Three days before one of the more whacky first Sundays of the NFL season in recent memory, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills were serving notice to the league, dismantling the Los Angeles Rams, the defending Super Bowl champions. Every team in the AFC is looking up to the Bills early on.
Meanwhile, the Week 1 results laminated just how wide open the NFC appears. But, there seem to be two teams that show promise of pulling away from the pack.
1. Buffalo Bills (1-0)
The Bills lived up to the preseason hype by winning impressively against the Rams on the road. Josh Allen kickstarted his MVP campaign, and Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis torched Jalen Ramsey and the Rams’ zone defense.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
Patrick Mahomes didn’t need Tyreek Hill to shred the Arizona Cardinals. Mahomes threw for 360 yards and tossed five touchdowns. There are still questions about the defense, but questions about Mahomes are slowly fading away.
3. Los Angeles Chargers (1-0)
Justin Herbert is manifesting into one of the elite quarterbacks in the league. He navigated through losing Keenan Allen to injury, throwing three touchdowns in the Chargers’ win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Meanwhile, the Chargers’ defense closed out the win with three interceptions and six sacks, including three by Khalil Mack.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0)
Tom Brady and the Buccaneers’ offense weren’t their best Sunday night against the Cowboys. But the defense flexed their muscles. What a difference a year makes. Last season the defense was banged. At full strength this season, that unit could re-establish its dominance from two years ago when the Bucs won the Super Bowl.
5. Minnesota Vikings (1-0)
Playing Aaron Rodgers brings out the best in Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. Meanwhile, Justin Jefferson is staking his claim as the league’s best wide receiver. The Vikings are undergoing a culture change led by new head coach Kevin O’Connell. That could make a huge difference from past years.
6. Los Angeles Rams (0-1)
Matthew Stafford had tunnel vision last Thursday night. All he saw was Cooper Kupp. For the Rams to contend for a second straight Super Bowl title, their offense needs to open up to include Allen Robinson. Sean McVay will figure it out.
7. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
Don’t get too wrapped in the 38-35 score in the Eagles’ win over the Detroit Lions. Instead, focus on Jalen Hurts threw for 243 while rushing for 90 and a touchdown. Prized free agent signing A.J. Brown still got his catches with 10 for 155 yards. Miles Sanders gained 96 yards on the ground, and the Eagles had four rushing touchdowns.
8. New Orleans Saints (1-0)
Even with Sean Payton gone, the Saints are one of the most dangerous NFC teams. The Saints gave Jameis Winston a plethora of weapons to use. Their receiving corps may be the league’s best with Jarvis Landry, Michael Thomas, and rookie Chris Olave. And they still have Taysom Hill as a Swiss-Army knife.
9. Baltimore Ravens (1-0)
Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews may have some help in the passing game. The wide receiver trio of Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay, and Demarcus Robinson flashed promise in Week 1 against the New York Jets. They could make Jackson and the Ravens’ offense harder to defend.
10. Indianapolis Colts (0-0-1)
Matt Ryan threw for 352 yards; Jonathan Taylor rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown, and Michael Pittman Jr. had nine catches for 121 yards and a touchdown. Yet, the Colts settled for a tie against the woeful Houston Texans. It appears Rodrigo Blankenship is owner Jim Irsay’s latest fall guy.
11. Miami Dolphins (1-0)
Mike McDaniels got his first NFL head coaching win, and the Dolphins continued their dominance of the New England Patriots in South Florida. Also, Tyreek Hill looked at home with his new quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
12. Green Bay Packers (0-1)
Aaron Rodgers and Co. opened the season with a dud for the second consecutive year. Last year they proved to be okay after getting crushed by the Saints. However, this year feels different. First, the Vikings are in the same division. Plus, they have a huge piece missing, Davante Adams, who is now in Las Vegas.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
The Steelers opened the season with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals. But the victory came with a price. The Steelers’ defense forced five turnovers in the team’s win over the defending AFC champions. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky delivered his first game-winning drive as a Steeler. Yet, T.J. Watt’s pectoral injury has everyone’s attention.
14. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)
Joe Burrow looked like a quarterback who didn’t get a lot of reps during training camp as he recovered from appendix surgery. He had all five of the Bengals turnovers, including four interceptions, and he still almost rallied his team to victory.
15. Las Vegas Raiders (0-1)
It’s easy to overreact to the Raiders’ season-opening loss to the Chargers. But keep in mind that it was the first of six AFC West battles. Davante Adams looked like he did in Green Bay with ten catches, 141 yards, and a touchdown. Head coach Josh McDaniels and quarterback Derek Carr will smooth things out.
16. Washington Commanders (1-0)
The Commanders experienced the full Carson Wentz effect in his Washington debut against the Jaguars. He nearly threw the game away with back-to-back interceptions. Then, he regrouped and rallied the Commanders to victory with two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
17. San Francisco 49ers (0-1)
The Trey Lance era in San Francisco was a washout. He’ll get a redo next week at home against the Seattle Seahawks. Hopefully, he does so he can fend off the “Jimmy G” chants.
18. Arizona Cardinals (0-1)
The Cardinals looked ill-prepared to play the Chiefs. Mahomes carved the Cardinals’ defense into pieces. Kyler Murray once again looked as if he missed DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins will be out another five games, so Murray and the Cardinals must figure out how to win without their star wide receiver.
19. Seattle Seahawks (1-0)
Life without Russell Wilson started off great for the Seahawks by beating Wilson and his new team on Monday Night Football. Now Wilson’s successor, Geno Smith, will have to continue the magic beyond the emotional season-opener.
20. Cleveland Browns (1-0)
No matter who the quarterback is, the Browns can run the football. They amassed 217 rushing yards in their win over the Carolina Panthers. Even Jacoby Brissett is an upgrade from injured Baker Mayfield.
21. Denver Broncos (0-1)
Let Russ Cook! Russell Wilson went back into the future in his return to Seattle. Nathaniel Hackett overshadowed the night with his coaching decision blunder. Call it a rookie mistake, but Monday night’s gaffe stirs doubt about his longevity as a head coach.
22. Detroit Lions (0-1)
In defeat, the Lions showed their toughness and resilience. They also displayed how talented they are on offense. Quarterback Jared Goff has a strong group of skilled position players, including running back D’Andre Swift, wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown, DJ Chark, and Josh Reynolds, as well as tight end T.J. Hockenson.
23. New England Patriots (0-1)
Four extra days in South Florida still didn’t help the Patriots’ cause against the Dolphins. Now they’re on to Pittsburgh. Another loss could put them on the path of a long season.
24. Tennessee Titans (0-1)
Are the Titans regressing? The loss of AJ Brown and a home loss to the hapless Giants would suggest they are.
25. Chicago Bears (1-0)
The Bears made a splash with their win over the 49ers. Still, quarterback Justin Fields and first-time head coach Matt Eberflus have a lot to correct to prove Sunday’s win was no fluke.
26. New York Giants (1-0)
Brian Daboll was one of several coaches to win their head coach debut in Week 1. Unlike Nathaniel Hackett, Daboll bet on his playcalling and quarterback Daniel Jones by going for and converting a go-ahead two-point conversion to beat the Titans.
27. Dallas Cowboys (0-1)
The Cowboys find a way to be the Cowboys. Desperation has set in, and now they’re going to try to rush Dak Prescott back within the next four weeks after having thumb surgery.
28. Houston Texans (0-0-1)
At least the Texans didn’t lose, right? Lovie Smith’s first game as Houston’s head coach looked well assured. Then his team blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead and had to settle for a 20-20 tie against the Colts.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)
Self-inflicting wounds cost the Jaguars in Week 1 against the Commanders. Jacksonville had three red zone trips and came away with just three points. Then the defense allowed two touchdown passes from Carson Wentz to lose.
30. Carolina Panthers (0-1)
The Baker Mayfield revenge game didn’t go his way. Instead, his era with the Panthers started with a deflating loss to his former team, the Browns. Can Mayfield channel his energy and focus going forward after failing to beat his old team?
31. Atlanta Falcons (0-1)
The Falcons are the epitome of the late Dennis Green’s declaration, “They’re exactly who we thought they were.” It doesn’t matter the head coach or quarterbacks, the Falcons find a way to blow leads. They had a 26-10 fourth-quarter lead against the Saints to lose 27-26.
32. New York Jets (0-1)
The Jets may have won the offseason with the talent they brought in. However, all of it is wasted with Joe Flacco starting over Mike White at quarterback while Zach Wilson is injured. At least Robert Saleh is keeping receipts.
