NFL Power Tiers: Week 1, 2026

I do this for the love of the game. Football is one of my favorite sports solely for the week to week anticipation. "Any given Sunday" is not just a Pacino movie, its a fact. Every week of the NFL is an adventure

With that, week to week, every professional pundit, analyst, former players and goofy dorks like me have their own "power rankings" and I'm here to tell you...those guys are all wrong. I am a sicko who watches Redzone religiously on Sundays, I promise you; I HAVE THE DEFINITIVE POWER RANKINGS. But instead of actual rankings...it will be a Tier List. So WELCOME....to my NFL Power Tiers for Week 1 of 2026

Juggernaut

This will be my 'S tier', other tiers are subject to change.

We start with two obvious choices. The Ravens and Bills are to be expected even with coaching changes. Those changes clearly did not affect Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson; in fact, they may have benefitted because they and their units looked great with the Ravens smashing the Colts and Bills finally getting the upper hand on the Texans and their vaunted defense, both on the road. Though we all know, their issues are never with the regular season.

The Chiefs are 3rd in the tier due to coming out and putting a beatdown on their division rival, AFC runner ups last year. I knew K9 to the Chiefs was a good move, but it became a problem almost immediately. Also...they still have Patrick Mahomes. 'Nuff said.

We also have two NFC West teams and NEITHER are the one we all expected. The Niners and Seahawks both had shocking wins. The Niners did the smart thing and spent multiple weeks in Australia to not only prepare strategically for the Rams but physically acclimating themselves to the time shift (explanation for this statement later). Overall though, I think a lot of people forgot what a healthy 49ers team looks like...hoping nothing 'shocks the system' there in that regard, if you catch my drift.

Rounding out the "Juggernauts" is the Seahawks. Did the Seahawks look 'amazing' in the season opener? No. Did they come back from a double digit deficit with a back up QB for 90% of the game? Yup, and that is a pretty scary thought coming from a defending Super Bowl champion.

Scary Good

We have the "Scary Good" tier this week and we start off with the Jaguars. Their opponent was not exactly quality, but when you make an NFL game look like a college football powerhouse program versus a cupcake lower division school for majority of it, your team is going to start feeling themself. And considering how they looked down the stretch last year, it's not crazy to think this team has serious potential. Trevor Lawrence looked awesome out there.

The Lions are here even with a somewhat shaky ending to a wild OT game. But they still have all the makings to be a Super Bowl contender. Jahmyr Gibbs is absolutely electric to watch.

The Eagles have been in this tier for years and will remain here because, PUTTING MY EAGLES FANDOM AND BIAS ASIDE: They just continue to win. You can argue Jalen Hurts' abilities all you want. The guy makes clutch plays time and time again, with both his arms and his legs. The defense looked solid too, or at least solid enough to come up with stops when they needed them. Why would I rank any team lower than "Scary Good" when I constantly hear people saying they could actually play BETTER?!?!

Finishing this tier, the Rams...look...the roster and coaching staff is still elite...but what the f*** are you flying to Australia only 29 hours before the game? Once I heard that, I kind of felt they were NOT going to be ready for this game...now add on Myles Garrett having a knee injury? NOT A GREAT START WHATSOEVER....but I can't deny the squad is strong, they should bounce back.

Frisky

This week we have the "Frisky" tier and I have some spicy takes for this one I think.

You could argue the Bears should be in the "Scary Good" because HOLY HELL 59 POINTS?!?? Tied-2nd most points ever scored in a week 1 game? That's pretty amazing...the defense also gave up 39 to the Panthers, who we will get to later.

Texans lost, but man they overall looked much better on offense. CJ Stroud looked pretty average at best last year, looked pretty good in week 1, even though he got strip sacked to end it. Their awesome defense may have given up 36 points, but the Bills are "Juggernauts" for a reason.

Bengals and Steelers I will smash together as the AFC North rivals they are. Both won their games, Bengals looking much better than the Steelers. The Bengals if they keep Joe Burrow healthy and the defense actually looks as good as they were against Tampa Bay, watch out for them. The Steelers were very average against a weak opponent I actually think the Steelers will have some extra juice for Aaron Rodgers final campaign. That performance though definitely made this a tough choice.

The Giants just straight up looked better with their trio of young skill guys on offense, a better looking O line and new coach. No doubt, have a chance to shake up how the NFC East plays out. (YUCK!)

Now....why are the Raiders here? I don't care who their opponent was. The Raiders looked like they did a total 180 compared to last year, although everyone seems to agree: we should see 2026 1st overall pick Fernando Mendoza before the end of the season. Respect to the long time vet Kirk Cousins, but probably has better value as a highly experienced backup.

Jury Is Still Out

I'll make this one as quick as possible, because this tier will only probably exist for the first month.

The Bucs struggled mightily against the Bengals, but turning it over 4 times makes any game tough to win. I think they have tons of potential, especially with Baker getting paid.

I think people are underrating the Colts actually...but the Ravens is a tough first week for any team in the NFL. Let's see if they rebound.

Broncos were in the AFC Championship last year and probably only lost due to losing their starting QB...I'm writing off their week 1 beatdown to the Chiefs as a fluke.

The Commanders lost a close game to a "Scary Good" Eagles team on the road. They also did not play all that well. I think they will play better as the season rolls along, but we will have to see.

The Saints almost made an incredible comeback against a "Scary Good" Lions team. Tyler Shough continues to prove himself as QB1 and that fight tells me there's something brewing in NOLA.

The Patriots were in the Super Bowl last year...but after a putrid 2nd half against the champs they lost to, led by their 2nd string QB on top of the "weak schedule" argument last year...I won't put them at the bottom of the totem pole, but that was a sh***y way to start the year.

Feels Ugly Quick

"Feels Ugly Quick" I only got a few teams for, but for good reason.

The Vikings and Packers are on here, even though the Vikings BEAT the Packers. Why? Well...their QB situation just got a little more interesting. We all think "NINE" JJ McCarthy is a dud, and their new acquisition and named starter Kyler Murray took a scary hit and was concussed out of the game.

Now as an Eagles fan...of course I'm going to root for the biggest current "What if..." player in the NFL in Carson Wentz. I hope he wins the job away from Kyler Murray if he plays well, which he did against Green Bay, throwing for 3 TDs including a beautiful bomb to Justin Jefferson. But that's a tall order.

The Packers....well yeah, they lost to a backup QB. And something just feels off with them, on both sides of the ball. Jordan Love never seems comfortable, even when almost throwing for 400 yards. And while his presence on the football field may be missed by the Packers, I don't think Josh Jacobs should EVER see a football field again, but it seems a slap on the wrist suspension will be all he receives.

Now the Panthers? Well they scored 37 points! Nine times out of ten, that SHOULD result in a win....their defense gave up 59 points...big yikes!

Cowboys

This tier is for the Cowboys.

But why are the Jets ahead of the Cowboys in the "Cowboys" tier? Well because it doesn't "Feel Ugly Quick" because the Jets played well...but they played well against the Titans, who I will touch on in a second. Does that mean they are better than last year? Not yet...but they are not bottom tier either...so that's something I guess?

The Cowboys will always be the Cowboys though. Is this bias? Yes. I don't care. F*** the Cowboys. I actually despise the Giants more, but when evaluating them and even the Commanders whom I also hate, I have the ability to dissect them without letting the hate get in the way (although I do in fact loathe both of them tremendously and writing any positives about them makes my skin crawl.)

The Cowboys are a different animal. They are a sports cancer, akin to Lakers, Yankees or Notre Dame fans. Also, they lost to the Giants. So....

SUPER ASS

Let's keep this simple: "SUPER ASS" is what it sounds like.

The Arizona Cardinals are the only team here with a win because 1. I still don't think they are good, I don't care what the stat sheet said and 2. They beat ANOTHER "SUPER ASS" team.

The Chargers are our first true 0-1 "SUPER ASS" team due to, once again, receiving tons of preseason hype and love, especially for their 'IF' quarterback Justin Herbert...and they lay an egg versus a team we all thought had the chance of going 0-16. Unbelievable this team got so much hype. Until I see otherwise: ASS!

The Falcons and Browns are two teams who both don't have great rosters and an even worse collection of QBs. I think people like the Falcons for some reason? I love Bijan, London and yes, even Kyle Pitts but outside that...I am not impressed. The Browns are the Browns, they could probably end up with their own tier at some point as well.

The Dolphins and Titans however will be our 2 Toilet Bowl competitors I believe this year. The Dolphins have a stinky team and a coach I can't even name off the top of my head, and the Titans with (allegedly) a better coaching staff and a few better players...looked just as bad as last year and 2025 1st overall draft pick Cam Ward is officially on draft bust watch.

Let the Nerds know what you think about Zach's Power Tiers!