FPC NFL Power Rankings: What We Learned After Week One

It has been over a month since the last installment of the FPC Power Rankings and that was for good reason… Outside of preseason, there were no meaningful games that warranted an adjustment of rankings. But finally, we have some real football to overreact about!

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The first week of the season saw the top teams in the preseason rankings do what they were expected to do…win. The Eagles and Patriots took care of business at home in their first game since the Super Bowl. Carson Wentz’ return is still a question mark but the defense looks better than ever and, of course, they still have Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles holding down the fort. The Patriots defense was the biggest surprise for the defending AFC Champions. Their remade defensive front showed that they are capable of pressuring quarterbacks. Something they were incapable of doing at times last season.

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On the other end of the spectrum, the Bills showed that they are clearly the worst team in the league. And be one of the worst teams in recent history if they continue to get quarterback play like they did in the 47-3 shellacking they received from the Ravens. The Detroit Lions also had a very uninspiring game in Matt Patricia’s debut as head coach. If Stafford regresses in his 10th season this team could be in for a lot of trouble.

Now, without further adieu, here is our first set of Power Rankings of the 2018 regular season (let’s hear your thoughts in the comments below)…

 

Ranking	Team	LW
1		1	Carson Wenz’ health is still a question mark and they got off to a bit of a sloppy start on Thursday but the champs are the champs and will sit atop the throne until they lose.
2		2	Who needs wide receivers when you have a pass-catching fullback in James Develin? The defense looks more aggressive overall compared to last year as they look to up their pass rush.
3		3	If there is one thing clear about this team is that they are overflowing with talent. They will go as far as Jared Goff takes them.
4		4	Not far behind the Rams in the talent department is the Minnesota Vikings. New quarterback Kirk Cousins will get his first taste of the Vikings/Packers rivalry next week.
5		5	We know how good this defense is. Again, their season rests on the shoulders of Blake Bortles and that is not necessarily a good thing.
6		9	It looked like doomsday in Green Bay when Aaron Rodgers went down with an apparent injury. However, he returned and the Pack stunned the Bears in a 20-point second half comeback.
7		7	The Saints are a trending Super Bowl pick coming into the season, however, their defense certainly didn’t look championship worthy on Sunday. The Saints hope its just a blip in an otherwise strong defensive season.
8		8	Another trendy Super Bowl pick, the Falcons once again saw their offense sputter in the red zone. An issue that plagued them all year last season. Certainly, something to make Falcons fans a bit uneasy.
9		6	A tie may have been a “win” for the Browns but it is most certainly a loss for the Steelers who, at one point, held a 21-7 lead. We saw how important a tiebreaker was last season. This could come back to bite them.
10		11	The Panthers outlasted the Giants in week one but suffered a potentially devastating loss on offense as tight end Greg Olsen has reportedly re-fractured his foot. Tough blow for a team in a tough division. Even more of the pressure will be put on Cam Newton’s shoulders.
11		14	Adrian Peterson looked strong, rushing for nearly 100 yards and scoring his 100th career touchdown in his Redskin debut. Alex Smith was solid in his debut, going 21-of-30 for 255 yards and two touchdowns. 70 of those yards went to the aforementioned Peterson.
12		20	The sky is the limit for the Chiefs offense. The collection of talent combined with the arm of Patrick Mahomes gives the Chiefs a chance to have the best offense in the league. Mahomes and the offense showed why on Sunday.
13		18	Joe Flacco had a good game in the rout of the Bills. As did rookie quarterback, Lamar Jackson… in the receiving game. Jackson hauled in seven passes for 39 yards.
14		12	The much-anticipated return of DeShaun Watson was a bit of a dud as he looked limited in his return following an ACL injury last year. It might be several weeks before we see glimpses of the Watson we saw last season.
15		13	Philip Rivers chucked the ball 51 times and threw for over 400 yards in the loss. In addition, the team committed three turnovers in a disappointing opener. The injury to Joey Bosa is concerning.
16		10	The Titans lost more than just the game on Sunday. Delanie Walker is done for the season with an ankle injury and quarterback Marcus Mariota failed to finish the game with an elbow injury. Tough day for new coach, Mike Vrabel.
17		22	The Broncos have yearned for competent quarterback play since the retirement of Peyton Manning. Case Keenum offered a lot of hope in his debut going 25-of-39 for 329 yards and three touchdowns.
18		17	Tough season debut for Jimmy G. After an inspiring 5-0 run with the 49ers to end last season, his three interceptions helped sink the team in the season opener. Let’s see how the talented signal caller response after a bit of adversity for the first time.
19		15	No more Dez Bryant. No more Jason Witten. And the Cowboys managed just eight points in a loss to the Panthers. Most concerning was the amount of pressure allowed by one of, if not the, best offensive line in football.
20		23	Solid return for Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill as he completed 20-of-29 passes and tossed two touchdowns. They will need Davante Parker back in the lineup soon.
21		19	Saquon Barkley looked good in his NFL debut. However, the Giants may regret not taking Sam Darnold with their second overall pick. Offensive line issues continue to plague the G-Men.
22		24	Seahawks safety Earl Thomas missed the entire offseason and showed up to make an instant impact. However, it was not enough as the Seahawks look to evolve post-Legion-of-Boom era.
23		27	Sam Darnold had himself a debut. After his first pass turned into six for the Lions, the rookie settled down and led the Jets to a rout of the Lions. Jets faithful hope that he is finally the answer to their quarterback woes. After a very small sample, they may be on to something.
24		21	They managed to keep it close until midway through the fourth quarter but inconsistency from Derek Carr did them in. Not surprisingly, the Raiders struggled to garner a pass rush. Go figure.
25		26	The Bengals seem like the forgotten team in the North. However, Joe Mixon is starting to show that he belongs in the talks with some of the best runners in the league. Now, let’s see which Andy Dalton the Bengals get this year.
26		25	Khalil Mack had an instant impact on the Bears defense. In addition, Mitch Trubisky flashed his potential in strong first-half performance. However, we can that perhaps they aren’t quite there… yet.
27		31	Of course, Ryan Fitzpatrick led all quarterbacks in week one. That is what he does. It is important that the Bucs fans and front office don’t get caught up in FitzMagic. It never lasts long.
28		16	Oh boy. It’s hard to have a worse coaching debut than the one Matt Patricia had with the Lions on Sunday. Another concern is how poor of a game Matt Stafford had. The Lions need to turn it around quickly with matchups with the Packers and Patriots looming.
29		29	With an opening week tie, the Browns have officially had their best start since 2004. They may have ended their losing streak but in the most Browns manner imaginable, they are still winless. Keep that Bud Light on ice.
30		30	It was great to see Andrew Luck back on the field and even better to see him avoid another major setback with the blow to the head he sustained. With that said, the Colts team is far from competing for the playoffs and still rely heavily on Luck. Evident by his 53 pass attempts.
31		28	Sam Bradford managed just 153 yards on 34 pass attempts. The Cardinals didn’t get on the board until a David Johnson touchdown in the fourth. How long until Josh Rosen is under center?
32		32	Move over Cleveland Browns, there is a new cellar dweller and it’s the Buffalo Bills. I am strongly considering a petition to add two new teams to the league in order to drop the Bills even further. It’s that bad.

 

– Ian Glendon is the Editor-In-Chief of Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @iglen31 Follow @FPC_Patriots and Facebook.