Love it or hate it, the NFL season began this past weekend and we have the first of 18 weeks in the books.
The 2021 season gives us the first format with 17 regular-season games after only three pre-season games. This doesn’t mean there’s more football, but more football that counts this year. Let’s see where every team stands after only one week.
The Super Bowl Champs are On Top
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did something unprecedented in the off-season by bringing back all 22 starters on their team. This means they can simply roll right into this season and begin a trek to a potential perfect season. That thought was in question Thursday night until Tom Brady was given 1:33 in the fourth quarter to lead a game-winning drive, which all viewers knew was coming. The Bucs are 1-0 and already on a roll.
As Expected, the Chiefs Are Right Behind the Bucs
We might be looking at a rematch in the Super Bowl, but that would be a truly rare and unusual event. Even so, the Kansa City Chiefs found their way to a win over the Browns this weekend. The game was in question, with the exception that we’ve seen this story before with the Chiefs coming from behind to win.
The Rams Find the Third Spot
With a new leader on offense, Matthew Stafford, the Los Angeles Rams were dominant and took the Bears to task. The game was never really in question and it showed how much Stafford was being wasted in Detroit and is now being utilized and appreciated by the Rams organization. At least for one week, the honeymoon between Stafford and McVay is going strong and looks to roll into the second week ready for another win.
Toughness Continues to be a Strength of the Seattle Seahawks
The fourth position on this list is occupied by the Seattle Seahawks which took the Colts to task and won convincingly on Sunday. New additions to the Seattle organization bring them the balance of a short passing game and a running game to go along with the deep passing game which has been a staple of the offense for the past few years.
We’ve Seen This Story Before with the Steelers Winning
Are the Pittsburgh Steelers any different than they were last year? Remember, this team was 11-0 before the wheels fell off. They certainly looked like a better team as they beat the Buffalo Bills and the test was the fact they were playing a tough team that was one of the playoff teams last year. Time will tell if the Steelers are for real, but after one week, they are in the fifth spot.
Sixth Belongs to the Buffalo Bills
Despite the loss to the Steelers, the Bills are in the sixth position. The final score of 23-16 showed this Bills team gave the Steelers everything they could handle. This is another team that will have a story told as the season moves on. Will the Bills be back in the playoffs? Will this team go deep and find its way to the Super Bowl? Only time will tell.
Strangely, the Baltimore Ravens are in the Seventh Spot
The team that enters this NFL season with the most injuries is the Ravens. They have been mired with injuries that had them limping out of the preseason with only one running back that was on the roster throughout training camp. Even so, Lamar Jackson led this team to an overtime game against the Las Vegas Raiders which might be where this team finds its strength despite this Week 1 loss.
Painfully, the Cleveland Browns are in the Eighth Spot
The Browns couldn’t have drawn a tougher matchup for the first week of the NFL season. They had to travel to Arrowhead to play the Chiefs and nearly came away with a win. Despite a couple of self-imposed errors, the Browns showed up and gave the Chiefs all they could handle. This might be the team that wins the AFC North this year.
The Rest of the Teams After One Week in the NFL Season
9. San Francisco 49ers 1-0
10. New Orleans Saints 1-0
11. Los Angeles Chargers 1-0
12. Green Bay Packers 0-1
13. Miami Dolphins 1-0
14. Arizona Cardinals 1-0
15. New England Patriots 0-1
16. Denver Broncos 1-0
17. Philadelphia Eagles 1-0
18. Las Vegas Raiders 1-0
19. Dallas Cowboys 0-1
20. Tennessee Titans 0-1
21. Indianapolis Colts 0-1
22. Washington Football Team 0-1
23. Cincinnati Bengals 1-0
24. Minnesota Vikings 0-1
25. Carolina Panthers 1-0
26. Chicago Bears 0-1
27. New York Giants 0-1
28. Atlanta Falcons 0-1
29. Houston Texans 1-0
30. New York Jets 0-1
31. Detroit Lions 0-1
32. Jacksonville Jaguars 0-1
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