Week 1 NFL Power Rankings

After roughly seven months, football that counts is about to return. The New York Giants stunned many again upending the New England Patriots. The two enter the season with a chance to repeat their 2011 seasons. In the mix will be the Green Bay Packers who had a 15-1 regular season before hitting the steamrolling Giants. Also, the two teams who were a special team play or two away from replacing the Giants and Patriots, the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens respectively, are going to be in the hunt again. The Pittsburgh Steelers, if healthy, can find themselves in the shuffle as well. The AFC West will be wide open again and QB Peyton Manning is hoping to use that to his advantage in his first year in Denver with the Broncos. While his former division, the AFC South, should be dominated by the Houston Texans who want to finish a lot of the work they started last year. There will be questions around multiple teams as rookies come in, new coaches adjust, and a new season prepares to lift off.

With all that said and the season ready to kick off, time for a fresh slate of power rankings to start the year.

1) New York Giants: They barely got in the playoffs like in 2007 when they won it all. They will try to repeat and will certainly have a tough road within their division.
2) New England Patriots: Their division looks pretty winnable again and they were a couple missed plays away from claiming another title under QB Tom Brady and Head Coach Bill Belichek.
3) Green Bay Packers: They were probably the favorites heading into the playoffs last year, they are a season removed from winning a title, and have the NFL MVP in QB Aaron Rodgers. A pretty good mix for this team.
4) Baltimore Ravens: They were a missed field goal and a dropped touchdown pass away from heading back to the Super Bowl a decade after winning it all. They will have HB Ray Rice doing everything again and this defense does enough when it matters.
5) Pittsburgh Steelers: They got banged up at the wrong time last year and took QB Tim Tebow lightly in the Wildcard Round when it mattered most. They will be slugging it out with the Ravens once again.
6) San Francisco 49ers: Their biggest weakness was wide receiver last year as TE Vernon Davis had to be a major playmaker for QB Alex Smith, but now they hope WR Randy Moss can be as good as he has been for the most part of his historic career.
7) Houston Texans: Talent, talent, and more talent. Their defense took a big jump last year and if enough of the big names on offense stay on the field; expect them to try to take another step towards the Super Bowl this year and be in the serious contender shuffle.
8) Philadelphia Eagles: A lot of their success will likely revolve on how many games QB Michael Vick plays. He takes risk, but provides big plays. Can the Eagles make another run at an NFC crown?
9) New Orleans Saints: They will struggle with repercussions from Bounty Gate, but QB Drew Brees could still toss 5,000 yards if the team is focused.
10) Detroit Lions: They took a big step in their slow development last year. WR Calvin Johnson and QB Mattthew Stafford are starting to become one of the most deadliest pairs.
11) Atlanta Falcons: QB Matt Ryan will need to show he can win a playoff game and take this team to the next level.
12) Denver Broncos: This team made the playoffs at 8-8 with limited play on offense. Now they insert QB Peyton Manning and expect some improvement regardless of his health. The healthier he is, the more potential this time might have.
13) Dallas Cowboys: On paper, this team has been one of the more talented. But, in December and January when it matters; they come up short. Can they complete the journey they start in September and October?
14) Chicago Bears: The QB Jay Cutler to WR Brandon Marshall tandem is back in business and that might provide enough of a boost for their defense to put them in play with the Packers and Lions.
15) San Diego Chargers: QB Philip Rivers and this team have both failed to live up to expectations many years. They have started years slow to only put extra pressure on themselves. Can they navigate a less than strong division and make a playoff push?
16) Cincinnati Bengals: There were some nice flashes of hope from QB Andy Dalton and WR AJ Green during their rookie campaigns. Can they create some magic in Cincy like QB Carson Palmer and WR Chad Johnson had nearly a decade ago?
17) Carolina Panthers: QB Cam Newton will look to make continued progress as the Panthers will look to do the same.
18) Oakland Raiders: They fell short of the playoffs last year when they had fate in their hands. Can they complete the mission this year?
19) Seattle Seahawks: QB Russell Wilson looked very good in the preseason and there is definitely a lot of energy out of the upper northwest.
20) Buffalo Bills: They started great and then free-falled. They could take another step in their drive for the postseason again this year.
21) New York Jets: Will they be able to show better execution on offense as the season picks up? If not, this could be long year in the Big Apple for the two star quarterbacks and their loud coach.
22) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: They have added some nice pieces and QB Josh Freeman could take a step in the right direction after some regression.
23) Washington Redskins: QB Robert Griffith III will impact this offense, but will still have growing pains. They might provide some surprises for their NFC East foes and the rest of the league.
24) Tennessee Titans: HB Chris Johnson should rebound and that could mean the difference in a few games this year.
25) Kansas City Chiefs: They had a nice finish to 2011 and should take that energy into 2012.
26) Arizona Cardinals: WR Larry Fitzgerald is a top target. His role on the field will help with their weakness at quarterback.
27) Minnesota Vikings: HB Adrian Peterson's health could impact this year throughout the year. They have a strong defense, but they can only handle so much if their offense lack enough bang.
28) Indianapolis Colts: QB Andrew Luck, the top pick, will have to ride a tough year in Indy; but it will pay off down the road as they go through a rebuilding phase.
29) St. Louis Rams: They looked sharp to end the preseason and Head Coach Jeff Fisher is pulling some good moves out of his sleeve in the offseason as this team preps to try to get back to .500 or better.
30) Cleveland Browns: This team continues to struggle to find an identity and lack a lot of depth.
31) Miami Dolphins: They are lacking home run hitters at many positions and that will cause for a lot of pain in games this year. QB Ryan Tannehill will be under pressure to try to match Griffith and Luck all year.
32) Jacksonville Jaguars: HB Maurice Jones-Drew could impact how bad and moderately bad this team might be. They are a long way from those 12 win teams and have to hope for growth from QB Blaine Gabbert to balance out a lack of Jones-Drew.