The first few weeks of the NFL season are meant for overreactions. Some of the teams underperform, other teams blow all expectations out of the water. We’ve now watched seven weeks and teams are starting to show their true colors. Here’s how the 32 teams stack up against each other in my first power rankings list of the year. You might be surprised at a few of the rankings, as record doesn’t mean everything.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-1)
The Bucs are rolling and Brady is looking like his usual self in season 22. Brady is leading the Buccaneers offense to the most passing yards in the league per game after 7 weeks. The team has bounced back since the 24-34 loss to the Rams in week 3, and this team is expected to make a run at defending their Super Bowl title.
- Arizona Cardinals (7-0)
The lone undefeated team not at the top spot? This might surprise some readers. As previously mentioned, record isn’t everything. The Cardinals got a boost from new TE Zach Ertz in week 7 as he was acquired in a trade after Maxx Williams went on injured reserve. The Cardinals will have their biggest test yet in primetime Thursday night, though the Packers will be short-staffed due to Covid-19. Bad news for Cardinals fans, star Defensive End J.J. Watt is likely done for the season.
- Los Angeles Rams (6-1)
The Rams have been firing on all cylinders as of late, shaking off their loss to the undefeated Cardinals in week 4. Stafford and the Rams hosted Matthew’s previous team, the Detroit Lions, and took care of business in week 7. Darrell Henderson has been a nice surprise in the Rams backfield this season after losing RB Cam Akers to injury just before the start of the 2021 campaign.
- Buffalo Bills (4-2)
The Bills looked like a wagon (no pun intended) before the dramatic loss to the Titans in week 7 on Monday Night Football. Josh Allen’s QB sneak was only about a foot short from the Bills getting a last minute first down, and potential game winning TD. Let’s be honest, the Bills bye week could have been filled with hookers and booze instead of practice and they’ll probably still roll out and beat the sorry Dolphins with ease in week 8. The Bills have one of the easiest schedules in the league moving forward, let’s see how they take care of business down the stretch
5. Green Bay Packers (6-1)
While other NFL fans and analysts are riding high on Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, I’m not exactly buying it. Their best win is against the Bengals, a game they deserved to lose, and besides that they haven’t had to do much to win their other games. In week 8, the Pack takes on the Cardinals in Arizona, while facing Covid issues. It would have been great to watch both teams duke it out at full strength, but we’ll see what kind of squad can suit up Thursday night.
6. Baltimore Ravens (5-2)
The Ravens defense… not great! Good thing their high-powered offense is able to pick up the slack. They blew out the Chargers two weeks ago, then got beat up by the Bengals in week 7. I might be crazy ranking them at 6, but I think that’s where they belong for now. I can see them regressing as the season moves along.
7. Tennessee Titans (5-2)
The Titans lost to the Jets a few weeks ago, but have miraculously recovered and upset the Bills and Chiefs over the last two weeks. They’re the clear favorite to win the AFC South. Don’t be surprised if this team finished the year with 12 or more wins.
8. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)
Ja’Maar Chase is the betting favorite to win Offensive ROY and it’s no surprise. The duo of Joe burrow and Ja’Maar chase have been lighting it up, just like they did at LSU. The Bengals are a missed field goal away from being 6-1. This has been one of the most fun teams to watch this year.
9. Dallas Cowboys (5-1)
“America’s Team” is off to a hot start. 6-0 against the spread, 5 wins in a row, and 3 games up in the NFC East. It should be a great battle in Minnesota this week. Zeke
10. Kansas City Chiefs (3-4)
3-4 just like we all predicted… right? The Chiefs have been by far the biggest shock of the 2021 season. What is wrong with Patrick Mahomes? the Chiefs were held to just 3 points against the Titans.
11. Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)
There was a lot of hype behind the LA Chargers going into the year. 4-2 is a good start with an early bye. Let’s see if the Chargers can heat up and keep winning football games. Their offensive line has struggled, which lowers the ceiling for the offense, but Justin Herbert is a rockstar.
12. Cleveland Browns (4-3)
Don’t jump ship yet. The Brown need to get healthy, and they’ll find their stride. Chubb, Hunt, and Baker are worth the hype. However, they’ll have to get it together quick as they have a tough division and time isn’t on their side.
13. Minnesota Vikings (3-3)
It’s time to play a game I like to call contender or pretender? The Vikings have been one of the most fun teams to watch this season, and definitely the most stressful if you’re a fan. KirkTober finishes with a big game at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Cowboys. The Vikings have one of the toughest schedules down the stretch, let’s see how they perform.
14. Las Vegas Raiders (5-2)
After the resignation of coach Jon Gruden, the future of the Raiders is dicey for the season. Carr is playing extremely well, and the Raiders are looking like a good football team. They don’t have many overly impressive wins yet, besides beating the Ravens in week one, so for now they’ll be riding a little lower in my power rankings this week.
15. New Orleans Saints (4-2)
The Saints have a bottom-tier offense and a top-tier defense. In week 7 they snuck by a struggling Seahawks team, but I don’t see a deep run into the playoffs for the Jameis Winston lead saints. They’ll still be a tough team to beat during the regular season.
16. Indianapolis Colts (3-4)
The new-look Colts have had to fight hard to get to 3-4. Carson Wentz has played well behind center, and they have the second best turnover differential in the league at +9. Jonathan Taylor has been a stud as well. Overall, they truly are a middle of the pack team.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3)
The Steelers have been streaky this year and it makes sense, because Big Ben has been inconsistent. They started out with a huge win against the Bills, lost 3 straight, then won two games before the bye. They’ve got a big game ahead against division-rival Cleveland Browns in week 8.
19. New England Patriots (3-4)
Mac Jones has been arguably the best rookie QB of his class this year. The Patriots have lost a couple of heartbreakers to the Bucs and Cowboys late in the game, but they’ve shown that they’re not a bad team. Hanging 54 against the Jets was a nice showing last week.
20. San Francisco 49ers (2-4)
Trey Lance had a shot to prove himself with Jimmy G out in week 6. He played fine, but not overly impressive. The 49ers are starting to get healthy again. I think it’s a get-right game for them in week 8 against the Bears.
21. Atlanta Falcons (3-3)
I don’t really know where to rank this team. They’d have a good chance to beat any of the teams ranked below them in this list, but that’s about it. Calvin Ridley is having a much worse year than expected.
22. Denver Broncos (3-4)
On positive is that the Broncos defense has allowed just 18.1 points per game so far, but they find themselves in the midst of a 4 game losing streak. Their three wins are against the Giants, Jaguars, and Jets, so the 3-4 record is somewhat deceiving.
23. Philadelphia Eagles (2-5)
The Eagles are sitting at 2-5 due to below average QB play from Jalen Hurts and an inconsistent defense. The good news for Philly is that the hardest part of their schedule is behind them, and they can hopefully build some chemistry and get some wins down the stretch.
24. Chicago Bears (3-4)
My high school football team could’ve played the Bucs tougher than the Bears did in week 7. Rookie QB Justin Fields is learning by making mistakes, but is focused on improving. The Bears will have to learn how to stand up to tough competition if they want the league to start taking them seriously.
25. New York Giants (2-5)
The New York Football Giants are 2-5. I don’t think anybody is surprised. Danny Dimes has played well, but it’s hard to go places when you have injuries to big names like Saquon Barkley, Kenny Golladay, and Kadarius Toney to name a few.
25. Carolina Panthers (3-4)
Sam Darnold Passer rating weeks 1-7: 102.0 95.7, 85.5, 44.5, 55.6, 57.4. See a trend? I guess moving to Carolina wasn’t the only thing needed to fix Darnold’s problems. The defense is stingy, but the offense needs to pick up the slack.
26.Seattle Seahawks (2-5)
Once Russell Wilson got hurt, this team’s season really went down the drain. You can’t afford to start 2-5 in the best division in football. Hey Pete Carroll, is your seat getting warm yet? I know it’s not totally your fault, but…
27. Washington Football Team (2-5)
Maybe it’s time to get a team mascot? They sure don’t look like much of a football team this year. The defense went from one of the best in 2020, to a complete shit show this year. They’re among the worst in yards per game.
28. Miami Dolphins (1-6)
This has been one of the biggest shockers of the year. The Dolphins are laughable, hard to watch, and just plain bad. The squad has lost 6 straight and playoff hopes are already out the window.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5)
To be honest, writing about the shitty teams isn’t very fun. Trevor Lawrence has played much better the past 3 games. There was the whole Urban Meyer drama (don’t even let me get started on that). And the Jags are still seeking their first win in the US this season.
30. Detroit Lions (0-7)
Okay, I understand the league’s only winless team should probably be ranked last. However, this team has heart. They’ve been in games into the fourth quarter most weeks, and the guys have been playing hard for Dan Campbell. Can the team get a win in week 8 against the Eagles? We’ll find out.
31. New York Jets (1-5)
There aren’t a whole lot of positives to focus on for the Jets. Their offense has been bad, their defense has been bad, and now Zach Wilson is hurt. The J-E-T-S are a work in progress to say the least.
32. Houston Texans (1-5)
Is anyone surprised? The Texans have a league-worst point differential of -80. This team sucks, but at least they have a win!
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