Week 1 Power Rankings Reaction Show

this season no surprise sitting at number one the reigning Super Bowl champs and the Kansas City Chiefs number two the San Francisco 49ers at three the Baltimore Ravens who I think you could have made an argument was the best team in the NFL a season ago had they not lost that AFC Championship game and then obviously not even get to the Superbowl the Lions check in at four the Eagles at five Cincinnati at 6 at seven the Houston Texans and at number eight the Buffalo Bills and Eric we'll dive into a couple of these squads but let's start at the top from a Super Bowl perspective they're trying to be the first team to three repeat is this as simple as you got Patrick Mahomes you get the benefit of the doubt and you should be number one yeah it's hard to ignore the fact Mike that they've got most of the band back together right momes Andy Reid uh obviously a great coaching staff there as well Steve spagnolo might be a Hall of Famer one day for all we know Travis Kelce you know the ban by now but you know they still have some pieces they have to worry about no larus sne that puts Trent McDuffy in that number one role and and a rookie left tackle Kingsley SU Tia you know how is he going to hold up especially with some tough games early in the season I mean you've got Baltimore week one Cincinnati week two Houston and buffalo on the schedule as well so you know AFC West has gotten tougher they placed some of the heavyweights in their conference it's going to be a battle as usual but you know last year proved Mike that they don't even have to have a great regular season and they could still be the best in in a top the mountain top when the season ends well the team that had the best season in the NFL at least in my mind was the Baltimore Ravens who you had have sitting at number three statistically speaking first team since 1970 to lead the NFL scoring defense takeaways and sacks in the single season they don't have Mike McDonald their defensive coordinator who now heads to Seattle did you think about slotting them number two I did yeah obviously it's it you know it looks like I just cut and paced last year's Conference Championship games in the top four slots and you know that that's a fair criticism but I I do worry about the offensive line a little bit you mentioned the defense to m McDonald gone you know Zack or 31-year-old defensive coordinator he's got guys on his defense older than he is that's a question mark but yeah the offensive line I mean you could argue there are questions at four of the five spots possibly you know first year starters at at uh right tackle Roger Roser Garden left guard Andrew warries was a seventh round pick didn't play last year so I realize Lamar and Derrik Henry their new running back those two guys can kind of make up for a bad offensive line with their ability to either break tackles or or run around him but there still has to be that protection up front there still have to be the takeaways and sacks on defense so I didn't feel like they quite stacked up to where we saw them uh for most of last season wow I feel like you're going to get some heat on this Derrick Henry alone you know this ER I look teams in the AF in the AFC certainly in the NFL they almost build their rosters to take out Kansas City I think the addition of Derrick Henry in that backfield might be that missing piece we saw in that AFC Championship game two design runs for Lamar Jackson something tells me Lam more ground and pound if we get a rematch this upcoming season the lions were a darling last year heading into the NFL campaign you have them at four they're they're no longer you know they're the team that's now getting hunted at this point did you hedge a little bit and maybe want to slide them back a little bit yeah I mean you still have to see Improvement on that defense right and we know how explosive that offense is obviously Jared GB back Ben Johnson The Talented play caller gave up a head coaching opportunity in Washington to stay in Detroit and keep this train rolling and you know they can score with anybody but have they made enough defensive improvements that's where I just hold back a little bit I want to see it first and they made additions in the secondary they added to the front line as well DJ reer Marcus stavin poured a little bit of a question mark uh with his injuries in the past but those two rookie Corners Arnold and rraw rounds one and two clearly targeted that as a major area of need of improvement so if there are significant strides on that side of the ball they were actually decent defensively the first handful of games of the year and seem to regress as time went on I'd love to see the opposite right if they start slowly that's fine but by the end of the season as long as they're in that kind of middle of the pack opportunistic defense get key takeaways make Red Zone stops hold teams the field goals boy what a difference that could make that could have cost you know that could have cost them a 17-point lead in San Francisco in the NFC championship game that defense is certainly going to be in the spotlight this year but I think Detroit you have to put them among the Super Bowl contenders they're one of my Super Bowl teams this year so I'm excited about what might happen in Detroit this year yeah we had to do it for one of our shows and I actually went with the Lions as the team that I thought could get to the Super Bowl and I I I'm with you I'm sort of buying on some strides on that defensive side I you know I was privy I get your list and by the way Eric's fullest on nfl.com you can go 1 through 32 last night I'm analyzing it and I took a deep breath and I said Philadelphia sitting at five and I don't hate it but at the same time I saw a collapse last year where this team lost five out of the last six I get it saquon's there but they lose leadership Kelsey gone Fletcher Cox now on the defensive side he's gone how much did you waver on having them as a top five team in the NFL yeah I mean as I said in the in the intro there I mean they were a 10-in-1 football team but at the same time when you watch closely they had a loss to the Jets they almost lost the Patriots week one they had a couple other games where they really had to grind their gears to get the victory so you know this is a team that only outscored its opponents I think by by five points last year despite a pretty good record even with the the downfall at the end of the season but yeah what happened in December and January has to worry people on the big scale is this going to carry over is the the the perceived awkwardness between Nick serani and Jaylen Herz going to kind of cloak this entire season I don't know the answer to that right I'm not inside the locker room but but Herz has had a good preseason he's had a good camp he's got that quiet stoic style will that translate look with all the weapons they have and now Vic fangio the guy they wanted on defense maybe that unit stops underperforming and maybe the offense can finish drives just a little bit better this year with saquan and and all those weapons they have you know you mentioned that defense back half of that defense a year ago was the walking wounded and we saw them address that in the draft with their first two selection brought in some free agents one of the leaders of that team a couple years ago and CJ Gardner Johnson so I I'm with you cautiously optimistic maybe that awkwardness is in the rearview mirror and this team can really Thrive Cincinnati at 6 Joe burrow when he's healthy Eric and you know this that they're playing in AFC championship games he wasn't a season ago he missed the final seven games I I just get worried it's a wrist injury for him but you have him as the sixth ranked team heading into the season in the NFL it seems like you're not concerned about it well it's one of those balancing acts again Mike because I have them as a Super Bowl team and I fully recognize their shortcomings or their potential weaknesses their Achilles heels whatever you want to call them if Joe isn't protected we know what happens right the seasons where he's been able to play 16 games or more the Bengals have had team success they got to a Super Bowl they've reached an AFC Championship game in Seasons where he's started 10 or fewer games including his rookie year and last year things haven't gone as well so there's a direct correlation between how the Bengals perform and how Joe Burrows is feeling healthwise so it worries me Trent Brown is out they've got to count on am Marius Mims the the rookie right tackle but he's looked special early on he's a talent they have a lot of second and third year guys ready to elevate and roll and so maybe that defense and that run game those are probably the two other big worries maybe they're not as big a concern when you have guys like Chase and Higgins and uh and Andre usas I think is going to have a good year as well we assume Chase is going to be there right I I have a lot of things a lot of plates uh spinning in the air right now and to crossing fingers and doing whatever I can to make it work but assuming javar Chas shows up I feel great about this team in the long run uh even with all the questions the division is brutal just throwing that out there which is going to be another Factor but I'm with you Joe burrow when he is healthy I mean the dude is just throwing darts out on the football field and there's a reason why it was back-to-back AFC Championship Games obviously last year that didn't happen in a 9 and8 campaign checking in at number seven here you have Houston and I can't help but think that that front office two years ago is sitting there going hey this is going to be a project we got our quarterback this thing is is going to get built out over time next thing you know they're thinking about a Super Bowl right now they bring in Diggs on the offseason denal Hunter I don't think we talked nearly enough about that addition on the defensive side I think CJ str's a top five quarterback in the NFL like there's a real argument Eric and I think fans in Houston might sit here and go no we we should actually be higher than seventh yeah I I've been pumping the breaks ever so slightly I'm not selling stock I'm not dumping I'm not offloading I'm just saying hey let's keep an eye on the fact that they had a pretty easy schedule last year right I don't want to put too much stock into that c stra was amazing Will Anderson was terrific demo Ryans was a brilliant first year head coach I think that this team is going nowhere but up but to me they're a little bit in that same place that the Jaguars were one year ago everybody's darling they had the big playoff upset Trevor Lawrence things are finally right they started 8 and three crashed down the down the stretch so could I see something like this happening with Houston with a with a loaded schedule and everybody now kind of having them in their crosshairs possibly I still think they're good but you look at the number of teams they play it is daunting so how will they hold up in some of these early season tests and you know against like the Bears for instance and kind of these second tier teams that'll that'll give us an idea how they can stack up against the heavyweights later on in the season I'm excited believe me I am but I also recognize that maybe we're just elevating them a little too fast at this point sitting at number nine the Green Bay Packers who just paid Jordan love 220 million they won six of their last eight games last season Dallas CD is paid they check in at number 10 Miami 11 after Tua Tunga vioa ends up getting over $200 million the Jets at 12 the Chargers at 13 the Cleveland Browns at 14 and what is a maker Break season for Deshaun Watson the Rams I think is uh team that's on the short list maybe to make a run in the NFC they check in at 15 and the Chicago Bears at 16 Eric I want to start at number 12 with the Jets longest playoff drought in the NFL active droughted 13 Seasons right now they were the Talk of the Town a season ago every show that we were doing on NFL Network it seemed a year ago was Aaron Rogers was in the a block then he gets hurt almost feel like a remade offensive line there's an argument they they're going to not only be in the playoffs but they can make a run don't you think absolutely yeah I mean part of me wants to say hey look we have to reflect the team that was put out there last year where you know some weeks they were terrific defensively and the offense couldn't do anything other weeks the offense was at least passable and the defense would let them down in key moments look I still think this is a top 10 defense and if there's a healthy Aaron roders out there I don't know about 17 weeks but for the majority of the season I think they have a terrific chance Garrett Wilson is a superstar Bree Hall another year remov from ACL surgery and the biggest thing for me Mike just kind of making me feel warm and fuzzy about the whole operation or a little better anyway the offensive line depth that's the biggest thing you got Tyron Smith you got Morgan Moses two veteran bookends and then you draft Ola fashu as well I think they're protected on the outside that was such a big concern obviously four plays in of the Season it was a concern but it continued to be an issue all year long they seem to have it fixed now I'm hoping this uh hosan reic hold out doesn't last too much longer because they lost Bryce Huff they need some juice on that pass rush do they have it without him I'm not sure starting new left tackle starting new left guard brand new right tackle if you watch some of our inside training camp shows Aaron Rogers was a guest on it loved up that unit in a big way I talked to a former jet over the weekend he said look this was a team that was third ranked defense total defense in the NFL they don't need Aaron roggers to be the MVP just be really good they were 31st in the NFL in total offense so you play the averages the Jets are going to be a better football team this upcoming season the squad that have slotted right behind them at number 13 the Chargers lose Keenan Allen lose Mike Williams lose Austin Eckler and for context here you have teams like the Browns the Rams the Jags the Steelers the Falcons and the Bucks all behind the Chargers please s me on this selection yeah historically I'm not looking very smart right now right you look at past performance now it doesn't have anything to do with future performance but uh knowing what the charters have been through recent times historic times this is a leap of faith but I believe in Harbaugh and I think he's a terrific coach and I think you look at his pattern history everywhere he's been year one he's made the team better they had a lot of bad luck last year they were 5- 12 not a great football team but losing Justin Herbert losing close games not maximizing their talent on defense so many things here I think they have good special teams Cameron dick are one of the best kickers in in the game they're going to have a run game they added tight ends and backs all off season that offensive line is a good unit so if they just get better at stopping the Run making a few takeaways on defense getting a guy like Derwin James maybe to have his best season ever I think the Chargers can can can push the Chiefs a little bit I don't know about take over the AFC West but I think they're in that mix for one of the final playoff spots if they get a little luck and uh start bringing some of that hard ball early in the year I'm not going to get into the Weeds on this this a preseason show and we will look next week when we do this I want to see Justin Herbert out there healthy little concerned right now with this foot injury few guys that I've talked to have sort of said this is one of those injuries that lingers for a long period of time so hopefully he is a okay because he is um really the engine that's going to Wi to uh to drive this team Chicago sitting at 6m Eric a couple years ago for NFL Network I was covering the draft I had the Niners they had the third pick in the draft and I remember sitting on Zoom at the time uh John Lynch Kyle Shanahan they would tell you before the draft teams that pick this High don't have rosters that look like ours and those guys right the Chicago Bears pick number one overall they get Caleb Williams this is not a Reclamation project you have him at 16 but I don't think either one of us would be surprised if if they're well clearly they're sitting around the middle but really are pushing towards that top 10 right yeah I mean even in a really tough NFC North and I do think that division is going to be a bear right I mean you think about the Vikings maybe the worst team in the division but pretty good right so in the Bears case you're expecting Improvement on defense you're hoping that offensive line comes together and yes elephant in the room Caleb Williams needs to be pretty good too yes there's plenty of weapons around him I think this system is going to help him flourish even with a few hiccups along the way but you're still kind of counting on him to be good but to your point I can't think of a situation that's been much better than what the Bears have right now that any rookie quarterback in recent times have stepped into so he's got a lot going for him that trade with Carolina worked out brilliantly Ryan po set this thing up so well and I think it's you know with those receivers assuming there aren't a rash of injuries up front on the offensive line the running backs they added this could be a potentially special offense two tight ends as well Shane Waldren calling plays and if that defense just takes a little bit of a tick uh upward I think they're they're going to be in great shape for that playoff run I'm just holding back a little bit but I am very encouraged what I've seen I look we watched him in the preseason I remember being on set with Brian baldinger uh before one of their preseason games on NFL Network he say we got to got to lower the expectations we get to halftime we're we're comparing to Patrick Mahomes he's got like the the no look passes the sidearm stuff so I'm with you I don't think we can squash expectations Caleb Williams looked terrific in the preseason and he is the future in Chicago hopefully he's able to stay healthy and he looks like this in week number one Eric at number 177 he's got the Jacksonville Jaguars 18 the Steelers yeah they're rolling with Russ 19 the Falcons after paying Kirk Cousins number 20 the Tampa Bay Bucks and just in case you're wondering we will have a conversation about this order with those two teams in just a moment the C Anthony Richardson is healthy they check in at 21 the Seahawks with Mike McDonald now their head coach at 22 Minnesota they got Sam darn ready to rock and roll they check in at 23 and the 24th rank team according to Eric fans in Arizona might be a little happy with this after a four win campaign But Eric let's jump into this at number 19 the Falcons I am high on this football team so I can't push back too much in the fact that the Bucks are actually behind them they pay Kurt Cousins Matthew judon I think is a dark hordes to win defensive player of the year that high on what this guy can go when he when he's out there and healthy Raheem Morris I was down at Atlanta I I feel like 19 is too low for this team it could be right they're they're the NFC South favorites or co-favorites maybe with the bucks right now so obviously you say look they're one of the the 14 playoff teams one of these two teams or certainly one of the four in that division are going to make the playoffs now part of what these rankings reflect is how deep can they go can they make a Super Bowl type run I'm not yet convinced that this team is capable of that I mean I was actually somewhat higher than than people uh were on the Falcons a year ago I thought this defense is better than people realize yes the offensive play calling was a mess but they clean house and the coaching staff Raheem Morris and his crew come in now I think we'll see a cleaner operation obviously Kirk upgrades things so much there uh and just getting the weapons that the touches they need right I mean Kyle pittz Drake London had a breakout season but also bejon Robinson too making sure they're all fed properly that's a big part of their formula success the Bucks have won this division though three consecutive times why are they sitting behind Atlanta yeah I mean obviously a couple of them were Tom Brady you know so they they've made a quarterback change and Baker Mayfield was really good last year I mean for the most part I think he exceeded expectations they resign him there's a reason he's back he and Mike Evans and a lot of that crew are going to return but I do worry about the defense a little bit I mean you look on that side of the ball and you say to yourself hey you know Carlton Davis is gone Devon White sha Barrett some new faces there they've got to figure things out on that side as well you know and maybe the offensive line isn't a complete unit yet I think it's getting there but not quite so um you know can they topple the Falcons I obviously put them pretty close together in the rankings it's possible um last year they sort of survived everybody else in the division I want to see a little bit more Firepower and a little bit more proficiency throughout the course of the Season Eric let's get to the rest of the rankings right now and at number 25 a new era in Tennessee Brian Callahan now their head coach they got Calvin Ridley by the way uh 26 it is Washington 27 bone Knicks is the guy in Denver the New Orleans Saints I did a double take you're you have them at 28 Vegas at 29 30th New York Giants oh boy 31 it's New England I am worried about their roster and at 32 it is the Carolina Panthers coming off a two- win campaign let's go a little rapid fire right now let's check in on on number 26 and the commander Dan Quinn is there they got Jaden Daniels I I feel like they could knock off some good teams this year I think there's sneaky team by the end of the season we're going to say hey look look how much they've improved Daniels maybe an offensive Rookie of the Year candidate Quinn is somebody who's going to raise the energy level in this building and Adam Peters the job he's done with this roster building from the bottom up I really love the approach it's going to take some time but I am optimistic I've just been inching them up my rankings uh every month or so this offseason are are you not a believer in B Knicks who you have the Broncos at at 27 if you look around at other people's Power Rankings they've got them Denver at 30 31 I think wow the disrespect for an eight- N team yes I think Knicks could be pretty darn solid this year I mean Shawn pton ran off Russell Wilson to make sure he could get somebody like this and they've been you know seemingly uh in the same uh sort of mind frame this preseason he didn't hesitate naming him a week one starter does he have the weapons outside Court Sutton we'll see but I do expect this team with Shawn pyton his record I mean look he's never lost few or never uh won fewer than eight games in a season this might be too low but it's even a little higher I'm surprised to see elsewhere in other Power Rankings Eric you know I was excited about doing this show I thought we would be fast friends you know I'm a Giants fan you have them checking in at number 30 this is insane to me Malik neighbors are you kidding me they ret their offensive line and if that dude Daniel Jones is healthy you know a couple years ago they won a road playoff game in Minnesota if Jones is anywhere near his 2022 level I'll I'll eat these words and I'll admit I'm wrong Brian Burns is GNA help on defense too secondary's young though love Wale but I think you know he and neighbors maybe the only two reliable weapons out there it's just lacking a little bit of juice for me again I'll I'll eat it if uh if they end up playing pretty well oh Eric you're going to be eating it man you're going to be eating it I just bringing Burns in the off season I think we all watched Hard Knox and you know of course I'm disappointed saquon Barkley is not there and and you actually had the Eagles checking in at number five so they they need to figure out that back field but Malik neighbors what we saw from him in glimpses in the preseason was really terrific