The season is off to a wild start. Where can you find each of the 32 teams in the first installment of the 2022 NFL Power Rankings?
The Cleveland Browns won their first game of the season for the first time since 2004. The Indianapolis Colts didn’t lose a season opener for the first time since 2013. And for only the fifth time, both Super Bowl teams from the previous year lost their first game of the season. Welcome to NFL 2022.
As always, keep in mind that these aren’t predictions for the season. It’s merely an early edition of the 2022 NFL Power Rankings.
For 11 seasons, Joe Flacco was the Ravens’ main starting quarterback and he helped the team win a Super Bowl (XLVII) in 2012. And now as a member of the Jets, he would face his former employer for the first time.
He would wind up throwing for 307 yards and a score but had one of the team’s two turnovers. New York limited Baltimore to 274 yards. But Robert Saleh’s defense gave up too many big pass plays to Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Kliff Kingsbury’s club hoped to get off to another strong start this season and this time sustain it. But the club faced a tall task in the visiting Chiefs. And the Cards appeared overmatched from the get-go as the club was down 14-0 after one quarter and 23-7 at intermission.
The Arizona defense would surrender 488 total yards and failed to sack Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Kingsbury’s squad was limited to 282 yards of offense in the 23-point loss.
With Matt Ryan off to Indianapolis, the Falcons’ new starting quarterback was Marcus Mariota as the team hosted the rival Saints. Things looked good early for Arthur Smith’s squad. Atlanta owned a 26-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.
But New Orleans would tally the final 17 points of the game. The Falcons got a big effort from Cordarrelle Patterson, who had 120 of the team’s 201 yards on the ground. Mariota threw for 215 yards in the tough loss.
For the third consecutive year, the Jaguars opened the season with a brand new head coach. This time, it was former Super Bowl champion Doug Pederson, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to a title in 2017. The team made its way to Washington to play the Commanders.
Jacksonville was down 14-3 at halftime, took an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter and then watched Ron Rivera’s club score the final 14 points of the game in a bitter setback.
Bill Belichick’s team reached the playoffs in 2021 but the Patriots faded down the stretch. Visiting South Florida has always been a tough task for this club and this season opener was no different. A listless New England offense gained only 271 total yards.
Mac Jones threw for 213 yards and one score but had one of the Pats’ three turnovers. It was the fourth straight loss to the Dolphins for Belichick’s club, which ran for only 78 yards in the setback.
A year ago, the 49ers got within one victory of reaching the Super Bowl for the second time in three years. They would kick off 2022 at Soldier Field against a rebuilding Bears’ team on a rainy afternoon in the Windy City.
Trey Lance hit on less than 50 percent of his passes in the tough conditions. But after blanking Chicago for nearly three quarters owning a 10-0 lead, Kyle Shanahan’s club wound up surrendering 19 unanswered points in the loss.
The team acquired quarterback Russell Wilson from Seattle this offseason. And the nine-time Pro Bowler would face his old team on Monday night. He would throw for 340 yards and one score but the team’s offense struggled in the red zone throughout the night.
The Broncos had a chance late to pull out the win. New head coach Nathaniel Hackett opted to let Brandon McManus try a 64-yard field goal with under a minute to play but it came up short.
The Packers and Vikings renewed acquaintances in Minnesota. Aaron Rodgers has always put up big numbers against the Purple Gang and entering the game, had thrown 38 TD passes and zero interceptions in his last 12 outings vs. NFC North rivals.
Matt LaFleur’s club was down 17-0 at intermission and the Packers were outgained 262-100 after 30 minutes of play. All told, Rodgers was sacked four times and was picked off once in the loss.
The newest head coach in Houston is Lovie Smith, the team’s defensive coordinator in 2021. Second-year quarterback Davis Mills did lose a fumble and was sacked three times but finished with 240 yards passing and a pair of TD tosses to tight end O.J. Howard.
The Texans squandered a 20-3 fourth-quarter lead. Houston’s offense did little or nothing in OT as the team wound up with the first-ever tie in the franchise’s brief 21-year history.
The franchise took an eight-game losing streak in season openers into their clash with the Texans at Houston. Veteran quarterback Matt Ryan made his debut with the Colts. And Indianapolis appeared to be on its way to another Week 1 setback as they trailed 20-3 in the fourth quarter.
Ryan would lead his team to 17 straight points to force overtime. The Colts had one chance to win it but Rodrigo Blankenship missed a 42-yard kick in OT.
It’s been a rough four years that was in the playoffs as recently as 2017. The Panthers have won exactly five games each of the past three seasons. But it was start-over time with quarterback Baker Mayfield as Matt Rhule’s squad hosted the Browns.
Down 20-7 in the fourth quarter, Carolina took a one-point lead with 1:13 to play before falling in the final seconds. Mayfield ran for one score, threw for another touchdown and was picked off once in defeat.
Former Colts’ defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is now the Bears’ newest sideline leader. The team hosted the talented San Francisco 49ers in less-than-ideal conditions. Down 10-0 late in the third quarter, the Bears suddenly awoke thanks to some big plays from quarterback Justin Fields.
He found Dante Pettis for a 51-yard score and later threw an 18-yard TD pass to Equanimeous St. Brown early in the fourth quarter to give his team the lead for good.
It was a promising offseason for Dan Campbell’s club. But the Week 1 opponent would be the visiting Eagles, a playoff team in 2021. The Lions’ defense was pushed around by the Birds and wound up surrendering 455 total yards – including 216 on the ground.
Detroit failed to come up with a takeaway and managed only one sack of Jalen Hurts. The Lions made it very interesting in the fourth quarter but it wound up being too little and too late.
The franchise has a new moniker once again. And the Commanders welcomed to the Jacksonville Jaguars to Landover, Maryland. The final stats show that new Washington quarterback Carson Wentz threw for 313 yards and four touchdowns. But he was also picked off twice.
The Commanders squandered an 11-point lead and wound up rallying for 14 points in the fourth quarter. Two of Wentz’s four scores went to rookie wideout Jahan Dotson.
The defending AFC South champions hosted the Giants and appeared to have matters in control via a 13-0 halftime lead. But the Tennessee defense wound up giving up its share of big plays after intermission. The Titans found themselves down, 21-20, with 1:06 to play.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill drove his team downfield and Mike Vrabel’s club was in field goal position. But Randy Bullock’s 47-yard kick went wide left on the game’s final play.
New Raiders’ head coach Josh McDaniels made the trip to Los Angeles to take on the rival Chargers. It proved to be a tough afternoon for quarterback Derek Carr. The veteran signal-caller threw for 295 yards and two scores. But he was sacked five times, fumbled twice (none lost) and threw three interceptions.
Las Vegas’ supposedly-improved pass rush didn’t sack Chargers’ quarterback Justin Herbert, who threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns.
The Cowboys (530) and Buccaneers (511) were the two highest-scoring teams in the NFL this past season. The clubs clashed Sunday night at Dallas and Mike McCarthy’s offense was shackled the entire evening.
Quarterback Dak Prescott completed less than 50 percent of his passes and the Cowboys managed only one field goal. Now Prescott will miss six to eight weeks after suffering a broken thumb late in the game (via ESPN’s Todd Archer).
Quarterback Russell Wilson was dealt to Denver and Geno Smith was Pete Carroll’s starter when the Seahawks hosted the Broncos on Monday night. Smith hit on 23 of his 28 throws for 195 yards and a pair of scores.
Seattle’s defense allowed 433 total yards but came up with some big takeaways in the red zone. Carroll’s club was shut out in the second half but held on for the victory. And the Seahawks were the only NFC West team to win in Week 1.
There’s been a change in this rivalry as of late as the Bengals had taken three straight meetings from the Steelers entering Sunday’s clash at Cincinnati. It proved to be a rough day for quarterback Joe Burrow, who was sacked seven times and committed all five of the team’s turnovers.
Cincinnati looked like they were on their way to a last-second win but a missed PAT and a missed field goal in overtime left the door open for the visiting Steelers.
Since returning to the NFL as an expansion team in 1999, the Browns owned a 1-21-1 record in season openers entering Sunday’s trip to Carolina. Kevin Stefanski’s team appeared on its way to the club’s first Week 1 win since 2004 thanks to a 20-7 fourth-quarter lead.
That would disappear as the Browns trailed 24-23 with 1:16 to play. But Jacoby Brissett put rookie kicker Cade York in position to kick a 59-yards field goal with eight seconds remaining.
Brian Daboll made his debut as Giants’ head coach as the team headed the Nashville to take on the Titans. But things didn’t look good for Big Blue after 30 minutes of play as the Giants trailed 13-0 and totaled just 131 yards of offense.
But Saquon Barkley had a big second half, running for 122 of his 164 yards in the final two quarters. Daboll opted to go for two after a late touchdown and Titans’ kicker Randy Bullock missed a 47-yard field goal at the gun.
Following an impressive 8-3 start a year ago, the Ravens brought a six-game losing streak into 2020. Quarterback Lamar Jackson ran for only 17 yards on six carries. But he would throw for 213 yards and three touchdowns (1 interception) – including long strikes to Devin Duvernay (25 yards) and Rashod Bateman (55 yards).
The Baltimore defense forced a pair of turnovers and sacked one-time Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco three times in the victory.
There are high expectations in Miami this season thanks to some major offseason acquisitions. The Dolphins looked to make it four consecutive wins over the rival Patriots. Tua Tagovaiola overcame three sacks by throwing for 270 yards and one score.
Tyreek Hill led the way with eight catches for 94 yards while Jaylen Waddle scored the ‘Fins’ lone offensive TD. Melvin Ingram scored on a fumble return as Miami owned a 17-0 halftime advantage.
Mike Tomlin’s club had dropped three straight to the Bengals. The team owned a 17-3 second-quarter lead as Minkah Fitzpatrick returned a Joe Burrow interception for a score in the first quarter.
Pittsburgh finished with seven sacks and five takeaways but needed some great special teams play to win in overtime. The Steelers believe that T.J. Watt has a torn pectoral muscle. But exactly how much time could he miss? (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor)?
Back in February, Sean McVay’s team captured Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. Now the Rams hosted the Bills on Thursday night in an intriguing inter-conference clash. Quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles’ offense totaled only 243 yards of total offense.
Stafford threw three interceptions and was sacked seven times. That latter number was particularly interesting considering the Rams allowed just seven sacks in four playoff games in 2021.
A year ago in Week 8, the Eagles went to Ford Field and handed Dan Campbell’s team a 44-6 setback. The clubs clashed again on Sunday and the Birds had few problems moving the football and piling up points.
Philadelphia ran for 216 yards and four scores on the ground (by 4 different players). Quarterback Jalen Hurts had one of those scores and threw for 243 yards. Cornerback James Bradberry returned a Jared Goff interception for a touchdown.
The Saints’ successor to head coach Sean Payton was promoted defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. But things didn’t look good for better than three quarters as New Orleans trailed 26-10 in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Jameis Winston found Michael Thomas for a pair of scores and then led a short drive in the final minute. Wil Lutz booted a 51-yards field goal with 19 seconds to play and Allen’s club escaped Atlanta with a huge victory.
Brandon Staley’s team would begin 2022 against the same team they finished against a year ago. The Chargers fell at Las Vegas in overtime in Week 18 and failed to reach the playoffs. This time around, it was Los Angeles’ defense that made life miserable for Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr.
Newcomer Khalil Mack had three of the team’s six sacks. And Staley’s defense picked off the nine-year signal-caller three times. Justin Herbert threw three TD passes.
For the second consecutive year, the Buccaneers and Cowboys would clash in prime time. This time around, it was a Sunday night affair at AT&T Stadium. It took Todd Bowles’ team more than two quarters to finally reach the end zone.
But the Tampa defense was solid throughout the evening and limited Dallas to 244 total yards and a field goal. Leonard Fournette had a big night, rushing for 127 yards. Devin White had two of the team’s four sacks.
The Vikings have a new head coach and new defensive coordinator and both made a positive impression in a solid win over the defending NFC North champions. Quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns, 184 of those yards and both scores to wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Minnesota’s potent pass rush took advantage of an undermanned Green Bay offensive line and totaled four sacks of Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The last time the Chiefs didn’t come up with a win in their season opener was 2014. That also happened to be the last time the team failed to reach the playoffs. Patrick Mahomes and company took the suspense out of this clash with the Cardinals.
Patrick Mahomes hit on 30-of-39 passes for 360 yards and five touchdowns. Kansas City did not force a turnover but came up with three sacks and limited Arizona to only 282 yards of total offense on 63 plays.
This offseason, Bills’ general manager Brandon Beane did a lot of work improving this team in the trenches. A lot of those changes came on the defensive front, led by the addition of Von Miller.
On Thursday night vs. the defending Super Bowl champion Rams, he had two of the seven sacks of Matthew Stafford. Buffalo turned over the ball four times but rolled up 413 total yards. Josh Allen threw three TD passes and ran for a score but was picked off twice.