The 2023 NFL season officially kicks off tomorrow night, with the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs playing on Thursday Night Football. Prior to the league year kicking off, we are releasing our NFL Power Rankings for Week 1.
Typically, our weekly NFL Power Rankings will be released here on FlurrySports on Tuesdays, so make sure to check them out every single week to see which direction your team is trending.
While we know the Super Bowl champions will start the year on top, where do the other 31 rank? Let’s jump right into the Week 1 NFL Power Rankings. Normally, we will only expand on the top 10 teams, but we have a blurb about the entire NFL to kick things off.
NFL Power Rankings For Week 1
1) Kansas City Chiefs
We named the Kansas City Chiefs as the best team this time last year on the FlurrySports Podcast, and the Super Bowl champs look great once again. Yes, Travis Kelce begins the year banged up and Chris Jones is still holding out, but there are reasons to believe both situations get figured out. Led by Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, combined with a young defense that has another year under their belts, the Chiefs are the top team to start our 2023 NFL Power Rankings.
2) Philadelphia Eagles
The losers of the Super Bowl appeared to improve their roster even more this offseason. It looks like the Philadelphia Eagles have the best roster in the league, but there are major changes to the coaching staff, which could cause the team to be a bit slow to start the year. Regardless, they will be a very tough team all year long.
3) San Francisco 49ers
Despite ranking third, the San Francisco 49ers appear to be a tier below the previous two teams. There is a weird vibe coming from San Francisco, and a bit of adversity could cause issues this season. Still, this is a very good football team. They should figure out the Nick Bosa contract, which will give them one of the best defenses. Offensively, we will see if Brock Purdy can replicate the late-season magic from last year.
4) Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills rank fourth in the NFL Power Rankings and are very talented, but there are reasons to be hesitant. The biggest issue is Sean McDermott taking over defensive playcalling, requiring him to wear two hats. Many of the defensive playmakers are also another year older, while Von Miller will not start the season healthy. Offensively, this unit could be better, but Josh Allen must prove he can make the right decisions when teams drop back into coverage and contain him in the pocket. The Bills are still one of the most talented teams in the league, but we will quickly see where they rank this year.
5) New York Jets
The new-look New York Jets start the season with an important divisional matchup with the Bills. The Jets still have a great defense, but the offense is now led by Hall of Famers Aaron Rodgers. They added more weapons as well. If the team can gel quickly and stay healthy, they will be Super Bowl contenders.
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6) Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals improved their offensive line finally, which could be big things for Joe Burrow and this offense. However, there are now concerns on the defensive side of the ball with the defensive backfield. If they don’t let the team down, the Bengals should be strong once again.
7) Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens offense will look much better now that they aren’t as one-dimensional. Still, the issue with the Ravens will continue to be health. They have one of the best rosters in the NFL, along with a good coaching staff. If Lamar Jackson and the rest of this team can stay healthy, they have the talent to contend for a Super Bowl.
8) Dallas Cowboys
Is this the Dallas Cowboys’ year? Usually, sports media hype up the Cowboys to an annoying amount, but not this year. The defense has playmakers and the offense still has plenty of weapons. Will Mike McCarthy run the same stale offense that he refused to change in Green Bay, or will his balanced approach get the most out of these players? That will be the big question.
9) Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars should continue to get better and be a solid team under Doug Pederson. We will see if Trevor Lawrence is able to build upon a strong 2022 season. If so, and the defense holds its own, then the Jaguars will be a top-10 team in our NFL Power Rankings for a long time.
10) Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin somehow avoided his first losing season in 2022. Now, Kenny Pickett had a full offseason to get better and the offensive line looks greatly improved. As long as the offensive playcalling doesn’t hold the team back, Pittsburgh will be better than most fans expect.
11) Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are another team that is quietly solid. Pete Carroll is one of the best coaches in the NFL, and Geno Smith is more than capable of playing good football in this situation. There are weapons all over the offense, the two tackles are more experienced this season, and the defense looks to have filled a few obvious holes. Watch out for Seattle this season.
12) Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions have built their team the right way. The offensive line is one of the best in the NFL. They will run the ball effectively behind it, and Jared Goff can make any throw as long as he is not pressured. Defensively, they look about average, but average will be a big improvement from last season.
13) Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are the Chargers. There is no additional that will change that about the Los Angeles Chargers, unfortunately. While Justin Herbert is a solid quarterback and he has many weapons to use, the Chargers will find ways to keep most games within one score, and they will lose half of them. Brandon Staley will be a major part of those losses, I’m sure.
14) Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins have had a few injuries already this preseason, which is unfortunate. Vic Fangio takes over as the defensive coordinator, which immediately makes their defense a unit to watch out for. However, the offensive line remains a question mark, which is a concern for Tua Tagovailoa’s sustained health.
15) Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans have a defense that should be better than what most people are saying, and the special teams are perfectly fine. It comes down to the offense. The offensive line needs to be better than last season. If they can play better, then Ryan Tannehill should be able to get the ball to the receivers, and Derrick Henry will be able to run the ball. That will be enough to keep this team in the mix.
16) New York Giants
The New York Giants won a playoff game last season. Whether you think the team got lucky down the stretch or not, they have improved this offseason. The team added much-needed talent on both sides of the ball. Now, the playmakers simply needed to do their jobs, and the Giants will be fighting for NFC playoff spots again.
17) Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos named Sean Payton as their near head coach, and he immediately changed the culture for the better. However, it appears Payton is coaching a little too hard too quickly. Success in Denver won’t be like flipping a light switch, especially with the injuries they have suffered in the receiving corps. Still, the defense is one of the best in football and the offensive line is improved, which should mean the team gets some big wins this year.
18) New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints look like a big question mark. To me, they could win 10 games and take the division, or they could be a six-win mess. Offensive line injuries early on sucks, but this team does still have the weapons to win the division, at the very least. The defense should be at least average, projecting this team to be around the league’s median in our Week 1 NFL Power Rankings.
19) New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are in a weird place. The defense looks good and the special teams are always good under Bill Belichick. That’s two of the game’s three phases checked off, which will result in wins. Offensively, the playcalling will be much better, but the offensive line will need to figure itself out in order for this team to have success.
20) Minnesota Vikings
After being one of the luckiest teams in the NFL last season, the Minnesota Vikings’ offense lost two of its best players. While the defense should improve a little bit, Minnesota has more questions than answers, and there are only so many flaws that Justin Jefferson can make up for.
21) Cleveland Browns
There are reasons to be optimistic if you are a Cleveland Browns fan. Jim Schwartz comes in to lead the defense, which should lead to some measure of improvement. Offensively, a distraction-free offseason should lead to Deshaun Watson playing better football. However, the question is if he can return to his pre-scandal form, at least on the field. If he can, it’s possible Cleveland will sneak into the playoffs.
22) Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears have added some playmakers on both sides of the ball. They especially got more talented on defense, which is what the Bears’ identity has been built upon historically. The offense improved last season when they utilized Justin Fields‘ legs. However, his ability to stay healthy under that type of role was a major concern. For this reason, we should expect a slightly better run-pass balance this season. The success of Fields’ arm will determine if the Bears are an NFC North contender or one of the bottom teams in the league.
23) Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are building a solid team that will make every game ugly. However, the play of Desmond Ridder will determine how many of these ugly games they actually win. He looks to be one of the true question marks at the position this year, which makes this team tough to project. They are capable of winning the NFC South, but there is a route to them finishing last as well.
24) Green Bay Packers
We talk about the Green Bay Packers a lot on our podcast Lombardi Sweep. Yes, the defense has many first-round draft picks on it. However, many analysts seem to forget that not every first-rounder pans out. The defense will be fast and opportunistic, but they will give up big plays. Offensively, Jordan Love will make some plays and extend drives with his legs, but his inaccuracy will lead to offensive inconsistency. Of course, the biggest issue for this team is the two play-callers.
25) Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders nearly made the playoffs last year, and Ron Rivera continues to be shocked that they were eliminated. In all seriousness, there are major concerns that Rivera is still capable of leading a football team. For a team in Washington D.C., it is surprising that Rivera of all people is the biggest red flag, but that is reality. Outside of him, much of the success will be tied to Sam Howell, for better or worse.
26) Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers ended last season strong, then the team made major changes. The coaching staff looks strong, but they will have to be incredible in order to see consistent results in their first year.
27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rank 27th in our rankings, they clearly have the potential to rise. There are talented playmakers on both sides of the ball. However, life after Tom Brady is going to be difficult. New leaders will have to rise up and the quarterback position must find a way to be steady in order to win games.
28) Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams were limited in what they could do this offseason, due to a lack of money and draft capital. For this reason, they once again have one of the worst rosters in the league. While Matthew Stafford is back, he looks to be on a timer. We have no idea if or when Cooper Kupp will rejoin the team, which puts them in a terrible position.
29) Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a team that improved this offseason, but they had too many holes to become much better. The culture seems to have turned around under DeMeco Ryans, but this young team will be too inconsistent to make much noise in his first year.
30) Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts know they have to get worse before they can get better. While Anthony Richardson possesses a lot of potential, he has to play to get better, and he will be working through many challenges this season. Add in the Jonathan Taylor drama, and the Colts are one of the bottom teams in our NFL Power Rankings.
31) Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders failed to address multiple massive needs this offseason. To summarize this team, they have an injury-prone quarterback who is playing behind a bad offensive line. Their defense will struggle, especially in coverage. Finally, their best player looks to be a trade target by many teams ahead of the deadline. There’s a lot of bad in Vegas this year.
32) Arizona Cardinals
The basement of the 2023 NFL Power Rankings for Week 1 is the Arizona Cardinals, and that is not likely to change this season. A new general manager and head coach means the team is going through a lot of change, but it appears the head coach is a clown once again. Kyler Murray is not healthy to begin the year, and there are many reasons why he won’t be rushed back. This is a bad, bad football team.
