23. Las Vegas Raiders (25)
If I told you coming into Week 1 that all-world rookie running back Ashton Jeanty was going to average 2.0 yards per carry in his first regular-season game with the Raiders, there’s a good chance that you’d think things didn’t go all that well for Vegas against the Patriots.
But lo and behold, it happened and the Silver and Black are still 1-0 coming out of the season’s opening weekend. The Raiders defense causes New England a world of problems, while Geno Smith and the passing offense were dynamic in this game. The Brock Bowers injury is one to monitor, but Raiders fans should certainly be optimistic coming out of this contest.
22. Dallas Cowboys (21)
Yes, the Cowboys lost the first game of the 2025 NFL season because CeeDee Lamb caught a case of the drops at the worst possible time. Having said that, the offense looked as potent as any fan in Dallas could’ve hoped in this game, even if some of the pass-catchers didn’t take advantage of a stellar Dak Prescott performance.
What was more shocking, though, is that the Dallas defense seemed to have answers for the vaunted Eagles, despite playing its first game without Micah Parsons. Whether or not they can keep that up remains to be seen, but there were more positives for the Cowboys than any fan realistic thought there would be after a tumultuous offseason.
21. Chicago Bears (20)
It was an absolutely storybook start for Caleb Williams and the Bears in their first game under Ben Johnson. Chicago came out and went through the Vikings defenses like a hot knife through butter, which came after the defense stifled everything Minnesota was trying to do on that side of the ball. The latter theme continued for 45 minutes of the action, including a big pick-six off of J.J. McCarthy, even when the offense started having a bit more trouble closing out drives.
The script flipped quickly late, though, and the Bears didn't seem to have enough answers. Williams and the offense got stuck in neutral while McCarthy and the Vikings offense found the recipe for success. Chicago did score late after Minnesota went up two scores and attempted to make a last-ditch effort to retake the lead, but fell short. They won't fall too far in the power rankings, but the way this one played out was undeniably disheartening.
20. Atlanta Falcons (19)
Oof. On the one hand, the Falcons went to war with the four-time reigning NFC South champions and took them down to the wire. On the other hand, offensive coordinator Zac Robinson’s play-calling and the lack of a defensive stand in the two-minute drill after taking the lead were tough to walk for Atlanta.
The good news is that Michael Penix Jr. certainly looks like the real deal and this offense quite clearly has the talent to be dangerous against anyone in the league. The hope is that the coaching and the defense, the young pass rush in particular, can match that more regularly as the season wears on.
While we’ll wait until the conclusion of Monday Night Football to move the Bears up or down in the power rankings, the Bears might’ve already gotten a win on Sunday when they hired Ben Johnson months ago. The Lions looked objectively lost in their Week 1 loss to the Packers, and the fact that Johnson is no longer manning the controls on offense seems like it has a ton to do with that. If the transitive property means Chicago is about to take off with Caleb Williams, this team might have something major cooking.
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (23)
Sure, it was against the Panthers in a game that was delayed by weather to make things a bit off-kilter, but it seems like the Jaguars may have found the right one when they hired Liam Coen. Trevor Lawrence was far from perfect, but it didn’t matter with how lethal the Jags run game was against Carolina.
Furthermore, the defense showed marked improvements from a year ago and made Bryce Young and Co. look simply out of their depth in this matchup. In an AFC South that looks more wide-open than any other division in the NFL, why not the Jags as they keep building off of this?