NFL Power Rankings 2017: Examining Best Teams Before Start of Regular Season

No team has won back-to-back Super Bowl championships since the New England Patriots accomplished the feat by beating the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles following the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

Since that time, teams that have tried to repeat their success have known nothing but frustration.

None of that bothers Bill Belichick, who appears to have a team that should be even better than the one that registered a remarkable come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI last year.

Belichick excels at putting one foot in front of the other and going on to the next assignment. While others pat themselves on the back for achievements like winning big games during the season or playoff games, Belichick ignores the hype and grinds away.

This may be his greatest strength and the primary reason why his team is so formidable each year.

The Patriots lead off our power rankings, followed by the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Power Rankings

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

New England Patriots

The Patriots have made several notable moves after their remarkable triumph in last year's Super Bowl, including the signings of cornerback Stephon Gilmore, wide receiver Brandin Cooks and defensive end Kony Ealy. 

Of course, the greatest strength of the team is quarterback Tom Brady, who turned 40 earlier this month. He had a remarkable 28-2 touchdown-interception ratio while playing 12 regular-season games last year and completed 67.4 percent of his passes.

Brady appears to have the same mentality as his coach, as he merely wants to stack victories and championships, and doesn't appear satisfied by his numerous accomplishments. The Pats lost LeGarrette Blount in the offseason, so Dion Lewis, James White, Rex Burkhead and Mike Gillislee will serve as the running back committee that replaces him.

The addition of Cooks gives Brady a speed receiver  Brady has not had in recent years, and the Patriots should have more big-play ability than they did a year ago.

The New England defense does not get the accolades accorded to the offense, and that's understandable. However, this unit comes up with key stops at crucial moments thanks to defensive tackle Alan Branch, defensive end Trey Flowers, linebacker Dont'a Hightower and cornerback Malcolm Butler. The addition of Gilmore at cornerback should tighten up the pass defense.

Special teams have had a few lapses in recent years, but it's difficult to look at placekicker Stephen Gostkowski and think he will be anything but money in the bank. He made 27 of 32 field-goal attempts last year, and that's his worst performance in the last four seasons.

Green Bay Packers

It's difficult to look at the Green Bay Packers and think they will be anything but a dominant team in the NFC North. They overcame a miserable start to the season by winning their last six regular-season games and demonstrating their powerful offense.

Mike McCarthy's team was limping along last year with a 4-6 record, and it appeared that the playoffs were out of the picture. That's when Aaron Rodgers stepped it up and the defense woke up and played respectable football.

The Packers gave up 89 points in back-to-back November games against the Tennessee Titans and Washington Redskins, and that's when the team grew disgusted with its own performance and turned it around. After relatively close wins against the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans, the Packers scored 30 points or more in six straight games (two in the postseason) and reached the NFC Championship game.

The Packers have added tight end Martellus Bennett, offensive guard Jahri Evans and cornerback Davon House through free agency, and they selected cornerback Kevin King and safety Josh Jones with their two second-round picks.

As long as the Packers don't sleep-walk through the first half of the season and stay healthy, they should have an excellent chance to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers know that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger gave strong consideration to retiring after the 2016 season, but he is back for at least one more year, and that means there should be some urgency around the team from start to finish this season.

Roethlisberger has taken more than his share of physical abuse throughout his career, but the 6'5" and 240-pound quarterback has excelled at shaking off the rush, buying time for his receivers and making plays that few other signal-callers could accomplish.

The fact that he has one of the two or three best receivers in the game in Antonio Brown is a tremendous advantage, and the same holds true with running back Le'Veon Bell.

While Bell is holding out of training camp, there appears to be little doubt that he will return prior to the start of the season.

The Steelers won a huge late-season game against the Baltimore Ravens, and that victory over their primary rivals propelled them to the AFC North title. They will have to come up with a key win over the Ravens December 10 if they are going to make this a signature season.

The Steelers appear to have strengthened themselves by drafting outside linebacker T.J. Watt in the first round and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in the second.

The biggest issues for the Steelers have to do with their pass coverage, and that problem could remain. However, the Steelers may be the second-best team in the AFC and find a way to challenge the Patriots for the top spot in the conference.