Weekly NFL Power Rankings Week 1: Myles Garrett Cements the Rams at No. 1

Football on a Wednesday?

Football on a Wednesday.

It’s a little strange, but hey. Who am I to complain? We just waited months for the NFL’s return, after all. With the 2026 season about to kick off, now is a perfect time to run through the power rankings, breaking down all 32 teams as we enter the year. We’ll be doing this every Wednesday here at Fantasy Life, and I’m excited to see what changes week after week.

Let’s make some fans angry, shall we?

NFL Power Rankings Week 1

1. Los Angeles Rams

They were already arguably the best team in the league. They’ve since added Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald and Trent McDuffie. You do the math.

2. Seattle Seahawks

There are some changes within the defending Super Bowl champions. Klint Kubiak is gone, and the backfield (at least to start the year) looks vastly different. However, this is still arguably the best defense in football, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a better home-field advantage. Early-season question marks at safety are a possible concern, but this team has earned the benefit of the doubt.

3. Denver Broncos

Denver was a Bo Nix ankle injury away from a Super Bowl appearance a year ago. Yes, they would have beaten the Patriots. Heading into 2026, I love where this team is. Upgraded skill position players following the addition of Jaylen Waddle, one of the game’s best offensive lines, a fierce pass rush and elite secondary. There really aren’t many holes in this roster.

4. Buffalo Bills

Don’t get me wrong. The Bills aren’t without question marks. Joe Brady is a first-time head coach, while the defensive blueprint has completely shifted following the hire of DC Jim Leonhard. Meanwhile, offensive line coach Aaron Kromer retired, and LG David Edwards left for New Orleans.

And yet, this team is absolutely a contender.

The offense will once again rank among the league’s best, and I believe Leonhard’s changes will improve this bend-don’t-break defense. DJ Moore should give this wide receiver room some more juice, while the run game is as good as it gets. And as long as you’ve got 17, you’ve got a chance.

5. Baltimore Ravens

This may seem high, especially following last year’s results. But at the end of the day, Lamar Jackson is healthy, and new OC Declan Doyle will open this offense up more. If the addition of Trey Hendrickson can improve one of the league’s worst pass rushes from a year ago, the Ravens could be the best team in the AFC again.

6. Houston Texans

A popular AFC representative for this year’s Super Bowl, the Texans are likely lower in my rankings than most. And it really comes down to the two superhero quarterbacks from the two teams above. We know Houston’s defense will be as good as any in the world. And DeMeco Ryans is one of the top coaches in football. But as good as this defense is, when they face the elite quarterbacks in the playoffs, will the offense be able to pull their weight?

7. Philadelphia Eagles

I know, I know. People are starting to sour on Jalen Hurts and the Eagles. But even after trading away A.J. Brown this offseason, Howie Roseman has still constructed one of the most loaded rosters in all of football. Any concerns over AJ’s absence could be cured by a run-game resurgence, improved scheme and a healthy offensive line.

8. San Francisco 49ers

It’s Week 1, which means San Francisco is (mostly) healthy. And when healthy, they’re a top-10 football club in the world. We’ll revisit this ranking if and when they suffer a myriad of injuries.

9. Jacksonville Jaguars

Liam Coen won 13 games in his first season as a head coach, unlocking Trevor Lawrence during the second half of the season. A suddenly deep wide receiver room allows Travis Hunter to give this team much-needed help in the secondary, while the run defense is already among the league’s best.

10. Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Burrow is healthy, and the defense is showing signs of life for the first time in years. This is the year for the Bengals to return to AFC powerhouse status.

11. Dallas Cowboys

The NFC version of the Bengals, Dallas has generated plenty of hype this offseason. And I’m buying. Not many offenses are going to score more points, but the changes to the defense really have me excited. And this run defense already began to transform following the addition of defensive lineman Quinnen Williams. From Week 11 on last year, Dallas coughed up just 0.85 yards before contact per rush, the fourth-best mark in football. The Cowboys were also 14th in rushing success rate allowed during that stretch.

12. Los Angeles Chargers

Speaking of hype, the Chargers always seem to generate it. But this is the first year I actually see the vision. Getting back Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater is massive, while Mike McDaniel will give Justin Herbert and company so many answers to the test each week.

13. New England Patriots

You’re right. This does feel disrespectfully low for the defending AFC champions. And while I don’t think last year was a fluke, I do believe it’s fair to say that their historically soft schedule certainly helped things. Still, Drake Maye is an elite passer who sees upgraded pass-catchers following the additions of A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs.

14. Kansas City Chiefs

What will Patrick Mahomes look like coming off a torn ACL? Will this new-look secondary be able to get the job done? And can these pass-catchers beat man coverage? The Chiefs have legitimate concerns ahead of the season. This is as high as I can rank them, though I admit it could look very silly very quickly.

15. Chicago Bears

We’ll kick off a trio of NFC North teams with last year’s division champions. Ben Johnson plans on scoring the most points in NFL history this season. And given the state of Chicago’s secondary right now, they just might have to.

16. Detroit Lions

The Lions and Bears are pretty similar. High-scoring offenses with plenty of playmakers, while the pass defense is a major concern. Both starting safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph will open the season on injured reserve, leading to a heavy reliance on points from Detroit’s offense.

17. Green Bay Packers

I have early season concerns for Green Bay. The run game will take a step back without Josh Jacobs, while the defense could actually be a weakness without Micah Parsons. Green Bay lost Parsons in Week 15 of last season, and during the final four weeks of the year (including the playoffs), Green Bay’s defense fell apart. With Parsons off the field, the Packers posted a 3.7% sack rate, compared to 7.3% with Parsons on the field. And with Parsons sidelined for the final four weeks of the season, Green Bay allowed over 28 points per game.

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

As we enter Week 1, things are looking up for Tampa Bay. Both Baker Mayfield and Vita Vea have been extended, while new WR1 Emeka Egbuka (toe) appears ready to play. A healthy Mayfield and offensive line should have the Bucs ready to take back the NFC South.

19. Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings managed to win nine games last year, despite having one of the worst passing attacks in all of football.

Thanks, J.J. McCarthy.

Kyler Murray should provide Minnesota with much better quarterback play, which is really all this team needs to make some noise in the north.

20. Indianapolis Colts

Last year’s surprise team, the Colts were the NFL’s third-highest-scoring offense before Daniel Jones’ Week 14 Achilles tear. I’m not sure we should expect over 28 points per game again, but even with Michael Pittman gone, this offense has enough pieces to put plenty of points on the board.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers

For the first time since 2006, Mike Tomlin will not be the head coach of the Steelers. Pittsburgh native Mike McCarthy takes over, potentially bringing more fireworks on offense. Or, as many fireworks as 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers can provide.

22. Carolina Panthers

Injuries really hurt this team during training camp, especially those to the offensive tackles. I do expect improvements on the defensive side of the ball, but the overall ceiling for the Panthers doesn’t feel extremely high.

23. New Orleans Saints

Kellen Moore did a great job in his first year with the Saints, implementing a fast-paced, motion-heavy approach on offense. He also helped Tyler Shough have a mini-breakout during the second half of the season. Was that a result of a cakewalk schedule or a sign of things to come?

24. Washington Commanders

Washington had polar-opposite seasons from 2024 to 2025. The truth likely lies somewhere in the middle, but the vibes aren’t the highest entering the 2026 campaign. Laremy Tunsil is expected to miss a large portion of the season, raising major questions surrounding the offensive line, a unit that was embarrassed during the preseason.

25. New York Giants

The Giants could be one of the surprise teams of the year. John Harbaugh brings in a ton of familiar faces, while their top-two skill position players returning from injury is certainly helpful. And even after trading away Dexter Lawrence, this is still one of the better defensive lines in the NFL.

26. Tennessee Titans

Tennessee brings in a new head coach (Robert Saleh), playcaller (Brian Daboll) and defensive coordinator (Gus Bradley). Hopefully Daboll can help quarterback fantasylife.com/nfl/players/306739/Dexter-Lawrence make a second-year leap.

27. New York Jets

I don’t think the Jets are going to be good this year, but I don’t think they’ll be laughably bad either. Geno Smith should finally give this team some stability at quarterback, while there have been plenty of additions to the offense to help Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson.

28. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons named Tua Tagovailoa as their starting quarterback for Week 1, but it doesn’t feel like they really wanted to. Michael Penix should take over at some point during the season, but you know what John Madden always said…

“If you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none.”

29. Arizona Cardinals

Arizona is already one of the worst teams in football. But the NFL made things even worse by handing them one of the rudest schedules I’ve ever seen, on top of already playing in the best division in the league.

30. Las Vegas Raiders

I do like the direction the Raiders are heading. Fernando Mendoza and Klint Kubiak offer excitement, while the addition of Tyler Linderbaum and the return of Kolton Miller should boost last year’s dreadful offensive line. But they’re still far from escaping bottom-dweller status.

31. Cleveland Browns

Cleveland’s defense isn’t going to fall apart without Myles Garrett. But there’s no doubt they’ll take a hit, while the offense, despite improvements at wide receiver, will be among the league’s worst.

32. Miami Dolphins

Simply put, the Dolphins have one of the worst rosters in all of football. I am excited to see what Malik Willis can do as a full-time starter, but Miami didn’t help him out when constructing a wide receiver room this offseason.