NFL Power Rankings - Week 1

Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots passes in the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium on September 10, 2015 in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

(Sept. 9, 2015 - Source: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images North America)

1. (2.) New England Patriots (1-0)

“Headsetgate” put some blemish on an otherwise excellent performance by QB Tom Brady and TE Rob Gronkowski. Brady threw 4 touchdown passes and “Gronk” caught three of them.

2. (4.) Green Bay Packers (1-0)

The Packers played well and won 31-23 at Soldier Field but they allowed RB Matt Forte to rush for 141 yards.

3. (1.) Seattle Seahawks (0-1)

I’m not trying to read too much into Seattle’s overtime loss at St. Louis. After all, it was only the first game of the season but the offensive line has to step it up a few notches and the secondary could do with SS Kam Chancellor.

4. (6.) Arizona Cardinals (1-0)

The Cardinals will stay in the playoff picture as long as QB Carson Palmer stays healthy. The defense held New Orleans to 54 yards on the ground.

5. (5.) Dallas Cowboys (1-0)

The Cowboys beat the New York Giants but not all that glitters is gold. They committed 3 turnovers and needed some luck to beat the Giants in the final seconds of the game.

6. (7.) Denver Broncos (1-0)

Their defense was in Super Bowl form. Their offense? Not so much.

7. (3.) Indianapolis Colts (0-1)

This is as far as I am dropping the Colts for now but they never really stood a chance at Buffalo. QB Andrew Luck didn’t have his best day but let’s face it, the Bills simply outplayed them.

8. (10.) Cincinnati Bengals (1-0)

The Bengals were the much better team on Sunday and deserved the win. That said, the Oakland Raiders aren’t exactly a mighty opponent.

9. (11.) Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)

QB Alex Smith looked very much in control and the pass rush is a constant threat. They are certainly breathing down Denver’s neck.

10. (8.) Baltimore Ravens (0-1)

The defense played extremely well but the offense could not move the chains. With OLB Terrell Suggs done for the season the Ravens might drop even further.

11. (9.) Philadelphia Eagles (0-1)

It took them one half to wake up but they’ve still got a lot of work to do if they want to contend for a playoff spot or even more.

12. (14.) Miami Dolphins (1-0)

QB Ryan Tannehill played a solid game and the defense showed some promise but it was WR Jarvis Landry’s punt return for a touchdown that ultimately clinched the win.

13. (16.) San Diego Chargers (1-0)

They came back from an 18-point deficit and scored 30 consecutive points to beat the Detroit Lions 33-28. The Chargers may have committed 3 turnovers but they also racked up 483 total yards.

14. (18.) Buffalo Bills (1-0)

The Bills pretty much outplayed the Indianapolis Colts but most impressively, QB Tyrod Taylor upstaged QB Andrew Luck.

15. (12.) Detroit Lions (0-1)

The loss at the San Diego Chargers is a bitter pill to swallow, considering the Lions led 21-3 at some point. “Megatron” caught just 2 passes for 39 yards but rookie RB Ameer Abdullah scored his first NFL touchdown.

16. (13.) Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1)

Given their injury problems and suspensions the Steelers still played a decent contest at the New England Patriots. QB Ben Roethlisberger and WR Antonio Brown are always good for big stats.

17. (22.) St. Louis Rams (1-0)

QB Nick Foles played well, though he lost 2 fumbles. The defense sacked QB Russell Wilson 6 times and made the game-saving stop on 4th and 1 in overtime.

18. (20.) Carolina Panthers (1-0)

The defense looked good but you don’t play the Jacksonville Jaguars every week. LB Luke Kuechly suffered a concussion though he’ll likely be ready to play in week 2.

19. (23.) Atlanta Falcons (1-0)

This was a great head coaching debut for Dan Quinn as his team beat the Philadelphia Eagles 26-24. After getting a big contract extension WR Julio Jones responded by putting up big numbers on the field: 9 receptions for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns.

20. (24.) San Francisco 49ers (1-0)

The new-look Niners looked good in their season opener against the Minnesota Vikings. RB Carlos Hyde is following in the footsteps of RB Frank Gore, rushing for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns.

21. (15.) Minnesota Vikings (0-1)

The offense was rather futile and the defense didn’t do much to stop the San Francisco 49ers. Oh, and there was the offensive line, allowing 6 sacks. The Vikings won’t win many games this way.

22. (17.) Houston Texans (0-1)

And so the quarterback question is back on. Brian Hoyer or Ryan Mallet - that is the question.

23. (19.) New Orleans Saints (0-1)

The defense gave up 427 total yards. Opposing teams won’t have any problems lighting up the scoreboard.

24. (26.) New York Jets (1-0)

The New York Jets looked like a tough team, very much in control of every aspect of the game. Then again, let’s not get too excited! They only played the Cleveland Browns.

25. (21.) New York Giants (0-1)

The offense wasn’t exactly impressive, racking up just 289 total yards. It says a lot about the passing offense when RB Shane Vereen was the leading receiver with 46 yards.

26. (31.) Tennessee Titans (1-0)

The Titans have something to be excited about, namely QB Marcus Mariota. The rookie completed 13 of 16 passes for 209 yards and 4 touchdowns. What an NFL debut.

27. (25.) Oakland Raiders (0-1)

Neither offense nor defense was effective against the Cincinnati Bengals. There is a lot of work to do for HC Jack Del Rio. QB Derek Carr (bruised thumb) is expected to start in week 2.

28. (28.) Chicago Bears (0-1)

They put up quite a fight against the Green Bay Packers. Rivalries bring the best out of teams. RB Matt Forte ran for 141 yards and 1 touchdown.

29. (27.) Cleveland Browns (0-1)

Interesting titbit: QB Johnny Manziel was Cleveland’s leading rusher with 35 yards, followed by QB Josh McCown with 23 yards.

30. (29.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)

TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins’ stellar performance almost went unnoticed thanks to the matchup between the top two draft picks of 2015, QB Jameis Winston and QB Marcus Mariota. The second-year pro caught 5 passes for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns.

31. (32.) Washington Redskins (0-1)

Thanks to RB Alfred Morris performance I’m moving up a previously bottom-ranked team despite losing. Morris rushed for 121 yards and averaged 4.8 yards per carry.

32. (31.) Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)

Not a single unit left the impression that things are going to get better any time soon. A 0-16 season is a real possibility.