NFL Power Rankings Week 1 Edition: Surprise Top 10 Team? Giants Fall Big Time

 We are finally here. In less than 100 hours, the first NFL regular season game of 2021 will kickoff! It feels like it's been so long since football and the later than usual start in September only adds to that. With week 1 being upon us, it is officially time for the first of our weekly power rankings. We all know how these work. The movement between power rankings week 1 and 2 is always the craziest because heading into week 1, it's just pure speculation and projections. After week 1, we see what really happened. In addition, on each team's ranking description, we will talk about their biggest potential breakout player for the 2021 season. Here we go.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There might be some debate for the top spot, but it still has to be the defending champs sitting atop the rankings for me. They accomplished and incredible feat of returning all 22 starters from the Super Bowl team, it's never been done before. Brady is still an ageless wonder and will lead this team deep into the playoffs at the bare minimum. And that defense is scary. Third year CB Sean Murphy-Bunting is someone who could be in for a breakout season. He's given us flashes in his first two seasons and looks like he truly might be on the verge of becoming a legit CB1/2 option.

2. Kansas City Chiefs
I can understand the argument for the Chiefs being number 1 as well. It's really 1A and 1B with Tampa and KC right now. The team had a crazy good off-season as they overhauled the offensive line which resulted in the Chiefs looking like they have potentially the best line in football. The offense led by Pat Mahomes is going to pick right back up where it left off. The defense is the story, its drastic improvement over the last season or so is what got the team to the big game two years in a row. L'Jarius Sneed, the second year CB on the team showed he is one of the best young corners in the game last season and could be in for a full on breakout this year.

3. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams went from an above average team to an elite Super Bowl contender during the off-season. The biggest reason was the blockbuster trade the team made to acquire Lions' gunslinging QB Matthew Stafford. Stafford will take this offense to new heights. The story of the Rams failures over the past few years was an inconsistent offense paired with an elite defense. Now they might just be elite on both sides of the football. That is scary. TE Tyler Higbee could be in for a big breakout year as Gerald Everett is no longer with the team and will benefit from Stafford's love of throwing to the tight end position. He could be in line for double digit TDs.

4. Buffalo Bills
Fresh off of their breakout season, the Bills look to go the extra mile this season. They came so close to a Super Bowl berth but were shutdown by the Chiefs and went home early. QB Josh Allen played in the team's final pre-season contest and looked better than ever. The Bills offense is not the question, it's the defense. Inconsistent a lot of the time, if they can return to their 2019 form, the Bills could very well be the favorite to win it all. I look at second year wideout Gabriel Davis as a player who could breakout in a massive way this year. He was really good in limited snaps as a rookie but has a chance to be Josh Allen's no. 2 WR this year.

5. Green Bay Packers
It's all or nothing for the Packers in 2021 in what appears to be Aaron Rodgers' final season in Wisconsin. The Packers return a very similar lineup as last season which may or may not be a good thing. The receiving core is still iffy for Rodgers' outside of Davante Adams and the defense wasn't fixed up as much as it could have been during the off-season. The Packers are basically saying, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. We will see how that works out for the explosive Packers this year. Sophomore RB AJ Dillon could be the Packers' breakout X-factor player of 2021. He is built and plays very similarly to Derrick Henry of the Titans. He will get a lot of short yardage and goal-line work and could be a super interesting change of pace option from Aaron Jones. Teams will have to adjust their defenses to account for him when he's out there in the backfield.

6. Cleveland Browns
After what turned out to be a miracle 2020 season, the Browns aren't done yet. They somehow improved what might have already been the most stacked roster in football. A ton of pressure rests on the shoulders of QB Baker Mayfield who is entering a contract year. He silenced a lot of haters with his playoff play last year but he will have to prove himself once again. The Browns defense is set to ascend into the top 10 this year with all of their star power and the offense has weapon after weapon to toy around with. "Redshirt" second year player Grant Delpit could be a major breakout player for the team. He was a ballhawk for years at LSU and before injury was regarded as one of the best safety prospects in awhile. Just because you forgot his name does not mean he has gone away. He is going to be hungry in this Browns secondary.

7. Seattle Seahawks
The drama with Russell Wilson quieted down after the Seahawks made a couple of good moves to improve the offensive line. The main one being trading for Raiders' guard Gabe Jackson who figures to vastly improve pass protection for the team. New OC Shane Waldron is sure to spice up what was a pretty one dimensional offense to end last season. The story of this team is the defense that was the league's best over the past 7 weeks of the season. Jamal Adams has his new contract and is finally healthy which is going to be super exciting to see. Yes, another second year player, but 2020 first rounder LB Jordyn Brooks is going to breakout this year. Filling the gaping hole of KJ Wright, the speedy TTU product is going to be a tackle machine and a stellar run defender. The Seahawks might be the most slept on elite team in the NFL right now, just wait.

8. San Fransisco 49ers
Crazy to think that three of the top 8 teams in these rankings all hail from the same division. That is the reality in 2021. The NFC West is stacked, and the Niners are really a wildcard in it all. With health, do they return to the Super Bowl form of 2019, or do they crumble which forces them to bench Jimmy Garopollo early for rookie phenom Trey Lance? Regardless of the QB, I think the Niners will be back to playoff form this season. They have a really good offensive supporting cast around the QB and their defense has all the same players mostly from the SB run. Usually I wouldn't put a rookie here, but 5th round pick CB Demmodore Lenoir from Oregon has been a crazy success throughout the off-season and pre-season. He is pushing for a big role right out of the gate and has been shutdown like. I would not be shocked if he was the biggest steal from this draft class as he truly looks like he could be the team's CB2 if needed right away.

9. Los Angeles Chargers
This might seem really high for the Chargers who easily missed out on the playoffs last year and are now ranked ahead of several perennial playoff teams, but I'm so high on them going into the season that this spot feels perfect. The Chargers struck gold with their first round QB last year in Justin Herbert who broke tons of rookie records en route to winning rookie of the year. The main issue with the Bolts last year was their terrible O-line which they have overhauled this off-season into a unit that looks like it could be elite. Their defense has also been upgraded quite nicely especially if you factor in that their new HC Brandon Staley called plays for the league's top D (the Rams) last season. The Chargers are going to arrive this season, and have a legit Super Bowl shot in my opinion. Think of this roster as a breakout team, not just a single breakout player.

10. Washington Football Team
Just like the Chargers, another team we are super high on going into the season is the Washington Football Team who actually are coming off of a playoff berth and look to make it two years in a row. That defense is elite. With Chase Young, Jonathan Allen, Da'Ron Payne and co. on the line, the LB core is also very good with rookie Jamin Davis leading the way. The secondary also boasts some nice talent like Kendall Fuller and Landon Collins. The offense held them back last season but we anticipate quite the jump with Ryan Fitzpatrick now under center. RB Antonio Gibson was way better than advertised as a rookie and we expect another jump from him in year 2. Ron Rivera wants to give him a Christian McCaffrey type role in this offense and who knows the production we might see from him. Expect the Football Team to win this division again.

11. Tennessee Titans
We are lower than most on the Titans, but still, this spot is pretty good for a team that lost so many key starters from last season going into this season. One player they GAINED though was Julio Jones. That changes everything. This offense is going to be near impossible to stop. It scares me to think about what the Titans would be like if they had a defense. They will be in shootouts weekly and will just hope to come out on top. Derrick Henry is still Derrick Henry and AJ Brown is also in the fold. They are going to hope new edge rusher Bud Dupree can wreak havoc on opposing offensive lines and that they can get some quality year 1 production from first round pick CB Caleb Farley. Young DT Jeffrey Simmons might be the Titans breakout player this season. The former first round pick has shown major promise when healthy and could break out into a Chris Jones type player for this defense. They need it. Simmons could change everything for that defensive squad.

12. Baltimore Ravens
This is probably the lowest you will see Baltimore ranked anywhere. I just don't love them this year. They aren't different enough from last year in my opinion to get any further in the post-season (they might not even make it this year). Lamar Jackson is a beast but he can only do so much for this offense. JK Dobbins going down really hurts this offense as I just don't think Gus Edwards can do close to the same things as he can. The defense is pretty good but I think we also see a step back in that department this season. The receiving core did improve, not vastly, but it did. That is a positive. We will have to see how this team does in big games before getting a true read on them. Veteran wide receiver Sammy Watkins could be the breakout on this team. He is going to get a healthy share of targets and could maybe become Lamar Jackson's go to guy. Week 1 Watkins?? If you know, you know...

13. Indianapolis Colts
I was pretty high on Indy earlier this off-season but the onslaught of injuries have left me with serious questions. Is Carson Wentz going to continue to struggle with injury? He is the main ticket to the Colts being competitive this year. If he's not healthy or struggles with consistency again, this season might be a wash for the Colts again. I think he will be above average though which is exactly what they need. The Colts are probably going to get into the playoffs, especially with the elite defense they have built. Their fate rests on the right arm of Carson Wentz and we will see just what he can do after being reunited with former coach Frank Reich. Second year wideout Michael Pittman Jr. might be the biggest beneficiary of Wentz coming to town. It's a QB upgrade and the young wideout could be poised for a massive breakout. He has all the talent in the world he just needs the reps. Carson Wentz is going to love throwing him the football.

14. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have had such an impressive rebuild over the past few years and now have one of the best rosters in football. The one major question mark is the QB position. If the Dolphins had taken Justin Herbert last year, man would things be different. This would be a top 5 football team. The defense is top of the line with talent everywhere you look. They might have the best CB tandem in the game with Xavien Howard and Byron Jones. Their offense is also filled with great young talent like WRs Will Fuller and Jaylen Waddle, or TE Mike Gesicki, or even RB Myles Gaskin. Everything rests on the left arm of Tua Tagovailoa and if he can make a major second year jump. If he can, this team can go head to head with Buffalo to try and take the division. If he's the same, the Fins will be looking for a new QB again next off-season. CB/S Noah Igobenoghene enters his second season with much promise. He will play a safety/cornerback hybrid role and some slot CB. He is well positioned to stuff the stat sheet and be a big breakout piece for the Fins this season.

15. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals come in at close to middle of the pack, but they are really so talented and could be higher. The questions come down to the defense. If it is improved, this team is going to find a way into the playoffs. The offense this team boasts is one of the best in football. Kyler Murray is absolutely electric at QB and has an insane receiving core including DHOP, Rondale Moore, Christian Kirk, and more to throw to. JJ Watt was a good add on defense but the team is pretty thin at corner and that will probably be where games are won and lost for this squad. I love Budda Baker as well, he might be the best safety in the NFL. If we are talking breakout players, look no further than third year CB Byron Murphy who is going to be thrust into the CB1 spot and be expected to hang with the best of the best each week. It's either going to go well or terribly, not much room for in between. 

16. New Orleans Saints
Despite the crazy roster turnover that the Saints saw this off-season, we think they are well equipped to make it right back to the playoffs again in 2021. While a lot of players moved on from the Saints due to a tough cap situation, the team that they have assembled for this season looks pretty good and deep. Jameis Winston will be getting the start at QB and we actually like his chances to bounce back in a big way while on his "prove-it" one year deal with the team. He will have the likes of Alvin Kamara and (eventually) Michael Thomas to aid him. The Saints D is still really good as it's led by Cam Jordan, Marshon Lattimore, Malcolm Jenkins, and a lot more notable talent. I can almost guarantee a breakout for wideout Marquez Callaway. He and Jameis Winston have shown tremendous chemistry throughout the pre-season and he has reportedly impressed during camp. He could be the team's WR1 by default until MT returns. Watch out for this guy.

17. Dallas Cowboys
I won't hear otherwise, until proven differently, this is where the Cowboys belong. They probably won't even make the playoffs this year, yet everyone always still puts them way higher than they deserve. Dak Prescott was so good before injury last year and as a fan of NFL football, I hope he returns to that form this year. The team focused big-time on improving the lackluster defense this off-season and it looks like we should see some steps in the right direction this year. I think the Cowboys will be competitive this year, but the D still just isn't there yet. I really like CeeDee Lamb to have a breakout season. He should eventually overtake Amari Cooper as the WR1 on this offense and he might be considered an elite wideout by the end of the season. 

18. New England Patriots
The Pats made headlines earlier this week when they released Cam Newton who was expected to start week 1 at QB. This means that rookie first rounder Mac Jones will start Week 1 signifying a new era of Patriots football beginning. I cannot wait to see what the offense looks like with the poised Jones under center. The Patriots offense though is really nothing to write home about. They lack explosive talent and could struggle to move the chains this year. On defense, we love what they have. They added so much talent to that side of the ball in the off-season and return star CBs Stephon Gillmore and JC Jackosn. I view the Patriots like the Rams of last year. Great defense, boring offense. If Mac Jones is the real deal, this team could return to the playoffs right away. WR Jakobi Meyers could be the breakout star of 2021 for NE. I think he will work his way into the WR1 spot over Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor and vacuum a ton of targets from the rookie. 

19. Minnesota Vikings
We are getting into the heart of the average/above average teams that could sneak into the playoffs. That is right where the Vikings look to be. We love their offense going into the season. Dalvin Cook is going to lead the way like always with his absurd rushing numbers. Justin Jefferson came out of nowhere and is one of the league's best WRs already heading into just his second season. Adam Thielen will probably regress some this season but should still be an elite number 2 option at WR. If Kirk Cousins can continue to play consistent football and not turn it over as much, the Vikings really really could sneak in. The defense is suspect but Patrick Peterson was an underrated add at CB and the defensive line is sure to be better with Michael Pierce in the fold. Big free agent signee DT Dalvin Tomlinson from the Giants might have a monster breakout season with the purple and gold. He could be their primary pass rushing DT and demand a lot of one on ones with Danielle Hunter and Sheldon Richardson also on the line. This would bode well for a talented big man like Tomlinson.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers
I think the team is letting Big Ben "overstay his welcome". Sure, he has been the star QB for this franchise for years and they want to respect him, but at some point, enough is enough. We are way past that point. The 39 year old QB is simply too old to carry on really, and the team is going to pay for it. This offense is going to be quite boring aside from rookie RB Najee Harris getting a ton of touches and checkdowns. The Steelers do have THAT defense, but it is not enough to save this awful offense. We also love Diontae Johnson at wide receiver and think he could be a major breakout if he can cut down on the drops. The Steelers might have to bench Big Ben at some point this year if they are serious about contending right now. He's too old.

21. Carolina Panthers
Another year, another new starting QB for the Panthers. They really believe they have something in this one (Sam Darnold). I think he's got a chance. The supporting cast in Carolina is very very good. DJ Moore and Robby Anderson make up a great WR duo and obviously the team has Christian McCaffrey as well. The best do it all back in the league. With an improved offensive line as well, Sam Darnold has everything he needs to succeed. If he does, the Panthers are contenders for that 7 seed in the NFC. The defense is still pretty suspect though. We LOVE Brian Burns as the top rusher on the team and Jaycee Horn was a good draft pick to be their CB1 of the future. Aside from those guys, they are really thin on D. It will be the death of them. Second year DT Derrick Brown is going to have a breakout season for the team. They used too high of a pick on him last year for him not be a major force in year 2. He might be really fun to watch. 

22. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jags are going to be better a lot more quickly than most expect. Trevor Lawrence is gonna be everything he was advertised to be. We saw him dealing in the final pre-season game. His WR core is really good too. Marvin Jones, DJ Chark, and Laviska Shenault give him some real options. He can also lean on the run game in the form of James Robinson who will look to prove Urban Meyer wrong for drafting Travis Etienne early in this year's draft. The defense should take a step forward as well this year. CJ Henderson is a really good young cornerback and could develop into a shutdown player this season. The Jags won't make the playoffs, but they will leave everyone with excitement for the future following this season.

23. Chicago Bears
The sooner the team starts rookie QB Justin Fields, the better. If he was starting from week 1, this team would be inside the top 20. They are literally a QB away from being competitive. They have the elite defense as we know, led by DPOY winner Khalil Mack. They also have a good offense surrounding the QB with elite WR Allen Robinson and 2020 breakout RB David Montgomery. Second year targets Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet figure to be huge contributors this year for the Bears. Mooney is already such a good route runner and should see a bump in targets with Anthony Miller off to Houston. The quicker Fields starts, the quicker we see this team in the playoffs.

24. Cincinnati Bengals
Depending on the play of the offensive line and the defense, the Bengals could either be much better, or much worse than expected. Right now, the expectations aren't very high for this team. I actually really like what they are building and wouldn't be surprised for them to take a big leap this season. Joe Burrow looked like their franchise QB before tearing his ACL last season, if he picks up where he left off, the team is in good shape. Ja'Marr Chase who they team took so high in the draft has looked bad throughout the off-season, but I still expect him to be very good. It might take time, but he will be there. It really comes down to this defense, mainly the secondary. If the secondary which is led by stud safety Jessie Bates can improve, I like the Bengals a lot this season. OT Jonah Williams could be on the verge of a breakout. The former first round pick is going to be a key part in keeping Joe Burrow upright this season and if he is good, the team will be much more likely to succeed.

25. Denver Broncos
I don't think I've seen a team with projections so all over the place like these 2021 Broncos. Yes, they have an easy schedule. Yes, Teddy Bridgewater is an above average starting QB who was won games in this league. However, I'm still not convinced. The Broncos just seem to be a few pieces away from winning. People are raving about this defense and are saying it's back like the Super Bowl days which is just so far from true. Von Miller is a shell of his former self and the team will need to rely on Bradley Chubb for their main source of pass rush. I like their secondary a lot right now though. Kyle Fuller and Patrick Surtain II give the Broncos a top tier CB duo and you can't forget about All-Pro safety Justin Simmons either. They could be good, but I feel like Teddy B isn't enough. Jerry Jeudy is going to come into his own this year. He is already one of the best route runners in the league and now has a far more accurate QB to deliver him the ball. He is going to be the team's unquestioned WR1 by the year's end.

26. Las Vegas Raiders
If the Raiders didn't dismantle their own quality offensive line for no reason during this off-season, they would be right in the thick of the playoff race in my opinion. Since they did for no reason, they are not. Derek Carr is an above average QB who I like a lot, but he is going to have no time to throw the ball. The team didn't really need to invest in Kenyan Drake but it doesn't hurt to have a really good RB combo with Drake and Josh Jacobs. Darren Waller is still there and going to be an absolute menace to opposing defenses. Speaking of defense, the Raiders don't really have one either. I liked the KJ Wright and Yannick Ngakoue adds this off-season, but that is kinda it. They are lacking secondary help and are going to get burned by the Chiefs trackstars and the Chargers route runners. Safety Jon Abram might be the breakout player the team sees this season. The hard hitting safety has some Jamal Adams in his and Jon Gruden is gonna move him all over the defense, getting him the stats. The Raiders might be a bit higher than this rank by the end of the year, but it's not looking great for them in 21'. 

27. Atlanta Falcons
If the Falcons had a defense, this would be an entirely different story. We love their offense. While they lost Julio Jones, a generational talent, this off-season, they gained Kyle Pitts, a potential generational talent. He will fit right into this offense and get a ton of targets only behind Calvin Ridley. Ridley is already a proven star in the NFL, but he might make a jump to the top tier of WRs. He is going to get so many targets and really fill the Julio Jones role in this offense. We saw how damn good he was with Julio out at times last year. Now he's the guy. Mike Davis was a great signing, he will be a fine RB1 for this team. Sadly, there is little talent on this defense leaving the squad desperate to win shootout after shootout which never seems to end well.

28. New York Jets
It may come to a surprise that the Jets are the higher New York team on our power rankings, but just look at the facts. The Jets actually have a QB with star potential. Zach Wilson has looked really good throughout the pre-season and should be ready to be the franchise QB of the team. Corey Davis, Jamison Crowder, and Elijah Moore give him a really nice supporting cast to throw to. The offensive line is also so much improved from last season. The Jets D was surprisingly not as bad as you might think it was last year and it will certainly be better with coach Robert Saleh in the fold. He's a defensive genius and is going to turn this unit around fully. The Jets will not contend this year, but they are building something great. 

29. New York Giants
Back to back New York teams. The Giants really screwed up giving Daniel Jones another year. It's essentially wasting another year. Justin Fields was there for them to grab at 11 and instead they traded the pick down to Chicago. They will regret this move forever. With Daniel Jones at QB, the Giants really have little hope to be anything special this year. Saquon Barkley will be back and they brought in big time WR Kenny Golladay, but in the end this does not matter. The Giants are not going to be able to score. Their defense is actually a good unit, surprisingly, but it simply isn't enough to overcome the struggles that we will see from this offense.

30. Philadelphia Eagles
I would really like to rank Philly higher than this because I'm a huge Jalen Hurts fan and can't wait to watch what he does this season, but outside of him and a few other players, this roster is seriously depleted of talent. Jalen Hurts is going to have his breakout season and prove he is the QB of the future of this team. His rushing ability is too good and he also has an underrated arm. Rookie first rounder DeVonta Smith figures to have a huge role out of the gate and we can't wait to watch him either. Sadly for the Eagles, their defense is beyond what we would call lackluster and their offensive line isn't going to be particularly good either. I think Jalen Hurts alone is good enough to win them a few games but they won't be good this year. Nick Sirianni also was not the right head coaching hire, he just gives me bad vibes.

31. Detroit Lions
The Lions actually had a good off-season despite being the second worst team in football right now. They set themselves up nicely for the future but for now they are in full rebuild mode and have a chance to genuinely win 0 games. Jared Goff is not going to be good in this offense if he wasn't good with LA's. TE TJ Hockenson has a full on breakout campaign in 2021 in my opinion. The passing offense runs through him and they are really only 2-3 other TE's in the league who you could say the same about. This defense is not good but it isn't the worst unit in the league by any means. Second year CB Jeff Okudah is another potential breakout to look out for, you don't make a corner the highest drafted corner ever for him to simply fade off into nothing.

32. Houston Texans
The clear cut worst team in football. This might be the worst team ever. Nothing good is happening here. I'm not even going to get into the Deshaun Watson situation. This team has no hope and unless it stops being stubborn and trades Watson, they have no picks or anything for the future either. This team is a hot mess. They really might be favorites to not win a single game this year. 0-17 has never looked more likely.