Welcome back to another season of NFL power rankings! We’re gonna rank all 32 teams in order of how good we think they are, and you’re gonna love it.
Once again, we’ll conduct our staff-wide poll at a few key checkpoints throughout the year, but most weeks will feature our writers taking the rankings for a spin individually.
This week’s MMQB power rankings poll voters:
Greg Bishop, senior writer
Andrew Brandt, business of football columnist
Albert Breer, senior NFL reporter
Mitch Goldich, editor/writer
Gary Gramling, senior editor
Conor Orr, staff writer
John Pluym, managing editor
Michael Rosenberg, senior writer
Here’s what we think on the eve of the 2022 season.
Chris Pedota/NorthJersey.com/USA TODAY Network
1. Buffalo Bills
Points in poll: 254
Highest-place vote: 1 (6 votes)
Lowest-place vote: 2 (2 votes)
Week 1 opponent: at Rams
The Bills enter the season as the Super Bowl betting favorites, and they also land at No. 1 in our poll with six of eight first-place votes. Welcome to a season of massive expectations.
2. Green Bay Packers
Points in poll: 237
Highest-place vote: 2 (3 votes)
Lowest-place vote: 5 (2 votes)
Week 1 opponent: at Vikings
After three straight 13-win seasons, the Packers are back in full force (mostly; see: Adams, Davante). But the clock is ticking to get Aaron Rodgers back to a second Super Bowl.
3. Los Angeles Rams
Points in poll: 233
Highest-place vote: 3 (4 votes)
Lowest-place vote: 6 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: vs. Bills
Our panel evidently doesn’t believe the defending champs get to roll into the following season at No. 1 until somebody knocks them off. But the Rams are still thought of highly, for good reason.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
Points in poll: 226
Highest-place vote: 2 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 7 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: at Cardinals
Patrick Mahomes is 50–13 in his career as a starter. The Chiefs may somehow be a bit under the radar, given all the national love for the Bills, but they are always dangerous.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Points in poll: 217
Highest-place vote: 2 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 9 (2 votes)
Week 1 opponent: at Cowboys
Tom Brady decided to come back for another year because he knows this is a top-five team. Although two of our voters had the Bucs all the way down at No. 9.
6. Los Angeles Chargers
Points in poll: 216
Highest-place vote: 1 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 12 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: vs. Raiders
The media is high on the Chargers on the eve of the season? When has that ever happened before, besides each of the last 15 years? There is the feeling that this year could be different, but we’ve probably said that before, too.
7. Cincinnati Bengals
Points in poll: 207
Highest-place vote: 5 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 11 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: vs. Steelers
The defending AFC champions are the fourth AFC team here. But don’t take that as a sign of disrespect. After a Cinderella run through the postseason, this ranking in a deep AFC shows belief in this team’s staying power.
8. San Francisco 49ers
Points in poll: 198
Highest-place vote: 5 (2 votes)
Lowest-place vote: 15 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: at Bears
The 49ers are all in on the switch from Jimmy Garoppolo to Trey Lance. Our panel is expecting no drop-off with the second-year man under center.
9. Baltimore Ravens
Points in poll: 197
Highest-place vote: 1 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 13 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: at Jets
The MMQB’s official team of the preseason (wait until you see our staff predictions on Wednesday) is primed for a bounce-back year.
Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports
10. Denver Broncos
Points in poll: 174
Highest-place vote: 6 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 13 (4 votes)
Week 1 opponent: at Seahawks
Brady and Matthew Stafford both won Super Bowls in their first season after leaving their longtime teams. No pressure, Russell Wilson.
11. Philadelphia Eagles
Points in poll: 170
Highest-place vote: 6 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 17 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: at Lions
The Eagles have done a great job building a roster around Jalen Hurts, and he’s been given everything he needs to succeed in Year 3.
12. Indianapolis Colts
Points in poll: 167
Highest-place vote: 8 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 16 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: at Texans
The Colts are once again rebooting things with a new QB. With Carson Wentz out and Matt Ryan in, we have them tops in the AFC South.
13. Las Vegas Raiders
Points in poll: 165
Highest-place vote: 10 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 16 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: at Chargers
The Raiders snuck into the playoffs last season, and now a new regime has them thinking big. Unfortunately for them, they play in the most stacked division in football. All four AFC West teams are in the top 13!
14. Dallas Cowboys
Points in poll: 159
Highest-place vote: 3 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 20 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: vs. Buccaneers
No team has a wider range in these rankings than the Cowboys, with one voter putting them third and another putting them 20th. In general, we’ve got Dallas as an average team in the mix for a playoff spot.
15. Tennessee Titans
Points in poll: 150
Highest-place vote: 9 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 21 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: vs. Giants
Last year’s No. 1 seed in the AFC comes in just barely ahead of the midpoint. But it feels like the Titans have overachieved their preseason projections each year under Mike Vrabel.
16. New England Patriots
Points in poll: 133
Highest-place vote: 11 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 19 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: at Dolphins
The Patriots returned to the playoffs in Mac Jones’s rookie season, but after a turbulent preseason our crew isn’t rushing to ticket them for a return trip.
17. New Orleans Saints
Points in poll: 126
Highest-place vote: 14 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 20 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: at Falcons
The Saints return plenty of talent, but obviously there are questions as they head into Year 1 without Sean Payton and Year 2 without Drew Brees.
18. Arizona Cardinals
Points in poll: 122
Highest-place vote: 14 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 21 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: vs. Chiefs
Kyler Murray is now signed long-term, and aside from any lingering jokes about his since-discarded homework clause, the team can hopefully put that distraction to bed and build on last season’s playoff appearance.
19. Miami Dolphins
Points in poll: 121
Highest-place vote: 14 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 23 (2 votes)
Week 1 opponent: vs. Patriots
The Dolphins would probably be ranked higher if they’d landed the greatest quarterback of all time this offseason! Unfortunately, they got busted for tampering instead. But Miami is a popular sleeper team to sneak into the AFC playoff picture under first-year coach Mike McDaniel.
20. Minnesota Vikings
Points in poll: 108
Highest-place vote: 16 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 22 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: vs. Packers
The Vikings hovered between average and a-little-better-than-average through the entirety of Mike Zimmer’s tenure, and they’ll probably be in the same spot in Year 1 under Kevin O’Connell.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers
Points in poll: 97
Highest-place vote: 18 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 27 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: at Bengals
The Steelers are one of many teams entering a transition year, but don’t expect this proud franchise to enter a total rebuild. Mike Tomlin has a chance to keep his streak of .500 or better season alive.
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22. Cleveland Browns
Points in poll: 81
Highest-place vote: 21 (2 votes)
Lowest-place vote: 25 (2 votes)
Week 1 opponent: at Panthers
It’s hard to rank the Browns, knowing they’ll have Jacoby Brissett at QB for at least the first 11 games. We’ll see whether he keeps them afloat before Deshaun Watson’s expected return.
23. Detroit Lions
Points in poll: 78
Highest-place vote: 18 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 26 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: vs. Eagles
Dan Campbell’s try-hard Lions, the darlings of Hard Knocks, have a chance to be one of the league’s feel-good stories this season.
David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports
24. Carolina Panthers
Points in poll: 72
Highest-place vote: 22 (3 votes)
Lowest-place vote: 31 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: vs. Browns
Enter Baker Mayfield, and suddenly this Panthers season looks a lot spicier and more interesting. We’ll see if that translates to more wins.
25. Washington Commanders
Points in poll: 65
Highest-place vote: 22 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 29 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: vs. Jaguars
Carson Wentz returns to the NFC East, hoping to provide stability at the QB position for a team that hasn’t had much of it the last few years.
26. New York Jets
Points in poll: 50
Highest-place vote: 23 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 29 (2 votes)
Week 1 opponent: vs. Ravens
Zach Wilson’s preseason injury is a real shame for a team that’s still in the point in its rebuilding cycle when it should be more concerned with positive development than wins and losses.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars
Points in poll: 45
Highest-place vote: 25 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 31 (2 votes)
Week 1 opponent: at Commanders
With the Urban Meyer circus long gone, Trevor Lawrence and his talented young teammates should be in a better environment to develop and show progress in 2022.
28. Seattle Seahawks
Points in poll: 42
Highest-place vote: 22 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 32 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: vs. Broncos
Pete Carroll outlasted Russell Wilson in Seattle, and now we’ll see what he can do in a season with Geno Smith.
29. New York Giants
Points in poll: 40
Highest-place vote: 20 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 31 (1 vote)
Week 1 opponent: at Titans
Daniel Jones looks to be getting his last chance to prove he can be a long-term answer for the Giants, now auditioning for Brian Daboll, his third coach in four years.
30. Chicago Bears
Points in poll: 39
Highest-place vote: 26 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 30 (2 votes)
Week 1 opponent: vs. 49ers
It’ll be hard for Justin Fields to take that second-year leap given the supporting cast around him. Few are expecting much from the Bears this year.
31. Atlanta Falcons
Points in poll: 20
Highest-place vote: 28 (2 votes)
Lowest-place vote: 32 (4 votes)
Week 1 opponent: vs. Saints
The Falcons moved on from Matt Ryan, and this season should give us some insight into how long of a rebuilding process they’re looking at.
32. Houston Texans
Points in poll: 15
Highest-place vote: 29 (1 vote)
Lowest-place vote: 32 (3 votes)
Week 1 opponent: vs. Colts
The Texans are in better shape as a franchise than they were this time last year, but they still find themselves in the basement as we roll into Week 1.
