The post-week 1 Power Rankings rarely convey the true balance of power in the NFL, but it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say the Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers look like the best teams right now, while the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams as the absolute worst.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0): DeAngelo Williams was the best running back in week 1 with 146 yards on the ground and 2 touchdowns.
2. Denver Broncos (1-0): The defense, at least for week 1, looked like it hasn’t lost a beat. The running game seems better (148 yards, 29 carries).
3. Green Bay Packers (1-0): Despite Aaron Rodgers 3 touchdowns (2 pass, one run), the offense was far from where it should be, notching less than 300 yards.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0): The Chiefs overtime win over the Chargers included their biggest ever comeback (down 21 points), also erasing a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
5. Cincinnati Bengals (1-0): A.J. Green’s 180 receiving yards is the the third-largest total by a wide receiver against a team with Darrelle Revis on the field.
6. New York Giants (1-0): Victor Cruz scored a touchdown after being without football for 700 days.
7. Minnesota Vikings (1-0): Didn’t score an offensive touchdown, but bounced back from 10-0 down, holding the Titans scoreless for over 30 minutes.
8. New England Patriots (1-0): If this is how they do without Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, they’ll be number one pretty soon.
9. Detroit Lions (1-0): Stafford was 9-for-11 with one touchdown pass in the fourth quarter as the best the Indianapolis Colts.
10. Carolina Panthers (1-0): Came within one point of beating the Super Bowl champions, but their offensive line did show worrying holes.
11. Arizona Cardinals (0-1): Looked a lot better in the second half of their loss to the Pats, as a failed field goal attempt stopped them from winning.
12. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0): The Eagles, despite having a rookie quarterback throwing the ball, were one of only 7 teams with more than 400 yards of offense.
13. Baltimore Ravens (1-0): The Ravens held the Bills to only 160 yards and 11 first downs in their 13-7 win.
14. Houston Texans (1-0): The Texans finished with 5 sacks, not a single one of them by J.J. Watt, good news for their defense.
15. Seattle Seahawks (1-0): If Russell Wilson is really injured and just doesn’t want to stop playing, scoring 12 points at home isn’t the worst that we’re going to see from them.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0): In the second quarter of their win over the Falcons, Jameis Winston completed 14-of-17 passes, throwing two touchdowns.
17. New York Jets (0-1): Nick Folk missing a field goal and an extra point kick made the difference in their one point loss at home.
18. Oakland Raiders (1-0): The Raiders rushed for 167 yards (and 3 touchdowns), more than anyone else in week 1.
19. Atlanta Falcons (0-1): Bad news is that both Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu dealt with ankle issues by the end of the season opener, a home loss.
20. Dallas Cowboys (0-1): Dak Prescott didn’t make big mistakes, but completed just 25-of-45 throws, finishing with 0 touchdowns. His 12 yards on 2 carries were disappointing as well.
21. San Francisco 49ers (1-0): The 49ers held the Rams to only 185 yards and 10 first downs in their win.
22. Chicago Bears (0-1): Jay Cutler was sacked 5 times, as it looks like protecting him will remain an issue for the Bears until the end of time.
23. Indianapolis Colts (0-1): Gave up more points than anyone in week 1, 39.
24. San Diego Chargers (0-1): After Keenan Allen went down, Philip Rivers found it very difficult to move the chains, scoring only 6 points compared to the 21 before.
25. Miami Dolphins (0-1): Life without Lamar Miller was difficult, gaining only 64 yards on 20 carries in the loss to Seattle.
26. New Orleans Saints (0-1): Remain awful on defense, giving up 486 yards. Only Oakland, the team that beat them, gave up more.
27. Washington Redskins (0-1): Kirk Cousins and the Redskins were able to convert just once inside the red zone in their loss to the Steelers.
28. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1): The Jags can’t run the ball, held to just 48 yards on 26 carries in the loss against the Packers.
29. Tennessee Titans (0-1): Couldn’t do anything in the second half, and gained less than 3 yards per carry despite their impressive running back personnel.
30. Buffalo Bills (0-1): Tyrod Taylor averaged just 5.04 yards per pass attempt, throwing for a total of 111 yards.
31. Los Angeles Rams (0-1): Only team to get shutout in week 1.
32. Cleveland Browns (0-1): Looked away in the season opener, and have now lost their starting QB for about a month.