NFL Power Rankings Week 1: Predicting Season-Opening Standings

The NFL preseason is over. Roster cuts have been made. Now, it's time for football to take over fans' lives for the next five months.

The 2019 NFL season gets underway with a matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears on Thursday night. That leads into a full slate of games on Sunday and Monday in which the other 30 teams will open the new campaign.

Here's how the NFL Power Rankings are shaping up entering the season, followed by a closer look at the top three teams and how they will open 2019.

NFL Power Rankings

1. New Orleans Saints

2. Kansas City Chiefs

3. New England Patriots

4. Los Angeles Chargers

5. Los Angeles Rams

6. Chicago Bears

7. Philadelphia Eagles

8. Cleveland Browns

9. Houston Texans

10. Dallas Cowboys

11. Green Bay Packers

12. Atlanta Falcons

13. Seattle Seahawks

14. Pittsburgh Steelers

15. Baltimore Ravens

16. Minnesota Vikings

17. Carolina Panthers

18. Indianapolis Colts

19. San Francisco 49ers

20. Jacksonville Jaguars

21. Tennessee Titans

22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

23. Denver Broncos

24. Detroit Lions

25. Buffalo Bills

26. Washington Redskins

27. Oakland Raiders

28. New York Jets

29. Arizona Cardinals

30. New York Giants

31. Cincinnati Bengals

32. Miami Dolphins

Top Three Teams

1. New Orleans Saints

Adam Hunger/Associated Press

The Saints will quickly be tested, as they have some challenging non-NFC South matchups to open the season.

New Orleans begins the year by hosting the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football, before going on the road to play the Los Angeles Rams in an NFC Championship Game rematch in Week 2. The last time the Saints and Rams played this past January, there was a controversial non-pass-interference call that led to Los Angeles winning and New Orleans fans being upset.

In Weeks 3 and 4, the Saints will play another pair of quality opponents in the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys.

However, if there's any team that can get through that portion of its schedule with a strong record, it's New Orleans. The Saints have a strong offense led by quarterback Drew Brees, running back Alvin Kamara and wide receiver Michael Thomas, and it only got better with the addition of tight end Jared Cook during the offseason.

2. Kansas City Chiefs

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will begin the year with back-to-back road matchups against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the AFC West-rival Oakland Raiders. It's always challenging to not play at home until Week 3, when Kansas City will host the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 22, but it shouldn't be a problem for this squad.

The Chiefs reached the AFC Championship Game a year ago, and Mahomes should build off his incredible first season as an NFL starting quarterback. He has wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce as his primary targets, and there are several other talented players on offense.

Although Kansas City has a complicated picture at running back, the addition of veteran LeSean McCoy adds to its depth, and one of the backs should emerge as the primary player in the backfield over the first few weeks of the season.

Mahomes and the Chiefs should return to the playoffs again this year, and they should again be among the top Super Bowl contenders.

3. New England Patriots

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Another season, another year that quarterback Tom Brady, head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots are expected to be one of the top teams in the AFC and emerge as a Super Bowl contender.

New England opens the season with a Sunday Night Football matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers before the schedule gets a bit lighter. The Patriots then play each of their three AFC East rivals, the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, in consecutive weeks before taking on the Washington Redskins in Week 5.

Over the past two decades, New England has dominated the AFC East, and that shouldn't change this year.

Expect Brady to lead the Pats into the postseason once again. And after that happens, they can always be viewed as a legitimate threat to win the Super Bowl.