NFL

Week 1 of the 2026 regular season is finally here. That’s the ideal time to check in with Sporting News’ fifth edition of this year’s league power rankings to kick off our weekly updates through the end of the playoffs in Super Bowl 61.

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This exercise will help us check in on how each team is doing after every game or bye week and look ahead to potential rise or fall. For starters, before any results, it’s good to stick with riding the offseason vibes through training camp and exhibition games.

Although not too much has changed from the previous pre-preseason version, there were a few tweaks needed to be made up and down the board from 1-32.

From the clear heavy favorites to win it all to the team that helped make them that way, here’s how all the teams stack up against each other before the first slate of games that count:

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NFL Power Rankings

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1. Los Angeles Rams (previous ranking: 1)

The Rams’ defense looks stacked with Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald joining some young stars and a revamped secondary. It might be too good to be true when you factor in MVP QB Matthew Stafford, but for now, their completeness can’t be ignored.

2. Buffalo Bills (2)

The Bills pushed the right buttons in keeping Joe Brady to lead the offense while also staying as head coach and flipping to a more aggressive defense under Jim Leonhard. Buffalo’s shakeup can pay off big-time in Josh Allen’s prime.

MORE: Why the Bills are SN’s pick to win Super Bowl 61

3. Chicago Bears (3)

Are the Bears being overhyped for their offensive expectations with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams? Maybe a little. But they will give the league a little bit of everything there, helped by a takeaway-minded defense.

4. Baltimore Ravens (6)

The Ravens keep developing stronger vibes with the youthful energy of Jesse Minter being a fresh extension of the John Harbaugh era. How far they go will depend on how well a healthy Lamar Jackson can execute in the new well-rounded offense.

5. Seattle Seahawks (4)

Mike Macdonald lost some pieces on every level of his Super Bowl 60-winning defense but the core and the scheming are still intact. The offense, however, might have some transitional bumps with no Klint Kubiak and less experience in the running game.

6. Philadelphia Eagles (7)

The Eagles are sticking with the defense under Vic Fangio that led them to winning Super Bowl 59, even with a bit of pass rush remix. Hurts is in the same avian situation as Jackson in a new offense, where not having A.J. Brown is a big variable.

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7. Kansas City Chiefs (5)

The Chiefs are going through a mini reset with no playoffs last season, which ended with Patrick Mahomes having a major knee injury. They can put it all together again quickly with their adjustments under Andy Reid to reopen the window, but it might be only a little ajar this year.

8. New England Patriots (9)

The Patriots are bound to come down to earth with a tougher schedule (right away with the Super Bowl rematch in Seattle) and an offseason distraction that will have some carryover. Drake Maye with Brown will keep him from having a hungover third season.

9. San Francisco 49ers (8)

The 49ers have had their share of offseason drama with coach and ownership, but the players are trending in the right direction with a healthy Nick Bosa boosting the defense and a healthy George Kittle kicking up the offense.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars (12)

The Jaguars are the dangerous playoff floater in the AFC behind more familiar heavyweights (Bills, Ravens, Chiefs) and should be getting more attention with Trevor Lawrence in Year 2 of Liam Coen’s offense. The defense doesn’t get credit for some pop on every level.

11. Denver Broncos (11)

The Broncos are also expected to let down because of their improbable run of comeback victories with Bo Nix last season, but their defensive talent and key coaching adjustment with Davis Webb calling the offense can keep them from falling off too far.

12. Cincinnati Bengals (14)

The Bengals can get into the mix for the AFC championship again with healthy Joe Burrow in an adjusted offense and a defensive reboot with Dexter Lawrence. The Ravens will get pushed as AFC North favorites.

2026 NFL POSITIONAL RANKINGS: QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | Defense

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13. Los Angeles Chargers (10)

The Chargers have some strong new offensive and defensive concepts with Mike McDaniel and Chris O’Leary now flanking the philosophies of Jim Harbaugh, but from Justin Herbert to the back of the defense, there are some personnel execution questions.

14. Houston Texans (13) 

The Texans need a big year from C.J. Stroud playing off the improved running game situation, despite some more passing game limitations. The defense is set up to win a championship for sure with Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter and others.

15. Detroit Lions (16)

The Lions are facing their first real adversity in the Dan Campbell revival era, having missed the playoffs at 9-8 last season. The defense remains a work in progress behind Aidan Hutchinson. The offense is headed toward being more pass-reliant with Jared Goff.

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16. Dallas Cowboys (17)

The Cowboys are polarizing once again with their potential. They’ll get the scoring job done with Dak Prescott and his weapons, but the wild card is how the new-look defense will do, with Christian Parker having some intriguing pieces, from Quinnen Williams to Caleb Downs.

17. Green Bay Packers (15)

The Packers are facing some running game and overall offensive adversity with no Josh Jacobs early and it might prompt Matt LaFleur to open up the passing game with uncertainty over Jordan Love’s ceiling. The defense needs to hold up for a while without Micah Parsons, too.

18. Pittsburgh Steelers (18)

The Steelers needed a bit of a jolt, much like the Ravens, in moving on from a long-time coach. Mike McCarthy should bring more needed overall juice to the offense to ease the burden on a defense aging in some spots and inconsistent in others. 

19. Minnesota Vikings (21)

Kyler Murray has a huge opportunity in Kevin O’Connell’s offense and his recent play with the Cardinals brings guarded optimism. Playing in the NFC North is rough, with more hype and/or stability tied to the three other teams.

20. New York Giants (19)

The Giants have some good vibes with John Harbaugh and Matt Nagy coming over from the AFC to help Jaxson Dart and push forward the promising rebuild. They are more like a year away from battling the Eagles and Cowboys for the NFC East.

21. Washington Commanders (20)

The Commanders haven’t had the best offseason with Jayden Daniels and his personnel losses while Dan Quinn is still trying to assemble the right defensive pieces on an older winning team. Their vibes are more last-place, with the Giants being more competitive.

22. New Orleans Saints (22)

Tyler Shough is the centerpiece of how much the Saints can turn around in Year 2 of Kellen Moore with some offensive reinforcements. The reworked defense might need to be just average to steal the weak NFC South.

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (23)

The Buccaneers are at a crossroads with Baker Mayfield at quarterback and Todd Bowles as their defensive-minded head coach. Either they rebound and reestablish themselves as a power in the division or they fade to prompt big changes.

24. Indianapolis Colts (24) 

The Colts have a healthy Daniel Jones, helped again by the running of Jonathan Taylor, but there are real passing pop questions for Shane Steichen. The defense needs to flash more, or it could be time to replace both Steichen and GM Chris Ballard.

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