The 100th season of the National Football League kicked off on Thursday night, but the bulk of the games will get played on Sunday and then finish on Monday night.
As we set our fantasy lineups and prepare our recliners for the return of football, here is a look at how the 32 teams in the league rank heading into Week 1.
32. Miami Dolphins: Easily the worst team in the league on paper and right now, that’s about all we have to go on since only two teams have played a game. The Dolphins will have a top-three pick in next year’s draft.
31. Washington Redskins: Case Keenum will start the season at quarterback but the team should get first-round pick Dwayne Haskins in there sooner rather than later to see what it has in him.
30. Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals were atrocious in the preseason and one has to wonder how well Kliff Kingsbury’s offense will translate to the NFL. However, Kyler Murray has the kind of talent to turn a franchise around.
29. Oakland Raiders: The Antonio Brown saga has been both comical and quite sad all at once. It has also blown a hole into the 2019 version of the Raiders.
28. New York Giants: The sooner the reigns are handed over to Daniel Jones, the better. It will be another long season for this team, but there is promise for the future.
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Can Bruce Arians turn things around with this squad? He certainly has his work cut out for him.
26. Cincinnati Bengals: The team will be without A.J. Green, its most significant offensive weapon, to begin the season. There isn’t much reason to believe this team won’t finish last in the AFC North.
25. Detroit Lions: Another team that just gives little hope as to being all that competitive, the Lions also play in a tough division.
24. San Francisco 49ers: The Niners are a trendy pick to be a surprise team this year, but it just doesn’t seem like they are quite there yet. You also have to believe that Jimmy Garoppolo is the right guy at quarterback in order to buy that.
23. Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen looks promising but the Bills just don’t seem to have enough offense to hang with most teams and will likely miss the playoffs once again.
22. New York Jets: A team that could be on the rise if Sam Darnold reaches the next level and Le’Veon Bell stays in the news for the right reasons. The Jets also have some solid young players on defense.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars: If you ask me, this is the team that can sneak up on people in the AFC this year. The Jags still have the defense that took them to the AFC Championship Game the year before last. They just need Nick Foles to be much better than Blake Bortles.
20. Denver Broncos: The Broncos looked sluggish in the preseason and the team has a first-year coach and a new quarterback. In addition, two of the league’s best teams are in the same division.
19. Indianapolis Colts: With Andrew Luck, this team might have cracked the top five. With his retirement, the Colts drop way down the list.
18. Chicago Bears: The Windy City won’t like this, but the Bears just don’t seem like a very good team even with a stout defense. Each year, teams rise from the bottom and make the playoffs and teams go from contenders to missing the playoffs. I don’t think the Bears are a playoff team.
17. Carolina Panthers: A tough team to get a read on, Christian McCaffrey is all-world but Cam Newton must be much better than he has been in recent years.
16. Tennessee Titans: If this team had a more stable quarterback situation, it would be a playoff contender. How long does Marcus Mariota hang onto the job?
15. Houston Texans: Despite having a lot of question marks at running back, the Texans’ trade for Laremy Tunsil keeps them in the upper half of the league. Barely.
14. Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons have a bunch of weapons on offense but there are questions all over the defense. If they can slow teams down, they’ll be a tough opponent every week.
13. Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings feel like a pretty complete team, but can Kirk Cousins take them where they want to go? They went from the NFC Championship to not even in the playoffs with him last year.
12. Cleveland Browns: The Browns have a scary roster, but until they achieve results on the field, they can’t be any higher than this. If they put it all together, they’re a Super Bowl contender.
11. Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles followed up their Super Bowl victory with another good playoff run last year. If Carson Wentz can stay healthy, they’re as good as anyone. But if he can’t, Foles is no longer there to fall back on.
10. Baltimore Ravens: Many people don’t seem to think Lamar Jackson is a good, long-term option at quarterback but he looked good in preseason and if he can prove to be a good passing quarterback, the Ravens will be tough to deal with.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers: It will truly be the dawn of a new era in Pittsburgh, but it could be a much more focused one. This team still has the talent to compete with anyone.
8. Green Bay Packers: The Packers would have appeared much lower on this list, but their victory over the Bears should not go unnoticed. The offense was limited by a tough defense, but the Packers might have found a defense of their own.
7. Seattle Seahawks: A team that has gotten used to winning, its trade for Jadeveon Clowney was one of the biggest moves of the offseason.
6. Dallas Cowboys: Finally got Ezekiel Elliott to end his holdout. Without him, this team is much lower on the list. With him, its a Super Bowl contender.
5. Los Angeles Chargers: This team has few weaknesses, but one of them is definitely the offensive line. If that unit performs well, look out.
4. Los Angeles Rams: Fresh off a trip to the Super Bowl, the Rams want to prove they can get back and do much better than scoring three points this time. But how healthy is Todd Gurley? The answer to that question could determine how well this team does.
3. New Orleans Saints: The Saints probably should have been in the Super Bowl last year and there is nothing to say they won’t be right back in the same spot this year.
2. Kansas City Chiefs: With Patrick Mahomes, this team is always going to be at or near the top of these rankings. The defense will be the question. Well, that and Andy Reid’s lack of postseason success.
1. New England Patriots: This team may not have been No. 1 before Saturday, but the signing of Brown puts it over the top. Plus, they are the defending champs.
