The opening week of the 2021 NFL season saw the NFC West dominate, old faces in new places flourish (namely Jameis Winston) and Las Vegas shine in prime time on Monday night.
With Week 1 in the books, the Bally Sports national staff cast ballots (a la AP Top 25 in college football) to determine the first NFL Power Rankings. We're not ranking every team from one through 32 because — let’s be honest — the muddled middle of the league is not very interesting. We’re focusing on the very best (top 10) and the very worst (bottom five).
Here are the results of this week’s Bally Sports NFL poll.
The Top 10
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0): Against the Cowboys on opening night, the Bucs performed like Super Bowl champions running it back with all 22 starters.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0): We ran out of words long ago to describe the football genius of Patrick Mahomes, who calmly engineered a comeback win over the Browns.
3. Los Angeles Rams (1-0): Matthew Stafford is enjoying his best life in L.A. while playing on a legit title contender in a beautiful new stadium.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0): Week 1 is too early to make statements, but coming back on the road to beat Josh Allen and the Bills? Impressive.
5. New Orleans Saints (1-0): Give them credit for making Aaron Rodgers look like a “Jeopardy!” host trying to play quarterback.
6. San Francisco 49ers (1-0): Their reserves nearly blew a big fourth-quarter lead, so don’t let the 41-33 final score in Detroit fool you.
7. Arizona Cardinals (1-0): Kyler Murray’s performance in Tennessee was breathtaking, and NFL MVP bettors have taken notice.
8. Seattle Seahawks (1-0): It took one victory and a usual Russell Wilson performance to erase an awkward Russell Wilson offseason.
9. Los Angeles Chargers (1-0): Showing no signs of a sophomore slump, Justin Herbert was downright Foutsian on third down on the road against Washington.
10. Baltimore Ravens (0-1): In falling from ahead against the Raiders, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens made some late-game mistakes that they hope will stay in Vegas.
Sep 12, 2021; Landover, Maryland, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) celebrates after the games against the Washington Football Team at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
The Bottom Five
28. New York Jets (0-1): They have their QB in Zach Wilson. Now they need an offensive line.
29. Houston Texans (1-0): So they beat the Jaguars pretty soundly at home. Yeah, so what.
30. Atlanta Falcons (0-1): Matt Ryan and the offense managed just two first-half field goals in a 32-6 home loss to the Eagles.
31. New York Giants (0-1): At least the team’s performance at home wasn’t as stomach-turning as the stadium concessions.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1): If Urban Meyer wants to get out now, there’s an escape route in Los Angeles.
