32. Browns: Coming in dead last for the Week 1 2020 Kickoff Power Rankings are my Browns… after the offseason they had, establishing a great offensive line and very solid secondary, there were high hopes in NE Ohio; but alas, it was almost disassembled as fast as it was assembled. Jedrick Wills Jr. went out with injury, Grant Delpit out with injury, no Greedy Williams and many more to boot. Usually with the Browns you can pinpoint what went wrong in a singular area, but that is not the case this year. The QB play was very rough, “Nodell” Beckham Jr. played like shit (haha), and the defense was almost non-existent all game. The Browns have a lot of work to do, but the pass protection looked a lot better from a season ago and Kareem Hunt played great.
31. Buccaneers: I love being right! I will say, I didn’t expect the Bucs to play as bad as they did, but holy cow. I knew when the Bucs signed Tom Brady to a huge contract it was only going to eventually bring disaster to a franchise that truly could be so much more. Granted, I gave it a season or two, but it looks to be happening already. The Buccaneers need someone in the helm for when Tom Brady is gone in two seasons; that is more apparent now more than ever after Week 1. It’s still a long season, and I do see the Buccaneers bouncing back from this in a good way, but there are major red flags on the horizon. The Buccaneers have a leak in their ship; hopefully Bruce Arians and Tom Brady figure out a way to patch it before they sink.
30. Colts: I mean, with the team the Colts currently have with Phillip Rivers, TY Hilton, Nyheim Hines, Jonathan Taylor, and their entire defense, there is no possible way they should’ve lost to the Jaguars...but they did. The only reason I didn’t rank them 32nd or 31st is because the Browns and Buccaneers played that bad; but on a high note, the Colts seem to have an exciting new catch and run threat with rookie Jonathan Taylor. Hopefully, they try to get him more carries next week.
29. Dolphins: Magic tricks do not always go according to plan, and in Fitzmagic’s case that came in the form of a 3 INT game against the Patriots. Other than that, the Dolphins oddly didn’t play that horrible. Their running backs played well, WRs didn’t do bad and they really weren’t that far off from beating the Patriots; had Fitzmagic not thrown 3 INTs that gave the Patriots more time on the field, they may have pulled this one off. I don’t think it’d be smart of Flores to start Tua next week; but hey, if Fitzmagic keeps having games like these, I would make sure Tua is ready by Week 4. Time to step up.
28. Lions: What a gut wrenching loss by the Lions…they should’ve won that game. Had it not been for the dropped pass by rookie running back De’Andre Swift they would’ve, and I mean what a gimmie that was. The Lions have a long way to go as far as being a contender goes, but there is promise. The Lions secondary is still something that needs improvement, but had De’Andre Swift done his job and secured that catch, the Detroit Lions would be 1-0 in not only league and conference play but also division play…
27. Eagles: Losing to the Washington Football Team isn’t necessarily a bad loss. They have the most stacked D-Line in the NFL, a very underrated skills crew, a young QB that does play well at times, and a VERY WELL coached team under Ron Rivera. Though with all that being said, the Washington Football Team is still a young and incomplete team. Dwayne Haskins almost threw for 50% completion (yikes) and their leading carrier, Peyton Barber, only averaged 1.7 yards per carry but did get 2 TDs. That’s not really a stat sheet you want to lose to. What really propelled the WFT to victory was an astounding 8 SACKS on Carson Wentz! This season isn’t lost for the Eagles, but they need to figure it out before it is.
26. Jets: Sam Darnold’s completion percentage sucked, but he threw for 215 yards and a touchdown… not exactly great, but neither are the Jets. I foresee another long season for Gang Green but Marcus Maye got two sacks. Other than that, their defense (mostly their secondary) was nowhere to be seen all day.
25. Bengals: Again, I love being right. I said there were going to be a lot of growing pains for Joe Burrow and the Bengals as a franchise, and this game proved exactly why I said I thought the Bengals should’ve taken Chase Young. All eyes were on Joe Burrow and he didn’t disappoint…but he didn’t exactly impress either. 23/36 for 193 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT is not impressive for a QB. He did rush for 1 TD though, which everyone geeked out about for nothing. Joe Burrow just learned the hard way that it’s hard as fuck to win in the NFL. He made a late drive for the Bengals to set themselves up for a walk off field goal to tie the game and send it to OT and…the kicker missed the field goal. If you can, find the picture of Burrow when he realized they had just lost; it’s priceless. I do think Joe Burrow can be great. He showed flashes of greatness, but the Bengals were just not in a position to take him No. 1 overall when there are so many things they need for him to be what he can be. It’s going to be a long season for the Bengals.
24. Chargers: What!? A 1-0 team didn’t make the Top 16!? How?!?! Well, this is how. They barely defeated a pretty crappy Bengals team by absolute pure luck. Tyrod Taylor threw a dismal 53%...if he keeps throwing like that he may have a repeat of his 2018 Cleveland Browns season and have to throw the rookie to the wolves to get something going. Joey Bosa got 5 tackles and a sack which provided fruitful for the Chargers. Melvin Ingram also got a big INT.
23. Giants: Saquon Barkley had a fairly disappointing Week 1 run game. 15 carries for just 6 yards. He did, however, prove fruitful for his team through the catch and run game in which he had 6 receptions for 60 yards! Not bad. Daniel Jones had a weird game; he completed only 63% of his passes but threw 2 TDs and, unfortunately, 2 INTs. Daniel Jones did show flashes of why the Giants drafted him as the future of the franchise, but he did make pretty vital mistakes that may have cost them the W in Week 1. It was an up and down game for the Giants as a whole team; they showed something, but I just can’t put my finger on what they showed.
22. Falcons: Their very weak secondary proved to be their achilles heel and it looks to me like that is what will really hold the Falcons back this season. The opposing QB (Russell Wilson) threw the same number of TDs as he did incompletions (4). Matt Ryan and Todd Gurley III played well, but that secondary is weak, weak, weak, weak.
21. Vikings: The Vikings got punched in the teeth and just didn’t respond. Most of the time you can usually place blame on Kirk Cousins, but you really can’t in this game because he played fairly well. Aaron Rodgers and Devante Adams just came into town and absolutely wrecked their division rivals. The Vikings defense, which usually comes up big for their team even in loss, was pretty much a non factor in today’s game as they gave up 43 points and didn’t record a single sack or INT. A big time flub today by the Vikings, but with the newly acquired pass rushing power house Yannick Ngakoue, the Vikings shouldn’t have their heads down for long.
20. Panthers: I want to be high on the Panthers, but I just can’t get myself to that place. It was no surprise to me that the Raiders beat the Panthers; in fact, I expected it. What really makes me not believe in the Panthers, like at all, is their defense. Their offense put up 30 points against a fairly talented defense, and yet the Panthers could not stop the run or pass ...at all. The thing that will keep the Panthers from succeeding this season will be their defense. The Panthers stand no chance in the NFC South if they aren't able to stop offenses and force shoot out games like they just did with the Raiders. This is really too bad, because the offense with Teddy Bridgewater, Christian McCaffrey, Robby Anderson, Curtis Samuel, and DJ Moore is pretty exciting and looks like it could be very dangerous. But alas... DEFENSES WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS, OFFENSES JUST SELL TICKETS…which they can’t do either this season because of their lack of a defense and COVID-19...
19. Texans: Not an easy game to start the NFL season. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs handled the Texans fairly easy and we all expected it. I don’t believe the Texans are a horrible team, but anytime you get rid of your star player (De’Andre Hopkins) there will definitely be a void. The Texans seem to be the same team they have been since Deshaun Watson was drafted. They give their franchise QB absolutely zero protection and it will be detrimental all season. There is going to have to be a lot of work done in Houston to get this team to the playoffs,but any team in their position would’ve had a rough Week 1.
18. 49ers: Jimmy G comes into Week 1 after a disappointing Super Bowl LIV loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and shows that he has been putting in some work this offseason with a 2 TD game, but it just wasn’t enough to stop the already DANGEROUS Kyler Murray to De’Andre Hopkins connection. It was a hard fought game between these two teams, but the Cardinals prevailed and that makes me wonder if the 49ers are still lagging after that tough Super Bowl LIV loss or if the Cardinals really were just the better team. That’s the great thing about Week 1, absolutely nobody knows yet! It didn’t help that 25th Overall Pick in this year’s draft, Brandon Aiyuk, was out with injury which I believe would’ve been a difference maker in this game.
17. Bears: Another 1-0 team in the bottom 16?! How the Bears won this game is just appalling. First off, the Bears shouldn’t have had this close of a game with the Detroit Lions; second off, the Lions should have won this game. Had De’Andre Swift done his job and secured that gimmie catch TD, the Bears would be 0-1. Mitch Trubisky threw for a big 242 yards and 3 TDs. However, he completed just a disgusting 55% of his throws. A win is a win, but they don’t belong in the top 16.
16. Patriots: How unimpressive were the Patriots? Yes, they won but had Fitz-Turnover not thrown three picks the Dolphins probably could’ve squeezed out a victory in this game. I’m a big Cam Newton supporter, but this really wasn’t a debut worth dabbing over. 15/19 for 155 yards and 0 TDs. He didn’t throw any INTs, so that is a plus. Newton did, however, record two rushing TDs. 15 attempts for 75 yards isn’t too shabby. It will be very interesting when the Patriots actually play good teams. The real MVP goes to the Patriots defense; they definitely won them this game. This, however, wasn’t a great win.
15. Broncos: This was a hard fought battle; the Broncos, however, didn’t get the result that they may have wanted. Even in defeat, as a football spectator you can’t deny that the Broncos may be on a huge playoff push this season. They looked pretty good. Drew Lock looked good. Noah Fant balled out and Jerry Juedy looked solid in his first start. He could definitely get better at catching during contact, but that’ll come along as he plays more professional games (this isn’t college anymore kid). Melvin Gordon impressed me too (maybe it was just San Diego?). This Broncos look like a sneaky good team. A major red flag for this team, however, is Vic Fangio’s absolutely despicable clock management and use of time outs. This could be a very, very bad detriment to this team if it keeps up.
14. Cowboys: It’s a head scratcher as to how they lost this game, but they did. Dak and Zeke balled out in a big way. The Cowboys look like a very good team, a team that I think is going to make a playoff push if they can remain healthy and if Cee Dee Lamb can really hit his stride in his rookie season. The Cowboys lost, but they performed way better than at least three of the “winners,” so that is why they crack the top 16.
13. Rams: What a weird win for the Rams. They got three sacks as a defense, but no INTs. Jared Goff played exactly like Jared Goff plays, and by that I mean throws for +250, but had a 0 TD, 1 INT game. Malcolm Brown came up huge for the Rams tonight with two TDs and 79 yards on the ground. When you look at this stat sheet, it’s really just a head scratcher as to how the Rams pulled this one off, but they did.
12. Raiders: THE BRAND NEW LAS VEGAS RAIDERS ARE 1-0! They played a pretty uninteresting Panthers team that scored 30 points on them, but I was super impressed with Josh Jacobs’s rushing game with 3 TDs in the game. Rookie speed demon Henry Ruggs III also impressed me with a huge catch early in the game and two more to boot for 55 yards in total, but alas, he ended up injuring his leg… which is very scary. Darren Waller, however, picked up the slack and kept the Raiders strong. And again, Josh Jacobs impressed me with 4 receptions for 46 yards. Derek Carr looked strong for most of the game. This should be a pretty good season for the LAS VEGAS RAIDERS if they can stay healthy.
11. Titans: The Titans pulled off a very hard fought battle with the Denver Broncos. This is an early look at two teams that truly have playoff potential and we see that already in Week 1. Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, and Corey Davis all look to be on the same page already. This was a really good win for the Titans. The only reason they didn’t crack the top 10 was simply because there were better performances and more surprising wins.
10.Washington Football Team: The Ron Rivera Era has begun in the DMV and it’s off to a great start. With all the trouble and grief the front office has caused the football team, I feel like Ron Rivera and the Washington Football Team really needed this. Chase Young played great, recording 1.5 sacks in his first ever NFL game. Dwayne Haskins can definitely improve, but he kept it together for his team. There is a lot of young, promising talent on this Washington Football Team, and Ron Rivera is just the guy to get the most out of these guys and help them improve as the season continues. I don’t see the playoffs in their future, but I don’t think they’re far off in, seasons to come. Also, can we all agree that the Washington Football team has the best D-Line in all of football? Because they do. On top of that, they may even have a top 3-5 pass rush. They got 8 sacks today! I can see many more games being like this if that D-Line can stay healthy.
9. Jaguars: I’d be lying if I said that I’d have the Jaguars in the top 10 in the Week 1 Power Rankings, but here we are. Garner Minshew II did something awesome that a lot of QBs can’t do and that is throw more TDs than incompletions. Garner Minshew II went 19/20 for 173 yards and threw 3 TDs! What the actual hell is going on in Duval County?! It’s no secret that Garner Minshew II has great NFL potential; I just don’t believe he’s really ever been able to show it on the Jaguars. But in Week 1 of his second season, he showed the Jags franchise that it’s not going to be easy to draft Trevor Lawrence No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft because he wants to stay starting QB in Duval County and he wants to win! Minshew Mania is running wild brother!
8. Steelers: Big Ben got it done in the air, tossing 3 TDs to help lead his team to victory. However, I think B. Snell Jr. was the star of the game. He had an absolute out of nowhere rush attack in which he got 19 carries for 113 yards. JuJu and Dionte Johnson proved to be the go-to receivers, but the Steelers defense got two BIG INTs to give the offense more opportunities. You can thank Cameron Heyward and TJ Watt for those.
7. Bills: They beat the Jets, not a big surprise. Josh Allen’s performance against the Jets does deserve to bring the Bills all the way up to No. 7. It was a big day for the Bills, but just like we’ve seen with Josh Allen in the past, sometimes he plays great, other times he plays horrible. For right now, Josh Allen played great and they got a great team win.
6. Packers: Aaron Rodgers and DeVante Adams blew the Vikings doors off with a non-stop aerial attack. I mean, they destroyed the Vikings secondary; the only reason they didn’t crack the top 5 is because I feel as if there were just better wins and performances. They also allowed the Vikings to score 34 points, which makes me question their defense a little bit. The Vikings aren’t a bad team, but 34 points seems a lot. The Packers offense looks very dangerous, but when haven’t they? Is this a new Packers team or just the same one that will eventually lose in the NFC Championship? Only time will tell.
5. Cardinals: You have to put the Cardinals in the top 5; if you don’t, you’re stupid. Kyler Murray is showing all of his doubters and neigh-sayers why he was a former No. 1 pick and why he is the Cardinals future. He threw for 230 yards and a touchdown against one of the top overall defenses in the league and last year's NFC Champions, the San Francisco 49ers. Murray also had a tremendous day running the ball as he had 91 yards on just 13 attempts and a rushing touchdown of his own. Kenyan Drake had a solid day, too, as he averaged 3.8 yards per carry and De’Andre Hopkins weighed in with 151 yards receiving! Not to mention the 3 big sacks for the Cardinals defense. The Cardinals look solid; hopefully, Kliff Kingsbury can keep it together.
4. Saints: The Saints heard all of the preseason hype of division rivals the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and said, “Watch this,” and then went on to obliterate Captain Tom Brady and crew. The Saints capitalized on mistake, after mistake, after mistake and didn’t step off the Buccaneers throats. The Saints look good; the only reason I have them at number four right below the Seahawks is because there were times where the Bucs would come close and show holes in the Saints game. Going forward, if you’re going to beat the Saints you can’t turn the ball over to their defense and you have to keep that offense off the field as much as possible.
3. Seahawks: Russell Wilson with a 4 TD performance against the Falcons is nothing to not crow about! Great showing by the Seahawks, who threw all over the Falcons secondary and only had an astounding 4 incompletions. Russell Wilson threw the same number of touchdowns as he did incompletions. Wow!
2. Chiefs: You have to go with the reigning Super Bowl Champions, the Chiefs, here. They played well; Mahomes did Mahomes things with a 3 TD night. Helaire seems to be on good pace to have a great season. They looked like the Chiefs of last year, in my opinion. I wasn’t super impressed as far as progress goes, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think they aren’t Super Bowl contenders. With Patrick Mahomes on the field, of course they are.
1. Ravens: Lamar Jackson didn’t miss a step in Week 1 action. The scary fact is, he looked even BETTER than last season. I know it’s only Week 1, and he still has the Madden Curse that usually hits (it even got Pat Mahomes last season), but the Ravens as a whole look like they are at end-of-the-season form where everything is just clicking. Their defense played great; they have not one, not two, but three options at running back, with Lamar Jackson making that really four options in the run game. Mark Andrews stood out the most (other than Lamar Jackson), and that’s saying something. The Ravens look scary good.
