Hello and welcome to the weekly Arrowhead Pride Power Rankings! First, I like to thank Patrick Allen for doing this two years ago in which I was a contributor for. I think it was a pretty big hit so I thought I would start it this year. This should give us a good idea on how some members view the teams in the NFL this year.
There are eight "experts" including myself that ranked each team on how we viewed them heading into the regular season. Each member also got to write a little something about their assigned division which will follow the teams ranking. Expect these every Thursday after that weeks Monday night game and before the next batch of games for the next week.
Please welcome your Arrowhead Pride Experts...
AFC North: ChiefsFan90s
AFC South: upamtn
AFC West: Flowers24
AFC East: Chiefsfan85
NFC North: tomahawk44
NFC South: wustl_chiefs_fan
NFC West: MtHammer
NFC East: GenericBrand
Each team was ranked then averaged so the number you see next to the team is their average ranking. The defending Super Bowl Champs take the number one spot with a 1.88 average. Everyone put them one except for two "experts" who ranked them 3 and 6. The biggest gap was probably the Falcons who had a high ranking with 4 and then a low ranking with 22.
Please scroll down and leave any comments. Just so you know it seems like we are all drinking the Kansas City Chiefs Kool-Aid so far.
I also want to thank the "experts" on the panel. They don't have to do this. Thanks for making Arrowhead Pride the best blog on SB Nation!
1. Green Bay Packers (1.9)
The defending Super Bowl champs retained most of the winning roster and look to repeat. After added weapons such as rookie WR Randall Cobb, the team seems poised to make another Super Bowl run.
2. New England Patriots (2.8)
The Patriots are still the ones to beat in the AFC East. Brady will always give them a chance.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (2.9)
In normal Steelers' fashion, the Steelers built around the draft and bothered only with their own free agents with a few minor exceptions. Look for Mike Tomlin and company to make the playoffs and defend their AFC Championship.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (4.9)
After their offseason they're being referred to as the "Miami Heat" of the NFL but in order to live up to that hype they need to keep Vick upright and healthy. They may regret not spending some of that money and trades on a better offensive line.
5. New Orleans Saints (5.9)
Everybody thought the Saints would be very good for a while after they won their Super Bowl, and I think those people are right. The Packers should send a Thank You card to Seattle for helping them win the Super Bowl last year.
6. Baltimore Ravens (6.5)
The AFC North is a two-team race with the Ravens having a realistic chance of claiming the AFC North championship and making their second Super Bowl, especially with the Super Bowl loser's "curse" on Baltimore's side.
7. New York Jets (7.1)
This year Ryan needs to shut up and prove he can lead the Jets to that SB Win he has been promising the fans.
8. Indianapolis Colts (8.4)
SuperManning holds the key to the team and the division. If healthy and right, Colts win this division, but only barely.
9. Atlanta Falcons (9.4)
Atlanta will almost certainly be overvalued this year since their 13-3 season last year was largely due to an easy schedule, turnover differential, and high opponent penalty numbers, all of which tend not to carry over from one year to the next.
10. San Diego Chargers (10.5)
San Diego has a ton of ability, but never seems to meet expectations. Could this be the year they shake their slow starts and put it all together?
11. Kansas City Chiefs (10.8)
Kansas City won the division last season largely due to their running game and defense. This season the team should be bolstered by the draft and free agents that were brought in. This team is loaded.
12. Houston Texans (12.1)
Improved defense could make this the surprise division winner. Offense will be strong if everyone stays healthy.
13. Chicago Bears (13.3)
The Bears had a lot of things go their way last season. Can they still win the division this year?
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13.5)
I dropped them a couple spots after seeing our preseason game against them. There is no excuse for them to only score one first half touchdown when facing our backups. I would be very concerned if I were a Bucs fan.
15. New York Giants (14)
Considering how terrible this team was at times last year they only missed the playoffs by half a game. The defense is as impressive as ever but the teams success will live or die on Eli's TD/INT ratio.
16. St. Louis Rams (16.6)
Thanks to last year's rookie sensation Sam Bradford, it would appear the Rams are the favorites to be the class of the division for years to come.
17. Dallas Cowboys (17.4)
I'm not sure that anyone knows what to expect from this team. On offense they are stacked with playmakers but no offensive line and on defense they have a ton of talent but their new DC is a huge question mark. Let the mediocrity begin.
18. Detriot Lions (17.5)
The Lions seem to be moving in the right direction especially on defense. Now only if Stafford can stay healthy.
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (20)
Flashes of mediocrity suggest team could almost contend in a weak overall division.
20. Miami Dolphins (20.4)
The Dolphins have a lot to prove and also added a few key pieces.
21. Arizona Cardinals (20.9)
The big story of the Cardinals' season will be Kevin Kolb. But the more intriguing storyline may well be whether top pick Patrick Peterson can offset the loss of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the secondary.
22. Oakland Raiders (21.3)
With a new coach and a solid defense, can Oakland win games with a very limited offense? They lost a lot of key players, and never replaced them.
23. Minnesota Vikings (22.8)
The Vikings have a lot of pieces but in a strong division they will need some luck. AP always gives them a chance.
24. San Francisco 49ers (23.6)
The 49ers are excited about new coach Jim Harbaugh, as well they should be. But with the lockout shortened off season and Alex Smith returning to lead the team at quarterback, he's likely in for a rocky year one.
25. Seattle Seahawks (25)
The Sheawks did a nice job bolstering their offense with Zach Miller, Sidney Rice, and Robert Gallery in free agency, and people tend to forget that Tarvaris Jackson has lead his team to the playoffs before. Then again, he also had Adrian Peterson and an elite defense to lean on back then.
26. Cleveland Browns (25.5)
After back-to-back 5-11 seasons under Eric Mangini, the Pat Shurmur era is about to begin in Mike Holmgren's 2nd year running the team. With so much turnover, it is unrealistic to think the Browns are going to be good, but at least they are not the worse team in Ohio.
27. Tennessee Titans (26.5)
Remember the Titans was a great movie, but right now this team if forgettable. A team in disarray will take time to recover and rebuild.
28. Denver Broncos (27.9)
Denver has a new coach and two bookends in Dumervil and Miller, but not much else. They lack a running game and a solid defense, which should make for a long season.
29. Buffalo Bills (28.3)
The Bills were a lot better than their record indicated last year. This year they should make some strides.
30. Washington Redskins (29.1)
Rexy or Becksy? If one of those is the answer then you might not be asking the right question. The defense is going to need to carry this team until they figure out what's going on, on the other side of the ball.
31. Carolina Panthers (29.9)
Unlike most 2-14 teams, they don't have holes all over the field, but just one very big hole at quarterback. With an average, Cassel-quality QB they would be at least average, maybe even good. Unfortunately Newton, who may end up being very good, will almost certainly not do well his rookie year.
32. Cincinnati Bengals (31.6)
What happen to the once promising Bengals? Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco are gone, Marvin Lewis has overstayed his welcome, and Mike Brown is still destroying this team. They had a great draft, but look for Cincinnati to be bottom feeders all season long.
*Note: Most of these were written a couple games back before injuries. Also, I had to write the blurb for tomahawk44 for the Vikings, Bears, and Lions for just this week only. Thanks!