NFL Power Rankings 2015: Predicting Season-Opening Standings

The beginning of the NFL regular season is finally upon us.

This is a time of optimism for fans all over the globe. Every team has zero wins and zero losses, and no one has any concrete proof that your favorite squad can't make some noise this year.

That said, some teams are clearly better than others, which we'll soon realize.

How do the 32 squads seem to be stacking up heading into the games that count? Let's go through a power ranking, with each team's projected record after Week 1. Then, we'll look at three notable rankings that might be either higher or lower than expected.

Rank	Team	Predicted Record
1	Seattle Seahawks	1-0
2	New England Patriots	1-0
3	Green Bay Packers	1-0
4	Indianapolis Colts	1-0
5	Denver Broncos	1-0
6	Philadelphia Eagles	1-0
7	Dallas Cowboys	1-0
8	Baltimore Ravens	0-1
9	Miami Dolphins	1-0
10	Pittsburgh Steelers	0-1
11	Detroit Lions	1-0
12	Arizona Cardinals	1-0
13	Buffalo Bills	0-1
14	Minnesota Vikings	1-0
15	Cincinnati Bengals	1-0
16	San Diego Chargers	0-1
17	Kansas City Chiefs	1-0
18	New Orleans Saints	0-1
19	Carolina Panthers	1-0
20	St. Louis Rams	0-1
21	New York Giants	0-1
22	New York Jets	1-0
23	Oakland Raiders	0-1
24	Atlanta Falcons	0-1
25	Houston Texans	0-1
26	Chicago Bears	0-1
27	Cleveland Browns	0-1
28	San Francisco 49ers	0-1
29	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1-0
30	Jacksonville Jaguars	0-1
31	Tennessee Titans	0-1
32	Washington Redskins	0-1

Rankings of Interest

Green Bay Packers (No. 3)

It's a passing league, and the Packers have Aaron Rodgers, the best quarterback in the game. Rodgers' weapons this season will not include the injured Jordy Nelson, but he has pass-catchers Randall Cobb, Davante Adams and James Jones, and Eddie Lacy is a strong runner and receiver out of the backfield.

Despite Nelson's absence, my Bleacher Report colleagues believe Green Bay is the league's best team.

Morry Gash/Associated Press

They could be right, but I don't think the offense will have the same firepower it did last season, when it led the NFL in points. Without Nelson's 1,519 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns, there will be increased defensive attention on the other receivers, who may or may not be ready for it.

Green Bay, which does have a solid defense, is a Super Bowl contender. But I don't think its offense is elite enough to be considered the favorite at this point.

Miami Dolphins (No. 9)

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

One word perfectly sums up the Dolphins' past six years: mediocrity.

Every Miami squad since 2009 has won between six and eight games, and the team hasn't had the talent on the offensive side of the ball to break through the glass ceiling in the AFC East that is the New England Patriots.

But I see no reason why this year's squad doesn't have the scoring punch to nab a wild-card spot, if not steal the division title from New England.

Ryan Tannehill is the franchise quarterback Miami has been looking for since Dan Marino retired 15 years ago. Running back Lamar Miller is only 24 years old and quickly improving. The pass-catching contingent doesn't have any superstars, but it has depth in Jarvis Landry, Jordan Cameron, Kenny Stills, Greg Jennings and rookie first-round pick DeVante Parker.

On defense, there is talent all over, but it starts with the line. New defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and defensive end Cameron Wake will be nightmares for opposing offensive coordinators to plan for. Earl Mitchell and Oliver Vernon can't be ignored next to Suh and Wake either.

Watch out, New England.

Oakland Raiders (No. 23)

The Raiders aren't expected to do much this year, which is understandable considering the team's youth at the skill positions and its relatively low level of overall talent.

This team will, however, show flashes for new head coach Jack Del Rio and may have games where it surprises superior opponents with its competitiveness.

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Second-year quarterback Derek Carr isn't an above-average signal-caller yet, but he'll have games where he looks like one. New wide receiver Michael Crabtree is better than anyone Carr threw to last year, as is rookie stud Amari Cooper. Running back Latavius Murray is ready for a breakout season as the top guy on the depth chart.

On defense, 24-year-old Khalil Mack leads a unit that was last in points allowed during 2014 but should be a bit better at stopping opponents this fall with some offseason reinforcements at all three layers.

Note: All statistics are from Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.