Week 1 in the NFL is often a liar, meaning it's not always accurate on how the rest of the season will go. Many teams don't find their groove and slide into their identity until they begin to stack games week over week.
In the coming weeks, all 32 teams will begin to play their brand of football, whether good or bad. The contenders will emerge, and the pretenders will become obvious. There are still 16 games left for each team, so there is simply a ton that can happen after Week 1.
As we have done, let's now get into ranking the conferences, starting with the AFC. For our rankings, the criteria will be some of what the team did in Week 1, but also including a bit of projection as the season goes on, as Week 1 in the NFL can be misleading, so ranking every 1-0 team ahead of 0-1 teams, for example, wouldn't necessarily make sense.
Ranking the AFC following Week 1 of the 2026 NFL Season
16. Cleveland Browns (0-1)
The Cleveland Browns are who we thought they were - perhaps the worst team in the sport. Sure, the Browns could always show signs of life in the coming weeks, but I believe the Browns' Week 1 performance is one of those instances where it was and is who they are.
Until the Browns move on from Deshaun Watson and bring in a viable young quarterback, they'll continue to be looked at as a bottom-3 team in the sport. It's simple.
15. Tennessee Titans (0-1)
The Tennessee Titans did not look like an NFL team on Sunday. The New York Jets had their way with the Titans, and while Tennessee does have a new coaching staff, they spent a ton of money this offseason and are clearly trying to embrace a new mindset.
Perhaps we'll begin to see some positive changes in the coming weeks, but after Week 1, you struggle to find much of anything to like with the Titans, and if Cam Ward does not improve in year two, this entire thing will end up being for nothing, unfortunately.
Add us as a preferred source on Google