NFL power rankings, Week 1: Separating the contenders from the rest

The NFL is officially in Week 1. The first game of the season will come at you on Wednesday night, when the New England Patriots will visit the Seattle Seahawks for a Super Bowl rematch. Then on Thursday, the San Francisco 49ers will take on the Los Angeles Rams in an incredible NFC West matchup in Australia. Three of the four teams in the NFC West are expected to be powerhouses, and they will all have played before you wake up on Friday morning. On Sunday and Monday, the rest of the week will conclude the slate of games, which will certainly start many conversations. How do those NFC West teams compare to the rest of the conference? How about the top teams in the AFC? Well, this is our power ranking of the 32 NFL teams based on what we know going into the 2026 season: The Contenders 1. Seattle Seahawks 2. Los Angeles Rams 3. Denver Broncos 4. Buffalo Bills 5. New England Patriots 6. Chicago Bears 7. Baltimore Ravens 8. Philadelphia Eagles 9. San Francisco 49ers 10. Houston Texans 11. Detroit Lions 12. Kansas City Chiefs 13. Los Angeles Chargers 14. Dallas Cowboys 15. Cincinnati Bengals 16. Jacksonville Jaguars This category of "The Contenders" will slowly change throughout the season. By the end, it will be a much smaller group. For now, these are the 16 teams that have a good chance to win the Super Bowl. All of them are coming into the year expecting to make the playoffs as a minimum. They won't all accomplish that goal, but there is no distinguishing who that will be at this time. All 16 believe that they have their franchise quarterback. That includes the Chicago Bears, who are trying to repeat as NFC North champions in 2026. The Detroit Lions are also right there, as they look to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 season. Although the hot pick right now is the Los Angeles Rams, the Seattle Seahawks will still start in the first spot. When you win the Super Bowl, you have to be dethroned in the power rankings, even if it just takes one week. It isn't like Seattle lost what made them click last year, which also plays a role in staying at number one. Los Angeles, with the addition of Myles Garrett and the unretiring of Aaron Donald, are certainly one of the teams to beat. Are the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Buffalo Bills going to run the AFC again this year? Will Patrick Mahomes be healthy enough to get the Chiefs back involved? Or will a team like the Los Angeles Chargers or Houston Texans finally break through? Neither conference has a lack of depth. One important note is the Cincinnati Bengals, who could easily be a top-six team if Joe Burrow stays healthy. This franchise could be a major disruptor, but Burrow must be on the field for them to be a factor. It hasn't happened in a while, so nobody is holding their breath. Teams To Watch 17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 18. Green Bay Packers 19. Indianapolis Colts 20. Washington Commanders 21. Minnesota Vikings 22. Pittsburgh Steelers 23. Carolina Panthers All of these teams competed for the playoffs last year; the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Carolina Panthers even made it. However, they all have injuries or question marks that leave a sour taste. They all know who their quarterback is going into Week 1, but there are question marks for all of them. Will Baker Mayfield or Jordan Love struggle late in the season again? Is Daniel Jones good enough to lift the Colts? Will Jayden Daniels bounce back? Is Kyler Murray the answer in Minnesota? Is Aaron Rodgers going to hold the Steelers back at his age? Can Bryce Young get them into the playoffs again? Of them all, the Minnesota Vikings have the most complete roster, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Packers, and Washington Commanders have quarterbacks with proven success. Are more teams going to fall into this category in Week 2? Will any of these teams make a statement? That remains to be seen. More To Prove 24. New Orleans Saints 25. New York Giants 26. Atlanta Falcons 27. Las Vegas Raiders 28. Tennessee Titans 29. New York Jets 30. Arizona Cardinals 31. Cleveland Browns 32. Miami Dolphins Usually, one of the teams that starts the year on this list rises above and competes for the playoffs. There is no perfect science to guessing. However, most of these squads will be thinking about the number one overall pick by the end of November. The Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, and Miami Dolphins are actively tanking, but only one of them can finish at the bottom. Both New York teams that play in New Jersey find themselves in this tier one again. To nobody's surprise, the Giants are the one closer to coming out of it, but there is a lot to prove there for them. Which team from one of the top tiers will fall into this one first? Someone will start 0-2 with playoff aspirations, and they will see their season slip away before it can even begin. Nobody wants to be that team that ends up in the "More To Prove" category, but it is the reality for many teams every year. Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram