Everyone expects Week 1 of the NFL season to be wild, and it certainly delivered. We got some unforgettable performances, some big surprises, and we also got the chance to see a number of new quarterbacks leading their new teams for the first time.
Although the AFC might have the better top-end teams overall, the NFC might have a deeper field in 2025. We saw that fully on display with a number of teams that were expected to regress or even just be flat-out bad coming through with some of the most surprising performances of the week.
In our latest NFL Power Rankings, we're going to take a look at the state of the NFC now that all teams have played their games. Which teams are on the rise, who were we wrong about, and which teams are falling already after Week 1?
NFL Power Rankings: Updated NFC team rankings after Week 1 action
16. Carolina Panthers
The biggest issue facing the Carolina Panthers last year was their defense, and that appears to be a significant problem once again. Fans in Carolina are calling for defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero to be fired after giving up 200 yards on the ground to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first week of the season.
No matter how much Bryce Young has improved, if he's not getting help from his defense and has receivers dropping passes left and right, it's going to be a long year for this Panthers squad.
15. New York Giants
The Russell Wilson era did not get off to a hot start in New York, it's pretty safe to say at this point. While you've got fans in Carolina calling for the firing of their defensive coordinator, you've got fans of the Giants begging for head coach Brian Daboll to make a change at quarterback.
Giants fans don't want to spin their wheels with Russell Wilson if he's not going to be out there elevating the offense. Putting up six points against a division rival and allowing them to coast to a victory is not worth keeping Jaxson Dart on the bench. Dart could at least be out there getting reps. We'll see how long of a leash Brian Daboll is willing to give Mr. Unlimited.
14. New Orleans Saints
Something I grappled with throughout the course of the offseason was whether or not the Saints were quite as bad as some people seemed to think. As rough as their quarterback situation is on paper, this is a roster with a lot of really good veterans on it.
Spencer Rattler came out in Week 1 and was better than most expected, and was this close to throwing a game-winning touchdown pass to tight end Juwan Johnson. I'm not sure the Saints are going to be as bad as people though this year, especially if Rattler can build on his Week 1 performance.
13. Seattle Seahawks
It was Week 1 with a new offense, a new quarterback, and a lot of new pieces. The Seahawks are understandably still very much in the early phase of figuring out what they're going to be this season. But I'd be surprised if they figure it out quickly. Seattle plays in one of the toughest divisions in football, and what we saw from Sam Darnold in Week 1 was not anything close to the Darnold we saw under Kevin O'Connell in Minneapolis.
This could be a long year for the Hawks if Darnold doesn't figure things out quickly. They've got a tough defense under Mike Macdonald, but Darnold only got one series in the preseason and we saw the effects of that -- regardless of what he says -- against the 49ers.
12. Chicago Bears
The Bears are one of those teams that I don't think I can fully "commit" to this season one week or another. They have the classic feel of a team that's going to zig whenever I zag. If I project them to be bad on a given week, they're going to come out and have an awesome game. If I say they're going to be great, they're going to have a clunker.
Caleb Williams was a little rusty off-script against the Lions. And I don't mean when the play breaks down. When he was operating the opening script, he was effective. But when the Bears got into the flow of the game and had to adjust to what Brian Flores was throwing at them, Williams struggled. It's not going to be an overnight fix with Ben Johnson.
11. Atlanta Falcons
We saw some encouraging signs from the Falcons in Week 1, and some not-so-encouraging signs as well. On the plus side, and this cannot be ignored, Michael Penix Jr. orchestrated what could have been a game-winning drive for his team against the reigning NFC South champs.
Penix clearly has ice in his veins and is capable of leading this team where they want to go. The defense in Atlanta is another question. They let the Bucs march right down the field at the end of the game, and have to figure out a way to show a little more resistance. That pass rush was a major issue last year. Young guys need to grow up fast.
10. Arizona Cardinals
I like the Arizona Cardinals quite a bit, so their placement here is indicative more of the depth in the NFC than it is the quality of this Cardinals team.
I was a little underwhelmed by their Week 1 performance, but it did include a lot of what could end up making this team special. We saw the connection between Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. take that next step. We saw the value of a player like Will Johnson on this defense.
We saw some of the greatest hits, yet the Cardinals still struggled a bit. They were held to just three points in the second half. They've got a fun opportunity to take advantage of a bad Panthers defense in Week 2.
9. Detroit Lions
This is as much as I can give the Detroit Lions right now. They got absolutely run out of the building by their division rival Packers on Sunday. Bullied. Shoved in a locker. The Lions had been in a championship window the past few seasons, and it felt like they got that window slammed shut against the team who is about to take over the division.
We'll see how they bounce back in Week 2. This is by no means a funeral for the Lions, but a harsh indicator of how the team looked without Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn in Week 1, something we feared all throughout the offseason.
8. Dallas Cowboys
You've got to give the Cowboys credit, even in defeat. The Cowboys played the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles extremely tough -- on their home field, no less -- and made it a close game.
And more than that, the Cowboys might have outplayed the Eagles straight up if it weren't for CeeDee Lamb dropping passes we're used to him catching. Lamb was allegedly at the facility on his off day catching passes from the jugs machine. True or not, the Cowboys got a vintage performance in Week 1 from Dak Prescott, and if he's playing that well, this team is going to be a threat.
7. San Francisco 49ers
We all knew the San Francisco 49ers were going to be a work in progress to open this season. The 49ers lost so many players this offseason, they are borderline unrecognizable from the teams we've seen competing for a Super Bowl in recent years.
And with George Kittle landing on short-term IR, they're going to have even more ground to make up.
Sure, the 49ers have a lot of injuries to deal with, but they still have the top-end talent to be a playoff team and win 10 or 11 games, even in a brutally tough division. Robert Saleh had his young defense playing very well against the Seahawks in Week 1.
6. Los Angeles Rams
If Matthew Stafford is healthy, this Los Angeles Rams team is merely scratching the surface of what they're capable of doing this coming season. We saw them allow just nine points against the Houston Texans, and if the defense is playing that lights out, they will be a force.
We saw the Rams score just 14 points in Week 1, and part of that could be it was Matthew Stafford's first real action of the year. Obviously, Stafford has done this for a really long time, and when the connection between he and Davante Adams heats up? Look out for this offense.
5. Minnesota Vikings
You've got to tip your cap to Kevin O'Connell. There are a lot of receipts out there of people talking about the Vikings making a huge mistake with JJ McCarthy after he threw a pick-six against the Bears and had struggled nearly the entire game. But something flipped with McCarthy in the 4th quarter.
You would never know he struggled earlier in the game as he was dropping dime after dime, completely locked in against Chicago in a clutch performance. If McCarthy can build on that, he's going to be in great shape. Kevin O'Connell is a top two or three coach in the NFL right now.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
As underwhelming as their Week 1 victory may have been, the Buccaneers discovered yet another game-changing weapon in the passing game with Emeka Egbuka scoring a pair of touchdowns. It's amazing how the NFL will overthink guys, letting a great receiver prospect like that fall to the 19th overall pick.
Baker Mayfield threw three touchdowns in the Bucs' comeback win against the Falcons, giving them a nice divisional advantage to start the year. Even if that game was closer than it should have been based on where the Bucs' roster is at vs. the Falcons, this is a team that's going to be in the mix for the NFC all year long.
3. Washington Commanders
Talk about a GM pulling the right strings in the offseason, we saw some of the new additions for the Commanders and general manager Adam Peters paying dividends immediately. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil was great and Deebo Samuel put on a vintage performance as the Commanders coasted to an easy win over the Giants.
Jayden Daniels accounted for just over 300 yards of offense, and this Commanders team shut down Russell Wilson and the Giants. We'll see if they can hold up defenisvely against better offensive operations, but this was a great sign for the Commanders being back in the thick of the NFC title race for the 2025 season.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles' season got off to a rocky start as Jalen Carter spit on Dak Prescott and got kicked out of the game. That was followed up by the Cowboys marching right down the field on Vic Fangio's defense for an easy score. And let's be fair here -- the Eagles got lucky with CeeDee Lamb dropping some passes and making plays he would usually make.
With that said, Jalen Hurts calmly led his team back into the game and to a 1-0 record. While Hurts might not have been slinging the ball all around the yard, he set his team up for success and the Eagles look like they're going to be able to ride Saquon Barkley all season long...again.
1. Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers could not have asked for a more picture-perfect start to the season. Just about everyone on the team played a good game as the Packers dominated the Detroit Lions. The only reason the final score appeared as close as it did was because the Lions got a garbage-time touchdown.
Micah Parsons made his presence felt. Jordan Love was efficient. Josh Jacobs did what Josh Jacobs does. The Packers got a variety of playmakers involved. They dominated a division rival. This was a great sign that the Parsons blockbuster has put this team over the top in the NFC.
READ MORE: NFL Picks and score predictions for every Week 2 game