NFL Power Rankings Week 1: Latest 2020 Standings and Reaction

Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson faced off twice in 2019, once in the playoffs en route to the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl win. The two 2017 first-round picks are set to face off again, when the Chiefs host the Houston Texans on Thursday to kick off the 2020 NFL season.

Mahomes believes this will be just one of many future battles as the two teams hope to chase titles in the AFC.

"I think I said something to him last year at the end of the game, that we're going to have these battles for a long time," he said, per Ed Easton Jr. of Chiefs Wire. "We're two opponents in the same conference in the AFC, so I'm sure I'll see a lot of games against him.”

While both Kansas City and Houston may indeed be playoff teams in 2020, it certainly feels like the Chiefs are on a different level. They're defending Super Bowl champions, they have key pieces like Mahomes, Chris Jones and Travis Kelce locked up for the long term, and they have a Hall of Fame-caliber head coach in Andy Reid.

Houston, meanwhile, parted with star wideout DeAndre Hopkins in the offseason and have another key contender, the Tennessee Titans, in their own division. It was Tennessee, not Houston, that advanced to the AFC title game.

If Houston can get a win on Thursday, they'll put the rest of the NFL on notice that they're going to be a force in 2020.

2020 NFL Power Rankings

1. Kansas City Chiefs

2. Baltimore Ravens

3. San Francisco 49ers

4. New Orleans Saints

5. Seattle Seahawks

6. Dallas Cowboys

7. Tennessee Titans

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

9. Houston Texans

10. Minnesota Vikings

11. Buffalo Bills

12. Green Bay Packers

13. Philadelphia Eagles

14. Indianapolis Colts

15. Pittsburgh Steelers

16. New England Patriots

17. Los Angeles Rams

18. Atlanta Falcons

19. Arizona Cardinals

20. Las Vegas Raiders

21. Miami Dolphins

22. Denver Broncos

23. Cleveland Browns

24. Los Angeles Chargers

25. Chicago Bears

26. Detroit Lions

27. New York Giants

28. Carolina Panthers

29. New York Jets

30. Cincinnati Bengals

31. Washington Football Team

32. Jacksonville Jaguars

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

7. Tennessee Titans

On paper, the Titans might actually be the top challenger to the Chiefs in the AFC this season. Their run-heavy offensive approach allowed them to utilize a ball-control strategy against teams like Kansas City and the Baltimore Ravens.

Tennessee made it past the Ravens and the New England Patriots and had a 10-point lead on the Chiefs before Mahomes did what he did all postseason and mounted a comeback. However, coming back on the Titans won't be as easy now that they have added pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney to the mix.

The Titans already have the 27-year-old listed as a starter on their depth chart, and he'll likely make his debut in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos.

If Clowney and fellow addition Vic Beasley can help bolster a pass rush that had 43 sacks in 2019, Tennessee is going to be a tough out for any opponent.

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Over in the NFC, the defending champion San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints are probably the two teams to beat. Both finished the 2019 season with a 13-3 record and should be among the teams to beat in 2020.

However, there's a new player in the AFC thanks to the addition of the offseason, Tom Brady.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were built to be a contender last season. They fielded the league's third-ranked offense, No. 1 run defense and 15th overall defense. However, quarterback Jameis Winston also threw a whopping 30 interceptions, which constantly put Tampa in poor positions. 

The result was a 7-9 record, though that is likely to improve quite a bit with Brady at the helm. The six-time champ isn't likely to hamstring the Buccaneers with mental errors and should aid the team even if it's only in a game-manager mode.

Tampa might be ranked even higher here if not for the uncertainty stemming from the veteran signal-caller being in a new offense and with no preseason of preparation. He'll be tested early, as the Bucs open against the Saints.

21. Miami Dolphins

Last year, the Miami Dolphins were regularly the lowest-ranked team in power rankings, at least early in the season. However, they fought hard for coach Brian Flores, jelled as a team and actually become quite competitive by season's end.

They begin this year as a middle-of-the-pack team, but they could emerge as surprise playoff contenders.

Ryan Fitzpatrick is expected to get the start at quarterback over rookie Tua Tagovailoa. And while some fans may be disappointed not to be getting an early look at their new franchise quarterback, this is a decision that indicates Miami believes it can win now.

With offseason additions like Byron Jones, Kyle Van Noy, Jordan Howard, Emmanuel Ogbah and Matt Breida, this is a more talented roster than last year's. If that group—which was supposed to be tanking—could win five games under Flores, this squad should be able to win eight games or more.

Miami has a tough test to start with, though, opening in Foxborough, Massachusetts against the new-look Patriots.