The wait is over. Four months on since the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, a new NFL season kicks off on Thursday night.
Free agency, the draft and preseason games have come and gone with every possible trade and injury analyzed to the tiniest of detail. Newsweek has compiled the definitive power rankings for the upcoming season by combining five different predictions—ESPN, Sports Illustrated, CBS, Bleacher Report and NFL—to find out who goes into the season as the team to beat.
1) Philadelphia Eagles – Last season record: 13-3, won Super Bowl.
Highest-place vote: 1, lowest-place vote: 5.
The roster is packed with talent and the Eagles look a good bet to defend the trophy they won in February. However, lingering doubts over Carson Wentz’s fitness mean Philadelphia goes into the season without a settled quarterback.
Reigning Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles has struggled in preseason and needs to rediscover his Super Bowl form as quickly as possible.
2) New England Patriots - Last season record: 13-3, lost Super Bowl.
Highest-place vote: 1, lowest-place vote: 5.
It’s impossible to rule out a team coached by Bill Belichick with Tom Brady at quarterback and the Patriots will be in the mix as usual. However, the losses of
Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola could have an impact at some stage.
3) Minnesota Vikings - Last season record: 13-3, lost in divisional round.
Highest-place vote: 1, lowest-place vote: 6.
The Vikings went all out to sign Kirk Cousins and if he can improve their offense then the Vikings will be a serious candidate for the Lombardi Trophy. The addition of Sheldon Richardson will shore up the defense.
4) Los Angeles Rams - Last season record: 11-5, lost in wild-card round.
Highest-place vote: 2, lowest-place vote: 9.
The Rams have enormous talent on both sides of the ball after picking up Ndamukong Suh, Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib and Brandin Cooks. Is this the season the Rams win a first Super Bowl in Los Angeles?
5) New Orleans Saints - Last season record: 11-5, lost in divisional round.
Highest-place vote: 3, lowest-place vote: 7.
An improving defense and one of the great quarterbacks give the Saints as good a chance as any, particularly if they can hit the ground running. If Drew Brees stays fit, expect them to improve on last season’s 11 wins.
6) Green Bay Packers - Last season record: 7-9, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 1, lowest-place vote: 9.
Aaron Rodgers is back from injury and few would bet against him leading the Packers deep into the postseason. Green Bay has improved defensively and should cope better with pass rushing offense. Among the outsiders for the Super Bowl.
7) Pittsburgh Steelers - Last season record: 13-3, lost in divisional round.
Highest-place vote: 2, lowest-place vote: 9.
The Steelers offensive line will score points. A lot of them, in fact. The problem is their defense tends to concede too many. Question marks over Le’Veon Bell’s future could provide an unwanted distraction.
T8) Atlanta Falcons - Last season record: 10-6, lost in divisional round.
Highest-place vote: 4, lowest-place vote: 8.
The 2016 MVP and a young roster with some incredible defensive talent make it impossible to rule out the Falcons. The offense should work better this year, with Steve Sarkisian in his second season in charge.
T8) Jacksonville Jaguars - Last season record: 10-6, lost in AFC Championship Game.
Highest-place vote: 2, lowest-place vote: 12.
The loss of Marqise Lee is a blow but the Jaguars retain a first class roster and in Blake Bortles they have an excellent quarterback. Expect them to be in action in January.
10) Los Angeles Chargers - Last season record: 9-7, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 9, lowest-place vote: 10.
If the Chargers stay injury free they could be a difficult team to stop. Unfortunately for them, they have already lost Hunter Henry and Jason Verrett. That said, they should still have enough to win the AFC West.
11) Carolina Panthers - Last season record: 11-5, lost in wild-card round.
Highest-place vote: 11, lowest-place vote: 13.
The NFC South is very competitive and the Panthers are probably the third-best team in the division, mostly because of an offense that lacks options.
12) Houston Texans - Last season record: 4-12, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 11, lowest-place vote: 14.
Deshaun Watson is back to full fitness after an ACL injury that cut down his rookie season prematurely. In his six starts, he threw 18 touchdown passes and the Texans need him to rediscover that form.
13) Kansas City Chiefs - Last season record: 10-6, lost in wild-card round.
Highest-place vote: 11, lowest-place vote: 17.
Patrick Mahomes and his cannon arm will run the Chiefs offense for the first time this season. Question marks remain over the Kansas defense, but they could produce a few surprises.
14) Tennessee Titans - Last season record: 9-7, lost in divisional round.
Highest-place vote: 11, lowest-place vote: 19.
The Titans’ fortunes hinge on new coach Mike Vrabel and new offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur getting Marcus Mariota going. That didn’t happen in preseason and is an issue that must be sorted quickly.
15) Baltimore Ravens - Last season record: 9-7, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 10, lowest-place vote: 22.
If Joe Flacco can rediscover the form he showed in years gone by the Ravens will be a playoff team. The return of guard Marshal Yanda should help the offense too.
16) San Francisco 49ers - Last season record: 6-10, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 13, lowest-place vote: 22.
The 49ers won five of the six games they played since trading for Jimmy Garoppolo last seasonto make him their franchise quarterback. The loss of Jerick McKinnon to a season-ending ACL injury is a cruel blow, though.
17) Dallas Cowboys - Last season record: 9-7, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 14, lowest-place vote: 22.
Travis Frederick and Dez Bryant have gone, which means it’s a big year for Dak Prescott. The Cowboys’ defense, however, could cause problems to a lot of teams.
18) Detroit Lions - Last season record: 9-7, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 15, lowest-place vote: 20.
The Lions are going through a major revamp and it’s hard to know what to make of them. Former Patriots’ defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is the new head coach and it will be fascinating to see what impact he will have.
T19) Denver Broncos - Last season record: 5-11, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 12, lowest-place vote: 27.
In Bradley Chubb, Courtland Sutton and Royce Freeman the Broncos have a trio of highly promising rookies and if Case Keenum can get them rolling, Denver could be one of the surprises of the season.
T19) Chicago Bears - Last season record: 5-11, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 15, lowest-place vote: 24.
Just another team unlikely to reach the playoffs until a week ago, the Bears can now dream of being in the postseason after landing Khalil Mack, who could turn an already good defense into one of the best in the league.
21) New York Giants - Last season record: 3-13, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 14, lowest-place vote: 28.
The Giants won just three games last season but with Odell Beckham Jr. fully recovered and number two overall pick Saquon Barkley added to the roster, there are plenty of reasons for optimism around the MetLife Stadium.
22) Cincinnati Bengals - Last season record: 7-9, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 14, lowest-place vote: 25.
The Bengals have revamped their offense with a trade for Cordy Glenn and the selection of Billy Price and will be happy to fly under the radar this season.
23) Seattle Seahawks - Last season record: 9-7, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 18, lowest-place vote: 27.
A lot of has been made of the Seahawks’ need to unshackle Russell Wilson and allow him to run the offense. While that might help Seattle, it won’t offset the loss of four Pro Bowl players in the shape of Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor .
24) Oakland Raiders - Last season record: 6-10, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 18, lowest-place vote: 29.
Jon Gruden’s tenure in Oakland began with him trading Khalil Mack to Chicago. The Raiders will miss the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year and it remains to be seen whether Gruden will be enough to improve their offense.
25) Miami Dolphins - Last season record: 6-10, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 21, lowest-place vote: 29.
The return of Ryan Tannehill is good news for the Dolphins, but it’s also where good news ends. Miami has lost Jarvis Landry in the offseason and looks worryingly short of quality to improve on last season’s record.
26) Washington Redskins - Last season record: 7-9, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 23, lowest-place vote: 26.
Alex Smith replaces Kirk Cousins at quarterback, but the jury is out on whether the Redskins have upgraded. Adrian Peterson is a smart addition, which could prove very useful.
27) Indianapolis Colts - Last season record: 4-12, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 18, lowest-place vote: 32.
A lot will depend on whether Andrew Luck can rediscover the form he showed two seasons ago before suffering a serious shoulder injury. The Colts defense leaked points last season and major improvements are required under new coach Frank Reich.
28) Arizona Cardinals - Last season record: 8-8, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 25, lowest-place vote: 29.
The Cardinals’ roster isn’t as bad as some may suggest but a lack of clarity under center explains the less than optimistic forecast. Josh Rosen could take over at quarterback before the season reaches its halfway point.
29) New York Jets - Last season record: 5-11, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 24, lowest-place vote: 31.
In Sam Darnold the Jets hope to have found the franchise quarterback they’ve desperately sought for years. Whether the number three overall pick will hit the ground running remains to be seen and this season will be about building ahead for 2019.
30) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Last season record: 5-11, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 26, lowest-place vote: 32.
Jameis Winston’s suspension will hurt the Bucs in the first three weeks of the season, when they face teams that went a combined 37-11 last season. They will probably struggle even once Winston returns.
31) Cleveland Browns - Last season record: 0-16, missed playoffs.
Highest-place vote: 29, lowest-place vote: 32.
The Browns have added the number one and four overall picks to their roster, and a very good quarterback in Tyrod Taylor. Coach Hue Jackson remains under enormous pressure, but this season the Browns can’t get any worse. Mathematically, at least.
32) Buffalo Bills - Last season record: 9-7, lost in wild-card round.
Highest-place vote: 26, lowest-place vote: 32.
The Bills combine one of the league’s weakest receiving corps with doubts in the quarterback position, hardly a recipe for success. Number seven overall pick Josh Allen, AJ McCarron and Nathan Peterman will fight for the right to be starting quarterback.
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