{"id":18891,"date":"2021-09-09T19:37:58","date_gmt":"2021-09-09T19:37:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/?p=18891"},"modified":"2021-09-10T22:21:19","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T22:21:19","slug":"nfl-power-rankings-week-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/nfl\/nfl-power-rankings-week-1\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL POWER RANKINGS: WEEK 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheFirstMan\">BY ADAM GREENE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the NFL\u2019s Kickoff Game upon us, the 2021-22 season is officially underway and that means it\u2019s time for our first of 18 or so arbitrary Power Rankings. I have ranked the league\u2019s 32 franchises based only on what I\u2019ve observed, feel and maybe what I ate that day. I had a pretty nice Pal\u2019s chicken sandwich for lunch, so that bodes well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s been some changes since we did our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/nfl\/pre-training-camp-nfl-power-rankings\/?fbclid=IwAR0dXFeBilklJQzQqSWv_KEdd4WED7ASENA6LwcRxqwb8ruMfP543GzLrbQ\">Preseason Power Rankings<\/a> as I take into account my camp and exhibition game observances and factor those into the rankings. Who knew that having an actual preseason mattered so much?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NFL Week 1 Preview: Bears vs. Rams | Guest Anthony Becht breakdown the game | NFL Odds &amp; Predictions\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nD_PLFAmqBg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I usually open here with Ric Flair\u2019s famous phrase, \u201cto be the man, you\u2019ve got to beat the man,\u201d but this year it has more gravitas than usual. The Bucs bring back all 22 starters from their Super Bowl champion team and most of their key reserves. And, as I\u2019ve mentioned before, I\u2019m done trying to predict when Tom Brady goes over the QB cliff. I have retired from predicting his retirement. <strong>Preseason: No. 1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kansas City had one weakness, exposed thoroughly by the Bucs in a 31-9 Super Bowl LV trouncing and fixed it, building a better offensive line through trades, free agency and the draft. Patrick Mahomes is the closest thing the NFL has seen to a Michael Jordan and as long as he\u2019s healthy and on the field, Kansas City is a danger to win it all. <strong>Preseason: No. 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. BUFFALO BILLS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Bills have become a trendy pick to usurp the Chiefs for good reason. They rolled the dice and went ahead with Josh Allen\u2019s new contract, paying him the money he deserves if he continues to play at last year\u2019s level. I speak for everyone (unless you hate the Bills) when I say I hope they win that bet. The NFL needs 2020 Josh Allen to be 2021 on Josh Allen. <strong>Preseason: No. 3<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4. GREEN BAY PACKERS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Green Bay makes a monster move after solving their Aaron Rodgers issue for at least a season. He\u2019s put together a Last Dance with Devonte Adams and forced to team to trade for his former slot receiver Randall Cobb. The Pack had the worst receiving corps in the postseason a year ago. Rodgers wouldn\u2019t let it happen again. <strong>Preseason: No. 12<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5. LOS ANGELES RAMS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Los Angeles did nothing to stumble in the preseason, keeping starters healthy and prepping for their first \u201cAll or Nothing\u201d run with Matthew Stafford at quarterback. It\u2019ll help that they bring back the key players (Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Darious Williams) on the No. 1 defense in the NFL for 2020, if not the guy that coordinated it. Sony Michel will likely take over as lead back before season\u2019s end. <strong>Preseason: No. 4<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>6. TENNESSEE TITANS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With all the talk about the Bills attempting to take the No.1 spot in the AFC from the Chiefs, they could be in danger of losing the No. 2 position to a loaded Titans offense that just needs their defense to show up. That didn\u2019t happen much last season. <strong>Preseason: No. 6<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>7. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Russell Wilson opened the offseason complaining about his offensive line and the team responded by doing next to nothing. At least they did re-sign the best linemen he already had, Duane Brown. <strong>Preseason: No. 5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>8. PITTSBURGH STEELERS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For some reason, a team that has consistently made the playoffs for most of the last two decades with this same quarterback is being left off a lot of playoff predictions. <strong>Preseason: No. 8<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>9. CLEVELAND BROWNS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team people feel with usurp the Steelers\u2019 regular position in the postseason is the Browns. I do like Cleveland, but I\u2019ll believe it when I see it. I like Baker Mayfield and I like this roster. I think they\u2019ll make the postseason again, but I\u2019m not jumping on a Super Bowl bandwagon just yet. <strong>Preseason: No. 9<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>10. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last year the Niners were completely derailed by injuries. This year, they\u2019ll probably spend plenty of time near the top of this list. Jimmy Garoppolo will get the start to open the year, but don\u2019t be shocked to see him traded before the deadline, even if the team is winning. <strong>Preseason: No. 7<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>11. BALTMIORE RAVENS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take what everyone else feels about the Steelers and put that on the Ravens for me. I think this team will be watching the playoffs on their barcaloungers with the rest of us. The NFL hasn\u2019t \u201csolved\u201d Lamar Jackson. They\u2019ve \u201csolved\u201d offensive coordinator Greg Roman. <strong>Preseason: No. 10<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>12. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was tempted to move the Chargers higher, but had to resist the urge of crowing a team that hasn\u2019t posted a winning record in two seasons. <strong>Preseason: No. 11<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>13. MIAMI DOLPHINS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Miami can do a lot to prove it\u2019s ready to make the playoff jump by knocking off the suddenly trendy Patriots Sunday. <strong>Preseason: No. 15<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>14. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taysom Hill is the most boring gimmick in all of the NFL, but luckily for the Saints that\u2019s all he\u2019ll be as Jameis Winston takes over as starting quarterback. <strong>Preseason: No. 20<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>15. DENVER BRONCOS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Broncos were knocked out of contention last year before the season started with star player injuries. They\u2019ll be healthy this year and have a QB in Teddy Bridgewater who won\u2019t turn the ball over. <strong>Preseason: No. 23<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>16. ATLANTA FALCONS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Matt Ryan will have his best offensive playcaller in Arthur Smith since Kyle Shanahan got him to a Super Bowl in 2016. <strong>Preseason: No. 26<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>17. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mac Jones got vaccinated. Cam Newton didn\u2019t. Mac Jones has a job. Cam Newton doesn\u2019t. <strong>Preseason: No. 28<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>18. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of vaccinations, Carson Wentz, who could be injured by a toddler at this point, isn\u2019t vaccinated. That alone could cost the Colts a playoff spot. <strong>Preseason: No. 13<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>19. WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think the WFT is the best team in the NFC East which by this math makes them the 19<sup>th<\/sup> best team in the league. That is rough. <strong>Preseason: No. 17<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>20. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re in year four of Jon Gruden\u2019s second stint for the Raiders and he\u2019s yet to bust past .500. It doesn\u2019t look great this year either, especially since there\u2019s no more .500 record possible with 17 games. <strong>Preseason: No. 21<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>21. ARIZONA CARDINALS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Cardinals are much better on paper, but unfortunately the NFL is not a game of Dungeons &amp; Dragons. <strong>Preseason: No. 14<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>22. DALLAS COWBOYS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Mike McCarthy farewell tour, heralded by his appearance on <em>HBO\u2019s Hard Knocks<\/em>, officially begins Thursday night. <strong>Preseason: No. 16<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>23. CHICAGO BEARS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The only people excited to see Andy Dalton play quarterback for the Bears Sunday are the Rams defense. <strong>Preseason: No. 18<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>24. MINNESOTA VIKINGS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s the over-under on consecutive games Kirk Cousins plays before ending up in the NFL\u2019s COVID-19 protocol? I\u2019m saying three. <strong>Preseason: No. 19<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>25. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I can\u2019t figure out this Eagles team. Will they be awful? Terrible? Horrendous? Abysmal? It\u2019s a mystery. <strong>Preseason: No. 27<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>26. CINCINNATI BENGALS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m excited to see what Joe Burrow will do with an offense full of weapons and an offensive line that will (hopefully) keep him upright. <strong>Preseason: No. 22<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>27. CAROLINA PANTHERS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a good chance that the Panthers are the third worst team in the NFL. This ranking is hopeful at best. <strong>Preseason: No. 29<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>28. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trevor Lawrence was the right pick, but it\u2019ll take a couple of years to get this team back on track as being the Triple-A team for the Los Angeles Rams it was meant to be. <strong>Preseason: No. 30<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>29. NEW YORK JETS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I wasn\u2019t nuts about Zach Wilson leading up to the draft, but I liked what I saw in the preseason. There\u2019s a real chance all the first round QB picks will be good, which is unheard of in all of NFL history. <strong>Preseason: No. 31<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>30. NEW YORK GIANTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I hate to see Daniel Jones fizzle out in New York and spend the rest of his career as Blaine Gabbert, but it\u2019s looking very Blaine Gabberty in the Big Apple. <strong>Preseason: No. 25<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>31. DETROIT LIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All the news out of Lions camp, as well as the broadcast preseason performances of quarterback Jared Goff can best be described as a TikTok video of a fat guy climbing a stack of milk crates. <strong>Preseason: No. 24<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>32. HOUSTON TEXANS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No team had a worse offseason than the Texans and no team will have a worse regular season than the Texans. This could be the NFL\u2019s first 0-17 team and they will have absolutely earned it the hard way. <strong>Preseason: No. 32<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The NFL season is officially upon us. Place your bets on the Week One schedule <a href=\"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/sportsbook\/football\/nfl\">at BetOnline.AG<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Follow our BetOnline <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/betonline_ag\">Twitter accoun<\/a>t for the latest sports news and betting odds, and stay tuned on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/betonline_ag\/\">Instagram feed<\/a> for more good information too<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BY ADAM GREENE With the NFL\u2019s Kickoff Game upon us, the 2021-22 season is officially underway and that means it\u2019s&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":4795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[129],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18891"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18891\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18921,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18891\/revisions\/18921"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.betonline.ag\/news-room\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}