Week 1 is around the corner and our first NFL Power Rankings of the regular season has the Bills ready to make a run this year
At long last, real football is here — as is our Week 1 edition of the 2022 NFL Power Rankings. After a long offseason and three games that serve as an appetizer (albeit a dry and incredibly tasteless appetizer), the games that count are right around the corner. Here, we dive in and look at all 32 teams, and decide how they stack up against the rest of the league.
2022 NFL Power Rankings Week 1
32. Houston Texans
The Texans are a hard team to believe in this year. They fired David Culley only to replace him with Lovie Smith, who was a part of his underwhelming staff. Not only that, but Smith was in charge of the defense, which was suspect at best.
Throw in the fact that they continue to roll with Davis Mills and have very few weapons around him and this feels like a team in contention for the No. 1 overall pick in 2023.
31. Atlanta Falcons
Houston’s main competition for the No. 1 pick appears to be the Atlanta Falcons. They tried to bring in Deshaun Watson and when that failed, they sent Matt Ryan to the Colts and signed Marcus Mariota.
If it wasn’t bad enough to bring in Mariota as the main option, they also did very little to improve their receiving corps. They selected Drake London, who was hurt in the preseason, and when he went down, it showed how thin they were at the position.
30. New York Jets
The New York Jets have made some impressive moves, including landing three good picks in Round 1 of the 2021 draft. However, Zach Wilson suffered a knee injury in the preseason and while he might suit up for the Jets early in the year, he’s unlikely to be at 100 percent.
They seem to be trending in the right direction but until they start to put some wins together, it’s going to be hard to believe in them.
29. New York Giants
This should be the final shot for Daniel Jones to prove he’s the future under center for the Giants. They might also be ready to move on from Saquon Barkley should he have another subpar season.
We’ll have to wait to see how things go, but Brian Daboll might be spending this season trying to figure out who should stay and who needs to go as he builds for the future.
28. Chicago Bears
Justin Fields looked to be in full command of the offense when he was on the field this preseason but the Chicago Bears still have done next to nothing to help him grow. Not only did they stick him with Matt Nagy despite already knowing he had one foot out the door, but now they’ve given him a defensive-minded coach in Matt Eberflus and spent their top picks in the 2022 NFL Draft on defensive players.
There aren’t many offensive weapons with Equanimeous St. Brown, Darnell Mooney, and Byron Pringle as their top wideouts. They also traded Khalil Mack, so this might not be their year.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence also looked better in the preseason and while he does have an offensive-minded coach in Doug Pederson, it’s still hard to believe in the Jacksonville Jaguars. They continue to look as though they’re turning a corner only to spend the next several years on the decline. Even if they’re now getting to the point they look promising, they need to prove they can break the cycle they have been in.
26. Detroit Lions
There are plenty of people that believe in Dan Campbell, but I haven’t seen it yet. Right now, he seems like a walking cliché, and he still has Jared Goff as his quarterback.
Detroit does deserve some credit since they landed Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams but Campbell needs to show he’s more than just a guy who yells about toughness and biting knee caps. He needs to prove he’s a coach that can out scheme teams and find ways to win.
25. Seattle Seahawks
Without Russell Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks had a competition between Geno Smith and Drew Lock. The winner was Smith but the loser is the Seattle fan base.
They should have gotten into the Baker Mayfield sweepstakes because he’s a better option than either player they have now. They’re just good enough to not be terrible which is actually terrible since it hurts their chances of landing a top-tier rookie quarterback.
24. Washington Commanders
Two years ago, the Washington Commanders won the NFC East despite a 7-9 record. They then tried to bring in Ryan Fitzpatrick in an effort to improve their offense but he was injured in Week 1.
Now, they’re turning to Carson Wentz who is on his third team in as many seasons. He has some impressive weapons and their defense is strong in some spots but they have to overcome the fact that Wentz has struggled when it counts most.
23. Carolina Panthers
Week 1 should be fun as the Carolina Panthers will host the Cleveland Browns, which means Baker Mayfield will get a chance to go up against his old team. Mayfield is ready to take the fight to his old team and even decided to do a little poking of the bear before the game.
While Mayfield is going to get the majority of the attention, the Panthers success, or lack thereof, will fall on the shoulders of their defense. They’re a very underrated unit, so if the offense can at least be serviceable, they could climb much higher in future NFL Power Rankings.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin has yet to name his starting quarterback but the Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to go with Mitchell Trubisky to start the season. Kenny Pickett might end up taking over down the road but the Steelers are built to win as long as their quarterback isn’t a liability.
Their defense is strong, led by T.J. Watt and Najee Harris had a successful rookie season at running back. While they can’t be counted out, they do play in a tough division and will have a hard time making it back to the postseason.
21. Minnesota Vikings
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has done a fine job in his first offseason as the GM of the Minnesota Vikings. He added two players to a secondary that needed help in Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth. It might have been questionable to release Kellen Mond, but they did get Jalen Reagor who could be a weapon in the return game and is better suited for the WR3 role he will play in Minnesota than as the main guy in Philly.
20. Tennessee Titans
Losing Harold Landry to a torn ACL is a major blow to the Tennessee Titans defense. They’ll have to rely more on Bud Dupree this year, and his play in 2021 suggests they could be in trouble.
They could surprise though, as they did when Derrick Henry went down last season and they still landed the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Having said that, they also traded away A.J. Brown and it seems as though this could be a rough year for the Titans.
19. Cleveland Browns
It was understandable why the Cleveland Browns felt the need to move on from Baker Mayfield but they invited a lot of criticism when they decided to go after Deshaun Watson, who is suspended for the first 11 games of the season. Now, they have a wide receiver corps that’s incredibly suspect behind Amari Cooper, a tight end making premium money despite having 70 catches over the past three seasons, and a secondary full of often-injured players.
They do have the best running back corps in the NFL led by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt but on the other side of the field, they don’t have anyone that can stop the run. Throw in the fact that they face some of the better teams in the AFC this season and Cleveland fans are in for more heartache.
18. New Orleans Saints
Jameis Winston is being called a darkhorse MVP candidate by some, and that’s not as crazy as it sounds. Should he be fully recovered from his ACL surgery, he does have many more weapons than he did a season ago. The big question for New Orleans is how they handle the loss of Sean Payton. When he was suspended due to BountyGate, they struggled, so it’s not as if his former assistants can just step in and do what he did.
17. Arizona Cardinals
Kliff Kingsbury was mocked as a hire for the Cardinals but he’s improved them every season since being in the league. This year will be a challenge for him as they lost Chandler Jones and have to play without DeAndre Hopkins for the first six games of the season.
16. Indianapolis Colts
The AFC South seems as though it will be a two-team race between the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans. Indy had a shot at making the playoffs a year ago but Carson Wentz struggled to deliver in the clutch. That’s why he’s now in Washington and the Colts added Matt Ryan.
There’s some concern that Ryan might not bounce back following a couple of seasons where he was repeatedly beaten up by opposing defenses thanks to Atlanta’s porous offensive line, but if he does, this team could make some waves.
15. New England Patriots
It didn’t take long for Bill Belichick to get his team back on track. New England missed the postseason in their first year after Tom Brady left but then in 2021, they made it back after giving the Bills a run for their money in the AFC East.
Defensively, they’re as strong as ever and they hope Mac Jones can make a leap after having a full year under his belt now. They might not take out Buffalo, but they’ll be in the mix for a Wild Card spot.
14. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders enter the season as the bottom-ranked team in the AFC West, yet they still make the top 15 in our 2022 NFL Power Rankings. The West is disgustingly stacked this season with four top-15 quarterbacks, and each team could seemingly make the playoffs.
Vegas was in the postseason a year ago and while the Chargers beefed up their defense and the Broncos landed Russell Willson, the Raiders improved on both sides of the ball with the addition of Davante Adams and Chandler Jones. If anything, this should be a fun season for AFC West teams.
13. Miami Dolphins
Mike McDaniel was one of the better hires this offseason and should be able to turn the Miami Dolphins’ running game around. He’s also looking to improve their passing game, with the addition of Tyreek Hill and Cedrick Wilson.
The lone question continues to be Tua Tgovailoa. The former first-round pick has been up and down to this point in his career, but if he can get on track, they can be a tough contender.
12. Philadelphia Eagles
In his first season as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Nick Sirianni brought his team to the playoffs. It was unexpected but they had a strong run at the end of the year. Then in the offseason, they added A.J. Brown as well as a few promising prospects in the draft.
A recent trade for Chauncey Gardner-Johnson helps their pass coverage, which was an issue a year ago. They could make a run at the NFC East title, as long as Jalen Hurts continues to develop as a passer.
11. Dallas Cowboys
Dan Quinn vastly improved the Dallas Cowboys defense as they went from one of the worst in the NFL to one that turned the ball over at an alarming rate. They should be the favorites in the NFC East again but they’ll have to overcome the loss of key starters such as Amari Cooper on offense and Tyron Smith, their left tackle who will likely miss the whole season.
Jerry Jones continues to insist Ezekiel Elliott will carry the team, which makes zero sense considering it’s a passing league and Tony Pollard is already a superior player, but that’s how they operate. It should be Dak Prescott carrying them, but as was the case in trading Cooper, this team loves making it harder on themselves than it needs to be.
10. Baltimore Ravens
Injuries ruined the Baltimore Ravens campaign a year ago but now that they’re healthy, they should be back in contention for the AFC North. Some are overlooking them, but that would be a mistake. They’re continually one of the better defenses in the NFL and Lamar Jackson can take over a game in an instant.
9. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers were wise to keep Jimmy Garoppolo just in case Trey Lance doesn’t work out but if he does, they could make a huge leap. They have talent on both sides of the ball and a coach who knows how to manufacture offense. Throw in a dual-threat quarterback that can make improvisational plays and they can be a lot of fun.
8. Denver Broncos
This offseason, the Denver Broncos made a move for Russell Wilson as the former Seattle quarterback was ready for a change of scenery. He now joins a team that’s built to win. The one thing that could slow him and the Broncos down is the talent in their own division as three teams in the AFC West are about to be named in the top-10.
7. Los Angeles Chargers
One of the hottest young quarterbacks in the NFL right now is Justin Herbert. He can keep his team in a shootout with anyone but now, he has a much better defense around him.
The Los Angeles Chargers added J.C. Jackson and Khalil Mack in the offseason, adding them to a defense that already had Derwin James and Joey Bosa.
6. Green Bay Packers
This should be an interesting season for the Green Bay Packers, who traded Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason. Even without him, they’re still one of the best teams thanks to Aaron Rodgers and an impressive defense.
They could also see a huge jump from Allen Lazard, who could end up as their top wideout this season. No matter who ends up as the top pass catcher, this is a team no one should bet against as long as No. 12 is under center.
5. Tampa Bay Bucs
Tom Brady retired for a quick minute but then returned after a few weeks. He’s now 45 years of age but fresh off a 5,316-yard campaign. He’s won more Super Bowls than any other player and as long as he’s on the roster, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should be taken seriously.
As impressive as Brady is, there are plenty of other weapons on this team. They have Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Julio Jones on offense as well as a defense that’s been getting an infusion of youth as of late. They should run away with the NFC South, and once they’re in the postseason, they’re going to be hard to beat.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
It was a shock when the Kansas City Chiefs took out the Bills after losing the lead with 13 seconds left to play and it was equally surprising when the Bengals knocked them out of the playoffs with a second-quarter comeback.
In the offseason, they traded away Tyreek Hill and added JuJu Smith-Schuster, which isn’t close to an even swap but with Patrick Mahomes, they should still have plenty of offense. The question will be if their defense can do enough when it counts.
3. Cincinnati Bengals
The surprise team from 2021, the Cincinnati Bengals very well might have won it all if their offensive line gave Joe Burrow another second on their final fourth-down play. Knowing they needed to improve there, they added three new starters including Alex Cappa, Ted Karras, and La’el Collins.
With better protection, Burrow is likely to make another leap in 2022. For that reason, Cincy is favored in the AFC North and should be one of the better teams in the conference this season.
2. Los Angeles Rams
After coming close for years, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay realized he needed to make a change under center. That’s why general manager Les Snead traded Jared Goff and two first-round picks to the Lions for Matthew Stafford.
With an improved passing game, the Rams were able to make it to the Super Bowl (in their own stadium) and won it all. They’re the defending champs and are the favorites in the NFC. Even without draft picks, they continued to build an elite roster and after adding Allen Robinson, they could be even better this year.
1. Buffalo Bills
After adding Von Miller and Kaiir Elam in the offseason, the Buffalo Bills are ready to take another step in 2022. Their offense was already one of the best in the league as Josh Allen turned into a legitimate MVP candidate and then Gabriel Davis exploded in the playoffs against the Chiefs.
The improvements they made on defense could be just enough to push them over the top. Had they been able to stop Kansas City in those final 13 seconds last year, they may have been the AFC representatives in the Super Bowl. Entering Week 1, they’re one of the favorites to do just that this season.