we go. The NFL season is finally upon us, quenching our thirst since the end of the Super Bowl. The draft, free agency, training camp – all the important events that set the table this time, when we understand who will win the biggest prize in football.
Here’s our Week 1 power rankings this year, along with where we think each team ranks. From organizations that seem destined for greatness to getting better than those that are rolling around on 2027 draft night.
Stage 1: Super Bowl Contenders
No one in our top five should surprise anyone. These teams have elite elites, cream of the crop, organizations that have done whatever it takes to win the Lombardi trophy, or minor issues that don’t play a major role in their success. These are the teams that will surprise us if they miss the playoffs or are eliminated early.
The Rams speak for themselves at this point. The biggest question comes on the back end with the Ravens, who rank high on the year. should Have all the tools to do this, but the end brings a fatal flaw in the game. This year we’ve seen new coach Jesse Minter have the ability to outclass the competition.
Number 4: Philadelphia Eagles
Step 2: Super Bowl potential
The second tier of groups contains all the most talented organizations. “Super Bowl Potential” literally means: The table is set for them to make a run to the big game, assuming two key wrinkles are ironed out, or they’ll see a breakout performance at the top.
This level is interesting because of their difficulty. The Chiefs hope to finally have a running game, the Lions and Packers have struggled entering the playoffs, the Pats are still young and need to find themselves — while the 49ers need to stay healthy.
It wouldn’t surprise us if these teams made it to the Super Bowl, or they wouldn’t shock us if they lost early in the playoffs.
No. 6: Kansas City Chiefs
Number 9: New England Patriots
Number 10: San Francisco 49ers
Level 3: Super Bowl Dark Horses
Easily the most entertaining NFL teams are the dark horses. These are organizations that have many of the characteristics you want to see from a competitor, but each has fatal flaws that cannot be ignored. If we go back to 2025 and look at the Seahawks, we know their defense will be good, but the big question is whether Sam Darnold can make the step up to lead the competition – which he clearly will.
Having all these flaws on paper doesn’t mean you can’t win; It means you need to shock the world. All these groups can do this.
No. 12: Los Angeles Chargers
No. 14: Cincinnati Bengals
We have teams that hit level 4 and make the playoffs, and that’s more or less their ceiling. There’s a mix of lacking top-end talent, one side of the ball having problems, or simply being too young to believe they can run together.
The common DNA at this level is that these organizations are all on a knife edge. They may continue to build and become competitive, or they may drop a few things and fall back into build mode. The margins are that narrow.
No. 17: Jacksonville Jaguars
Number 18: Pittsburgh Steelers
No. 19: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
No. 20: Carolina Panthers
No. 21: Indianapolis Colts
No. 22: Minnesota Vikings
Step 5: In progress.
The teams in this stage are still building their rosters, but there are pieces we really like. We wouldn’t be surprised to see some or all of these teams in the game graphics included in the “teams in the hunt” category this holiday season.
But with each group there are questions. Will the Chiefs’ offensive line be as bad as reports out of training camp have suggested? Can Jackson Dart take a step forward in year two? Can Cam Ward? And while the Atlanta Falcons have talent around the quarterback position, can the Michael Penix Jr./Tua Tagovailoa/Cooper Rush/Jack Strand combination get them the ball?
And what is that old saying? If you have three balls, you have none?
What does it mean when a team has four?
Number 23: Washington Commanders
No. 24: New Orleans Saints
Level 6: Tankathon level
Here we find the teams at least at the bottom of the league to start the year.
We affectionately refer to this as the “tankathon stage” as these fans will probably run out of that site sometime in October.
That’s not to say these teams don’t have talent – there are certainly some very good football players on each of their rosters. But for all these groups, the questions outweigh the answers. And the questions for these many teams come at a very important place in the sport. All face questions at quarterback, and while the Raiders and Dolphins believe the long-term answer at that position is already on the roster (Fernando Mendoza and Malik Willis), the verdict is still out.
For others, it’s the website. www.tankathon.com. Bookmark now.
Number 28: Las Vegas Raiders
No. 32: Arizona Cardinals
