Welcome to a new season of triggering power rankings.
No. 32: Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have a poor roster, and they are in the perfect position to draft Trevor Lawrence with the top pick of the 2021 draft.
No. 31: New York Giants
The offense will be pretty solid, but the defense will be terrible. It will be a long season for the Giants.
No. 30: Washington Football Team
Washington has a potentially lethal defense. The offense is below-average, but Washington could ride a hot pass rush to more wins than one might expect.
No. 29: Atlanta Falcons
Similar to the Giants, the offense will be good. However, the defense is likely to be bad. Grady Jarrett and Deion Jones will be wasted again.
No. 28: Carolina Panthers
While Carolina had a historically terrible defense in the second half of 2019, they offer lots of youth in 2020. The offense will be exciting to watch, and they will be better than expected.
No. 27: New York Jets
The Jets are plagued by the same trench problems that have cost them the last few seasons. The offensive and defensive lines, while improving, are still inefficient.
No. 26: Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals were more talented than a 2-14 team in 2019, and they could triple or even quadruple their wins in 2020.
No. 25: Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins had the worst roster in the NFL last season. They managed to win five games, and they do surprise people in 2020.
No. 24: Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders have made improvements to their atrocious linebacking corps, but they will likely finish at the bottom of a competitive AFC West.
No. 23: Chicago Bears
The Bears should have another great defense, but Mitchell Trubisky hurts any hope they have. At least Nick Foles has a higher ceiling.
No. 22: Detroit Lions
The Lions will have a productive offense, and the defense will be better in 2020. The offensive line was mismanaged in the off-season, but the weapons are there to be successful.
No. 21: Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals will have to deal with a below-average defense again, but it will be very good by 2021 or 2022. Kyler Murray is intrinsically linked to the ceiling of Arizona.
No. 20: Houston Texans
Losing DeAndre Hopkins hurts, but the Texans have rounded out their offense well. The defense is shaky.
No. 19: Los Angeles Rams
Few can match the pure star power of the Rams. However, most of the league beat Los Angeles out in terms of depth. Aaron Donald can only make so many plays.
No. 18: Cleveland Browns
The Browns are loaded on offense with six good weapons and an offensive line that is good on paper. The defense is a mess, but Myles Garrett is back on a revenge tour.
No. 17: Denver Broncos
Losing Von Miller hurts, but the Broncos will only be as good as Drew Lock in 2020. If he pops, Denver could be a surprise Super Bowl contender. If he busts, Denver will win six games.
No. 16: Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers have a stellar roster even without the services of Derwin James. As with teams such as the Bears and Broncos, the quarterback could tank the rest of the team.
No. 15: New England Patriots
With Cam Newton at the helm, New England will be able to run a lot of the same offense they had with Tom Brady. The weapons are major question marks, and the defense lost many pieces from COVID opt-outs, but do not count out Bill Belichick.
No. 14: Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are strong in the trenches with the NFL’s best offensive line and stalwarts in the front seven on defense. The skill position players leave something to be desired, and Philip Rivers has been a notorious underachiever with good rosters.
No. 13: Minnesota Vikings
Yannick Ngakoue will help, but Minnesota is young at cornerback. With a gauntlet of NFC receivers staring at Minnesota, the Vikings could get off to a rocky start.
No. 12: Green Bay Packers
The 2019 Packers overachieved significantly. However, the 2020 Packers will likely be even better as the defense rounds into form.
No. 11: Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia has been ravaged by injuries, but at least they are fairly healthy at wide receiver. The Eagles have a great offensive line (even with many injuries) and can beat any team in the NFL.
No. 10: Tennessee Titans
The Cinderella of the playoffs, Tennessee has added Jadeveon Clowney. The 2019 team is likely more talented, but the 2020 team has to prove that 2019 was not a fluke. Expect them to lean on Derrick Henry to the tune of 2,000 yards.
No. 9: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While the Tampa Bay offense will get most of the headlines, the defense is one of the most improved units since Week 8 of 2019. They have stars on each level and could be a top-10 defense in 2020.
No. 8: Buffalo Bills
The Bills added Stefon Diggs in the off-season, tooling up for Josh Allen’s third season. Allen has shown some promise, and he could be fully unlocked in 2020.
No. 7: Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys underachieved massively in 2019. With average kicking, they are a no-doubt 11-5 team. Heading into 2020, Dallas’s secondary and offensive line have been hurt with departures, but they should be a good team again.
No. 6: Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers won eight of their first 11 games with Devlin Hodges and Mason Rudolph at quarterback. Even if Ben Roethlisberger is not the same quarterback he was, Pittsburgh will win 10 or more games.
No. 5: Seattle Seahawks
Seattle is one of the most top-heavy rosters in NFL history. They have three genuine superstars, some solid young pieces, and a severe lack of depth. They can beat anyone, but they can also lose to anyone.
No. 4: San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers were a missed deep ball away from likely winning the Super Bowl. They have a loaded roster, but the pressure will rest on Jimmy Garoppolo. The defense and weapons around Garoppolo will provide for a high floor, but the 49ers cannot win a Super Bowl without Garoppolo taking a step up.
No. 3: New Orleans Saints
One of the most star-laden rosters in the NFL, New Orleans heads into 2020 with playoff demons to exorcise. Drew Brees might be on his way out, so the onus is now to win a Super Bowl.
No. 2: Baltimore Ravens
For as many playoff demons as the Saints have, at least they have a playoff win in 2017 and 2018. Baltimore has no such luxury, but they will likely be a scary team on offense and defense. Losing Earl Thomas could be a blessing in disguise as the Ravens can reaffirm their strong culture.
No. 1: Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are the best team in football. They should lock up the top seed in the AFC, giving them home-field advantage on their way to a second-straight Lombardi trophy.
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