Away we go. The NFL season is finally upon us, quenching the thirst we’ve had since the end of the Super Bowl. The draft, free agency, training camp — all critical events that set the table for this moment, as we find out who can win the biggest prize in football.
This year we’re delivering our Week 1 power rankings along with the tiers we think each team belongs in. From the dominant organizations seemingly destined for greatness to those who are already circling draft night in 2027 to find a way to get better.
Tier 1: Super Bowl Contenders
Nobody in our top five should really surprise anyone. These are the teams that are the elite of the elite, the cream of the crop, the organizations that either have everything together they need to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, or have issues so minor they won’t play a major role in their success. These are the teams that would stun us if they missed the playoffs, or got eliminated early.
The Rams speak for themselves in this tier. The big question comes at the back end with the Ravens, who perennially get ranked high because they should have all the tools to make it, but end up with a fatal flaw in the playoffs. This year we see new head coach Jesse Minter having the capability to get them over that hump.
No. 4: Philadelphia Eagles
Tier 2: Super Bowl Potential
The second tier of teams houses organizations that are all extremely talented. “Super Bowl Potential” means precisely that: They have the table set to make a run to the big game, assuming a couple of key wrinkles get ironed out, or they see a breakout performance that puts them over the top.
Where this tier gets interesting is in the manner of issue they deal with. The Chiefs are hoping to finally have a run game, the Lions and Packers have struggled when they get to the playoffs, the Pats are still young and need to find themselves — while the 49ers, well, they just need to be healthy.
These teams would neither surprise us if they made it to the Super Bowl, or shock us if they lost early in the playoffs.
No. 6: Kansas City Chiefs
No. 9: New England Patriots
No. 10: San Francisco 49ers
Tier 3: Super Bowl Dark Horses
Easily the most fun tier of NFL teams are the Dark Horses. These are organizations that have a lot of the traits you want to see from a contender, but each possesses a fatal flaw that is impossible to ignore as well. If we go back to 2025 and look at the Seahawks we knew their defense was going to be great, but the massive question was whether or not Sam Darnold could take the step to lead a contender — obviously that happen.
This is all to say that having a flaw on paper doesn’t mean you can’t win; it just means you need to shock the world. It’s possible that all these teams can do just that.
No. 12: Los Angeles Chargers
No. 14: Cincinnati Bengals
Hitting Tier 4 we have the teams that have the pieces to make the playoffs, and that’s more or less their ceiling. There’s a mixture of lacking top-end talent, one side of the ball which is highly problematic, or simply being too young to really believe they can put a run together.
The shared DNA in this tier is that these organizations are all on a knife’s edge. They could continue to build and become contenders, or have a few things falter and tumble back to rebuild mode. The margins are that narrow.
No. 17: Jacksonville Jaguars
No. 18: Pittsburgh Steelers
No. 19: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
No. 20: Carolina Panthers
No. 21: Indianapolis Colts
No. 22: Minnesota Vikings
Tier 5: Works in Progress
The teams in this tier are developing parts of their rosters, but there are pieces in place that we truly like. It would not surprise us to see some, or all, of these teams listed in the “Teams in the Hunt” category on the playoff graphics we start to see around the holiday season.
But there are questions with each team. Will the Commanders offensive line be as bad as reports out of training camp sound? Can Jaxson Dart take a step forward in Year Two? Can Cam Ward? And while the Atlanta Falcons have talent around the quarterback position, can the combination of Michael Penix Jr./Tua Tagovailoa/Cooper Rush/Jack Strand get them the ball?
And what is that old adage? If you have three quarterbacks, then you have none?
What does it mean when a team keeps four?
No. 23: Washington Commanders
No. 24: New Orleans Saints
Tier 6: The Tankathon Tier
Here we find the teams at the bottom of the league, at least to start the year.
We are affectionately calling this the “Tankathon Tier,” as these fanbases will likely wear out that website starting sometime in October.
This is not to say that these teams lack talent – there are certainly very good football players on each of these rosters. But for all of these teams, the questions outweigh the answers. And for many of these teams, the questions come at the most important position in the sport. All of them face questions at quarterback, and while the Raiders and Dolphins might believe the long-term answer at that position is already on the roster (Fernando Mendoza and Malik Willis), the jury is still out.
For the others, the website is www.tankathon.com. Bookmark it now.
No. 28: Las Vegas Raiders
No. 32: Arizona Cardinals
