NFL Power Rankings

Posted on by Donny Didion

These rankings mathematically-averaged rankings are a joint effort from Partially Biased contributors Jordan Wall, Donny Didion, Kyle Gose, and new-addition Ricky Renton. Ricky is an OSU student and a native of Chagrin Falls. PB had to add a little Cleveland spice to supplement the bias! These rankings will be released weekly. Here’a the first set: compiled following week 1.

32. Miami Dolphins (0-1)

Ryan Fitzpatrick took a beating in week 1 en route to a 59-10 loss to the Dolphins.

Didion: 32 Wall: 32 Gose: 32 Renton: 31

Outlook: Will the Dolphins even win a game this year? Who trades away their star left tackle at the beginning of the season?! Poor Fitzpatrick…

31. Arizona Cardinals (0-0-1)

Kyler Murray was impressive in the Cardinals 4th quarter comeback to send the game to overtime against the Lions. Unfortunately, he could not punch a score in the extra period and the game resulted in a 27-27 tie.

Didion: 28 Wall: 31 Gose: 30 Renton: 30

Outlook: They can’t go down at all from here. But the Cardinals have hope for this season in the rookie QB and last year’s Heisman Trophy winner. If he can limit his mistakes going forward, this could be a team that rises up the rankings.

30. New York Giants (0-1)

The Giants suffered a 35-17 loss in week 1 to the talented Cowboys. But Saquon Barkley ran for 120 yards on only 11 carries.

Didion: 29 Wall: 30 Gose: 27 Renton: 32

Outlook: The Giants still suck. But they have Saquon, so they still have some entertainment value.

29. Denver Broncos (0-1)

Joe Flacco’s Broncos debut wasn’t a total disappointment, but Denver drops a 24-16 L to Jon Gruden’s Raiders.

Didion: 31 Wall: 29 Gose: 26 Renton: 27

Outlook: Well…they lost to the Raiders. Probably not a playoff team.

28. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)

John Ross had 158 yards receiving and 2 TDS for the Bengals in week 1. A pleasant surprise for Bengals fans! Cincy was able to hang tough with the Seahawks in week 1 in a 21-20 loss.

Didion: 26 Wall: 23 Gose: 28 Renton: 29

Outlook: I (Donny) think that maybe Gose and Renton could be a little too biased about the apparent AFC North bottom feeders. Andy Dalton threw for over 400 yards on the Seahawks without an INT. The Bengals could be sneaky good. Jordan may agree with me.

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)

Chris Godwin had a toudie in their 31-17 loss to the 49ers.

Didion: 30 Wall: 27 Gose: 24 Renton: 24

Outlook: That’s a pretty tough loss for the Bucs. But the WR duo of Godwin and Evans is dangerous. Running game must improve to open things up for Jameis Winston.

26. Washington Redskins (0-1)

Rookie Terry McLaurin out of Ohio State went off in his first NFL game, catching a TD and going for 125 yards. The Redskins hung tough with the Eagles in a 32-27 loss.

Didion: 18 Wall: 28 Gose: 31 Renton: 26

Outlook: Clearly Kyle and I don’t see eye to eye on this team. I think this team is feisty. Redskins fans will be ecstatic if McLaurin can continue to be an offensive weapon for whoever the quarterback is going to be for most of this season: Case Keenum or rookie Dwayne Haskins.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)

Who the hell is Gardner Minshew II?! My only answers to this question is that he threw for 275 yards and 2 TDS against the Chiefs, and that his dad’s name is NOT Gardner. Seriously, look it up. His dad, Flint, just felt like giving him the name Gardner II. Jags lost to the Chiefs 40-26.

Didion: 27 Wall: 26 Gose: 23 Renton: 25

Outlook: Who is the QB of the Jags? Minshew or Nick Foles? Can Minshew, the unlikely and somewhat comical hero, bring the Jags back to prominence. Seems like he may have the personality and the skill to do so.

24. Detroit Lions (0-0-1)

Rookie TJ Hockenson out of Iowa came up huge for the Lions in the tie against the Cardinals. Hockenson caught 6 balls for 131 yards and his first NFL toudie.

Didion: 25 Wall: 24 Gose: 22 Renton: 28

Outlook: Stafford was outstanding against the Cardinals! That’s a good sign. But to tie the Cardinals…ouch…

23. New York Jets (0-1)

CJ Mosley had an INT TD to get the rally started against the Bills. But the Bills would come back and win 17-16.

Didion: 23 Wall: 25 Gose: 25 Renton: 22

Outlook: Darnold already out for week 2. Let’s see what Trevor Siemian has in store. This team could be trending down.

22. Buffalo Bills (1-0)

Josh Allen mounted a nice comeback against the Jets to pull off the 17-16 win. But he needs to continue to improve at taking care of the football. Allen threw 2 INTs in the first half.

Didion: 20 Wall: 21 Gose: 29 Renton: 18

Outlook: Kyle is a hater! The Bills defense is solid and the offense just continues to improve! This team could be trending up.

21. Oakland Raiders (1-0)

Rookie RB Josh Jacobs out of Alabama ran for 2 TDs in his deput, lifting the Cardinals to a 24-16 win over Denver.

Didion: 22 Wall: 22 Gose: 21 Renton: 21

Outlook: Jon Gruden has this offense looking solid. Derek Carr looked great as well, slinging it with excellent accuracy and linking up with Tyrell Williams for a TD. We’ll see if the defense can hold up.

20. Atlanta Falcons (0-1)

Matt Ryan threw for over 300 yards and 2 TDS but his 2 INTs were costly in the 28-12 loss to Minnesota.

Didion: 24 Wall: 18 Gose: 19 Renton: 15

Outlook: The pass game is going to be a great weapon in Atlanta, but they need to figure out their run game. The defense isn’t going to do them a ton of favors either.

19. San Francisco 49ers (1-0)

The Niners defense came to ball against the Buccaneers in week 1. Cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Ahkello Witherspoon each had an INT TD in the 31-17 dub.

Didion: 21 Wall: 17 Gose: 17 Renton: 20

Outlook: There’s no doubt this defense is tenacious but what about the offense? With the injury to Tevin Coleman, the run game has somewhat disappeared. Jimmy Garoppolo still has some to prove at QB this season.

18. Carolina Panthers (0-1)

High-flying Christian McCaffrey had one of those games against the Rams in week 1, totaling 209 yards and running for 2 toudies. But it wasn’t enough, and the Panthers dropped their ninth game in a row with Cam Newton under center, by a score of 30-27.

Didion: 17 Wall: 16 Gose: 18 Renton: 23

The Panthers look good on paper but they can’t seem to get it together. This could be a team that is trending down.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1)

Ben Roethlisberger was forced to play from behind and sling it out the entire game without an existing run game against the Patriots. He threw just one INT but could not get the ball in the end zone in the 30-3 loss.

Didion: 15 Wall: 19 Gose: 20 Renton: 17

16. Cleveland Browns (0-1)

Baker Mayfield struggled against the Titans in week 1, throwing 3 INTs in a 43-13 loss. The Browns were penalized for over 200 yards.

Didion: 16 Wall: 20 Gose: 16 Renton: 14

Outlook: So they got blown out in week 1. Should all the hype die dead in its tracks? No. Have they been overrated? Maybe. Just give the Browns some time to get those discipline issues together and let’s see where the talent takes them. The Jets next week should be a good tune up game on Monday Night Football if their heads are right.

15. Indianapolis Colts (0-1)

Marlon Mack went off in week 1, running for 174 yards and 2 TDs. But the Colts couldn’t pull it out in OT against the Chargers, losing 24-30.

Didion: 19 Wall: 15 Gose: 14 Renton: 16

Outlook: Jacoby Brissett took care of the ball and had a solid opening week. If he can keep that up, this team is going to be dangerous.

14. Chicago Bears (0-1)

Allen Robinson had over 100 yards receiving for the Bears in week 1, but the Bears couldn’t get in the end zone and took a 10-3 L against the Pack.

Didion: 14 Wall: 12 Gose: 13 Renton: 12

Outlook: Defense is vicious. But they have to be able to score. I think they need to get David Montgomery more carries so that the passing game can open up some for Trubisky and the offense.

13. Seattle Seahawks (1-0)

DK Metcalf was the leading receiver in the 21-20 win over the Bengals, with 89 yards.

Didion: 11 Wall: 11 Gose: 7 Renton:19

Outlook: I guess we’re not sure about the Seahawks right now. Kyle likes them. Ricky, not so much. Not the most impressive performance in week 1. If not for fumbles, they would have lost to the Bengals. Dalton had more than twice as many pass yards as Russell Wilson. I have a feeling this team could trend down. But…obviously Kyle sees some spark there.

12. Houston Texans (0-1)

DeAndre Hopkins had a monster game in week 1, grabbing 8 balls for 111 yards and 2 TDs. But the talented Texans came up just short against the Saints.

Didion: 13 Wall: 14 Gose: 9 Renton: 11

Outlook: The Texans went to New Orleans and nearly snuck a win in week 1. But, it was a loss and right now we have them at 12. Some very tough teams in the top 10. But the Texans are likely to trend up.

11. Tennessee Titans (1-0)

Derrick Henry ran all over the Browns in week 1 with a TD run and a TD catch. Mariota threw for 3 without turning it over in the 43-13 win.

Didion: 10 Wall: 10 Gose: 15 Renton: 10

Outlook: We all witnessed that game and we were all very impressed with the Titans on both sides of the ball. Maybe we have some bias on this one, but the Titans look a little scary so far.

10. Green Bay Packers (1-0)

Aaron Rodgers threw for 203 yards and a touchdown to Jimmy Graham against the Bears to secure a 10-3 win over an elite defense. Clearly, the Pack Attack D is well and alive as well.

Didion: 7 Wall: 13 Gose: 11 Renton: 13

Outlook: A huge win for the Packers lands them in the top 10 to start the season. This defense was extremely impressive, and Aaron Rodgers clearly is still Aaron Rodgers. Just need to get that running game up to speed a bit with Aaron Jones.

9. Baltimore Ravens (1-0)

Lamar Jackson: 17-20, 324 yards, 5 TDs
Also Lamar Jackson: 3 carries, 6 yards
Ravens: Beat Dolphins 59-10
Lamar Jackson: “Not bad for a running back, right?”

Didion: 6 Wall: 7 Gose: 12 Renton: 9

Outlook: The favorites to win a pretty tough AFC North. Jackson can throw the deep ball. And the runs will come. Granted, the Dolphins are bad. But just how dangerous is this team? Possibly scary.

8. Minnesota Vikings (1-0)

Dalvin Cook ran for 111 yards and 2 TDs in the 28-12 win over the Falcons.

Didion: 12 Wall: 8 Gose: 10 Renton: 4

Outlook: Kirk Cousins and that star-studded receiving corp didn’t have to do much to win that one. This rushing attack took care of business. That is a tough offensive line. Ricky clearly loves Minnesota. But I am not sold on them in the deadly NFC North just yet. I want to see what happens when Kirk Cousins is challenged.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)

Carson Wentz is back for the Eagles. And so is DeSean Jackson! Jackson provides a great deep threat weapon for Wentz. Jackson opened up with 8 receptions for 154 yards and 2 toudies.

Didion: 8 Wall: 9 Gose: 5 Renton: 8

Outlook: This offense is certainly clicking. Can they get that run game going with Myles Sanders? And how will the defense hold up against the Cowboys and other top teams?

6. LA Chargers (1-0)

It may not always look pretty but Phillip Rivers is still getting the job done. Rivers threw for 333 yards and 3 TDs in the 30-24 OT win over the Colts. Maybe 3 is a lucky number for the LA Chargers???

Didion: 9 Wall: 6 Gose: 8 Renton: 6

Outlook: No Melvin Gordon, no problem? We’ll see…

5. LA Rams (1-0)

Malcolm Brown: 11 rush, 53 yards, 2 TDs
Todd Gurley: 14 rush, 97 yards
Rams: Beat Panthers 30-27.

Didion: 5 Wall: 5 Gose: 4 Renton: 7

Outlook: To go along with one of the best defenses in the league, the Rams offense looks very balanced right now. With Gurley still unable to take on the entire rushing load due to injury, two-headed monster seems to be alive and well with Malcolm Brown.

4. New Orleans Saints (1-0)

34-year old Ted Ginn Jr. made an appearance for the Saints this week, grabbing 7 balls for 101 yards en route to a gritty 30-28 win over the Texans.

Didion: 3 Wall: 3 Gose: 6 Renton: 5

Outlook: Drew Brees and the Saints are still a force to be reckoned with. Can they find more ways to get Alvin Kamara involved in the offense? Let’s see what they have this week in the NFC Championship rematch with the Rams!

3. Dallas Cowboys (1-0)

Dak Prescott threw for 405 yards and 4 TDs without throwing an INT in the Cowboys’ 35-17 win over the Giants. When will this man get paid?

Didion: 4 Wall: 2 Gose: 3 Renton: 3

Outlook: This is the best Cowboys team in a long time. The Eagles are still lurking.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)

In the absence of Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins stepped up big time with 9 catches for 198 yards and 3 TDs as the Chiefs beat the Jags 40-24.

Didion: 2 Wall: 4 Gose: 2 Renton: 2

Outlook: The Chiefs aren’t missing a beat without Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt. Pat Mahomes is my early favorite to repeat as MVP.

1. New England Patriots (1-0)

Phillip Dorset stepped up for the Pats with 95 yards receiving and 2 TD snags. Tom Brady threw for 341 yards and 3 TDs without an INT an a 30-3 blowout over the Steelers.

Unanimous PB #1

Outlook: Can anyone dethrone these guys?

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Published by Donny Didion

College Wrestler, Wrestling Coach, Sports Journalist