NFL Power Rankings, Week 1: Titans ink Clowney, Chiefs remain clear favorites
NFL Power Rankings entering Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season.
The 2020 NFL season is here. On Thursday, Sept. 10, the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will match up with the Houston Texans at Arrowhead stadium, officially kicking off a new year. And after an unprecedented offseason caused by the effects of COVID-19 and the general calamity throughout the league, it’s finally time for football and, in turn, NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 1.
As the NFL returns, though, the shortened slate of offseason workouts and training camp, in addition to the lack of a preseason, does add some uncertainty throughout the league. How will new players and coaches adapt to unfamiliar situations? Will we see more injuries than normal early in the season? Is it just going to be more of the same with what transpired in 2019?
Frankly, it’s impossible to answer any of those questions with only reports from training camps to go off of. At the same time, we can look at the talent and situation for all 32 teams, some of which have improved or changed recently, to build these NFL Power Rankings to enter the season.
Clowney signing, roster cuts have an impact on 2020 NFL Power Rankings
The biggest news in the days leading up to the Week 1 kickoff is, of course, Jadeveon Clowney landing with the Tennessee Titans. Adding arguably the most talented young player available in the 2020 free agency class, even this late in the process, makes a team that was in the AFC Championship Game a year ago even more dangerous.
That’s not all that we’ve seen transpire throughout the league, though. Leonard Fournette was cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars and subsequently joined the party with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay. Furthermore, Adrian Peterson was cut by the Washington Football Team and soon landed with the Detroit Lions. These moves, among others in the trim-down to 53 players, will have an impact on the season.
Said moves also impact our NFL Power Rankings. So here we go — it’s time for Week 1 and it’s time to dive headfirst into the first batch of power rankings as the season gets underway.