With the real season just around the corner, we present the first edition of NFL Power Rankings for the fresh 2016 campaign.
Just 72 hours away. That’s it. Think about it. The NFL, your National Football League, the most popular league in all the land is now under three days away from a brand-spanking new season.We can hardly wait.
Forget fandom for a moment. Let’s get back to business. There’s the topic of deciding how all 32 teams stack up prior to any one player steps on the field for regular season action.
This list won’t be easy considering the defending Super Bowl Champions are still loaded on defense, yet have no answer at the most important position in sports (QB).
Join us as we count them down from 32 to one in Elite Sports NY’s first NFL Power Rankings for the 2016 season:
Begin Slideshow
Though it’s easy to list the Cleveland Browns as the worst team in the league at the moment, we’d be surprised if it turned out that way after 16 games are played.
First-year head coach Hugh Jackson, along with new analytical front office execs, should find their way by the time midseason hits. It’ll be a struggle up until then.
The worst thing the San Francisco 49ers ever did was allow general manager Trent Baalke to win the highly-publicized battle with Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh was the bonafide brains and leader behind the 49ers turnaround of prosperity half a decade ago and his departure is the reason the roster is on the decline.
While Chip Kelly will do solid things in San Francisco, it won’t happen in year one with this ragtag roster.
Save for safety Reshad Jones, the Miami Dolphins are hurting in the secondary and throughout the entire linebacking corps.
Rookie head coach Adam Gase will have his work cut out for him with the extremely inconsistent Ryan Tannehill. Until the Dolphins prove it on the field, they’ll remain a bottom feeder on our list.
When Jon Fox takes over a program, it usually works out. It works out over the long-haul.
Jay Cutler without tight end Martellus Bennett and Adam Gase might struggle a solid amount in 2016. Alshon Jeffrey is literally the only red-zone target.
NEXT: 28 Through 25
If there’s a more mediocre head coach than Jeff Fisher, please let me know who he is. The man simply turns out 8-8 teams like clockwork and we simply can’t put the Los Angeles Rams any higher on this list until they show us on the field first.
Even beasts Aaron Donald and Todd Gurley can’t save the Rams in these rankings.
No more Sam Bradford isn’t the worst thing in the world. Even naming rookie Carson Wentz as the starter won’t hurt the current ranking of these Philadelphia Eagles.
The cold hard reality is that the squad has a long way to go in terms of depth on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
Even with Drew Brees, Sean Payton and Brandin Cooks, this New Orleans Saints defense will doom the franchise all season long.
At least the rookie wide-out everybody’s raving about, Michael Thomas, should be fun to watch in this high-powered offense led by a hall of fame QB.
The strangest thing about the San Diego Chargers is that the season that they’re expected least to contend, they come out of nowhere. That won’t happen this season.
While Phillip Rivers can certainly provide some moments, Joey Bosa’s signing won’t nearly be enough to cover for all the deficiencies on the defensive side.
NEXT: 24 Through 21
Perhaps the Tampa Bay Buccaneers deserve a better spot on the list. Perhaps they don’t.
Jameis Winston‘s development from year one to year two will be a key ingredient.
While the better Class of 2015 quarterback resides in Tampa, Marcus Mariota is equipped with the slightly better roster (though the college offense he needs to run in the NFL won’t work).
A big helping hand for Mariota will be Mike Mularkey‘s running game spearheaded by DeMarco Murray and rookie Derrick Henry.
The first month or so for the 2015 Atlanta Falcons was superb. They were the surprise undefeated darlings of the NFL. But alas, Dan Quinn’s rosy start didn’t last.
Julio Jones, Matt Ryan and Devonta Freeman will lead a semi-explosive offense. The question this season will surround Quinn’s ability to lift an average defense.
Jim Caldwell doesn’t excite me one bit. In fact, this entire team doesn’t excite me.
Taylor Decker along the offensive line is as solid a pick as can be. No Calvin Johnson will hurt even more than beyond face value (if you can believe it).
NEXT: 20 Through 17
Unfortunately, for the folks in Orchard Park, NY, Rex Ryan isn’t the savior they were hoping for when he took the town by storm a year ago. Also, unfortunately, this summer was a disaster in terms of health.
The reason the Buffalo Bills are No. 20, rather than better on the list, is because the roster still does possess solid talent in certain areas.
It’s a never a great decision to bet against John Harbaugh. The man is one of the best in the business.
The defense may get a boost from the newly acquired Eric Weddle, but overall, the entire roster could blow hot or cold this upcoming season.
Remember these guys? Remember the preseason AFC favorites from a season ago? That’s right, the Indianapolis Colts and Andrew Luck were the darlings of the media after losing the game that began Deflategate.
Obviously, though, these media members forgot the offensive line consisted of nearly half the offense (5/11). Only time will tell whether or not rookie Ryan Kelly can help solve some of these incredible offensive line woes that have nearly killed their franchise QB.
One of the dark horses in the AFC resides in Florida: the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The reason for this optimism is squarely on the shoulders of the defense. Names like Dante Fowler, Jr., Malik Jackson and rookie Jalen Ramsey provide this incredible optimism. If Blake Bortes can take that next step, the Jags will put the entire conference on notice.
NEXT: 16 Through 13
On paper it’s obvious: these New York Giants will be better in 2016. They have to be better, “Right?” Nothing in 2015 matched the ugliness of the Giants defense a season ago. Forget the idea that they blew leads left and right, this defense finished dead last in the league with an average of 420.3 yards against a game.
Damon Harrison (one of the nastiest and most underrated players in the league), Janoris Jenkins, Olivier Vernon, and rookie safety Darian Thompson will bring much-needed punch to the defense.
The only question in Big Blue land revolves around a suspect offensive line. Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr., and explosive rookie Sterling Shepard will only be able to do as much as the o-line allows.
For now, they’re a middle-of-the-pack ranking with a high upside for growth.
We already listed the one dark-horse AFC team in the Jacksonville Jaguars. Here’s the other: the Oakland Raiders.
We remain skeptical, though intrigued. Derek Carr has the right guys around him. Can the o-line hold up? Is there enough around superstar Khalil Mack defensively?
The surprise of the 2015 season, the Washington Redskins, have many questions coming into 2015. Obviously, the first is Kirk Cousins and if he’ll be able to duplicate his solid previous campaign.
One thing’s for sure: Josh Norman and OBJ will provide entertainment all season long.
Bill O’Brien knows what he’s doing. His offense works in the NFL. That is, if, he has a QB to operate it.
With a loaded defense and solid parts on the offensive side, Brock Osweiler will have all eyes stuck to those broad shoulders. With J.J. Watt in tow on the other side, things will remain solid.
NEXT: 12 Through 9
Yeah, it was one serious blow to see Teddy Bridgewater go down. It’s also not feeling any better knowing they were fleeced when acquiring new starter Sam Bradford.
But Mike Zimmer does have something special brewing on defense. If Adrian Peterson can continue his superhuman pace, the Vikings will, once again, have a shot at the tournament (healthy QB or not).
The enigma of the NFL, the Cincinnati Bengals, will continue on as such in 2016. There’s just no rhyme or reason for why they continue to succeed to a certain level before the bottom falls out.
Andy Dalton, A.J. Green, and the two-headed monster of Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard will still produce a productive offense. The front-seven is still one of the scariest units across the land. Unfortunately, though, the enigma tag will continue during 2016 version.
The reason the Dallas Cowboys are ranked No. 10 on this list comes down to one factor: their offensive line is still the best single unit in the National Football League.
The defense will still have its issues and Dak Prescott will suffer through some rookie pains, but the O-Line will win the Cowboys many games.
If some fans still don’t believe Andy Reid is a great NFL coach, they should simply remove the label of “fan” from their bio. He simply gets the job done while helping build personnel the right way. The 2016 Kansas City Chiefs have a legitimate shot of real contention.
Marcus Peters is a blossoming star with a star cast of characters around him. Does Alex Smith have enough to compete with the big boys late in the tournament? That’ll be the all-important remaining question for KC.
NEXT: 8 Through 5
Since arriving on the scene a year ago, general manager Mike Maccagnan has done one hell of a job. Just look up and down the depth chart. The New York Jets are simply loaded.
Obviously, there’s one nagging question: Can Ryan Fitzpatrick duplicate, or dare I say surpass his magical 2015 campaign? If the Jets were equipped with a franchise guy like Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers, they’d be the bonafide Super Bowl favorites.
On defense, it’ll all come down to whether or not young Lorenzo Mauldin and/or Jordan Jenkins can provide enough heat along the edge to balance out an already stacked defense.
Surprised to see the Arizona Cardinals at No. 7 instead of in the top five? You shouldn’t be.
While the roster is as talented as there is in football, Carson Palmer has proved to not be the primetime guy a squad needs to get over the hump in the tournament. He struggled beyond belief in January and until he figures that part of it out, the Cards cannot be a top five squad.
It’s a QB league and Bruce Arians needs Palmer to be better when it matters most. Four touchdowns, six interceptions, and a 67.1 quarterback rating simply won’t get it done with such a talented cast of characters around him.
Until proven otherwise, the New England Patriots are the kings of the AFC East. Tom Brady could have been suspended for eight games and we’d still have the Pats ranked higher than the Jets.
The overall roster is solid but the addition of Martellus Bennett could prove to be the move of the offseason. I’m sure Josh McDaniels already brought back many of Bill O’Brien’s 2 TE principles this summer.
Forget the Legion of Boom. That catchy tagline is done. What’s not done is the overall talent on this defense. Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Bobby Wager, etc. The names go on and on.
The offense, on the other hand, is a complete wild card. Russell Wilson is as good as it gets. Can he bring Jimmy Graham back to life, though?
NEXT: 4 Through 1
When a franchise is blessed to have Aaron Rodgers (the best player in the world) as its fearless leader, it has one serious leg up. As far as the overall roster is concerned, the Pack is still in great shape.
If Jordy Nelson comes back to full health and Eddie Lacy‘s weight loss stays real, the offense will be as dangerous as ever. Defensively, talent is also abundant in Green Bay.
If only Martavis Bryant was there. If he was, the Pittsburgh Steelers would be flat-out ridiculous on offense. As it stands right now, they still are scary enough to be the best in the league (Le’veon Bell suspension or not).
The front seven is still loaded with the likes of Ryan Shazier and Lawrence Timmons. If the defensive backfield improves upon its very shaky 2015, Pitt will be a lock divisional champ.
The respect still has to be there, even without Peyton Manning. And yes, we know Manning wasn’t the same stud in that tournament that we were accustomed to for the entirety of his career.
Still, though, the man was a leader and coach on the field every time the Denver Broncos had the ball. That will be missed.
The reason for this No. 2 ranking comes down to the best defense in football led by the best defensive coordinator in football in Wade Phillips. When Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware are the bookends of a squad, nastiness is the only fitting description.
There’s no other squad that can be No. 1 at the current moment. No team was more dominating than the Carolina Panthers in 2015 and no squad has better talent up and down the depth chart.
Dave Gettleman, a man we know very well here in New York, has done a marvelous job since taking the helm in Carolina. With Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly and Kelvin Benjamin making his highly anticipated return, the Panthers have never been more loaded.