NFL Power Rankings: Rating All 32 Teams Based on 1st Preseason Game

Thoughts on how meaningful preseason games are for NFL teams vary greatly. The NFL will eventually shorten the preseason to two games, so football fans will find out if four games are really necessary.

This is a week-by-week league; teams never start where they left off, according to Bill Parcells, so sorry, Packers. Here's how the entire league stacks up after one game that won''t count in the standings.

32. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs lost 25-0 at home and are the only team still scoreless after one game. They were one-for-10 on third downs, lost two of four fumbles, and allowed a safety. It was a sloppy showing for fans that paid full-shot.

31. Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati's offense was out-gained by 145 yards by the Detroit Lions. The defense can't play that bad and the offense will need more than just a field goal. A rookie quarterback will not help the Bengals' cause either.

30. San Francisco 49ers

Alex Smith played just as poorly as Colin Kaepernick depite not throwing an interception to Kaepernick's two. Neither Smith nor the offensive line were ready to pick up blitzes from the Saints' defense.

29. Pittsburgh Steelers

Rex Grossman had a good game against the black and gold. It didn't matter what string of defense he was facing. There were no sacks or interceptions for the Steelers, and offensively, they were 18 percent converting third downs. Dennis Dixon won't get the backup spot going one-for-10.

28. Minnesota Vikings

There was only a single carry from Adrian Peterson and that's why too much can't be made of the preseason. However, the defense allowed Hasselbeck and Locker to have only four incompletions between them. The time of possession was nearly identical between the two teams, and the Vikings will want to win that battle during the regular season. Peterson getting a ton of carries will help that cause.

27. Indianapolis Colts

Curtis Painter cannot be the starter if Peyton Manning cannot go for game one. That much is known. The secondary let the Rams dump passes all game on them. Maybe Josh McDaniels' offense will do that to a lot of teams in 2011. For now though, it wasn't an impressive showing.

26. Buffalo Bills

Buffalo would be lower than 26th if Shawne Merriman didn't make an appearance for the first time in two years. The offensive line for Chicago may really be that bad, but Merriman showed good burst off the snap. The corners for Buffalo are decent and they'll look even better with a pass rush.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars

The most important thing to take out of this game at New England is that Blaine Gabbert was alright. The ground game for Jacksonville never lifted off and Ryan Mallet was mistaken for Tom Brady.

24. Baltimore Ravens

Not much here from the Ravens or Eagles. Philadelphia's new defensive line accusitions laid down the hammer a few times early. Baltimore will need their offensive line to be good for Rice to have a good season and for long pass plays to develop for Joe Flacco.

23. New York Giants

Pierre-Paul had two sacks, showing that the Giants may not have to get a new deal done with Osi.

22. Green Bay Packers

Colt McCoy looked like his offseason tutor Brett Favre against Green Bay, going nine-for-10 with a touchdown and 135 yards. Five sacks were allowed by the Packers' offensive line and while many came from backups, starters like Chad Clifton have been known to get injured.

On the bright side, Matt Flynn's value is increasing. Even if Green Bay decides to keep him, he's a nice insurance policy to Aaron Rodgers.

21. San Diego Chargers

They lost to the Seahawks, but Seattle has depth and that helps win preseason games. However, Philip Rivers hooked up with Vincent Jackson. It's huge for San Diego to come out of the gates running full-speed for once and that's a good sign.

20. Oakland Raiders

Not much shown by the Raiders, for good or bad. McFadden didn't play due to an injury and Campbell was average. There was only one sack from what is supposed to be a good defensive line, but it shouldn't be worried about too much yet.

19. Dallas Cowboys

The defensive didn't look too great but there will be some growing pains switching to Rob Ryan's scheme. All three touchdowns came through the air. It'd be nice to see some ground-and-pound Jets style, but that's Rex Ryan's thing and Rob doesn't control Garrett's offense.

18. Seattle Seahawks

Leon Washington had a rushing touchdown to go with his eight carries and he'll be used more in the running game as kickoffs are now irrelevant. Charlie Whitehurst may be the backup, but Pete Carrol's "Always Compete" philosophy should allow him to take the starting job with another horrible Tarvaris Jackson performance.

17. Denver Broncos

What's now clear is that Kyle Orton will be the starting quarterback. Tim Tebow had nice plays, but he had huge slip-ups that scare John Fox. McGahee showed that he can still run despite all the wear and tear. The running back situation will be interesting to watch unfold because Moreno hasn't shown enough so far in his young career.

16. Atlanta Falcons

Harry Douglas got a touchdown from Ryan, which is a nice sign that he'll be able to bounce back from his injury in 2010. John Abraham still has gas left in the tank, intercepting Henne and returning his trash for a touchdown.

15. Miami Dolphins

Chad Henne didn't show enough to validate his being made the starting quarterback. Matt Moore isn't a much better option. Meanwhile, Davone Bess continues to prove that he's one of the more underrated receivers in this league. He's the best slot receiver in the AFC East over Wes Welker.

14. Houston Texans

Another injury to Houston's backfield: Derrick Ward fell akwardly on the sideline early in the game. Matt Leinart missed some easy throws. He'll want to hope that Schaub can play every game like he has the past two seasons so Leinart himself can earn his $2.5 million in peace.

13. Chicago Bears

Mike Martz and the offensive line for the Bears need to keep Jay Cutler upright. Nine sacks against the pass rush of the Buffalo Bills.

12. Arizona Cardinals

Kevin Kolb showed off mobility and a nice arm, getting the ball in Larry Fitzgerald's area code and thus allowing him to catch it. No sacks were allowed by Arizona's offensive line, or, no sacks taken by Kolb. Either way it's viewed, it's good to not have a statue as a quarterback (Derek Anderson). Beanie Wells took the handoff six times without being injured, so that's another good sign.

11. Philadelphia Eagles

What can be taken out of this game without seeing the starting receivers for the Eagles? Vick will be better at connecting with Riley Cooper on passes this season. Chad Hall played well, catching five balls for 82 yards. If Steve Smith cannot get healthy, Hall will be a good slot option if he continues at this level.

10. New York Jets

Sanchez was alright but, like always, there weren't many passes over 10 yards. Rex Ryan slamming his head set because of too many players on the field was childish. Of course it's an act, so don't worry about him getting a heart attack.

9. Carolina Panthers

Carolina fans shouldn't be subject to having Jimmy Clausen as their starter. Cam Newton should and will be behind center for game one of the regular season and that's all that matters.

8. Washington Redskins

Rex Grossman wants the job. No turnovers from the former Bears quarterback against the Steelers. Santana Moss still has speed to burn corners and that's good seeing how Washington just re-signed him for multiple years. Bet on Tim Hightower being the starting running back come Week 1.

7. New Orleans Saints

Someone forgot to tell Gregg Williams that it is just the preseason. Williams blitzed Alex Smith and proved to those watching how bad the 49ers quarterback is if they didn't already know. Brees went one-for-four, but the offense will take some more games and practices to click.

6. Tennessee Titans

Nice games for Jake Locker and Matt Hasselbeck. Locker will have to watch from the sidelines until Hasselbeck goes down with his inevitable injury, and having Chris Johnson to hand it off to or even run the option with would be nice for Titans fans.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Josh Freeman and Josh Johnson had nice games. Johnson is being sought after by teams, but the Bucs don't want to trade him. Tampa Bay demolished the Chiefs.

4. Cleveland Browns

Colt McCoy played great. Peyton Hillis got a touchdown, as did Josh Cribbs from McCoy. Cribbs is hurt with the new kickoff placement, but he can score in many other ways.

3. Detroit Lions

Stafford dropped a lob ball for Calvin Johnson that was a touchdown. Suh's assault against Andy Dalton shows either that he's ready for the season to come or that he wants to play in the 1970s. Either way, these are good signs for Lions fans.

2. St. Louis Rams

Steve Spagnuolo's defense looked good and so did Josh McDaniel's offense. Not much to be said after that.

1. New England Patriots

Imagine how good the Patriots will be when they get their good players out on the field. The backups were great, but it'll be better with Brady and Ochocinco. With that said, Taylor Price and Stevan Ridley earned themselves more than consideration for playing time when the games really count.