NFL Power Ratings After Week 1: Chiefs Still No. 1 Despite Loss To Lions; 49ers, Eagles Round Out Top 3

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Every Tuesday during this NFL season, I’ll power-rank the team most to least likely to win Super Bowl LVIII according to my eyes and research. I wait until Tuesday because of Monday Night Football and the analytics dump that day.

This is my 1st season doing weekly NFL power ratings. The professional sports bettors I follow have their own power ratings for all sports and I’m getting FOMO. I do this football handicapping thing too. So, why not have my own NFL power ratings?

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San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy reacts after running for a 1st down vs. the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy reacts after running for a 1st down vs. the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

In this case, my numbers are based on how much better or worse a team is on a neutral field compared to an average NFL team. For instance, I power rate the Green Bay Packers 0.0, which ranks 16th in the league.

Truthfully, this isn’t a perfect science nor the product of a complex algorithm. Basically, I’m mixing current Super Bowl odds, my preseason priors and Week 1 takeaways and coach and QB rankings into a stew.

NFL Power Ratings Post-Week 1

RankTeamPower
Rating
1Kansas City Chiefs7.5
2San Francisco 49ers7.0
3Philadelphia Eagles6.5
4Cincinnati Bengals6.0
5 Buffalo Bills5.5
6Dallas Cowboys 5.0
7Cleveland Browns4.5
8Miami Dolphins4.0
9Detroit Lions3.5
10Los Angeles Rams3.0
11Baltimore Ravens2.5
12Jacksonville Jaguars2.0
13Los Angeles Chargers1.5
14Tennessee Titans1.0
15New York Jets0.5
16Green Bay Packers 0.0
17New Orleans Saints-0.5
18New York Giants-1
19Pittsburgh Steelers-1.5
20Las Vegas Raiders-2.0
21Minnesota Vikings-2.5
22Seattle Seahawks-3.0
23New England Patriots-3.5
24Tampa Bay Buccaneers-4.0
25Denver Broncos-4.5
26Washington Commanders-5.0
27Atlanta Falcons-5.5
28 Houston Texans-6.0
29Carolina Panthers-6.5
30Indianapolis Colts-7.0
31Chicago Bears -7.5
32Arizona Cardinals-8

Maybe you’re asking: “Why are the Chiefs 1st if the Lions upset them 21-20”? Especially, considering it’s rare for the reigning Super Bowl champion to lose at home in the NFL Kickoff Game.

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KC has a top-heavy roster and it was missing two of the most important players behind Patrick Mahomes. Neither All-Pro TE Travis Kelce nor Pro Bowl pass rusher Chris Jones.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes runs the ball against the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL Kickoff Game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes runs the ball against the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL Kickoff Game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. (Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports)

Well, Kelce’s injury isn’t serious and Jones and the Chiefs agreed to a new contract. Furthermore, the Lions aren’t chumps and if the Chiefs wideouts didn’t several passes, they would’ve beaten Detroit.

The Panthers are the biggest downgrade for any team after Week 1. Entering 2023, Carolina was my pick to win the weak NFC South. But, after the Panthers got drilled 21-10 by a bad Atlanta Falcons team, I’m selling my Carolina stock.

Keep in mind, we just finished the 1st week of the season. A lot will change before Halloween and I’m willing to zag on my own power ratings in the right situation. However, for the time being, this will be the foundation of my weekly NFL handicapping.


Listen to the ‘OutKick Bets with Geoff Clark’ podcast HERE.


Written by Geoff Clark

Geoff Clark serves as OutKick’s sports betting guru. As a writer and host of OutKick Bets with Geoff Clark, he dives deep into the sports betting landscape and welcomes an array of sports betting personalities on his show to handicap America’s biggest sporting events.

Previously, Clark was a writer/podcaster for USA TODAY's Sportsbook Wire website, handicapping all the major sports tentpoles with a major focus on the NFL, NBA and MLB.

Clark graduated from St. John University.

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