The NFL season is only a few weeks away, so it felt appropriate to make offseason Power Rankings for all 32 NFL teams heading into Week 1. These rankings most heavily consider: overall offense, overall defense, coaching/culture, and quarterback play. PlayerProfiler’s depth charts and advanced metrics can help to determine the overall quality of a team’s offense/defense.
No. 1) Chiefs
This one’s easy. As long as Patrick Mahomes is being paid his rookie rate and the front office can stack this roster with talent, then this team will be the undisputed No. 1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XleqJy36IM
No. 2) Ravens
Baltimore is a candidate for regression after a crazy 2019 and normally would have to fall on a power rankings list heading into a new season. However, this team added many significant players on defense and worked to notably improve the unit in 2020. They had a big-play defense, but struggled to consistently stop teams last year. With improved defense and a healthy, sturdier Marquise Brown, they’re primed to repeat their dominance.
No. 3) Saints
The Saints fail to finish year in and year out, but this is still arguably the strongest overall roster in the league. Every position group has both elite contributors and reliable depth. They added to their secondary and their young edge rushers have another year of experience under their belt. The team had a strong draft and is clearly in the Super Bowl conversation once again heading into 2020.
No. 4) Buccaneers
It’s time to admit that this team will be a force of nature in 2020. Tom Brady is the greatest football player of all time and has proven to be an outlier when it comes to battling Father Time. Bruce Arians is a great coach and this team has a winning culture despite some dark Jameis Winston-led years. Chris Godwin and Mike Evans make up the best WR duo in the league by far and the offensive line is plenty capable. Todd Bowles has proved for years that he can coach a reliable defense without a sleuth of upper-tier play makers. This team is in the Super Bowl conversation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ijxWpCyTyo
No. 5) Seahawks
The Seahawks are the best team in the NFC West and among the best teams in football. Every year it feels like their roster talent is weak, yet every year they finish in the top 12 and make the playoffs. Players want to play for Pete Carroll and this team’s culture is known to be good. Russell Wilson is arguably the second best quarterback in the league behind Patrick Mahomes despite the low overall passing volume. His weapons are the best they’ve ever been and he has never required elite blocking to make big plays. The defense has adequate talent and the addition of Jamal Adams is a big boost to the secondary. Don’t be surprised when Seattle wins the NFC West this season and secures top-3 seeding in the NFC.
No. 6) Cowboys
Ranking the Cowboys in the top 6 feels like an obvious trap after years of overhype for a team that never meets expectations. The roster has always been top-heavy and while Dak Prescott has proven to be great, he’s not an elite playmaker like Russell Wilson or Patrick Mahomes.
Check out Dak Prescott’s 2020 Projection on PlayerProfiler’s “World Famous” Draft Kit:
However, the biggest problem for the Cowbows over recent years has been coaching. Jason Garrett is gone, replaced by a Super Bowl-winning coach in Mike McCarthy, who has spent his year off studying football in ways he never has. Being cycled out of the league has prompted him to re-evaluate himself and evolve alongside the league unlike many other aging coaches. He has already said Kellen Moore will be handed the reigns on offense, and he has proven to be a pass-first play caller. The weapons are there, the O-line is top 5, and the defense is able to get off the field on third downs. This is the year.
No. 7) 49ers
The 49ers will not be as good in 2020 as they were last season. The defense is likely to regress with DeForest Buckner gone and Richard Sherman inching closer to the cliff. The offense has few viable pass catchers and Jimmy Garoppolo is good, but not elite. The offensive line improved and the coaching/culture is as good as it gets. They are still an upper-tier team, but temper expectations.
No. 8) Eagles
The Eagles, similar to Seattle, consistently make the playoffs despite lack of depth. The coaching has proven to be great, and players want to be there. Carson Wentz is an elite quarterback talent when healthy and he has the best weapons of his career. The weakest link (the secondary) added Darius Slay, a bonafide stud. This team is in contention for an NFC Championship.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-izrUbJxhM&t=7s
No. 9) Vikings
The Vikings are the third team in the top ten that we just have to admit are good. Again, this team always finishes strong and always competes for a Wild Card spot. The roster is strong overall, and the coaching is consistent. Kirk Cousins is actually a good QB despite what people think and the division is winnable. Watching them on Sunday may be boring, but they win games with consistent, fundamental football.
No. 10) Colts
The first bold projection on this list is Indianapolis. The AFC South is a weaker division than it seems, this team has the best offensive line in football, and Philip Rivers is a Hall of Fame candidate. This defense is primed to make a big jump and become a dominant unit in 2020.
The Colts believe that they are ready to push for an AFC Championship and I am on board. They have an improved receiving corps and, if the defense hits, there will be no issues grinding out games with handoffs to Jonathan Taylor.
No. 11) Browns
The second bold projection on this list. Everyone was one year too early on the Browns and now we’re all feeling too burned to tout them. Take every hot take about the Browns from last year and copy/paste it to this year. The problems in 2019 were coaching and blocking. The tackles are improved and Kevin Stefanski is an actual NFL-caliber coach. Sorry Freddie Kitchens. The run-run-pass approach will help Baker Mayfield develop with less pressure and blossom into a component game manager the same way Kirk Cousins has in Minnesota. Mayfield is strongest on the play action and when he has a healthy Odell Beckham to toss the rock to. The Browns will contend for a Wild Card berth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78S6U8d7sIc
No. 12) Patriots
The Patriots at No. 12 feels equally too low as it does too high. The best team of the last decade has lost Tom Brady and a massive amount of players on the defense. Let’s be honest though, this is still an upper-tier team. The coaching is unrivaled and the culture of winning is ingrained in the Patriots brand. Cam Newton, if healthy, is still a STUD. The offense is still strong. The defense took some hits, but Stephon Gilmore is still there and this unit will still be competitive. Don’t overthink this one.
No. 13) Steelers
I don’t think Ben Roethlisberger has much left to offer at 39 years old after an suffering an elbow injury following a 600 pass attempt season. The arm seems deflated and the injuries have stacked up, but I am not in the locker room and the organization seems to have faith in him. He is still markedly better than Mason Rudolph or Devlin Hodges. The Steelers managed an 8-8 record last season with no QB, and we have to figure the upgrade to Roethlisberger is worth at least 3-5 wins. A Wild Card slot is realistic for a team with arguably the strongest defensive roster going into the season, and a strong culture with consistent coaching.
No. 14) Titans
The Titans are in the middle of the pack after four consecutive 9-7 seasons. Many tout this team as being upper-tier, but they have never been. The 2019 Titans were the quintessential “heating up at the right time” team. Ryan Tannehill is a significant upgrade to Marcus Mariota, but this team is slowly losing talent and reverting to its 9-7 form. They’re neither bad nor great, they’re average.
Returning to Earth: Three Offenses that Won’t Live Up to 2019
The league will catch up to them after no significant changes to the personnel or gameplan from 2019.
No. 15) Packers
Many might think this is too low, but it feels too high. Green Bay’s 13-3 record in 2019 is due for major regression. The defense is slowly losing talent. Many will put their faith in Aaron Rodgers and rank this team higher, and that is a reasonable approach to take. I am dropping this team to No. 15 for one reason, they drafted Jordan Love in the first round. It doesn’t matter if Love becomes an elite quarterback or not. This front office introduced a significant quarterback controversy to their locker room heading into this year. QB controversy has proven since the dawn of football to be the most efficient way to sink a team’s potential. The Rodgers-Aaron Jones–Davante Adams trio will lead to seven wins behind a strong offensive line, but forget any playoff aspirations.
No. 16) Bills
The Bills have everything that makes up a strong franchise: good coaching, winning culture, a strong roster, and an upper-tier defense. Having any quarterback from one of the teams ranked higher would put them squarely in the top 8. They fall to No. 16 for one reason, Josh Allen’s 64.7-percent (No. 33rd among qualified quarterbacks) True Completion Percentage in 2019. That’s worse than every other starting QB plus two backups. Buffalo only managed a 10-6 record last season against the league’s softest schedule. Their 2020 schedule is projected to be magnitudes more difficult. The Patriots will win the AFC East for the 12th year in a row. Sorry Bills Mafia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5t8v8QWUP8
No. 17) Broncos
Copy everything said about the Bills and paste for the Broncos. Strong roster, good coaching, loaded with weapons, I just don’t think Drew Lock is good. Nate Liss proposed a theory on the Sonic Truth Dynasty Podcast that John Elway is building this team to be a veteran destination for an aging quarterback looking to win a Super Bowl. I love this theory and would place my wager now that Aaron Rodgers leads the 2021 Denver Broncos to Super Bowl 56.
No. 18) Texans
The Texans represent the first team on this list that people perceive as good when, in reality, they aren’t. Deshaun Watson is an absolute stud, he alone keep this team in the top 20. Take Watson off this team and it becomes bottom 5. The roster is thin with very little top-end talent. The defense is one more J.J. Watt injury away from having no talent. The offense is loaded for fantasy purposes but not deigned to consistently win games without a defense. Bill O’Brien is a so-so coach and the culture is definitely in question. A locker room with a strong culture doesn’t see its best player unloaded for pennies on the dollar for seemingly no reason. Look at the Colts and Titans to battle it out for the AFC South.
No. 19) Bears
The Bears defense is still a strong unit that will present a serious challenge for opposing offenses. The offense has talent and the culture is apparently fine. Matt Nagy has been a middle-of-the-road coach to this point, and not fully responsible for this team’s shortcomings. Chicago continued to drop because of the QB controversy. As long as it’s an “open competition” between Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky, they won’t string together wins. If they announce one as the clear-cut starter, then maybe they can move up. If they had signed Cam Newton, that would be a certainty. Overall, they’re trending in the wrong direction.
No. 20) Lions
The Lions offense looks like a strong contender for bounceback offense of the year. It also looks to be a strong source of fantasy production and value draft selections in 2020 fantasy drafts. However, fantasy production does not equal wins or being a good football team. Detroit is a perennial loser and Matt Patricia is not elevating this team. The culture feels confused, not outright bad, but the direction is unknown. Look forward to the games being more fun with a healthy Matthew Stafford and plenty of weapons on offense. The defense is bad and the front office in question. 2020 is not the year of the lion.
No. 21) Dolphins
The Dolphins are building something special down in Florida. Whether it’s special good or a monumental failure is yet to be seen. I am willing to bet that this team takes a step forward from bottom 3 to bottom 12. It’s too soon for them to be good, but in a soft AFC south with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm and an overhauled defense, a Wild Card push should surprise nobody.
No. 22) Rams
The Rams have a seemingly good-not-great front office with very good coaching. All of their offseason moves indicate a rebuild. They dumped many big veteran contracts and are transitioning to a simpler 21-personnel playbook. They will be bad this year, but the Sean McVay Rams will emerge again one day, stronger than ever before. Super Bowl 53 was a lifetime ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEgP1-ulhlM
No. 23) Cardinals
The Cardinals are building something beautiful. Expect some fun games. Kyler Murray is for real. It is yet to be seen whether or not Kliff Kingsbury can find success as an NFL head coach. Murray will be a playoff caliber quarterback one day, but this Cardinal egg is yet to hatch.
No. 24) Falcons
I am going to say this once loud and clear; The Falcons are a bad football team. Yes, they are good for fantasy. Yes, Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are good. This team has not been competitive in years. They start every season with severe losing records and rally late to win just enough games to save Dan Quinn’s job. Quinn is a lame duck coach. Another bad draft in 2020 proved the front office’s incompetence. The pulse in Atlanta has been slowly fading for years and NOTHING has been done to jolt a shock into this franchises heartbeat. They are decaying and falling behind to the other teams in the NFC South. Stop thinking this team is good just because both Jones and Calvin Ridley have top 30 ADPs.
No. 25) Raiders
The Raiders are building something in Las Vegas. I don’t know what it is. The Raider is still undergoing metamorphosis in its cocoon. I hope a beautiful butterfly emerges. I enjoy John Gruden and want to watch good Football games in Vegas, but a horrible monster may emerge. For now, don’t expect too many wins, but this team also won’t embarrass itself most weeks.
No. 26) Chargers
What even are the Chargers this year? There are plenty of talented players on both sides of the ball and this team can certainly win games. The division is very difficult and the QB room is a mess. They’re circling the drain. Maybe Tyrod Taylor can scramble his way to a few wins, but it is more likely that Justin Herbert gets the reins by Week 10. Once he does, the idea of winning is thrown out the window as the remainder of the season becomes focused on his development.
No. 27) Panthers
This team is in a rebuild with a new coaching staff, new QB and little talent on defense. I don’t think anyone expects many wins, but the offense is beyond loaded at the skill positions. The offensive line is soft, but watching Carolina play in the “shootout division” should be tons of fun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq-uFgyR_eA
No. 28) Giants
Copy the blurb for Carolina and paste here. They fall down one spot because the weapons are not as good. The only good thing in New York will be Saquon Barkley highlight clips.
No. 29) Jaguars
The Jaguars are unfairly being deemed the worst team in football by many for 2020. They are bad, really bad, but not the worst. The rebuild is in full tilt but the apathetic players are all gone. Tom Coughlin is gone and Minshew Mania is here to stay. At least this team made changes in its front office and locker room to change the culture. Gardner Minshew brings an element of fun that gives off a positive vibe. The offense is full of young players who can feed off his positive nature and at least put up some admirable performances.
Best-Value Konami Code Quarterbacks in Fantasy Football for 2020
Take the over for a Jaguars team that can stumble into five wins.
No. 30) Bengals
This team is building. Joe Burrow might be great, but the coaching staff is unproven and the defense bad. Give them time, but understand that adding Burrow does not instantly make them good.
No. 31) Jets
Things look bad for the Jets in 2020. Any potential this team has is squandered by Adam Gase. His strongest ability is to alienate his best players and deploy game plans that misuse his player’s strengths. The offensive line was revamped, yes, but that is not enough to make this team good. Jamison Crowder is their current No. 1 receiver. That is bad. They have no edge rushers of consequence or talented contributors in the secondary. This team will crater hard in 2020. I just pray they dump Gase and allow Joe Douglas to continue to build this roster with improved leadership in 2021.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77Dbu-opE3Q
No. 32) The Washington Football Team
This one should be obvious. This organization is tearing itself down from the roots and replanting every seed possible, down to its name. Ron Rivera was bought in to stabilize them, but it won’t happen overnight. Draft Terry McLaurin in fantasy football, otherwise forget this team.
