NFL Power Rankings Week 1: Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers Lead Rankings
NFL power rankings for Week 1 give the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers the nod. These power rankings are based on performances from last season, as well as the NFL preseason, meaning they don’t account for much until the regular season gets underway. A report from NFL.com has the Seahawks passing the Packers following the Jordy Nelson injury. It’s a remarkable ranking with the Seahawks still missing Kam Chancellor due to a holdout.
Following the No. 2 Packers on NFL.com are the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, and Pittsburgh Steelers to finish out the top five teams. The Dallas Cowboys fell to No. 6, followed by the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, and Philadelphia Eagles. The top 10 is similar to what ESPN has revealed as its Week 1 NFL power rankings.
ESPN has the Seahawks followed by the Patriots, Packers, Colts, and Broncos (in that order). The rest of the top is the Cowboys, Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Eagles, and Cardinals. The Ravens had been down at No. 14 at NFL.com, showing just how differently the experts are ranking Joe Flacco’s team. The loss of Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice is still being felt by the franchise.
CBS Sports was not kind to the Seattle Seahawks in its Week 1 NFL power rankings. The Green Bay Packers got the top spot, following by the New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Indianapolis Colts. As for the rest of the top 10, CBS has the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, the Seahawks, and the Cincinnati Bengals.
A major concern listed for Seattle is the offensive line, leading to this low ranking. CBS Sports was also harsh on the Philadelphia Eagles, dropping the team all the way to No. 13. The statement given for the Eagles reads, “They will be a good team, but I think they just miss out on the playoffs. Sam Bradford did look sharp in his preseason work.”
Several teams don’t get a lot of respect in the overall rankings from the first week, possibly providing bulletin board material for several franchises. The Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, and New Orleans Saints have a lot of work to do to get noticed. Likewise with the lowly rated Buffalo Bills, who came in down at No. 17 on NFL.com, No. 18 on ESPN.com, and No. 24 on CBS Sports. As with any preseason lists from football analysts, these Week 1 NFL power rankings need to be taken with a grain of salt by all fans.
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