POWER RANKINGS
Week 1 of the NFL season got underway and there was plenty to digest from the 16 games.
The defending Super Bowl champion Bucs opened Thursday night, and got a run for their money with Dak Prescott going toe-to-toe with Tom Brady.
The 44-year-old legend still has his ‘A’ game, and then some.
Beyond the Bucs, three rookie quarterbacks debuted, including Patriots starter Mac Jones, who certainly impressed in a losing cause.
Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson also lost, but provided optimism for their respective teams.
Outside of that, several top teams and their quarterbacks struggled — see Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen — while others looked the part.
No division had a worse week than the NFC North. A collective bagel for the Packers, Vikings, Bears and Lions, who all lost.
The AFC West, meanwhile, had the best week with the Chiefs, Chargers, Raiders and Broncos all winning. So where does everyone stand? Here’s our Power Rankings heading into Week 2:
1. Buccaneers
(1-0): Will teams ever learn they can’t give the ball back to Tom Brady with time on the clock, and the game on the line? The GOAT still doesn’t look or play his age.
2. Chiefs
(1-0): Patrick Mahomes and the usual suspects on offense did their thing. The defense, meanwhile, didn’t do much of anything. If that trend continues, Mahomes is going to have to win shootouts every week.
3. Rams
(1-0):
Quarterback Matthew Stafford lived up to Sean McVay’s wildest dreams and imagination. That’s bad news for the rest of the NFC.
4. Seahawks (1-0):
Did Russell Wilson enjoy playing in Shane Waldron’s offense, or what? All he did was throw four TD passes and notch a 152.3 passer rating, second highest of his career.
5. Steelers (1-0):
T.J. Watt returned from his holdout, and celebrated his massive payday by delivering two sacks and generally being a pain in Josh Allen’s keister. Who needs training camp?
6. Browns (0-1):
They looked like world-beaters for most of the game, manhandling the Chiefs. Three second-half turnovers later, and the Browns finished on the wrong end of the scoreboard.
7. 49ers (1-0):
They gave the appearance of having a two-headed monster at quarterback, with Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie Trey Lance both getting time under center. But this was really the Jimmy G show, with Lance merely providing cameos.
8. Bills
(0-1): After looking like an elite quarterback in 2020, Josh Allen morphed back into the guy we saw his first two seasons. His accuracy was scattershot. He also seemed jittery in the pocket.
9. Ravens (0-1):
Thou shalt not fumble the ball in overtime. Guess Lamar Jackson forgot that commandment Monday night against the Raiders.
10. Saints (1-0):
Hard to figure which was more surprising, Jameis Winston throwing 5 TD passes with no turnovers, or the defense holding Aaron Rodgers to 133 yards, and a stunning 13.5 quarterback rating.
11. Cardinals (1-0):
Kyler Murray was awesome, accounting for five touchdowns. The Cards defense was nearly as good, taming Derrick Henry & Co. in Tennessee.
12. Packers (0-1):
The Jeopardy category is 2021 NFL quarterbacks. The answer? This QB didn’t convert a single third down Week 1. The question: Who is Aaron Rodgers?
13. Chargers (1-0):
Forget about a sophomore slump for Justin Herbert, he appears headed into the early MVP conversation.
14. Cowboys (0-1):
Dak Prescott threw for 403 yards. The defense had four takeaways. Easy win, right? Nope. Not when Tom Brady is on the other side.
15. Dolphins
(1-0): Beating the Patriots in Foxboro is never a bad thing. But Tua Tagovailoa still isn’t convincing anyone he’s going to be Fins quarterback for years to come, much less all season.
16. Titans
(0-1): They didn’t look like a team that’s supposed to be one of the best in the AFC. It’s not often Mike Vrabel’s team is thoroughly embarrassed, but the Cardinals slapped them silly.
17. Patriots:
(0-1): Mac Jones wasn’t the problem. It was all the little details the Patriots used to be so good at, like red zone play, not taking stupid penalties, and more than anything, not turning over the football. Talk about getting a taste of their own medicine.
18. Broncos
(1-0): Teddy Bridgewater became the fifth quarterback to start the team’s season opener over the past five years. Might five finally be the charm for the Broncos?
19. Raiders
(1-0): After nearly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory with Derek Carr’s overtime interception, the Raiders got the ball back and Carr didn’t miss with a second chance.
20.
(0-1):
Colts
Carson Wentz thought he left all the sacks and hits behind in Philly. The 10 quarterback hits and three sacks in the season opener couldn’t have been encouraging.
21.
WFT (0-1):
Ryan Fitzpatrick is out 6-to-8 weeks with a hip injury. So it’s on to Tyler Heinicke. Not the worstcase scenario for Ron Rivera’s team.
22.
(1-0):
Eagles
Jalen Hurts plans on making Eagles fans forget about Carson Wentz. If Week 1 was any indication, he’s off to a great start.
23. Bengals (1-0):
Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase picked up where they left off when they were LSU teammates, which is exactly why the Bengals took the receiver fifth overall instead of a blindside protector.
24. Vikings (0-1):
What’s the most telling sign an offensive line is getting pushed around? Committing countless holding and false-start penalties. The Vikes O-Line was guilty as charged.
25. Bears (0-1):
While Bears fans would love to see Justin Fields over Andy Dalton, even Fields couldn’t have made up for the Bears’ inept defense.
26. Panthers
(1-0): Hard to glean too much into Sam Darnold beating a bad team, one he’s intimately familiar with. Guess it’s better than the alternative.
27. Giants (0-1):
Daniel Jones continues to be a human turnover machine. One game into his third season, he’s now gift-wrapped 40 turnovers, 30 of those being fumbles. A baby provides better ball security.
28. Texans
(1-0): Deshaun who? The Texans looked just fine with Tyrod Taylor at the controls, thank you very much.
29.
Lions (0-1):
Props for not quitting down 38-10 in the third. Looks like Dan Campbell just might be rubbing off after all.
30. Falcons
(0-1): Arthur Smith’s head coaching debut couldn’t have gone much worse. The Falcons were woeful. He fell on the sword, but that can’t be the excuse every week.
31. Jets (0-1):
Zach Wilson was sacked six times, and hit on 14 other occasions. Welcome to Sam Darnold’s former world. If the offensive line can’t block, it doesn’t matter who is playing quarterback.
32. Jaguars
(0-1): How was Trevor Lawrence’s debut? He dropped back a whopping 51 times, and threw three interceptions, something he had never done in three seasons at Clemson. That about sums it up.