14. Minnesota Vikings
Last week: 19th
The absolute barrage of second-half scoring from the Minnesota Vikings in their Week 1 win over the Green Bay Packers was a jaw-dropping sight to behold.
The Vikings lost Kyler Murray to a concussion early in his first start with the team, and for a while, things were looking pretty rocky with Carson Wentz at the helm. And then all of a sudden, there was a sequence where the Vikings turned a 22-10 deficit late in the 3rd quarter into an eventual 39-22 win.
Carson Wentz got a mulligan on an interception he threw in the end zone when it was 22-17 in favor of the Packers, and from that point, the Vikings just started pouring it on. The offense -- Justin Jefferson -- couldn't be stopped. The pass rush couldn't be stopped. It was like the Packers were completely shell-shocked.
You have to tip your cap to Kevin O'Connell, who always seems to be able to adjust at the quarterback position and keep his team competitive. In this case, more than just competitive.
13. New England Patriots
Last week: 10th
The Patriots are one of the teams taking a major tumble in this week's NFL Power Rankings. They were only 10th in our rankings before Week 1 even started, so you can see that we weren't really buying that this team was going to just walk into the season and repeat as AFC champions.
We all saw the Patriots play a very favorable schedule last year. We all saw as they stumbled through the playoffs, and while they deserve credit for winning the games they did, it felt like the Super Bowl was a culmination of their struggles with AFC teams.
Against the Seahawks in their 2026 opener, the Patriots were a massive disappointment. Even with an injury early in the game to Sam Darnold, the Patriots weren't able to take advantage. Drake Maye was atrocious in the second half, especially in the 4th quarter where he threw three interceptions.
Now, AJ Brown is on injured reserve and will miss a minimum of 4 games after suffering a high-ankle sprain in his Patriots debut. After trading Kayshon Boutte to Houston and seeing how brutal Romeo Doubs was in Week 1, the Patriots need a bounce-back in the worst way, especially offensively.
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