Tom Brady's New England Patriots Top Week 1 NFL Power Rankings

Only a fool reads too much into what happens on the opening weekend.

Some teams stumble out of the gate, only to find their footing and make a deep playoff run (I'm looking at you, 2007 San Diego Chargers).

Others charge out with a resounding roar, one that sometimes lasts for months, before exiting with a quiet whimper in January (this means you, 2005 Indianapolis Colts).

But it's still fun to pretend that we know what's going on, right? With that in mind, here's a quick glance at my personal power rankings. These, like all power rankings, are subject to heavy change throughout the season, and are very much based on current performance and outlook.

1. New England Patriots

Just another day at the office for Tom Brady. The defense isn't great, but it doesn't need to be when your quarterback is putting up 517 yards. It'll be interesting to see how long this team will be able to maintain the frenetic pace that they displayed on Monday night. If they can avoid burning themselves out—and I have to believe they learned their lesson—they're a scary opponent.

2. Green Bay Packers

The Pack's roster is just oozing with talent, and there's room for improvement. When you have one of the league's two or three best quarterbacks at your disposal, combined with a top-tier defensive unit, you're going to be near the top of the power rankings for a long, long time. The running game could use a little improvement, but with Aaron Rodgers at the controls I'm not sure it even matters that much.

3. Baltimore Ravens

Impressive. That's the best way to sum up the Ravens' dismantling of Pittsburgh. Joe Flacco just might be a top-five quarterback after his solid, efficient performance, and Ray Rice tore up a once-vaunted front seven. The defense, long the hallmark of this franchise, forced seven turnovers in the 35-7 rout. If Flacco can keep it together in the playoffs, this team could very well find itself playing for all the marbles in Indianapolis on February 5th.

4. New York Jets

OK, so squeaking out a win after being down by 10 to start the fourth quarter isn't all that great. And yes, the meltdown by the opposing team's quarterback takes some credibility away. And the Jets couldn't run the ball at all, averaging 2.8 yards on 16 carries. But you know what? It doesn't matter, because this team wins. As long as Mark Sanchez doesn't give away games, the Jets will continue to be a force.

5. Chicago Bears

Another defensive-minded team rounds out the Top 5. Matt Ryan simply couldn't make the plays that he was expected to make, and his fumble deep in his own territory midway through the third quarter all but sealed the game. The offense appears as though it might finally be clicking, too. Some people may have been surprised by the Bears' performance on Sunday. I was not one of them.

6. Philadelphia Eagles

I would put the Eagles higher if I hadn't seen some of the same old flaws in Michael Vick on Sunday. I just can't understand such a low completion rate and yards per attempt against such a bad defense. Maybe it was opening weekend jitters, or maybe he's just going back to playground football and not bothering to be an actual quarterback. Either way, the team still impressed me overall.

7. Detroit Lions

I may be giving the Lions too much credit here. Their victory may have been more of a result of total disorganization by the Buccaneers than of them suddenly becoming a great football team. But I liked what I saw on Sunday, particularly from Matthew Stafford. The Bucs were terrified of Calvin Johnson, and Stafford took full advantage, targeting Nate Burleson, Brandon Pettigrew and Jahvid Best a total of 16 times for 13 completions and 159 yards. Stafford's health remains a question mark, but this team is going places.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers

Maybe I'm alone in not reading too much into the comedy of errors that took place in Baltimore. There is no shame in losing to a good team, and the Ravens are a very good team. The Steelers may be banged up, but they won't quit, and their schedule is fairly easy for the next six weeks or so. Count on them rebounding.

9. San Diego Chargers

The slow starters were at it again. Phil Rivers didn't look quite as sharp as I expected, and the running game was nonexistent save for a couple of adventures into the secondary (but no further). Defensively, Donovan McNabb was shut down, but Adrian Peterson ran relatively wild. The Bolts, down by 10 at halftime, needed all four quarters to put away a vastly outmatched opponent. This team certainly has the potential to be much higher than ninth on this list, but they have to show me something first.

10. Buffalo Bills

No, that's not a typo. The Bills absolutely humiliated the Chiefs in their own stadium. I feel like some people were a bit too high on the Chiefs after last year's performance. There was some luck involved, but it was mostly the result of a cupcake-filled schedule. It also didn't help their case that Matt Cassel was still gimpy. Buffalo might not have the big names that jump out at you, but this team's offense appears to be much more balanced than last year, and the new defensive faces appear to have boosted performance on that side of the ball as well. We'll see how long the honeymoon lasts, but for now I like the direction this team is taking.

11. Houston Texans

No Arian Foster? No problem. Ben Tate and Derrick Ward picked up the slack in fine fashion. Matt Schaub was a bit sloppy, throwing a pair of interceptions, but it didn't really matter on this particular day. We'll see what the Texans have to offer on the defensive side of things when they face the Saints in New Orleans in a couple of weeks, but the offense, as usual, seems good to go.

12. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals are another fairly big surprise when compared to preseason expectations. The Carson Palmer soap opera took a backseat and Cincinnati took care of business in Cleveland in a mild upset. Neither of the Bengals' quarterbacks looked particularly impressive, but they got the job done and the defense shut down Peyton Hillis admirably. The Andy Dalton/Bruce Gradkowski era is off to a good start.

13. Washington Redskins

Probably the biggest surprise in the rankings aside from Buffalo, little was expected from the 'Skins this year. Apparently people don't think too highly of your team if you don't have a good quarterback. Well, Rex Grossman (yes, the Rex Grossman) looked like a good quarterback on Sunday, throwing for over 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The defense looked particularly strong in the second half, holding the Giants to no points and taking an Eli Manning interception to the house. Still some question marks surrounding this team, but they looked good overall.

14. Dallas Cowboys

This is more about potential and less about me actually thinking the Cowboys are the 14th best team in the NFL. Tony Romo has a massive arsenal of offensive weaponry at his disposal, and the defense did a fantastic job of shutting down Shonn Greene on Sunday, but this team just makes too many mental mistakes to be much higher than 14th right now. You can't give away games and expect to be higher than 14th, and you probably shouldn't even be that high. I guess I'm just too nice.

15. New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees looked mighty impressive on Thursday, but the defense looked every bit as unimpressive and the running game is weak. The loss of Marques Colston for about a month doesn't help matters. This is looking like a one-trick pony team so far. Sadly, in the NFC South, that may be good enough to earn the right to play in January this year.

16. Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins have the misfortune of sharing a division with the Patriots and Jets, and their out-of-division schedule isn't much easier this time around. Chad Henne is a decent quarterback, and the defense, contrary to what every Tuesday morning quarterback has undoubtedly said by now, is solid. The team isn't bad, but it has too much on its plate this year and isn't good enough to overcome all of it.

17. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons have some work to do. Matt Ryan was given the opportunity to let loose and stretch the field, and he certainly has the weaponry to do it, but he looked downright bad against Chicago. Five sacks, a lost fumble and an interception is not the way a young quarterback needs to start his season. There's still time to turn it around, but Atlanta appeared to just be uninspired on both sides of the ball on Sunday.

18. Minnesota Vikings

The Vikes are here solely on the strength of their running game and defense. Donovan McNabb isn't the quarterback that he used to be, and frankly I believe he's more valuable as a mentor to Christian Ponder at this point. I'm not terribly high on this team, but they're considerably better than the league's basement-dwellers.

19. Oakland Raiders

The Raiders, as always, are baffling. The personnel is there, but they just don't put it together like they're capable of doing. The rest of their schedule will not be as kind to them as the Broncos were last night, and I foresee another dismal season in Oakland.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars

No, Luke McCown is not the Second Coming, but the Jags are talented enough to stay out of the basement. If they finish 7-9, as I now expect them to, I think that will exceed most preseason predictions. Unfortunately, 7-9 typically doesn't get you a high enough draft pick to transform your team into a winner.

21. Indianapolis Colts

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The franchise quarterback is out with a neck injury, and in steps... Kerry Collins. Three fumbles (two lost) and a blown punt cover later, the Colts were down 34-0 at halftime. Alas, Frank Reich was nowhere to be seen, and the Colts were only able to score a garbage-time touchdown in this embarrassing loss. It may be time to start looking for David Garrard's phone number.

22. New York Giants

The Giants were extremely disappointing on Sunday. I had them projected as a playoff team in the preseason, and they reward me by trotting out and getting slapped around by Rex Grossman. Injuries aren't helping, but he is still Rex Grossman. Come on.

23. San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers didn't beat the Seahawks as much as the Seahawks beat themselves. Alex Smith remains unimpressive and the running game was abysmal. The pass rush was active and effective, racking up eight QB hits, five sacks and two forced fumbles (both by Parys Haralson), but the secondary looks like it needs some tweaking. With Sam Bradford possibly being more seriously injured than we're being led to believe, the 49ers might now be the best team in the NFC West. Unfortunately, it's still the NFC West.

24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I kept scanning the Tampa sideline on Sunday, hoping to see Norv Turner hanging out. That would have been the simplest explanation for the listless, disorganized football that the Bucs were playing. The play selection was bad, the failure to more heavily involve LeGarrette Blount was bad, the inability to shut down Matthew Stafford's second and third receivers was bad... need I go on? This was just a bad game overall, and this team needs to take a step back and evaluate itself if it wants to even come close to last year's 10-6 performance.

25. Tennessee Titans

It's hard to disappoint when not much is expected of you, but the Titans did just that in their loss to the Jaguars. Chris Johnson, shiny new contract under his belt, rushed for 24 yards against a bad defense. Only a pair of touchdown passes by Matt Hasselbeck to Kenny Britt kept this game close. This team has gone into free-fall mode since narrowly losing to the Ravens in the second round of the 2008 playoffs, and perhaps this is a sign that it's time to rebuild.

26. Cleveland Browns

I still have hope for Colt McCoy, but if you want to be a good quarterback in this league, you have to find a way to crack the defense of the Cincinnati Bengals. A sub 50 percent completion rate and 5.3 yards per attempt isn't going to cut it. The ineptitude of Peyton Hillis certainly didn't help take any pressure off of McCoy, but you just can't lose to the Bengals at home.

27. Kansas City Chiefs

A healthy Matt Cassel and an easy schedule can lead you to a 10-6 season and a division crown. A gimpy Matt Cassel can lead you to a 41-7 dismantling. In your own stadium. At the hands of the Buffalo Bills. With their schedule, the Chiefs can easily end up 3-13 this year. Maybe it's in their best interest to do so.

28. Denver Broncos

The return of Elvis Dumervil was short-lived, and it didn't do much to fix Denver's biggest problem anyway: stopping the run. Linemen and backs routinely had their way with the Broncos' front seven last year, and Darren McFadden led me to believe that it's going to be the case again this year, especially since the Broncos' top draft pick, Von Miller, isn't a run stopper either. It's going to be a long season.

29. Arizona Cardinals

You know you play in the NFC West if you're 1-0 and ranked 29th. Kevin Kolb threw a big touchdown pass to tie the game in the fourth quarter, and the running game was functional if not spectacular, but considering the opponent, I expect a bit more than what I saw on Sunday. It shouldn't take a Patrick Peterson punt return for a touchdown to put away the lowly Carolina Panthers on your own field.

30. St. Louis Rams

The good news... OK, there is no good news. The Rams are hurting, and they still have to play 15 more games. If Sam Bradford has nerve damage in his finger, it's not wise to assume that he'll be out there all season. And if the cornerstone of your franchise can't play, guess what almost always happens? You lose.

31. Seattle Seahawks

Look on the bright side, Seahawks fans. At least you're only the second-worst team in the NFC West (yes, I do think you're better than the Cardinals in the long run, but you looked pretty putrid out there in San Fran). Sadly, you probably won't beat out the Panthers in the race for the No. 1 draft pick next year, so you're stuck with not just one, but two disastrous quarterbacks. Oh, and a bad running back and a terrible defense. Have fun!

32. Carolina Panthers

Yes, Cam Newton looked pretty good out there on Sunday. But the Panthers still fell short. Know why? Because there's this thing called talent, and the Panthers have less of it than any other team in the NFL. At this rate, they may not even have to tank the season in order to go 2-14. It should come quite naturally, and it'll be fun to see them get cornered into taking a quarterback for the third year in a row.

That about wraps it up. If you made it this far, thank you for reading, and feedback is always appreciated.