NFL Preseason Power Rankings Poll: Bills on Top Heading Into Week 1

Before Week 1 kicks off, here's our look at how all 32 teams shake out. Last year’s Super Bowl teams land at third and ninth.

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.

Allen and the Bills have many fans believing it’s their turn to get back to the Super Bowl :: 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.

Wilson has sent expectations (don’t say it, don’t say it) a mile high in Denver (shoot, we said it) :: 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.

Mayfield has certainly made things more exciting in Carolina this year :: 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.