Cream of the Crop
7. Los Angeles Rams
When it comes to the Rams, I don't even fully understand why you could be doubting them at this point. Sean McVay has proved time and again that, even if this LA franchise doesn't necessarily operate in the way that many other teams do, their process is perfectly made for the head coach to find success routinely as long as he's on the sideline. Matthew Stafford's back is a major concern that could make this a house of cards ready to tumble down, but this group looks more dangerous than even last year, by my estimation.
6. Denver Broncos
My trepidation with Bo Nix from his college tape and the draft process hasn't fully gone away, but damn, Sean Payton can coach. Now, we have Nix with another year of experience under his belt and a much better roster around him too. Denver was one of the most impressive defenses in the league a season ago, and if the offense improves in the way that it seems like it's going to with the new pieces, there's a viable chance that the Broncos could not only threaten the Chiefs in the division, but are a legitimate dark horse in the AFC at large.
5. Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen and the Bills have been a bankable commodity for years at this point, and that's not going to stop. Yes, the offense on paper might not look like a world-beater by any stretch of the imagination, but that was the case last year and Allen delivered an MVP-caliber performance to prove that it's just going to keep rolling. I'm not the biggest fan of the overall defensive personnel, but Sean McDermott has continued to make do there as well. The AFC East still runs through Buffalo. However, the defense could determine whether or not the AFC as a whole is in the same spot or not.
4. Green Bay Packers
I was already looking at the Packers as part of the top tier of teams that can contend to win a Super Bowl before they added Micah Parsons. The addition of Matthew Golden and the offensive line finding its right group should have this offense on the cusp of taking another step, but the defense is now a bonafide strength. Green Bay's biggest question on that side of the ball was the pass rush outside of Rashan Gary, so they just added maybe the best edge rusher in football who's not even reached his prime if you look at his age. The Packers might have their best Super Bowl window in years now.
3. Baltimore Ravens
Josh Allen may have won MVP, but Lamar Jackson actually had the better season. The Ravens adding Derrick Henry is a cheat code offensively, and we know at this point with Lamar in his current form that Baltimore is going to be one of the most impossible offenses in the league to defend. But don't sleep on this defense either, as the young pieces and veterans are now all coming into their own at the right time. I wouldn't argue with you having Baltimore at No. 2 or 1 in your power rankings, either, but this is a legitimate shot at a Super Bowl for the Ravens no matter how what you have going into the year.
2. Kansas City Chiefs
Frankly, I think that anyone trying to poo-poo the Chiefs coming into the season is just still overreacting to a disastrous Super Bowl loss to the Eagles. But when you look at that game, the offensive line was the biggest issue, and all signs indicate that Josh Simmons might actually be a cure for that. I fully believe Patrick Mahomes and this offense are finally going to get back to another gear this year, and the Steve Spagnuolo defense remains a force to be reckoned with. The Chiefs aren't going anywhere.
1. Philadelphia Eagles
The champs are the champs until they're not. What more can you say about the Eagles at this point? Jalen Hurts is supremely underrated, Saquon Barkley is a monster behind this top-tier offensive line, and the rest of the skill positions are playmakers waiting to strike. Oh yeah, the defense has undergone a facelift but still looks the part of one of the NFL's best, too. The only argument I can come up with for why the Eagles shouldn't be the top-ranked team entering their title defense is the possibility of a Super Bowl hangover, but that's about it.