NFL Power Rankings: Are Green Bay Packers Really NFL's Best?

The Green Bay Packers open the NFL season on Thursday night against the former Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

As far as what to expect this season, the Packers need look no further than their first opponents of the season who struggled to make an impression last year after being the best team in football the year before.

Injuries plagued the Saints last season to cost them a legitimate chance at defending their title, eventually bowing out in the playoffs thanks to Marshawn Lynch and the Seahawks.

Funnily enough, the Saints endured all the struggles that the Packers endured during their Super Bowl season. Last season the Packers were ravaged by injuries but relied on Aaron Rodgers and relative unknowns to step up and carry the offense and defense.

The Packers were undoubtedly the best team in football last year despite their regular season record and the fact that they weren't the NFC North champions was irrelevant. The scary thing about this year's version of the Wisconsin-based outfit is that they look like a better team.

Somehow an offense that picked apart the Steelers with ease in the Super Bowl has gotten better.

Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback in the league in my mind because he can overcome the limitations of an offense around him. If you swapped he and Tom Brady from their respective offenses last year, Brady wouldn't have lasted one week behind the Packers offensive line.

The offensive line isn't terrible but a lot of its flaws were masked by Rodgers' elusiveness and quick release last year. This year it should be improved as right tackle Bryan Bulaga now has a season of experience under his belt and Derrek Sherrod could make an impact inside as a rookie.

With Jermichael Finley and Ryan Grant returning, Rodgers has even more firepower than he had last year.

Last season the team basically worked without a running game. Grant and James Starks should provide a balanced offense to ease any pressure on Rodgers this year. As teams look to figure out how to match up to the team's seemingly endless list of receiving targets—Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Randall Cobb, Jermichael Finley—they will also now have to deal with a running game that can win football games.

Finley may be a tight end but he could be the team's best receiver. When fully healthy he is almost impossible to match up to because of his size and speed coupled with his great hands. Rodgers will look to Finley a lot this year and he should be a major player in touchdown receptions.

The fact is that most teams get worse after they win the Super Bowl. Super Bowl victories generally come when a team is at its peak and has everyone on their roster healthy and available. That roster is generally ripped apart in the offseason as teams look to cash in on their big victories.

The Packers have lost some pieces on defense but they shouldn't be significant.

Nick Barnett is gone but he wasn't exactly a loss considering AJ Hawk was released and re-signed before the lockout. He and Des Bishop should continue their excellent play from last year while the loss of Cullen Jenkins on the defensive line is somewhat overblown considering he could never stay healthy in the first place.

There is no doubt that this team has its question marks just like any other but the biggest one is how they deal with success. There are 31 other teams in the league that would trade any number of future draft picks to make that their biggest problem heading into the season.

I don't necessarily buy into the idea that the reigning champions are the champions until they are knocked off their perch.

However this year that statement is definitely fitting.

The Green Bay Packers are the best team in football for Week 1 of the regular season and their position atop the power rankings is more than justified.