NFL Power Rankings 2015: Appraising All 32 Teams Before Week 1

Get through this weekend, and football will be waiting next Sunday.

The 2015 NFL season commences on Thursday night, with Week 1 kicking into full gear on Sept. 13.

While concluding the countdown, let's see how the league stacks up heading into the season.  

Rank	Team
1	Seattle Seahawks
2	New England Patriots
3	Denver Broncos
4	Green Bay Packers
5	Indianapolis Colts
6	Dallas Cowboys
7	Baltimore Ravens
8	Pittsburgh Steelers
9	Detroit Lions
10	Kansas City Chiefs
11	Philadelphia Eagles
12	Arizona Cardinals
13	Cincinnati Bengals
14	Miami Dolphins
15	Buffalo Bills
16	San Diego Chargers
17	Minnesota Vikings
18	New Orleans Saints
19	St. Louis Rams
20	Houston Texans
21	New York Giants
22	Carolina Panthers
23	San Francisco 49ers
24	Atlanta Falcons
25	Cleveland Browns
26	Chicago Bears
27	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
28	New York Jets
29	Oakland Raiders
30	Jacksonville Jaguars
31	Tennessee Titans
32	Washington Redskins

On the Rise

Despite missing the playoffs last year, these three teams are poised to factor into this year's postseason picture. While each squad is blocked by a division powerhouse, they'll eye a wild-card spot after bulking up during the offseason.

Far from sleepers, expect these clubs to become popular picks to improve.

Kansas City Chiefs

During a polarizing season, the Kansas City Chiefs beat both Super Bowl participants while dropping pivotal losses to the Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders. Their record fell to 9-7 following an 11-win campaign, enough to shove them out of the playoffs.

Yet they still placed No. 10 in Football Outsiders' Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA), which judged them as a more efficient team than the Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts. Their plus-72 point differential ranked No. 9.

The preseason doesn't count, but the Kansas City Star's Blair Kerkhoff teased fans with a fun fact after the team won all four exhibition tilts:

Other than giving Chase Daniel tape to audition for a starting gig down the road, that success doesn't mean much once the season starts. Still, it was nice to see five different wideouts score a touchdown, including two from new addition Jeremy Maclin.

He'll give Alex Smith a real outside weapon, but the offense can truly flourish by unleashing Travis Kelce. Last year, he graded as Pro Football Focus' No. 4 tight end while leading the position in yards after the catch. 

Rank	Player	YAC
1	Travis Kelce	503
2	Martellus Bennett	470
3	Rob Gronkowski	460
4	Delanie Walker	414
5	Greg Olsen	381

Yet he was also limited to a paltry 81 targets, with veteran Anthony Fasano needlessly snatching up reps. With the veteran gone, Kelce should morph into the NFL's biggest pass-catching tight end behind Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham.

If rookie cornerback Marcus Peters helps solidify the secondary behind a stout front seven, the Chiefs are a strong candidate to lock up a wild-card spot.

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins also entered last year with luster, but they've since geared up to halt a six-year playoff drought.

A leaky rushing defense proved Miami's fatal flaw last season. While rating No. 6 in passing defense, it ranked No. 24 against the run, yielding 1,937 yards and 4.3 per rush. Enter Ndamukong Suh, who anchored the Detroit Lions' NFL-best rushing defense.

In order for Miami to make a postseason appearance, it needs to jump out of the starting gate. A favorable opening schedule could make it this year's version of the 2013 Chiefs or 2014 Arizona Cardinals:

Week	OPP	2014 Record
1	@ WAS	4-12
2	@ JAX	3-13
3	vs. BUF	9-7
4	vs. NYJ	4-12
5	BYE	----
6	@ TEN	2-14
7	vs. HOU	9-7

Beware, however, of a similar dropoff. The Dolphins then have to deal with the Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens and San Diego Chargers along with their usual pair of meetings with the New England Patriots.

Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

An offense that fed off short passes added two vertical threats in Kenny Stills and DeVante Parker. Recovering from offseason foot surgery, the rookie wideout made his team debut in Thursday night's preseason finale, offering hope for him suiting up to start the season. 

"It's a good feeling to get back out there after missing a lot of practices," Parker told the Associated Press' Steven Wine. "I wasn't thinking about my foot at all. My foot feels good."

Ryan Tannehill can now stretch the field while targeting Jarvis Landry as his safety blanket, creating massive upside if the offensive line keeps him upright. The Dolphins will factor into a crowded AFC wild-card hunt.

Minnesota Vikings

A trendy pick—and rightfully so—the Minnesota Vikings have the tools to make some noise in the NFC.

While they split their final 10 games last year, they lost four of them each by three points or fewer. They also didn't beat a winning team and needed overtime to top the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets, so nobody will feel sorry for their 7-9 finish.

But as the season progressed, so did Teddy Bridgewater. The overlooked quarterback averaged 9.18 yards per attempt in December and completed over 70 percent of his passes in five of his last six games. As a result, he earned a 77.3 accuracy rating on Pro Football Focus, accounting for drops, throwaways and spikes. Only Drew Brees and Smith earned higher marks.

Rank	Player	ACC %
1	Drew Brees	80.2
2	Alex Smith	79.8
3	Teddy Bridgewater	77.3
4	Matt Ryan	76.4
5	Russell Wilson	76.0

Oh yeah, the offense is also getting Adrian Peterson back. That helps.

Although the defense remains a work in progress, Grantland's Robert Mays envisions the secondary taking a giant step forward, suggesting that "another even bigger leap into the top five isn’t at all beyond this secondary’s ability." Safety Harrison Smith is a big reason why, as highlighted by Pro Football Focus:

Let's not go overboard and harbor aspirations of the Vikings dethroning the Green Bay Packers' NFC North supremacy. Yet with the Cardinals and Lions both candidates to regress, reversing their record to 9-7 could produce a playoff ticket.