NFL 2021 Power Rankings W/ Grades (Week One)

RK 1

Kansas City Chiefs

Many would argue that the Chiefs would inevitably be worse given the past offseason with multiple starters being replaced in addition to no longer having a good amount of young potential but there are actually reasons for this team to be even better. Despite being by and large the best team in football throughout the regular season in 2020, the front office in Kansas City acted fast to completely revamp the O-line following its severe struggles in the Super Bowl. One reason this Chiefs team is so dominant is a result of the front office never becoming content while always remaining diligent to upgrade. Signing Guard Joe Thuney and trading for Tackle Orlando Brown were surely aggressive moves, but the Chiefs acknowledged the previous guys in place were unsustainable and then also couldn’t have done a better job to fill out the rest of the line. It’s important to note that Andy Reid lucked out again with Eric Bieniemy remaining as the OC which further ensures this offense won’t miss a beat from last year. Andy Reid has built up an elite culture over the years and this team has multiple quality leaders, so regardless if a star is out or not, role players will reliably step up and have another star player take lead. They have done a great job of drafting a balance of impactful and high-upside players, which is needed with the salary at QB. In a league where it is near impossible to sustain an elite roster, this Kansas City team has done that to the best degree possible.

RK 2

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Despite the grade on Tampa Bay being significantly lower in Kansas City, I can still rationalize how others would put this team at number one. Outside of the QB position, the entire roster on this team is clearly the best. After having a dominant second half of the 2020 season and winning a super bowl, the Buccanneers managed to not lose a single mentionable player while also retaining their entire coaching staff. While the Chiefs have question marks following a noticeable turnover, this Buccs team will undoubtedly be better heading into 2021. Looking far into the future, it’d be naive to expect this immense talent to sustain longer than two or three seasons. There’s always a chance this is the year that Tom Brady has a significant regression or the team gets wiped out with injuries but this is assuming the worst. Tampa Bay has multiple position groups in which they project to be the best, most notably the group of receivers. With both an elite offense and an elite defense, this will be one of the most difficult teams to play and will be one of the most entertaining teams I’ve ever watched.

RK 3

Buffalo Bills

Sean McDermott and the rest of the Bills organization have done a tremendous job the past few years building a Superbowl contending team from the ground up. When Buffalo drafted Josh Allen in 2018, it was clear he would either not develop and be useless or would turn into one of the most talented players in the league. Since drafting seventh overall that year, the Bills have now made Allen into a top-five QB while having the second most complete team in the league. I believe the best teams are the ones that make the boldest moves and that factor in Buffalo has landed them multiple superstars with the likes of Steffon Diggs and Tre’Davis White. Offensive Coordinator (OC) Brian Daboll isn’t just underrated but is simply an elite offensive coordinator being better than a handful of offensive-minded head coaches in the league right now. Given the playcalling, all-around coaching, and the elite culture in Buffalo, it is no wonder Allen played at an elite level. With multiple young players on defense with high upside, this team could possibly get better.

RK 4

Los Angeles Rams

RK 5

Green Bay Packers

The 2021 season for Green Bay is a special one for its players and fans as the franchise is in a unique circumstance following the dramatic offseason. That is because this will very likely be Hall-of-Famer Aaron Rodger’s final season in Green Bay and the same is true for Devante Adams. After GM Brian Gutenkuntst got called out by Rodgers, all he got in return was a trade for Randall Cobb which minimally improved his receiving options. They allowed elite Center Corey Lindsley to sign with the chargers and replaced him by over-drafting Josh Myers. There weren’t any other noticeable additions meaning this Packers team is expected to regress slightly. I’d expect nothing less than elite play from Rodgers; the season he had last year was an all-time great performance at the position. He and Matt LeFleur’s scheme make for supreme efficiency on offense and the defensive side of the ball is scattered with stars. I imagine the culture in Green bay will be a bit shakey given the drama that took place causing uncertainty in the future. As for just this season, this is a team you know what to expect week in and week out but doesn’t match up well against the better competition.

RK 6

San Francisco 49ers

RK 7

Baltimore Ravens

RK 8

New England Patriots

Following the most dominant dynasty the sport has ever seen, the Patriot’s inevitable regression took place in 2020 as they had a rather ugly season. Many are arguing that with the absence of Tom Brady New England no longer has the caliber of the team to compete with the best, but I believe people are underselling the value Bill Belichick brought to this previously dominant team. Having a quality QB is certainly a must and while Tom Brady was better than anyone at ensuring quality play, the formula for success in New England is built to allow the QB to thrive without possessing elite traits. Before Cam Newton tested positive for Covid, he managed to run their offense in an acceptable fashion, but once he came back and injuries started to pile up, the QB play suffered severely. New England lead the league in opt-outs in 2020 and the stable of their defense, Stephon Gilmore missed six games to injury. This means they automatically have an improved team from that factor alone, and in addition, they spent more money than any other team this past free agency as well. Acquiring both Hunter Henry and Jonu Smith at TE increases the upside and explosiveness this offense was missing before and the offensive line is now complete with getting Tackle Trent Brown back from the raiders. Bill Belichick continues to show adaptation this late in his career as he took a completely different approach to this past draft. In years past, Belichick drafted using a traditional philosophy of taking only players who’d fit precise roles on the team and would ignore the value of where their players were selected. This past draft was done with modern principles as they did an excellent job identifying the areas of value, deep in the draft and came out with a handful of really nice players. The draft pick of QB Mac Jones isn’t the flashiest of first-round QBs but there actually couldn’t have been a better place for Jones to go besides New England. With an elite defense, Jones won’t be required to do anything spectacular on offense as this team will be playing in a lot of low-score games and Jones brings an excellent floor to the offense and will limit mistakes. While it isn’t the most obvious, there are plenty of unacknowledged reasons for why this team is capable of playing close to how they did with Tom Brady and I expect the Patriots to be a serious problem for teams they face in the playoffs.

RK 9

Cleveland Browns

RK 10

Seattle Seahawks

RK 11

Indianapolis Colts

RK 12

New Orleans Saints