POWER RANKINGS
The 2021 NFL season kicks off Thursday night when Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys.
And with Week 1 on tap, there is plenty of noteworthy storylines.
Five first-round quarterbacks, including Mac Jones of the Patriots, will either be starting right away, or on the verge of taking the helm.
The Bucs, meanwhile, return all of the starters from their championship team, including their 44-year-old quarterback, Tom Brady.
So where does each team stand with training camps and the preseason now a memory, and the regular season about to commence?
Here’s our Power Rankings heading into Week 1:
1.
Buccaneers
— Will being 100 percent vaccinated mean a repeat for Tom Brady’s team? Who knows, but they’re leaving nothing to chance. They’ve given themselves a competitive advantage over many teams, not that they need it.
2.
Chiefs
— The fates aren’t usually kind to the Super Bowl loser. The bridesmaid rarely makes it back the following year. Don’t bet against Patrick Mahomes being the exception to the rule.
3.
Bills
— Add Josh Allen to the megamillionaire club. The Bills took care of their star quarterback with a six-year, $258 million extension. But will their faith in Allen pay off with a Super Bowl? That’s the megamillion-dollar question.
4.
Packers
— They have at least one more year with Aaron Rodgers. They don’t want to let that go to waste. And neither does Rodgers, who would probably love one more Super Bowl trip, before moving on.
5.
Rams
— Matthew Stafford has no choice but to deliver. The Rams surrendered a fortune for him, including two first-round picks. While Sean McVay is beyond giddy having a quarterback who can make his offense fly, it’s championship or bust making a move like that.
6.
Browns
— It’s hard to find a better collection of talent on both sides of the ball. After getting the playoff monkey off their backs last season, the arrow is pointing up for Baker Mayfield & Co.
7.
Seahawks
— Can former Rams passing game coordinator Shane Waldron squeeze more out of Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense? Stay tuned.
8.
Ravens
— Losing top running back J.K. Dobbins for the year with a torn ACL is not ideal. Having two top receivers on IR to start the year also doesn’t work in their favor. They’d be higher up the rankings if not for that.
9.
49ers
— So they’re toying with having a twoquarterback system that would have Jimmy Garoppolo rotate with Trey Lance. Is it possible that really means Kyle Shanahan doesn’t like either quarterback?
10.
Titans
— They’ll be just fine on offense. But can Derrick Henry and Julio Jones also play defense? Mike Vrabel is going to have to dig into his bag of tricks to generate a pass rush.
11.
Saints
— The assumption is that the Saints are going to stumble in Year 1 after Drew Brees. Not buying it, even with Jameis Winston at quarterback. Sean Payton is still at the wheel, and that counts for something.
12.
Steelers
— This season, they’re taking the ball out of Ben Roethlisberger’s hands, and giving it to a running back, Najee Harris. Having a stud back will help an aging Big Ben a ton.
13.
Patriots
— All of those panic buttons pushed by Bills fans? Those came minutes after Bill Belichick cut Cam Newton in favor of Mac Jones. Maybe this ranking is high for a team with a rookie QB, but the Pats have the perfect situation for Jones to succeed.
14.
Chargers
— If Brandon Staley, the former defensive whiz of the Rams, can make the Bolts’ defense a power, this will be a team to be reckoned with behind Justin Herbert.
15.
Cowboys
— Jerry Jones went on record saying the Cowboys are going to be a good team. In NFL parlance, good means mediocre.
16.
WFT
— Defense will keep them in most games. The question is whether Ryan Fitzpatrick will add his magic dust to the offense.
17.
Colts
— Carson Wentz and Darius Leonard, their two most important players on offense and defense respectively, aren’t vaccinated. They’d be higher up the rankings, but the strict protocols are going to wreak havoc with the non-vaxxers.
18.
Cardinals
— They just missed the NFC playoffs last season, and will be on the fringe once again playing in the toughest division in football.
19.
Dolphins
— The Fins have gone all-in on Tua Tagovailoa. That is, until they can figure out a way to wrestle Deshaun Watson out of Houston without surrendering a king’s ransom.
20.
Vikings
— With starting quarterback Kirk Cousins also a member of the non-vaccinated club, that could spell trouble for the Vikes at any point during the season.
21.
Bears
— Andy Dalton might be starting, but he’s just a placeholder until Matt Nagy gives Justin Fields the reins. The guess here is that it will be sooner, rather than later.
22.
Broncos
— Teddy Bridgewater is an upgrade over Drew Lock. But it’s still not enough to make them a legitimate threat, if they can even get out of the division.
23.
Giants
— Does Daniel Jones prove to be a boom or bust in his third year? The answer will dictate where the G-Men are headed.
24.
Raiders
— The Mike Mayock/Jon Gruden reign has been in place long enough to see some results. Still waiting.
25.
Falcons
— The Matt Ryan/Kyle Pitts connection bears watching. After that, there’s not much to see here.
26.
Panthers
— The expectation is for Sam Darnold to finally take off, now that he’s free from the Jets influence. He’ll be better with Matt Rhule in his ear, but that improvement won’t necessarily get the Panthers up off the mat.
27.
Bengals
— All eyes will be on Joe Burrow, and seeing how he fares coming off a major knee injury. But all of that goes out the window if the offensive line isn’t any better than last season protecting the franchise QB.
28.
Eagles
— Jalen Hurts may surprise some people. They’re not a very good team, but will hang in there in a bad division.
29.
Jets
— GM Joe Douglas said Zach Wilson has been everything the Jets hoped for when selecting him 2nd overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. If they were hoping for the second-coming of Patrick Mahomes, Tony Romo put him in that stratosphere.
30.
Jaguars
— Having a great young talent at quarterback in Trevor Lawrence doesn’t mean much if the talent around him doesn’t measure up.
31.
Lions
— There’s only so much rah-rah head coach Dan Campbell can do. He inherited a terrible defense, but more importantly, was downgraded at quarterback. Add in starting the season against the 49ers, Packers, and Ravens, and it looks pretty grim.
32.
Texans
— Wonder if Deshaun Watson will still be on the team when the Texans finish with the worst record, get the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, and select their next franchise quarterback?