Ranking Master: Zstvr
Analysis: Arod, Fallen, Zstvr
Graphic: CB
Lets dig in…
1. Los Angeles Rams (1-0): Cook picks up where he left off and the Rams seem like they’re here to hold the throne in not only the NFC, but the entire league, until further notice. They may very well be undefeated before their week 6 showdown against the Browns in what many assumed would be our season 2 Super Bowl.
2. New England Patriots (1-0): Who is Phil Mafah? If you don’t know, you might want to familiarize yourself. New England drafted Mafah in the second round and he rushed for 188 yards on the ground, averaging 11.8 yards per carry. His 94 speed and 93 acceleration is going to be a problem for opposing defenses. New England is starting off strong as always.
3. Cleveland Browns (1-0): In his first game with the Browns, Daniel Jones surpassed feats that he has never done in PML this cycle. He threw for 5 touchdowns and had a 158.3 QBR. Jones was precise and accurate, who knew that all needed was a new team that would build around his strengths and KMFO looked astounding, putting up 55 points against a Bengals user that seemingly was going to give him a run for his money.
4. Green Bay Packers (1-0): The Packers week one experience was a tale of two halves. After falling behind 21-14 in the first half against the Eagles, Jordan Love and co. kicked it into high gear, closing out the game with a 32-10 second half run to defeat the Eagles 46-31. We know what Hypemike and the Packers are about, and it’ll be tested again as he travels to Dallas to play Drama and the Cowboys in a divisional round rematch.
5. New Orleans Saints (1-0): Third year pro Alontae Taylor led the defense with an interception to the house as the Saints got it done week 1 against the Jets. It isn’t often you see the Saints win by 3 scores with pedestrian-like offensive numbers. Rookie Maalik Murphy proved to be a game manager protecting the ball while taking 6 rushes for 43 yards. I look forward to Murphys ‘welcome to PML game’ which may be at the expense of the Falcons week 2.
6. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0): Patrick Mahomes was held to just 147 passing yards and the Kansas City offense had just over 200 yards, but they picked up a close victory over the Cowboys. Kansas City got out to a quick lead, so understandable how they let off the gas this week.
7. Los Angeles Chargers (1-0): Los Angeles was one of the most picked teams this week against the Commanders and they didn’t disappoint, aside from their defense. This game featured almost 1000 yards given up between both teams. Justin Herbert threw for five touchdowns and the Chargers looked unstoppable through the air with 6 different receivers catching a pass and 3 different receivers having 100 yards or more.
8. Denver Broncos (1-0): DK has won his week 1 game all three seasons this cycle and the Denver Broncos rebuild is reaching its peak. Denver made the playoffs last season, but fell to the Kansas City Chiefs. Denver added Nick Chubb last season in hopes to bring a dominant force that would open up their passing game and Chubb rushed for 145 yards this week, second most in the league.
9. Detroit Lions (1-0): The Lions got off to a hot start in week 1, jumping out to a 27-14 lead heading into halftime. Although Jared Goff threw 3 interceptions on the day, the Lions defense was able to not only force 4 Zach Wilson interceptions of their own, they also sacked him 5 times as they cruised to a 30-20 victory. Their defense will need to stay strong as a matchup against the division rival Minnesota Vikings is on tap next week.
10. Atlanta Falcons (1-0): Nef is proving he is indeed a player in the NFC after his latest win over Que and the Cardinals. Can they ever be anything more than a wildcard team? Would a divisional round or even a conference round game ever be in the cards for the Falcons? I think that is where many still draw the line until they prove us wrong.
11. Minnesota Vikings (1-0): The Vikings looked good in their week 1 win over the Giants. Tua completed 26 of his 30 pass attempts for 319 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore sensation Bucky Irving rushed for 78 yards as well. The Vikings defense forced 4 Giants interceptions while holding Saquon to only 44 yards on the ground. Minnesota and Coach Wimmy face their first test next week as they take on Fallen and the Lions, who swept them last season.
12. Miami Dolphins (1-0): Deebo is back? It appears so, after dismantling the Buffalo Bills this week. Drew Allar looked fantastic in his rookie debut, poised in the pocket and completed 75% of his passes. What’s more impressive is Jerome Baker’s performance. Baker leads the league with 3 interceptions, also running one of them back for a touchdown. In a game where linebackers get little animation when jumping, it’s exquisite to see one leading the league for a change.
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0): Devin Lloyd had 14 tackles for the Jaguars in week 1 and he is leading the league in tackles. The Jaguars are coached by a new owner this season and they are starting off better than the team has the past two seasons. In a division where all teams seemingly aren’t too far apart in talent, Jacksonville could see its first division title this season.
14. Baltimore Ravens (1-0): Is it fitting for the Ravens to be starting out as the worst team in the league? Probably. On paper, Baltimore is an 87 overall team that should deflate and dominate their competition. Their defensive backs are likely one of the best cores in the league and some basic defensive approaches should help Arod eclipse a minimum of four winning games this season.
15. Tennessee Titans (1-0): Cade Klubnik was designated for the practice squad and won’t see much action this season. Will Levis is the starter in Tennessee and his four touchdown performance showed his leadership ability. The Titans have a trip of young halfbacks on their roster, but rookie halfback Singleton had the bulk of the carries over the faster halfback in Corum. The offense was outstanding this week, but the Titans have to curb their habit of giving up deep plays. Making a run at the division again will come from a strong defensive front.
16. Carolina Panthers (1-0): You had to like what you saw out of JT and the Panthers this past week taking down the 49ers behind a strong ground and pound game made possible by the defense. Braelon Allen fends off the 1st round pick rookie for the time being going for 129 yards and a score on 19 carries. This is the formula the Panthers must maintain if they want to fight for one of the NFC wildcard spots later in the season. This will be one of the more interesting teams to watch this season especially starting the season 1-0.
17. Arizona Cardinals (0-1): Starting 0-1 with the Rams and Seahawks in your division is not where you want to be, especially with a game I am sure Que circled as W on his schedule. I think they’ll be okay, but there is zero margin for error the rest of the season.
18. Seattle Seahawks (0-1): Traveling to Los Angeles to take on the two time Super Bowl champs wasn’t the ideal game to start the season as Z is looking every bit as the ‘little brother’ in the NFC west to Cook. The Seahawks have a very generous schedule before their week 9 rematch with the Rams. If they can take care of business until then, we may be primed for a big divisional game mid-season.
19. Dallas Cowboys (0-1): The Cowboys dropped their season opener to the Kansas City Chiefs, a very formidable opponent. While no one likes to lose, the Dallas defense can hang their hat on holding the Chiefs offense to only 202 total yards, something we rarely ever see. Drama and the Cowboys have no time to rest, as they host the Green Bay Packers next week.
20. New York Jets (0-1): Albert O was the leading receiver this week for the Jets, but they have to be disappointed with their performance against a playoff caliber team in the Saints. Caleb Williams turned the ball over twice and the Jets had no attack on offense. Notoriously a run first team, New York has to get better at driving the ball down the field. New Orleans rushed for 125 yards on the ground. But you have to expect that New York is sickened by that after fortifying their defensive front this off-season.
21. New York Giants (0-1): The Giants offense looked discombobulated in week 1, which resulted in Quinn Ewers getting benched for rookie Kaidon Salter, who had a solid performance in backup duty. Are the Giants already regretting moving up to take Ewers? Only time will tell, but they’ll look to right the ship next week in Kansas City (where I don’t believe they stand much of a chance).
22. Houston Texans (0-1): Houston’s 13-4 record in the first season of the cycle is a long forgotten memory because since season 1, the Texans have gone 8-10. Where has everything gone wrong? You could say it’s the depth of the team and how many injuries they have suffered. They’re one of the few teams in the league that has faced a quarterback injury for more than half the season. But, in a division where the winner is likely to have 9-10 wins, you’d expect more from Kingke.
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1): Milroe was nowhere near what Cammy was expecting, taking him with the 4th overall pick in the draft coming in at 71 overall and normal development. It may take some time until we see Milroe playing at full throttle, which is a shame because Cammy was very patient for two seasons getting his quarterback. The Buccaneers have the Seahawks, Rams, and Falcons ahead of them on the schedule which is a tough first quarter of the season.
24. Buffalo Bills (0-1): Ability-less Josh Allen threw five interceptions this week against the Dolphins. He is a shell of his former self and the Bills aren’t doing much for him, especially since it is rumored that star receiver Stefon Diggs is on the trading block. Diggs hauled in 4 catches for 40 yards, so not much of an impact but that could have been on purpose to avoid an injury. Buffalo has to have an identity on offense if it was to stay relevant in a conference where powerful offenses are emerging quickly.
25. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1): Zach Wilson is the man in Pittsburgh. He is trying to live up to Big Ben, considering he is the last quarterback to see the kind of money that Wilson is now being given. However, Wilson threw 4 interceptions versus the Lions and was sacked 5 times. The Steelers have to protect their franchise quarterback much better than that.
26. Chicago Bears (0-1): In what shocked the knockout pool, the Chicago Bears were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens. While the defense was able to force 4 interceptions from Lamar Jackson, they also gave up 204 yards on the ground. Chicago will need to clean up their act and fast, as the rest of the NFC North started off 1-0.
27. Indianapolis Colts (0-1): Indianapolis drafted another superstar corner in the first round adding to their very talented defensive back group. The Colts have three corners that are over 6 feet, so you’d expect a manned up base defense. However, Indy gave up almost 400 yards through the air versus the Titans. CB turned the ball over far less in this game than in the past, but he has to find a way for his talented corners to step up and force turnovers, especially when the game is on the line.
28. Las Vegas Raiders (0-1): Las Vegas is seemingly destined for mediocrity this cycle. KingMike was the first in line against a new coach and couldn’t seal the deal. Jayden Daniels threw four interceptions and the Raiders have to re-evaluate their offensive approach because Daniels is never going to be the down the field passer that they want him to be. Mac Jones is the only alternative on the roster, but his lack of throw power won’t help much either.
29. Philadelphia Eagles (0-1): The Eagles dropped another game they could’ve won, shocker. HD tends to rise to the level of the user he plays, but has trouble closing games and that has been a theme across the first 2 seasons of his tenure in Philly. They’ll travel to Vegas next week to play the Raiders.
30. Washington Commanders (0-1): It is still a tough time to be a Commanders fan. Although the offense put up points, the defense gave up 55 to the Chargers, including 444 passing yards and 5 touchdowns to Justin Herbert. This has the makings of a long season for the Commanders as their run game was nonexistent and Drake Maye threw 4 interceptions.
31. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1): Another new face in the AFC and he’s going to be fighting for his life this season. His division is full of playoff caliber opponents and then a team that has the number one overall pick in back to back seasons. Joe Burrow should have the best season of the cycle, considering we’ve heard positive reviews of the Bengals new owner.
32. San Francisco 49ers (0-1): I am starting to believe this is a failed cycle for the 49ers franchise. They have a roster that some expected to make deep playoff runs each season, and at this point they’ve been as low as drafting 2nd in the draft with no real momentum to build off of most of the cycle. Too many stars on this roster to fail, especially with a user of CEO’s pedigree. Not what we expected to say the least.
