24. Cleveland Browns
By all accounts, the Cleveland Browns outplayed the Cincinnati Bengals in this one, but they could not get out of their own way. It was a sad day for Browns’ fans, as this team had the Bengals on thin ice multiple times throughout the contest. This is likely going to be the name of the game for the Browns in 2024 - they do have enough talent to hang around, but they also don’t have enough talent to close out games at the same time, if that makes sense.
23. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys had a solid effort in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles, but I can only imagine how hard it is for a shaky roster to go into the defending Super Bowl champs’ house and come out with a win. I don’t really knock Dallas all that much for this game - they were likely going to lose under most circumstances.
They don’t have a great roster and are in year one of a new coaching staff, so them starting 0-1 was likely this entire time. The Cowboys are 23rd in our power rankings.
22. Indianapolis Colts
It’s important not to get too hung up on a Week 1 result, but how about the Indianapolis Colts? From start to finish, this was a massive drubbing, and Daniel Jones had himself a game, surprisingly. The Miami Dolphins cratered in our latest power rankings, but the Colts do rise up a few spots.
The Colts host the Denver Broncos in Week 2, and that is a much more formidable team, so we’ll see if that high-flying offense we saw can keep it up when the best defense in the NFL comes to town.
21. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears host the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL Season on Monday Night Football, so it’s the last game of the week. The Bears hope to take advantage of JJ McCarhy making his first NFL start. He is still, in some ways, a rookie, so the Bears’ defense should be all over the Vikings’ offense, but with how dysfunctional this team was in 2024, it’s hard for us to rank them much higher without seeing the result of that Week 1 game. Chicago is 21st in our latest NFL power rankings.