The beauty of Week 1 in the NFL is that everyone thinks they have things figured out before the opening kickoff of the season. Once the ball is in the air, though, there's so much that's going to change between then and the final whistle. We thought the Detroit Lions would be NFC North contenders alongside the Green Bay Packers, that the Baltimore Ravens were proving to be a cut above the Buffalo Bills, that the Miami Dolphins would be competitive still. It also looked like the Chicago Bears might embarrass J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings on Monday night.
And yet, none of that happened, and we're back to the drawing board with our NFL Power Rankings.
As much as you can think you know about the NFL, myself included, from offseason moves, the preseason, training camps, and so on, the truth comes out for every 60-minute game during the regular season. Now that we finally have that around the league, we can really start to evaluate what we saw out there, and what it could mean. That doesn't mean our opinions still can't change drastically, but Week 1 going into Week 2 always offers the highest chance for wild swings in something like power rankings.
With the dust settling on a sweaty and wild Week 1, though, it's time to start looking ahead with our NFL Power Rankings for Week 2.
Note: Previous week's rankings are in parentheses.
32. Miami Dolphins (24)
I said coming into the season that I was a bit pessimistic on the Miami Dolphins, thinking that they had gone past their peak and were now on the decline. That all turned out to be true, but what I didn’t expect was how immediate and drastically bad Mike McDaniel’s team would look in every facet of the game.
The defense had problems, but even then, getting torched by Daniel Jones is an unforgivable sin in the modern NFL. What’s worse, Miami’s offense behind Tua Tagovailoa, the quarterback included too, looked almost entirely inept. It was a brutal all-around performance, and the Dolphins truly have the look of the league’s worst with the bottom falling out.
31. New York Giants (27)
Brian Daboll and the New York Giants coaching staff should’ve only had to look at last season in Pittsburgh before making a quarterback decision. Instead, they rolled out Russell Wilson as QB1 and a demoralizing loss to Washington was their prize for doing so.
I’ll give the G-Men’s defense some credit as the strength of this team looks the part against a quality opponent, but it’s going to be next to impossible to win games until New York gets Mr. Unlimited out from under center, because he’s looking quite limited these days.
30. New Orleans Saints (32)
Hand up, I thought that the Arizona Cardinals were going to paint the turf in the Superdome with more gold with how badly they would beat the Saints. New Orleans held their own, but it certainly felt a lot of that was more self-inflicted than it was anything that Spencer Rattler and Co. were doing to make that be the case.
This team doesn’t appear to have a single answer at quarterback and the defense, while it made some plays, also isn’t up to the task to shoulder the load necessary to be in the postseason mix at all.
29. Carolina Panthers (26)
While I would love to give the Panthers some grace for a game that was a bit wonky after the weather delay midway through the first half, I just can’t do it. The time in the locker room didn’t seem to affect the Jaguars all that much, so how can that be an excuse for Carolina?
This defense is still a work in progress, even if there are some signs of improvement. What’s scary for the Panthers, though, is that Bryce Young didn’t look like the quarterback we saw down the home stretch of last season. Maybe he just needed to get his feet wet, but it looked like there was some regression taking place, which would be awful news for this team and offense.
28. New England Patriots (22)
Man, I was hoping for a lot more from Mike Vrabel’s Patriots than what we got on Sunday against the Raiders. This New England team still looked quite lost offensively and, while the run defense was stout, it was clear that there issues in this secondary. Despite all of the big-time additions made to the roster, they still might be a bit away.
At the same time, I’ll hold out hope that we’ll see notable improvements from the Pats throughout the season, especially considering the sparse starts Drake Maye has under his belt. But it’d be disingenuous to say that this loss to Vegas wasn’t a bit disheartening.
27. Tennessee Titans (29)
To be completely honest, I’m not entirely sure what was more to credit or blame in Week 1 as the Titans lost to the Broncos, but did so in a close game. Was it more about Tennessee being friskier than we thought previously, or did Denver just not live up to expectations out of the gate?
The answer is probably somewhere in the middle, but while Cam Ward and the offense looked like a rookie-led and ultimately imperfect unit, the Titans defense caught my attention. They went toe-to-toe with Sean Payton and had a lot of answers, which definitely increases the favorability of my opinion toward this team.
26. Cleveland Browns (30)
Despite a Week 1 loss in divisional play to the Bengals, I have the Browns moving up. Frankly, I’d move them higher but you have to weigh the loss in there at some point. Cleveland flat-out outplayed Cincinnati for most of this game, though, which is backed up in the box score as the Browns actually outgained the Bengals significantly in this matchup, 327 to 141.
While a Joe Flacco-led offense might have a clearly defined ceiling, this is one of the league’s best defenses, bar none, and the offensive competency level and floor are high. I’m not sure how many wins that translates to, but the Browns certainly aren’t going to be a pushover.
25. New York Jets (28)
Everything we heard and saw from Jets training camp and the preseason with Justin Fields apparently just got thrown out the window. New York looked like a completely rejuvenated franchise with the new quarterback at the helm and Aaron Glenn manning the sidelines.
Sure, it ultimately didn’t result in a win, but the Jets were going blow-for-blow with the Steelers and just happened to come up a hair short. There’s a very real chance that the Jets are the upstart team in the AFC East this season rather than the Patriots, which is not how I foresaw things playing out at all coming into the year.
24. Indianapolis Colts (31)
Daniel Dime? Daniel Dimes! Look, I’m not going to get crazy and vault the Colts into the Top 15 or Top 10 because they beat the brakes off of the Dolphins. As stated already, there’s a really good chance that Miami just stinks out loud this season. At the same time, that might’ve been the best game we’ve ever seen Daniel Jones play, which feels important considering it’s his first start since leaving New York.
Indianapolis’ defense also deserves plenty of credit for stonewalling the Mike McDaniel attack for most of this game. Again, I need to see it against a team that’s just simply not the Dolphins, but there were more signs of optimism than I expected from this group in Week 1.
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?
18. Houston Texans (18)
Even though the Texans took a loss on the road to the Rams to open their season, they’re staying put in these power rankings. Frankly, nothing I saw from Houston changed what I thought about this team coming into the season. The offensive line is an issue, the offense is still trying to find its footing because of it, and the defense under DeMeco Ryans is legit.
Houston attempting to rebuild its offensive line on the fly was always a risky undertaking, but it could pay off as the year goes on. For now, though, the Texans look comfortably out of the mix as a contender, but there’s room to grow.
17. Cincinnati Bengals (16)
The Bengals won and I’m not at all moved. That might sound a bit harsh, but it’s the truth of it. While the Browns might be a better team overall than some people thought coming into the year, the truth of the matter is that Cincinnati was lackluster at best and probably lucky to come out of Week 1 victorious.
Cincinnati’s defense was actually solid in this game, but it was their strength, the offense, that looked subpar in a major way. Maybe it’s just some first-game rust that Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Co. are shaking off, but the Bengals aren’t going to come close to their aspirations this season if this is what it looks like for the next 16 games.
16. Seattle Seahawks (15)
It’s only one game, but you have to wonder how many people in the Seahawks’ building are already regretting the decision to move on from Geno Smith in favor of Sam Darnold. Without Kevin O’Connell pulling the strings, Darnold looked quite human.
Seattle’s defense does deserve plenty of credit for slowing down the 49ers and playing an opportunistic brand of football. However, they simply didn’t have enough offensively against San Francisco to make good on that effort, and a lot of that blame has to fall on the feet of the quarterback.
15. Detroit Lions (10)
There was good reason for fans to look at the Lions and Week 1 and make a clear-eyed assessment of how things looked with all of the coaching personnel they lost this offseason, specifically the losses of Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn. Well, suffice it to say that Detroit might be in for a crash back down to earth this season without those former coordinators, because what we say in Green Bay was ugly.
Whether it was too much David Montgomery and not enough Jahmyr Gibbs, a tepid passing offense, or a defense that Jordan Love was able to pick apart, nothing looked like the last few years that we’ve seen from the Lions. Things can get weird in Week 1, but there is undeniable cause for concern after a loss like that.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers (14)
You simply have to give credit where it’s due and, in the Steelers’ case, that’s Aaron Rodgers. While he might not be the dynamic athlete at quarterback that he was during his prime with the Packers, he looks healthy again and Pittsburgh’s offense is reaping the benefits.
Frankly, it was a bit jarring to see the offense have to bail out the defense, especially against the Jets. However, if that means the Steelers have that type of performance in the arsenal this season, then being a bit higher on Pittsburgh with room to move up further certainly feels right.
13. San Francisco 49ers (13)
After all the hemming and hawing about Christian McCaffrey’s injury leading into this game, he played and looked back to his form as arguably the best all-around weapon in the game. Unfortunately, when George Kittle left this game against Seattle with an injury, the 49ers offense was still a bit lacking, but the defense absolutely stepped up to pick up the slack and make San Francisco’s timely late score worth it.
It certainly does feel like the Niners might not be the Super Bowl contender they once were, but with one of the league’s easiest schedules, they could surely make a run into the postseason quite comfortably.
12. Denver Broncos (6)
Honestly, the Broncos are probably a bit fortunate that they’re only dropping five spots in the power rankings. Sean Payton’s team pulled out the win at home against the Titans in the end, but it was anything but pretty. Bo Nix, who was near masterful last season as a rookie in this offense, looked uncharacteristically sloppy, and it made Denver face an uphill battle at times in this matchup. Fortunately, this defense is still one of the NFL’s elites, and they gave rookie Cam Ward fits throughout this matchup.
Still, for Denver to reach their preseason expectations, we're going to need to see a ton more from Nix and this offense than we did on Sunday.
11. Los Angeles Rams (7)
My initial reaction the Rams grinding out a win over Houston was to move them down in the power rankings further than this. After a bit of reflection, though, the facts are that they were able to pull out the victory while not playing their best football and while being matched up with a defense that is one of the more stout units on that side of the ball in the NFL.
Matthew Stafford and the offense certainly looked like their work as a unit in the preseason was scarce, but they found their footing a bit more as the game progressed. And the good news is that Jared Verse and this defense still look ferocious in the trenches, which should be more than enough to get the Rams in the mix atop the NFC West this season.
10. Arizona Cardinals (11)
An eight-point win over the Saints might not look like much, especially given how bad New Orleans potentially could be this season, but the Cardinals still have me feeling optimistic about this team after the win. The truth of the matter is that the game never really felt out of their control because of the visible improvements that have been made on the defensive side of the ball.
Arizona's problems in Week 1 were from some sloppy, yet still explosive, offensive play that looked like this unit was clearly not all the way geared up and using this as an extended preseason. Ultimately, that's a good thing that the Cards were able to not play remotely their best football and still get the win, even if the opponent is one of the league's bottom-dwellers.
9. Minnesota Vikings (12)
Things looked decisively ugly and worrisome for the Vikings through three quarters on Monday Night Football. J.J. McCarthy in his first start looked out of his depth, Ben Johnson seemed to be winning the battle with Brian Flores, and Minnesota looked like it was going to be asking some tough questions after the first game of the season about moving on from Sam Darnold after a 14-win season. Then the fourth quarter happened.
The switch absolutely flipped for McCarthy and the Vikings looked like the team every fan hoped for. They stonewalled the Bears offense for most of the second half, which allowed McCarthy to orchestrate a comeback with three straight touchdown drives, a pass to Justin Jefferson, a dime to Aaron Jones, and then a rushing score. While Kevin O'Connell is certainly hoping that the first three quarters become a thing of the pass, we caught a glimpse of the Vikings' ceiling late in the rally, and it was damn impressive.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9)
Everyone in Tampa was certainly sweating watching the Bucs, and not just because of the late-Summer humidity in Florida. Baker Mayfield and this team didn't make things easy on themselves. The veteran quarterback's decision-making was spotty in the season opener, and the defense came up with big stops at times, but was also quite generous for much of this game as well.
That being said, isn't that kind of what we've seen from the Buccaneers in recent years? It's not always going to be the prettiest brand of football, but when a big moment arises, they too rise to meet it. Mayfield and the offense did that in the go-ahead two-minute drill, and it feels like more of the same for a team looking for its fifth consecutive division crown.
7. Kansas City Chiefs (2)
Starting out with a loss to the Chargers in Brazil while looking down the barrel of a rematch with an Eagles team that stomped you in the Super Bowl seven months ago probably isn't the ideal scenario for the Chiefs. Not that I'm breaking news there, but the loss internationally definitely puts thing on the wrong foot for Kansas City this season.
Xavier Worthy's injury compounds some questions at receiver with Rashee Rice suspended, but it was perhaps more worrisome to see Steve Spagnuolo's defense get carved by Justin Herbert and the rest of Greg Roman's offense. While there's always hope Patrick Mahomes can pull the rabbit out of the hat and get the offense cooking, that could be for naught if we don't see a better defensive effort in the coming weeks.
6. Washington Commanders (8)
I'm not going to pretend that beating the Giants led by Russell Wilson is some great feat, nor should anyone else. However, there's always something to be said for a team, especially early in the season, coming out and handling business in the way that you expect them to, which is exactly what the Commanders did on Sunday.
The Washington defense had the suspect New York offense in hell for most of this game, which is something that Dan Quinn can hang his hat on and hopefully build off of. But there actually is reason to be impressed, once again, with Jayden Daniels and the offense. The Giants defense is the clear strength of that team, and they still hung 21 points on them quite comfortably to pick up the season-opening win.
5. Baltimore Ravens (3)
Blowing a 15-point lead to lose to the Bills in the final seconds probably isn't how the Ravens imagined things would go for them in Week 1. That's certainly not going to help this team dispel the notion that Lamar Jackson and Company are simply not built for the biggest moments. At the same time, the Ravens not only went pound-for-pound with the Bills in Buffalo in this game, but they should've won considering how thoroughly they controlled the game throughout.
But they didn't win it and such a gut-punch loss is going to move them down in the power rankings. Having said that, if you were high on the Ravens coming into the season, nothing about a 40-point outburst that went awry late should have you feeling all that differently about Baltimore.
4. Los Angeles Chargers (17)
The biggest riser after Week 1 simply has to be the Chargers. Yes, things got strange in Brazil last year too, but for the Bolts to go to this neutral international site and put on the performance that they did against the rival Chiefs was nothing short of highly impressive.
LA's defense undeniably deserves its flowers for the problems they caused Patrick Mahomes, especially with Xavier Worthy going out early in this game. But the real star was Justin Herbert. With the addition of Omarion Hampton to upgrade the running game, it seemed like the Chargers passing game reached a new level, as did their young star quarterback. If we get 16 games of Herbert playing at this level, Los Angeles isn't just an AFC West threat, they're a Super Bowl contender.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (1)
Certainly not trying to be a hater when it comes to the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles, especially because they took care of business and got a win at home over the rival Cowboys on Thursday. Having said that, it's hard not to look at the performance against a Dallas team that many thought would end up being a doormat without Micah Parsons and not be underwhelmed at least slightly by Philly.
After the first half, the Eagles offense was a bit stagnant. And while the defense did enough to keep the lead to secure the win, one could argue that many of the Cowboys' wounds were self-inflicted rather than caused by anything Nick Sirianni's team did. We know what the upside of Philadelphia looks like, but what we saw in Week 1 really wasn't all that close to that form.
2. Buffalo Bills (5)
Just when you thought the Bills were dead to rights, Josh Allen whipped up some magic in Buffalo on Sunday night. This team was trailing by 15 points with about five minutes to play and it seemed like things might be slipping away from them against the Ravens. Instead, Allen and the offense kept chugging away, the defense came up with a timely turnover and then forced a huge punt, which allowed Allen and the offense to drive and put the game away with a last-second field goal.
Admittedly, you hope that the Bills defense can look better than they did in Week 1, but not every offense they face is Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. However, the fact that Buffalo was able to withstand all of the Ravens' haymakers and still somehow escape with a win speaks to the moxie of this team.
1. Green Bay Packers (4)
The Packers might've been the favorites in the NFC North anyway coming into this season, but the Micah Parsons trade seemed to guarantee that. But if you weren't certain, then Matt LaFleur's team made sure there was no doubt about that with the way Green Bay welcomed the rival Lions to Lambeau Field in Week 1 and completely dismantled them.
No matter where you look, the Packers were dominant. Jordan Love was stellar, Josh Jacobs remained the steady hand in the backfield, the weapons were all doing their parts with no real hierarchy, Parsons notched several pressures despite being on a snap count, and Detroit could barely move the ball. It was a dominant effort on both ends, which is enough for me to plant the flag that the Packers are the NFL's best team until proven otherwise.