NFL Power Rankings 2016: Latest Team Standings Ahead of Preseason Week 2

Every team is currently 0-0. Last year's records don't count anymore, and last week's exhibition results are especially meaningless.

Let's go out on a real limb and say the Arizona Cardinals wouldn't lose 31-10 to the Oakland Raiders in a game that counts. Unless Matt Barkley also played in that contest.

So are 2015's results entirely moot when assembling the current hierarchy? Not exactly, but the win-loss records play a small role. Given football's smaller schedule, year-to-year results ebb and flow at seismic rates.

Washington went from 4-12 in 2014 to NFC East champions last season, and the New York Jets jumped six wins, although they narrowly missed the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions all plummeted from double-digit wins to losing records.

Some playoff teams will collapse, and clubs who scraped the bottom of the barrel last year will suddenly enjoy postseason revivals. Let's take a look at the current order before identifying three potential risers capable of reversing their 2015 misfortune.

Rank	Team	2015 Record
1	Arizona Cardinals	13-3
2	Carolina Panthers	15-1
3	Seattle Seahawks	10-6
4	New England Patriots	12-4
5	Green Bay Packers	10-6
6	Denver Broncos	12-4
7	Pittsburgh Steelers	10-6
8	Kansas City Chiefs	11-5
9	Cincinnati Bengals	12-4
10	Minnesota Vikings	11-5
11	Oakland Raiders	7-9
12	Houston Texans	9-7
13	Indianapolis Colts	8-8
14	New York Jets	10-6
15	New York Giants	6-10
16	Washington	9-7
17	Buffalo Bills	8-8
18	Dallas Cowboys	4-12
19	Jacksonville Jaguars	5-11
20	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	6-10
21	Atlanta Falcons	8-8
22	New Orleans Saints	7-9
23	San Diego Chargers	4-12
24	Philadelphia Eagles	7-9
25	Detroit Lions	7-9
26	Baltimore Ravens	5-11
27	Los Angeles Rams	7-9
28	Chicago Bears	6-10
29	Miami Dolphins	6-10
30	Tennessee Titans	3-13
31	Cleveland Browns	3-13
32	San Francisco 49ers	5-11

New York Giants

Julie Jacobson/Associated Press

The New York Giants couldn't win a close game last season, and their record suffered.

In Tom Coughlin's final season as head coach, the G-Men dug his grave by suffering eight of their 10 losses by six points or fewer. This includes close calls against the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers, both of whom entered undefeated before receiving their biggest scare to date.

Their league-worst defense deserves the blame for their fourth-quarter blunders. Time and time again, the unit couldn't deliver a necessary stop. They threw money at the problem during the offseason, awarding defensive end Olivier Vernon, defensive tackle Damon Harrison and cornerback Janoris Jenkins massive free-agent contracts.

Vernon will especially prove pivotal to Big Blue regaining their reputation for pressuring the quarterback. They mustered 23 sacks last year, third-worst behind the Buffalo Bills (21) and Atlanta Falcons (21).

While Vernon only recorded 7.5 sacks for the Miami Dolphins last season, he still disrupted the pocket often, per Pro Football Focus:

General manager Jerry Reese once again ignored the team's linebacker woes, and the right side of their offensive line remains a huge sore spot. The Giants are far from Super Bowl contenders, but a decent defense gives Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. a fighting chance to take a wide-open NFC East. 

This needs to be taken with a grain of salt, but NFL.com also gave New York the league's second-easiest schedule behind the Green Bay Packers. One could argue they played better against the top dogs last year, but avoiding the Panthers and Patriots enables them to make the minor fixes necessary to transform a tough-luck 6-10 into a potentially division-winning 9-7.

San Diego Chargers

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

Could it possibly get any worse for the San Diego Chargers?

From 2004-2014, San Diego finished all but one season (2012) at .500 or better, the one exception a 7-9 mishap. Last year, they went 4-12, obtaining all four victories against fellow laggards with losing records.

Anyone who thinks an NFL team only needs a great quarterback to win didn't watch the 2015 Chargers. Philip Rivers did his part, posting a career-high 4,792 passing yards on a 66.1 completion percentage and 93.8 quarterback rating. It didn't matter.

San Diego might not have won a game with a below-average passer under center. Despite investing a first-round pick on running back Melvin Gordon, no team recorded fewer yards per carry (3.5) or rushing touchdowns (four). The defense conversely yielded 4.8 yards per rush and 17 scores on the ground.

Per Pro Football Focus, Rivers also endured a messy pocket all year:

Wait, was this supposed to be positive? Top wideout Keenan Allen will return, and Gordon should be healthier after undergoing offseason microfracture surgery. It's only preseason, but he finally found the end zone against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday.

They signed nose tackle Brandon Mebane to clog the running holes, and someone will have to blink in the Joey Bosa contract dispute. Center Matt Slauson also gives the offensive line a much-needed anchor to protect Rivers and open lanes for Gordon.

The Chargers also endured some bad breaks to finish last year so poorly. As noted by ESPN.com's Bill Barnwell, no team played below their Pythagorean Expectation numbers more than San Diego, whose minus-78 point differential produced a six-win expectancy.

Backing that formula up, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (minus-75) and Dolphins (minus-79) each went 6-10 with similar scoring margins. They might not win a tough AFC West, but the Chargers should return to the seven-to-nine victory range.

Jacksonville Jaguars

John Raoux/Associated Press

After five straight seasons of five wins or fewer, the Jacksonville Jaguars finally look poised to escape the cellar.

They technically did last year, placing above the 3-13 Titans in the AFC South. Yet 5-11 hardly qualifies as a breakthrough, even if their offense offered hope for a brighter future.

Blake Bortles was a better fantasy quarterback than actual one, padding his yards tally to 4,428 in garbage time in spite of a 58.6 completion percentage. But even if the 24-year-old delivers league-average production, that's a huge victory for a rebuilding franchise with a stud wideout in Allen Robinson.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Left tackle Kelvin Beachum should help Jacksonville lower last season's 51 sacks allowed, and veteran running back Chris Ivory will balance out its attack. For the Jaguars to push .500 or playoff contention, a defense injected with potential difference-makers will need to impress.

They will welcome three newcomers to the fold, including 2015 No. 3 pick Dante Fowler. After tearing his ACL in last year's minicamp, the pass-rusher is ready to wreak havoc. So is cornerback Jalen Ramsey, this year's No. 5 pick who easily could have netted top-pick billing.

Perhaps their biggest draft coup, Myles Jack is about to make the other 31 teams look foolish for letting him fall into the second round. Knee concerns bumped him from the top 10, but he learned a day after falling that he wouldn't require surgery. 

After a sharp preseason debut, head coach Gus Bradley praised his new addition to the Florida Times-Union's Hays Carlyon. 

“He really flashed,” Bradley said. “He played extremely physical and he made some flash plays. His demeanor and poise on the field were excellent. His running of the defense was very good. His physical nature jumped out.”

Following years of savvy drafting, the Jaguars will no longer settle for mediocrity in 2016.