NFL Power Rankings 2018: Breaking Down Preseason Look at League's Pecking Order

Last year's NFL standings have no place in 2018 prognostication.

Three of 2016's last-place squads—not including the 4-12 Los Angeles Rams—joined four playoff teams in the 2017 postseason. As the 11-5 New York Giants cratered to 2-14, the 7-9 Philadelphia Eagles ascended to championship glory.

Some of last year's triumphs will stumble. A butterfly flapping its wings or a star tearing his ACL can turn a 10-win playoff squad into a six-win dud. Some, meanwhile, will rise to relevance with a few key upgrades, better health and/or close losses turning into narrow victories.

Keep this in mind when perusing the preseason power rankings. Let's break down the NFL's August hierarchy before highlighting three teams poised to improve their 2018 outlook.

2018 NFL Power Rankings

1. Philadelphia Eagles

2. Los Angeles Rams

3. New England Patriots

4. Minnesota Vikings

5. New Orleans Saints

6. Pittsburgh Steelers

7. Jacksonville Jaguars

8. Green Bay Packers

9. Atlanta Falcons

10. Los Angeles Chargers

11. Tennessee Titans

12. Carolina Panthers

13. Kansas City Chiefs

14. Houston Texans 

15. San Francisco 49ers

16. Baltimore Ravens

17. Dallas Cowboys

18. Seattle Seahawks

19. Detroit Lions

20. Washington

21. Chicago Bears

22. Denver Broncos

23. New York Giants

24. Oakland Raiders

25. Cincinnati Bengals

26. Indianapolis Colts

27. Buffalo Bills

28. Cleveland Browns

29. Arizona Cardinals

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

31. New York Jets

32. Miami Dolphins

Los Angeles Chargers

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For a lesson in how a few minuscule details can swing an entire season, see the 2017 Los Angeles Chargers. 

They would have made the playoffs had they opened the season with a competent kicker. Instead they started 0-4 with three losses decided by three points or fewer. Rookie Younghoe Kim squandered a potential game-tying opportunity after getting iced by his own coach in Week 1. He then missed two more field goals in Week 2's 19-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

After suffering a 26-24 defeat to the eventual Super Bowl champions in Week 4, the Chargers then went 9-3. A pessimist will say they failed to beat a playoff squad, but an optimist would point out all three of those losses occurring on the road to AFC playoff squads. 

Only the Kansas City Chiefs (twice) managed to defeat Philip Rivers and Co. by more than eight points.

While they have already lost tight end Hunter Henry and cornerback Jason Verrett for the season, the Chargers still have plenty of depth in units that respectively ranked first and third in passing offense and defense. 

Rivers will need another healthy season from Keenan Allen, who tallied 797 receiving yards over the final seven games. Tyrell Williams, who registered 1,059 yards in 2016, should again see an expanded role.

Yet the real wild card is Mike Williams, whose debut was stymied by a back injury. Limited to 11 catches in a quiet rookie campaign, the No. 7 pick has already made a strong case for replacing Henry and Antonio Gates as Rivers' go-to target in the end zone:

Head coach Anthony Lynn compared the 23-year-old's stature to a recently inducted Hall of Famer:

The Chargers have a bad habit of making their own misfortune, but they have the talent and schedule to finally crack double-digit wins for the first time since 2009 despite going 9-7 four times during that window.

Houston Texans

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Forget about last year. The Houston Texans went 4-12 with Football Outsiders' fifth-worst Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA). They also got a brief glimpse of their new franchise quarterback.

The Texans went 3-3 with 208 points in six games started by Deshaun Watson. After the rookie suffered a season-ending ACL tear, they won just one of nine contests with 123 cumulative points scored.

Per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, Texans coach Bill O'Brien praised Watson's development heading into his sophomore season.

"He's grown in a lot of different ways," O’Brien said. "He's able to operate in our offense. He understands the language of it. He's able to signal it. He's made a lot of strides there. He's really on top of our protections."

They also received just five games apiece from J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus. The defense won't hemorrhage another eight yards per pass attempt—tied for last with the Indianapolis Colts—if both edge-rushers return to wreak havoc in the pocket. 

Not helping their cause last season, a brutal schedule presented seven games against teams who made the playoffs. That doesn't include a pair of contests against 9-7 clubs (Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens) and late-season meeting with Jimmy Garoppolo's San Francisco 49ers.

That is poised to change this season. Based on 2017 winning percentage, no team has an easier schedule.

The AFC South is no longer a laughingstock, and the Texans must play both of last year's Super Bowl participants in 2018. Yet those divisions present three winnable games in the AFC East and three feeble NFC East opponents they should defeat.

With a cleaner bill of health, Houston could amass its fourth 9-7 campaign in five years. Yet it may take another win or two to surpass the Jacksonville Jaguars for its fifth AFC South title in eight seasons.

Chicago Bears

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Making their first playoff appearance since 2010 is unlikely for the Chicago Bears. They may even finish last in the NFC North for the fifth straight season.

Yet they're heading in the right direction. Although they finished 5-11 with two overtime wins, their defense also improved to ninth in points and 10th in yards allowed. They added No. 8 pick Roquan Smith to a group in need of a major pass-rushing disruptor.

Now it's the offense's turn to progress. That won't be hard after cobbling together the NFL's worst passing offense in John Fox's final season as head coach. Chicago replaced the conservative play-caller with former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who helped anchor last year's fifth-ranked attack.

Attempting 27.5 passes per game to lackluster receivers, Mitchell Trubisky was not put in a situation to succeed as a rookie. He now has far more support from free-agent signings Allen Robinson and Trey Burton, and rookie Anthony Miller.

Per WGN-TV's Adam Hoge, Nagy intends to utilize those new options downfield:

The bar might be set too high because of easy parallels to last year's Los Angeles Rams. An 8-8 campaign isn't as exciting, but it would still represent a significant step forward for a franchise that won 19 games over the past four seasons.