Power rankings as it pertains the NFL teams at this time of year are itself pretty worthless other than the fact they are fun to look at and then argue with you friends about who has the best team on paper in June.
It is worthless in the sense that NFL rosters are nowhere close to being complete. So much can happen from now until the first kickoff. Injuries, trades, holdouts, free agent signings and the fact that workouts haven’t even happened this year make it really difficult to project on paper.
Unfortunately for the Philadelphia Eagles they were the first team to get hit with an injury. Starting guard, Brandon Brooks, tore his achilles tendon for them and that is a massive blow.
Nevertheless, here we are. Let’s kick off the first ever Power Rankings Digest article with a way too early all 32 NFL team power ranking!
1. Kansas City Chiefs– The Super Bowl champs are at the top of the list and for good reason. It starts with Pat Mahomes and they returning a multitude of starters at every position. As long as Mahomes is healthy they will always have a chance in every game.
2. Baltimore Ravens– The Ravens are one of the best coached teams in the NFL and have an outstanding roster around last year’s MVP, Lamar Jackson. I expect Chiefs and Ravens to meet in the AFC Championship this year.
3. New Orleans Saints- The playoffs have not been kind to the Saints the past few years, but I expect them to be right back in the mix next year. This could be Drew Brees last year as the Saints QB. It would be quite the send off for them to hoist the Lombardi trophy one more time.
4. San Francisco 49ers- The Super Bowl runner ups are returning most of their roster from their Super Bowl run this past year. They play in one of the toughest conferences in the NFL, but I expect them to be atop it again this season.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers- This all hinges on the health of Ben Roethlisberger. If Ben is healthy this team could be a serious problem for the league. Minkah Fitzpatrick made a huge impact on their defense and they will be one of the best units in the league in 2020. If Ben is healthy there are enough weapons around him to have an explosive offense to pair with that defense.
6. Seattle Seahawks- Some day the Seahawks will truly unleash Russell Wilson and his brilliance will be even more evident. Their ranking here is mainly based on how good Wilson is. He will give them a chance in most games.
7. Tennessee Titans- The Titans are an interesting team. They seem to be going against the norm right now in the NFL and lean heavily on the run game. Their gameplan relies heavily off that action and is how QB Ryan Tannehill was able to find some success. They will continue to lean on that and I expect them to be in most of the games they play.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- What if Tampa Bay isn’t what everyone is expecting them to be? Tom Brady showed a little bit of his age last year and this is his first year without head coach Bill Belichik roaming the sidelines with him. They have a talented roster and should be good. I could see it going the other way quick, however.
9. Minnesota Vikings- A team that never gets the respect they deserve sneaks into the top 10. The Vikings lost some key pieces in the offseason, but should be able to bounce back with another good year. Head Coach Mike Zimmer hasn’t nearly gotten the credit he deserves for his tenure in Minnesota. Maybe this is the year he does.
10. Dallas Cowboys- To the shock of everyone in America, the Cowboys actually had one of the better drafts in the NFL. They were able to grab some real difference makers, like wide receiver CeeDee Lamb out of Oklahoma. The circumstances surrounding COVID-19 have done them no favors however. New head coach, Mike McCarthy, comes in and hasn’t been able to host an in person OTA to date.
11. Green Bay– How much longer does Aaron Rodgers have in Green Bay seems to be the question on everyone’s mind. They go yet another offseason without giving Rodgers any real weapons on the outside.
12. Philadelphia Eagles- One of the most injury bug bitten teams there was last year. If they can stay healthy, which they already aren’t, they could be a dark horse contender.
13. Indianapolis Colts- Can Philip Rivers be good enough is the question. Rivers did not look great last year with the Chargers, but the Colts hope he is an upgrade over Jacoby Brissett. If he is they will have another solid year.
14. Buffalo Bills- The Bills seem to be everyone’s darling this year. They have built a really good roster in Buffalo and their season hinges on the development of Josh Allen. I see a middling finish in a weak division in their future.
15. Los Angeles Rams- Not too far removed from a Super Bowl appearance, the Rams hope to get back to the top of the NFC West. They’ll go as far as Coach McVay can get Goff to take them.
16. Denver Broncos- This is a sleeper team for this season. Once Drew Lock was inserted into the starting lineup last year, the Broncos showed some signs of life. I could see them sneaking into the playoffs with the added playoff spot.
17. Chicago Bears- Nick Foles or Mitch Trubisky? Foles may be good enough to help this team compete. The QB issues in Chicago could be a real detriment to this franchise in 2020.
18. Arizona Cardinals- Kyler Murray had glimpses of stardom in his rookie year. As he continues to develop you will see just how good the Cardinals can be with their offense.
19. New England Patriots- No Brady, no problem? The Patriots are getting written off with the departure of Tom Brady. I would expect Bill Belichick to have a little something up his sleeve and they will be better than people are anticipating.
20. Cleveland Browns- The Browns were a disaster last year. They have a new head coach and the expectations have gone away. This looks like a good rebound spot for Cleveland.
21. Houston Texans- I am not sure what Bill O’Brien is doing in Houston sometimes. Trading Deandre Hopkins for David Johnson? That is a head scratcher, but they still have Deshaun Watson. He will win them some games they other wise shouldn’t.
22. Las Vegas Raiders- The Raiders took the offseason and draft to address some major holes at the WR and LB position. The season for them, rides on the play of QB Derek Carr.
23. Atlanta Falcons- The Falcons will once again have an explosive offense. They need to pair that up with a solid defensive unit to have better year in 2020 than in 2019.
24. Miami Dolphins- How long will Tua Tagovailoa stand on the sidelines before they can’t hold him back any longer? The Dolphins finished the season on a win streak and that has a lot do with head coach Brian Flores, who is a rising star in the NFL.
25. Los Angeles Chargers- Their season all depends on what they get out the QB play. Tyrod Taylor won’t make many mistakes to cost them games, but he isn’t going to go out and win them many either.
26. Cinncinati Bengals- Joe Burrow will be inserted into a talented offensive team and an underrated defensive team. They will be better than their 2019 campaign.
27. Carolina Panthers- Newly hired head coach Matt Rhule spent his entire first draft on the defensive side of the ball, which was smart. He also signed Teddy Bridgewater to be his QB in an effort to add some stability to the position. It will take time for all these pieces to mesh.
28. New York Jets- This is not a franchise that is run very well. Sam Darnold needs to be protected ad even though they play in a weak division they will find themselves with a top 10 pick once again at the end of the yer.
29. Detroit Lions- Matt Stafford is a supremely talented QB that I fear is going to be handing off the ball on a majority of his plays next year. Matt Patricia also has a lot more to prove if he wants to stay as the head coach in Detroit in the foreseeable future.
30. New York Giants– Daniel Jones surprised a lot of people last year with his play. He still turned it over way too many times though and is a work in progress. The Giants will be battling for a top three pick in 2020.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars- It is a coin flip for worst team in the NFL in 2020 between the Jaguars and Washington Redskins. The Jags get the nod at the 31st spot because Gardner Minshew is slightly ahead of Dwayne Haskins at this point in their careers.
32. Washington Redskins– Ron Rivera might be the guy to turn around the Redskins franchise to what it used to be, but it won’t happen in a year. They have a long road ahead of them.
There you have it. The way too early NFL power ranking. This is going to change so many times throughout the year and the only thing that will matter at the end of the day is whether or not your team is hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the year.
