games formed out perfectly for the Chargers.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars
Week one result: 20-17 loss vs Miami
Week two opponent: Home vs Browns
Fresh off a new extension in the offseason, Trevor Lawrence struggled in his first game against the Miami Dolphins. Lawrence has a new receiving core to work with in Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr. Too much inconsistency is why the Jaguars lost this week. Just a 20 percent third-down success rate was one of the big reasons why Jacksonville couldn't pull out the win. The defense runs out of gas, and now Jacksonville blows a game in which they were up 17-7 at halftime.
20. Chicago Bears
Week one result: 24-17 win vs Tennessee
Week two opponent: Away vs Houston
The Bears' defense and special teams won them this game. Caleb Williams and the offense struggled mightily in this game. Williams was held under 100 yards, and the Bears could not get anything going on offense. Two interceptions, including a pick-six for Chicago, led them to a week one victory—three turnovers overall, including a blocked punt, returned for a touchdown. The Bears' offense is a work in progress, but it is always good to play this bad and still get the win.
19. Atlanta Falcons
Week one result: 18-10 loss vs Pittsburgh
Week two opponent: At Philadelphia
While it was just one week, I am not entirely sure Kirk Cousins is 100% healthy. He just seemed a little off. You have to credit the Steelers defense, but Atlanta's offense, outside of one touchdown drive, seemed sluggish. They ran the ball effectively with Bijan Robinson, but the passing downs allowed Pittsburgh's pass rush to tee off on cousins. A lot of pistol formation and not a lot of under center are why I would worry about Kirk Cousins's health.
18. Cleveland Browns
Week one result: 33-17 loss to Dallas
Week two opponent: At Jacksonville
The quarterback play for the Browns is still a question mark. We might never see the old Deshaun Watson ever again. After the Browns gave him a fully guaranteed contract, it was a big commitment for someone who hadn't played football in two years at the time. That contract could go down as one of the worst in NFL history. With Watson struggling, the Browns collapsed, and Dallas ran them over. Not to mention, Watson is under contract for the 2025 and 2026 seasons at a significantly higher cap hit than this year.
17. Indianapolis Colts
Week one result: 29-27 loss to Houston
Week two opponent: At Green Bay
Anthony Richardson is officially back. Richardson was only able to complete nine passes vs the Texans on Sunday. Indianapolis was in this game and had opportunities to win. It wasn't a great showing in week one from the Colts, but you can see this team has the making of a playoff team.
16. New Orleans Saints
Week one result: 47-10 win vs Panthers
Week two opponent: At Cowboys
The New Orleans Saints started off the NFL season with a firepower offensive showing from Derek Carr. Where has this been all along? New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has tons of weapons to utilize in New Orleans, and this was the perfect start to the season.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers
Week one result: 18-10 win vs Atlanta
Week two opponent: At Denver
A typical Pittsburgh Steelers win. Good defense and just good enough offense. TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith showed why they are one of the better pass-rushing duos in the league. Justin Fields was just good enough offensively and made some big throws to George Pickens. With Justin Fields named the starter for week two, the time for Russell Wilson to be the starter could be running out.
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week one result: 37-20 win vs Washington
Week two opponent: At Detroit
I am a big fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Baker Mayfield is back for another year and looks to take the offense to the next level. Mike Evans is back after a new contract and caught two touchdowns, and Chris Godwin is one of the most underrated receivers in the league. The defense has playmakers all over the field, and Todd Bowles is one of the best defensive minds in football. I am a big fan of this team.
13. Cincinnati Bengals
Week one result: 16-10 loss to Patriots
Week two opponent: At Chiefs
Left hand up. I may have been wrong about the Cincinnati Bengals. A healthy Joe Burrow back with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins would be prolific in the league. Let's look at the brightside. The Bengals are notoriously known for being slow starters in the NFL. I think they will be fine, but the week one production is definitely something to worry about.
12. Los Angeles Rams
Week one result: 26-20 loss vs Lions
Week two opponent: Home vs Tampa Bay
The Rams suffered some injuries offensively in week one. Puka Nacua went down with an injury, and Los Angeles lost two offensive linemen. Even with all that, the Rams' offense with Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp didn't skip a beat. If the Rams can't fix the injuries on the offensive side of the ball, the season for the Rams could go downhill quickly.
11. Miami Dolphins
Week one result: 20-17 win vs Jaguars
Week two: Home vs Bills
The Miami Dolphins have had a whirlwind of a week. From Tyreek Hill getting arrested three hours before the game to a comeback win vs the Jaguars, Miami has had quite the start to the season. Tua Tagovailoa didn't look up to par in the first half but quickly turned things around in the second half to lead the Dolphins to victory. A good comeback win for Miami.
10. New York Jets
Week one result: 32-19 loss to 49ers
Week two opponent: At Titans
Aaron Rodgers officially survived week one of the NFL season. That's a start, Jets fans. The offense looked miles better than it did in years past. What went wrong? The defense. After stopping San Francisco to a three and out on the first possession of the game, the Niners then scored on the following eight possessions.
9. Green Bay Packers
Week one result: 34-29 loss to Eagles
Week two opponent: Home vs Colts
The Packers had a lot of big plays made in Brazil to keep up with the track meet against the Eagles, but it came down to the big plays and the mistakes made by Green Bay. Jordan Love came out of the game late with an injured MCL. It isn't season-ending, but it will be a significant loss for the Packers. Green Bay will look to Malik Willis to try and string a few wins together.
8. Houston Texans
Week one result: 29-27 win vs Colts
Week two opponent: Home vs Bears
The Houston Texans are all in. With recent offseason additions Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon, the Texans window to win is now. And it showed on the field. Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon bring a dynamic to this offense that we did not see last year. When CJ Stroud is given time in the pocket, he will pick any defense apart. The Texans are a dangerous team.
7. Buffalo Bills
Week one result: 34-28 win vs Arizona
Week two opponent: At Miami
It was a tale of two halves for the Buffalo Bills. After trailing 17-3 in the second quarter, it was the Josh Allen show from that point forward. The defense already has some injuries they are dealing with, and it shows on the field. Josh Allen will have to keep the Bills in many games this season, and he can do so. The Bills survive a late effort from Arizona.
6. Dallas Cowboys
Week one result: 33-17 win vs Browns
Week two opponent: Home vs Saints
I don't think there is more tension to win than for Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys have seemingly gone all in. Dak Prescott was extended to keep him in a Cowboys uniform for years. The product on the field was as advertised. The Cowboys dominated their win over the Browns, and the expectations continue to grow. We've seen these types of starts from Dallas before, they have to sustain this throughout the year.
5. Baltimore Ravens
Week one result: 27-20 loss to Kansas City
Week two opponent: Home vs Raiders
A toe on the endzone is why the Baltimore Ravens aren't in the top three. John Harbaugh and the Ravens would go for two if that touchdown standard. The Ravens will be fine. The offensive line struggled and could not block Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson, and the defense issues are also fixable. The fact that the Ravens had a chance to win this game with all that is impressive. Baltimore will be fine.
4. Philadelphia Eagles
Week one result: 34-29 win vs Packers
Week two opponent: Home vs Falcons
The Eagles started sloppy, but there was an uprise offensively after that. The offense looked explosive and dynamic, and Saquon Barkley made a significant impact. Jalen Hurts played well in the new look offense with Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator. They found their identity. The defense and the big plays will get fixed defensively as well.
3. Detroit Lions
Week one result: 26-20 win vs Rams
Week two opponent: Home vs Buccaneers
The Detroit Lions are a resilient group. They did not play well on Sunday night, and even then, they could dig deep and find something to come out of there with a win. That's what championship teams do. With Stafford returning to Detroit, Ford Field had a playoff-like atmosphere. The overtime drive was impressive, as they didn't even allow Stafford and the Rams to touch the ball.
2. San Francisco 49ers
Week one result: 32-19 win vs Jets
Week two opponent: At Minnesota
Even without Christian McCaffrey, the Niners offense is as advertised. With Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk returning with new contract extensions, it replicates last season's Super Bowl team. And it is a good one. This team has no weakness, and it showed on Monday night with their blowout of the New York Jets.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
Week one result: 26-20 win vs Baltimore
Week two opponent: Home vs Bengals
Is it possible that the Kansas City Chiefs got better this offseason? You'd think a team coming from a Super Bowl would be at their peak, but this team looked much better than last year. For one, the speed on the outside has changed. Xavier Worthy is a major addition to this offense and gives Kansas City another dynamic playmaker on the outside. Isaiah Pacheco is running as well as anybody. Until they lose, the spot will remain with the Chiefs.
HN's NFL Power Rankings: Week 9
