NFL power rankings after Week 1, 2026

Promoted to first on the method's own logic. Buffalo beat the best opponent anyone beat — Houston produced 381 yards, 26 first downs and 31 points the same afternoon — and did it on the road. They ran 52 plays for 409 yards, 7.9 per snap and the best rate in the league, never turned it over, and recovered two Houston fumbles. Allen was 20 of 29 for 334 with two touchdown passes, a 130.5 rating, and two rushing scores. They trailed 31-30 with 6:49 left and won it on a 34-yard touchdown with 1:41 to play. The short possession total is a function of how quickly they scored, not of an offense going three-and-out. The open question is a defense that surrendered 7.9 a play.

The most complete game anyone played, but the venue changes how it should be priced. This was the NFL's first regular-season game in Australia, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with the Rams as designated home team — a neutral field, not a road win. San Francisco outgained the Rams 379-290, ran it 30 times for 174 (5.8 a carry), and held the ball 33:50. Purdy went 25 of 34 for 205 with three touchdown passes and a 105.6 rating. No sacks, but eight quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, two fourth-down stops. The Rams scored once, in the second quarter, and never reached the end zone again. Twenty-three first downs to fifteen.

506 yards on the road, 202 of them rushing. Jackson was 17 of 25 for 324 with a touchdown, a 124.2 rating, and a rushing score of his own. Henry ran for three touchdowns including a 32-yarder; Flowers caught a 54-yard score. Baltimore led 28-6 in the second quarter and held the ball 35:20. Defensively, six tackles for loss and nine quarterback hits. The ugly column: ten penalties for 86 yards, the kind of thing that costs you a close game later. The check on the whole performance is that Indianapolis asked almost nothing of them.

Moved above Chicago. It's difficult to call this the best defensive performance of the week and then rank it behind a team that allowed 478 yards. Denver finished with 176 total yards, nine first downs, and 61 rushing yards. Kansas City got four sacks, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Offensively they ran 38 times for 220 — Walker broke a 60-yard touchdown run — and generated 173 yards after contact. Mahomes was modest through the air (15 of 27, 184, two touchdowns, one interception) and added a 15-yard scramble score. The Denver discount is real; it just doesn't drop them below the teams below.

Fifty-nine points and 552 yards on the road, including 291 rushing on 39 carries — 7.5 per attempt with six rushing touchdowns. Williams was 21 of 29 for 269 and two scores plus scrambling touchdowns of nine and 29 yards. Monangai broke a 61-yarder. But it was tied 24-24 in the second and 31-31 in the third, and the opponent was the worst defense of the week. The 478 yards allowed, nine missed tackles and twelve penalties are why a 22-point road win sits fifth instead of second.

Lawrence was 18 of 23 for 245 with four touchdown passes and a 150.6 rating, about as efficient as a quarterback gets. Jacksonville turned it over zero times, led 24-0 at half and 31-0 in the third, and held the ball nearly 34 minutes. The defense got five sacks, an interception, and forced two fumbles while holding Cleveland to 14 first downs. Two things pull them down from where the raw margin would put them: it was at home, and Cleveland managed 272 yards and ten points against everyone. Eleven missed tackles is the other blemish.

393 yards, 37:31 of possession, and zero turnovers on the road. Brissett was 27 of 37 for 277. The defense got three sacks, an interception, three fourth-down stops, and a blocked punt. The nagging detail: Arizona attempted seven red-zone passes and scored two touchdowns, leaning on Ryland for four field goals. Efficient everywhere except where points are worth the most. Beat a divisional opponent in their building by twelve without ever needing a big play, which counts for a lot in September.

Total control, and on the road. The Jets ran 39 times for 152, held the ball 38:46, turned it over zero times, and allowed no sacks. The quarterback went 19 of 24 for 215 with a 104.0 rating — no touchdowns through the air, but no mistakes either. Sanders hit three of four field goals including two from beyond 50. Defensively, three sacks and four forced three-and-outs while holding Tennessee to 195 yards and eleven first downs. The discount is entirely about the opponent: Tennessee's 195 yards and 21:14 of possession were among the worst figures of the week.

The score flatters them and the first edition misread the quarterback line. Murray was eleven plays into his Vikings debut — 3 of 5 for 18 yards with an interception — before a concussion ended his afternoon. Wentz came off the bench and went 12 of 19 for 133 with three touchdowns, one of them to Jefferson on a free play. Green Bay outgained Minnesota 419-239 and led 22-10 in the third quarter before the Vikings scored 22 unanswered in the fourth. The defense won it: four sacks, 15 quarterback hits, an interception, two forced fumbles, and a fourth quarter in which Green Bay produced nothing. Only three penalties. A 17-point win while being outgained by 180 yards is a result, not yet a trend.

Dart was 23 of 29 for 230 with three touchdowns and a 134.2 rating. The Giants put up 394 yards, 29 first downs, 165 rushing yards, held the ball 36:40, and punted exactly once. Dallas was limited to 244 yards and 23:20. That's a thorough win. The self-inflicted stuff is alarming though — four fumbles (one lost) and ten penalties for 114 yards. Against a team that recovers more of those, this is a loss. Prime-time division win, real production, correctable mess.

Won it without an offense. Pittsburgh managed 264 total yards and 58 rushing yards on 21 carries — 2.8 an attempt. Rodgers was 24 of 41 for 221 and a touchdown. What decided it: four sacks, two interceptions, and Watt's 35-yard pick-six early in the fourth that turned a three-point lead into ten. Atlanta finished with 238 yards and 143 net passing. Seven penalties and a missed field goal keep this from looking better. A defense-and-takeaways win is a legitimate win; it just doesn't scale if the run game stays at 2.8.

Four forced fumbles, four recovered, including a strip-sack returned for a touchdown in the first quarter. McPherson was perfect on four field goals including a 55 and a 58. Burrow went 25 of 35 for 254 with a touchdown and an interception that came back as a pick-six. Cincinnati led 27-10 in the third and let Tampa close to within six. The formula was turnovers plus a kicker rather than sustained offense — 351 yards, one offensive touchdown through the air. Four sacks helped. Win banked, process questionable.

Seattle hosted the Wednesday-night opener as defending Super Bowl champions — this was a home game, not a road one. Three interceptions of Maye, and they needed every one. They trailed 10-0 into the fourth quarter, then scored 13 unanswered: a 45-yard touchdown to Smith-Njigba and two Myers field goals. Lock was 17 of 24 for 200 with a 109.7 rating on only 48 offensive snaps. The defense produced three sacks, nine tackles for loss, and six passes defended while New England held the ball 34:17. Ten penalties for 98 yards is a bad habit. Lowest-scoring game of the week, smallest margin among winners, but the takeaways were real.

Ten first downs. Seven punts. 26:40 of possession. Philadelphia won anyway because Hurts was 14 of 25 for 203 with three touchdowns and a 122.2 rating, including a 43-yard strike to Goedert in the fourth that turned out to be the difference. They ran for 136 at 5.4 a carry. The defense forced five three-and-outs and blocked an extra point that ultimately mattered — Washington's late two-point try to tie failed with 1:01 left. A one-possession home win over a division rival that out-first-downed them 20-10 is a win and not much more.

The weakest 1-0 in football. Detroit led 21-0 in the third quarter and let New Orleans run 86 plays for 469 yards to force overtime. The Lions still won it when the Saints' two-point conversion in OT failed. There were genuinely good things: five sacks, two interceptions, nine quarterback hits, 36:51 of possession, 165 rushing yards, Gibbs with two short touchdowns, and Goff at 26 of 39 for 206 with two scores. But blowing three touchdowns of cushion at home and surviving on a failed conversion is the definition of a result outrunning a performance.

Best loss in the league. Down 21-0 in the third quarter on the road, the Saints ran 86 offensive plays, put up 469 yards and 29 first downs, and forced overtime. Shough was 35 of 56 for 410 with three touchdowns against two interceptions, taking five sacks along the way. A missed field goal and a failed two-point conversion in overtime is all that separates them from 1-0. The volume passing came at 6.2 a throw and the run game managed 3.6, and the first-half offense is why this isn't higher — but nobody else who lost showed this much.

Out-first-downed Philadelphia 20-10 and held the ball for 33:20 in a road division game, and still lost by two. Daniels went 18 of 34 for 164 with two touchdowns, hurt by four drops. The defense was excellent — ten tackles for loss, three sacks, five forced three-and-outs. What cost them: a blocked extra point in the second quarter, a missed field goal, and a failed two-point try with 1:01 left. Special teams and finishing, not structure. A reasonable case exists for putting them ahead of New Orleans; the tiebreak here is that the Saints produced 469 yards and Washington produced 295.

Led 10-0 into the fourth quarter on the road and scored nothing after the third-quarter field goal. Maye was 23 of 33 for 178 but threw three interceptions for a 54.9 rating. New England held the ball 34:17, picked up 19 first downs, and ran 31 times for 109 — a grinding, competent game plan undone entirely by giveaways. The defense held Seattle to 285 yards and allowed 13 points; that's a winning defensive day. Three turnovers to zero is exactly the margin, and it came in the defending champions' building.

Thirty-one points, 381 yards, 26 first downs, and 36:17 of possession at home — and a loss. Stroud was 26 of 38 for 274 with two touchdowns and a 106.7 rating, and Fairbairn hit from 58 to give Houston a 31-30 lead with 6:49 left. Two lost fumbles and seven penalties for 106 yards are what killed it, along with a defense that gave up 7.9 yards per snap. This is the best performance by any losing team other than New Orleans, and it is the reason Buffalo's win grades out as the best in the league.

Four fumbles, four lost, including a strip-sack returned for a touchdown. That's the whole game. Mayfield completed 23 of 28 (82.1%) for 216 with no interceptions and added a rushing score, and Trotter's 38-yard pick-six kept them alive. Tampa never punted all afternoon — not once — and still lost by six. They took four sacks and trailed 27-10 before closing. A team that moves the ball this freely and loses only to ball security is a fixable team, but four lost fumbles is a catastrophic number.

238 total yards, 143 net passing, and a quarterback line of 12 of 22 for 143 with a touchdown, two interceptions, and a 51.9 rating. One of those picks went back 35 yards for the winning score. Atlanta took four sacks, drew nine penalties for 96 yards, and went 2 for 4 on field goals. They ran it 31 times for 120 and held possession for 31:07, so the shape of the plan was fine. Zero red-zone rushing attempts in a seven-point road loss tells you they never got close enough often enough.

244 yards and 23:20 of possession in prime time. Prescott was 22 of 34 for 175 with two touchdowns and an interception; the run game produced 69 yards on 18 carries. The defense forced four fumbles and recovered only one, which is bad luck, but also allowed 394 yards, 29 first downs, and a 134.2 passer rating to a division opponent. Nine penalties for 90 yards and a missed extra point round it out. Outplayed in every phase that isn't variance.

Intercepted Cousins twice and still lost by two scores. Miami finished with 259 yards, 13 first downs, and zero passing touchdowns while allowing five sacks and eleven quarterback hits. The quarterback went 15 of 27 for 220 with a pick and a 66.9 rating; there was a 14-yard scramble touchdown and not much else. Only 18 rushing attempts, which means they abandoned balance early. When you win the turnover battle on the road and lose by 14, the loss is structural rather than circumstantial.

Fourteen points at home on 51 offensive snaps and 22:29 of possession. Herbert was 17 of 27 for 209 with a touchdown and an interception. They had seven red-zone rushing attempts and one touchdown to show for it, attempted zero field goals all day, and had a punt blocked. The defense surrendered 393 yards and let Arizona hold the ball for 37:31. Losing a home opener to a division rival while never once attempting a field goal is a strange stat line for a team that couldn't finish drives.

Led 22-10 in the third quarter and scored nothing in the fourth. Love was 21 of 42 for 387 with two touchdowns including an 81-yarder to Watson, but 50% completions and 15 charted poor throws describe the day better than the yardage does. Green Bay outgained Minnesota by 180 and lost by 17 — which happens when you take four sacks, commit twelve penalties for 98 yards, and run for 66 on 21 carries. The yardage advantage has been argued as grounds for a much higher slot. It isn't: they were beaten by a backup quarterback in relief after building a double-digit lead.

195 total yards, eleven first downs, 21:14 of possession, seven punts. Ward went 19 of 32 for 140 — 3.6 yards per attempt — with a late touchdown and three sacks taken. The Titans ran it only 14 times because they were never on the field. Defensively they missed 14 tackles and never got a sack. A failed onside kick closed it out. The least competitive home performance of the week that didn't involve a blowout scoreline, though a 13-point loss is still a 13-point loss — which is why they sit here rather than in the bottom three.

Gave up 506 yards and five touchdowns in their own building, trailing 28-6 in the second quarter. Indianapolis finished with 251 yards and 24:40 of possession. Jones was 19 of 31 for 166 with a touchdown, an interception, and a 72.8 rating, with three drops not helping. They did run for 102 at 5.1 a carry and got two Taylor touchdowns, plus a 58-yard field goal. The garbage-time score made the margin look survivable. Nothing about the first thirty minutes was.

176 total yards. Nine first downs. Sixty-one rushing yards on fifteen attempts. The worst offensive output of the week by a distance. Nix was 17 of 28 for 131 with a touchdown, an interception, four sacks taken, and a 69.2 rating. Denver punted six times. The defense missed 25 tackles — a number that explains Kansas City's 173 yards after contact and Walker's 60-yard touchdown run. Tied 7-7 in the first quarter and never scored a touchdown again. Both phases failed, which is the case for putting them last; a 21-point road loss to the best defensive performance of the week is the case against.

Trailed 31-0 before doing anything. Cleveland managed 272 yards and 14 first downs, allowed five sacks, committed eleven penalties for 75 yards, and missed fifteen tackles. Watson was 16 of 22 for 205 with a touchdown and an interception, and the touchdown was a 46-yarder with two minutes left in a decided game. Worst point differential in the league at minus-24. Only one team scored before halftime, and it wasn't this one.

Seven points, the lowest output of Week 1. The venue correction cuts both ways: because this was played at a neutral site in Australia rather than in Los Angeles, the 'shut out in your own building' framing is wrong, and that's worth acknowledging. It isn't worth three spots. The Rams gained 290 yards, turned it over twice, threw zero touchdown passes on a 62.8 rating, and absorbed eight knockdowns. Their lone score came in the second quarter and they generated nothing across the second half. Holding San Francisco to 27 has been offered as mitigation. You still have to score.

Scored 37 points, gained 478 yards, got a 23-of-38, 361-yard, three-touchdown day plus a rushing score from Young — and lost by 22 at home. Carolina allowed 552 yards, 291 of them rushing at 7.5 a carry, and six rushing touchdowns. Add eleven penalties for 84 yards, two lost fumbles, a blocked extra point, and a failed onside kick. The counter-argument is that a top-five offensive Sunday should disqualify a team from last place. That is a rule about what a team might become. By results, Carolina owns the league's worst point differential and surrendered its worst defensive performance, at home. That is last.