It’s only a few hours until regular season action begins, as Pittsburgh and New England will play the opener later today. Let’s look at the NFL betting power rankings going into Week 1.
#32 Washington Redskins
There is turmoil once again at quarterback, and the defense doesn’t look good either. This will not be a good year in DC.#31 Tennessee Titans
Marcus Mariota will give the Titans some spark. However, their defense won’t be able to keep other teams off the board.#30 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jameis Winston should get off to a strong start. It remains to be seen how the defense will hold up. There is almost no depth, so injuries will pose a major problem.#29 Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jags lost their #3 overall pick, Dante Fowler, to injury, and the defense will suffer as a result. Blake Bortles should be pretty good, though.#28 New York Jets
This team would have been higher until their starting quarterback got his jaw broken in a locker room fracas. The secondary should be pretty good, though.#27 Cleveland Browns
The talent on offensive is second-rate. Both lines should be strong, though.#26 Oakland Raiders
This team could jump if Derek Carr and start hooking up with wide receiver Amari Cooper in the early going. Jack Del Rio will have this team motivated.#25 Chicago Bears
John Fox is a terrific head coach, but he’s moving the team to a 3-4 defense, which could be difficult. Losing first-round pick Kevin White will hamper the offense.#24 San Francisco 49ers
Their head coach left, three players retired, two players left in free agency, and Aldon Smith just fell apart. What will the 49ers bring to the field?#23 Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons have terrific talent on offense with Julio Jones and Chris Ryan. Defensive mastermind Dan Quinn has a challenge with the other side of the ball.#22 New York Giants
Victor Cruz will be back, but what will the defense be like now that Jason Pierre-Paul has a lengthy rehab ahead of him?#21 New Orleans Saints
The offense will be strong with Drew Brees motivated for redemption. However, the defense needs to step up.#20 Carolina Panthers
Kelvin Benjamin is already out for the season, so Cam Newton will have a huge hill to climb.#19 St. Louis Rams
Todd Gurley has recovered from his injury. Let’s hope he has that same explosiveness he had at Georgia before he got hurt.#18 Houston Texans
Brian Hoyer will be a better quarterback than Ryan Fitzpatrick was. And J.J. Watt will still be a beast on defense. Can they challenge the Colts, though?#17 Buffalo Bills
The Bills might have two great quarterbacks, and their defense will be more stout with Rex Ryan at the helm.#16 Minnesota Vikings
Teddy Bridgewater has looked outstanding in the preseason, and we still haven’t seen what Adrian Peterson can do. This team could contend in the NFC playoff race.#15 San Diego Chargers
Running back Melvin Gordon brings some punch to the backfield. This should give Philip Rivers some more options on offense.#14 Kansas City Chiefs
Bringing in wide receiver Jeremy Maclin makes life easier for quarterback Alex Smith. Can they hang with Denver?#13 Miami Dolphins
The defense will be improved, and quarterback Ryan Tannehill has not yet reached his ceiling. Get ready for Jarvis Landry to be his favorite target.#12 Pittsburgh Steelers
Without those suspensions to Martavis Bryant and Le’Veon Bell, this team’s ranking would be even higher.#11 Detroit Lions
The offense will be even better this year, but the defense will really miss Ndamukong Suh on the front.#10 Baltimore Ravens
This could be a sleeper contender with all of their Super Bowl-experienced talent mixed with skilled young players.#9 Cincinnati Bengals
Jeremy Hill, A.J. Green, and Gio Bernard are all top offensive producers. Can they get over the hump when it comes to big-time games?#8 Philadelphia Eagles
All I can say about this team is that it will either be feast or famine. There won’t be a 9-7 outcome for this crew.#7 Denver Broncos
Julius Thomas and Wes Welker have left. But Peyton Manning isn’t quite done yet.#6 Green Bay Packers
Losing Jordy Nelson will be a major setback for this offense. The defense wlll be strong as usual.#5 Arizona Cardinals
The return of Carson Palmer should see a return to the dominant ways of this team.#4 Indianapolis Colts
Do Andre Johnson and Frank Gore still have gas in the tank? We’ll see.#3 Dallas Cowboys
The league’s best offensive line now has a committee of running backs. Will it work?#2 New England Patriots
Brady is back. The Pats are in the driver’s seat until someone knocks them off in the AFC.
