Monday Morning NFL Top 10 Rankings: A New No. 1 Emerges From Week 1

Statements were made in the first 15 games of Week 1. The Seahawks and 49ers started the season with impressive victories, and then Sunday brought a plethora of points and other teams that stood out. Entering Monday night, the biggest movers this week were the 49ers, Jaguars, Bills and Bears, all of whom moved up at least three spots from my preseason rankings last week. With Week 1 behind us, let’s see where the Top 10 teams stand. Don’t look now, but Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are back in business as the league’s most dangerous 1-2 combination. The duo turned back the clock with a vintage performance that showcased the former MVP’s versatility – Jackson finished with 364 total yards and a pair of touchdowns – and the two-time NFL rushing leader’s dominance between the tackles: Henry rumbled for 144 yards and three scores on 24 carries. With offensive coordinator Declan Doyle pushing the right buttons to unlock the Ravens’ most explosive players, Baltimore looked as good as advertised as a dark horse contender in the AFC. The Kyler Murray Quarterback experiment didn’t last long before the injury bug forced Kevin O’Connell to pivot to a veteran backup also attempting to revive his career. Carson Wentz stepped in and provided a spark as a big-play hunter, finding wideout Justin Jefferson and tight end TJ Hockenson for three scores. Though the performance was far from flawless, it showcased the explosive potential of a talented offense that simply needs competent quarterback play to light up scoreboards. The hype has subsided around the NFL’s beloved “super team” after an embarrassing loss to their division rival, the 49ers. The disappointing showing – and the injury to their marquee defensive acquisition, Myles Garrett – have led to questions about Los Angeles’ ability to live up to expectations as a juggernaut. Although one game doesn’t make or break a season, the Week 1 dud delivered by the Rams has the haters out in full effect. After traveling across the globe to whoop the presumptive Super Bowl favorites, the 49ers are back on the list of dark horse contenders looming in the NFC. New defensive coordinator Raheem Morris has put his own spin on the 49ers’ vaunted scheme with more pre-snap disguise and five-man fronts to confuse quarterbacks and play callers around the league. If Fred Warner and Nick Bosa continue to dominate their roles as the unit’s designated playmakers, the 49ers could make a run solely on the strength of the defense. The upstart Jaguars took care of business against an overmatched Cleveland Browns squad in the season opener. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence played like an MVP frontrunner with four touchdown passes to four different receivers, while picking apart the Cleveland’s defense with surgical precision. Jacksonville’s defense continues to take the ball away like bandits behind a physical frontline that bludgeons opponents at the line of scrimmage. With a big showdown looming in Week 2 at Denver, the football world will get a chance to see if the Jaguars are legitimate contenders early this season. Josh Allen continues to carry the Bills with his heroics as a dazzling late-game playmaker. The former MVP QB put up 300-plus passing yards against one of the league’s most-feared defenses in Houston, while showcasing outstanding efficiency by getting the ball to seven different pass catchers, including a pair of 100-yard producers in tight end Dalton Kincaid and wide receiver DJ Moore. Not to be outdone, the Bills’ pesky defense came up with a few timely plays that preserved a win in the season opener and showed the league that all is not lost with Sean McDermott no longer roaming the sidelines. Credit new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion for helping the Eagles’ offense rediscover the big play element that disappeared in 2025. Relying on play-action passes and a few impromptu scrambles to keep the defense guessing, QB Jalen Hurts finished with three touchdowns in a workmanlike performance that showcased the explosiveness of a rugged offense that wants to blend finesse and power. With a defense that is fully capable of pitching shutouts behind Zach Baun and Co., the Eagles are built to take on and take down the heavyweights around the league. The high-powered offense Ben Johnson has crafted around QB Caleb Williams could set the league on fire. The Bears dropped 50-plus points in the season opener – without the offense clicking on all cylinders. If Williams and Co. can avoid some of the miscues – like fumbles and penalties – that led to a sluggish start, they might live up to the bold vision of their bold and bodacious head coach, and average 40 a game as the league’s most explosive offense. However, the defense must improve for the Bears to become a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The Broncos play the Chiefs tonight. I have high hopes for Denver, which improved its offense this season by adding wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and already has one of the best offensive lines in the NFL to protect quarterback Bo Nix. The defending champs look primed for another title run with or without quarterback Sam Darnold in the lineup. The Seahawks’ defense is a destructive force with a collection of interchangeable defenders taking turns making big plays, in a hyper-aggressive scheme that utilizes creative blitzes and simulated pressures to keep opponents guessing. While the offense becomes a pedestrian unit without QB1 on the field, the Drew Lock-Jaxon Smith-Njigba connection is capable of producing enough splash plays to support a defense-led approach that will keep the wins coming while Darnold is away.