NFL Week 1 Power Rankings

On Thursday night, the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens head to Denver to face the Broncos. Both teams look to be contenders to end up in the Meadowlands at MetLife Stadium in February. The champs have suffered many losses from their Super Bowl team while the Broncos will be without one of the best defensive players for a month and a half. On the AFC side, the New England Patriots look to be ready to contend once again as the Houston Texans and the Cincinnati Bengals hope to take another step in their consistent progress the last couple years. On the NFC side, the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks will not only battle for the NFC West but also for a chance to get to the Super Bowl. They will have a stacked team in the Atlanta Falcons looking to finally get over their playoff hump as well as the Green Bay Packers hoping to ride QB Aaron Rodgers to another title. Rounding out what looks like the top 10 teams is the Washington Redskins who should have a healthy QB Robert Griffin III behind center and who knows how far they could have gone last year is he didn't get hurt.

With all that said, time to get football started and here are Week 1's power rankings:

1) Broncos- QB Peyton Manning and the whole team are still stewing a little over their rough playoff loss to the Ravens last year. Losing LB Von Miller for six games is a tough pill to swallow but the team started about .500 last year before going on a winning streak that made many feel they were on their way to the Super Bowl.
2) 49ers- If they played a little better during the first half of the Super Bowl, they likely would have won because they simply ran out of time to make a comeback. They can definitely make a run at a third straight NFC title game and that could mean getting that 6th Super Bowl title for the franchise.
3) Falcons- They might be few teams with more to prove than the Falcons. The same could be said for QB Matt Ryan. Getting to the playoffs is almost expected now. Taking that next step is also what is expected. They have tons of talent and TE Tony Gonzalez is back for one more try at a Super Bowl.
4) Packers- Losing a couple key guys to injury or free agency have been speed bumps for the team. They still have arguably the best quarterback in the league right now and that should keep them among the title contenders.
5) Seahawks- QB Russell Wilson improved each week last season and the defense is easily one of the best in the league. Will continued improvement with Wilson and the defense lead them to a Super Bowl? That can certainly be in the cards if they live up to some of the hype.
6) Texans- Is this the year the Texans take another step forward? They have now become a playoff caliber team. Can they become a Super Bowl caliber team? They got the offense and improving defense to certainly get to an AFC title game.
7) Ravens- They enter the season the defending Super Bowl Champions. Yet, they lost many players from last season to retirement or free agency. However, they should not be taken lightly as they can definitely put together a run at defending their title.
8) Patriots- QB Tom Brady is almost used to having few weapons around him. The potential September return of TE Rob Gronkowski will certainly be a nice gift for Brady as he will need to potentially outscore some teams using his crafty play.
9 Bengals- The Bengals had two very good seasons and now have high hopes to win the division and make a playoff run. Some new additions and the emergence of WR AJ Green will play a major role in their likely success this year.
10) Redskins- QB Robert Griffin III looks to be healthy and his knee will likely determine if the team can repeat its success from last year. They could certainly take another step this year if everyone is healthy.
11) Colts- QB Andrew Luck had big expectations last year and he might have surpassed each and every one leading the "rebuilding" Colts into the postseason and nearly winning the division title. If Luck can continue to deliver in the 4th quarter, you can expect to see the team return to the postseason.
12) Saints- QB Drew Brees can almost be expected to hit 5,000 passing yards as head coach Sean Payton returns after a year suspension and the offense will be as dangerous as ever. How much their defense can improve will be what separates them from being average to be a legit contender.
13) Bears- QB Jay Cutler was brought to Chicago to give them a solid general behind center. They again can contend for the NFC North and a playoff spot. They seem to still be strong on defense and it will be up to the offense to provide a balanced team.
14) Giants- They have suffered a few injuries heading into the year and there is some promise for them to again return to the postseason. Their health will certainly shape how much they achieve. Also, not showing up some weeks will be something to improve upon that this team has seen at times.
15) Rams- Head coach Jeff Fisher continues to move the team in the right direction and their defense flies under the radar. Plus, they had the best record in the division that sent a team to the Super Bowl last year. This might be the year they return to the postseason.
16) Steelers- They lost a deep threat in WR Mike Wallace and still might struggle with their protection for QB Ben Roethisberger. However, they should still be a tough team to face.
17) Vikings- HB Adrian Peterson will be targeting 2,500 rushing yards after finishing just short of breaking the single season record. None of the other 2,000 yard rushers have been able to duplicate the feat and much of the focus by opposing defenses will still be on him.
18) Cowboys- QB Tony Romo continues to have a big spotlight put on him and will this be the year he gets the Cowboys over some of their last season struggles of late.
19) Eagles- The biggest questions for a team that suffered one of its toughest seasons in the last couple decades are how will new head coach Chip Kelly's offense work out and if QB Michael Vick can stay healthy and run it efficiently. They suffered a tough loss during the offseason with WR Jeremy Maclin going down and WR DeSean Jackson will need to step up in all facets.
20) Chiefs- New head coach Andy Reid was a constant winner during the majority of his tenure in Philadelphia. He gets a team that played better than their record was last year and should be a bit better. QB Alex Smith will play like someone with much to prove.
21) Dolphins- The addition of WR Mike Wallace should vastly improve their offense. If the offense can play up to potential and some new pieces help the defense, they could start to creep up on the Patriots.
22) Chargers- QB Phillip Rivers has a lot of pressure on him to return to the type of player he was during the first half of his career. Protecting the ball will be big as will getting a stronger running game going.
23) Buccaneers- They are still a fairly young team but with the addition of CB Darrelle Revis among a few others should allow this team to continue to grow and potential surprise some teams.
24) Lions- They fell back to reality last year after a breakout year two years ago. They need to work on finishing games and provide another strong option beyond WR Calvin Johnson.
25) Panthers- There have been some promising signs for an improving defense and a more evolved approach for QB Cam Newton going into the season. There is potential for this team to compile a lot of rushing yards if healthy and focused.
26) Cardinals- With QB Carson Palmer in the desert, WR Larry Fitzgerald should have his best quarterback since QB Kurt Warner retired. Also, with Bruce Airens now in as coach after an interim year with the Colts, there could some wrinkles for their offense.
27) Browns- HB Trent Richardson is one of the bright spots on a team that still have multiple question marks.
28) Titans- With an improving offensive line in front of him, QB Jake Locker should hopefully make some progress for a team that is looking for him to finally breakout.
29) Bills- Without a healthy QB EJ Manuel, the team enters the season with another rookie at the helm and questions around how competitive they might be.
30) Raiders- The black hole can be the name for the shaky defense of the Raiders that has continued to breed losing seasons for a decade now despite a couple years of hope for a slight turnaround.
31) Jets- The circus has now become a mess. There is uncertainty around whom the quarterback will be as Rex Ryan's job is potentially on the line.
32) Jaguars- The development of QB Blaine Gabbert along with their 1st round addition in OT Luke Joeckel will go a long way in how much this team can improve throughout the year.

Week 1 features a couple matchups of the top ten (Baltimore at Denver and Green Bay at San Francisco). Thus, there could easily be some movement after one week as the road to the Super Bowl officially begins.