NFL Power Rankings: Vikings pushing Eagles for NFC supremacy after free agency
The NFL Power Rankings are selected by a panel of theScore's NFL Editors, including Dane Belbeck, Jack Browne, and Alex Chippin.
1. Philadelphia Eagles| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 2 |
It should take a lot to dislodge the defending Super Bowl champions, and the Eagles are arguably even better now after trading for Michael Bennett. If Carson Wentz is ready to go for Week 1, the sky's the limit for Philly. - Browne
2. Minnesota Vikings| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 4 | 1 |
The reigning NFC North champions are set to return the bulk of their roster but should be more explosive on offense with Kirk Cousins at quarterback and a healthy Dalvin Cook at running back. Minny also signed defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson in free agency, adding him to the league's top defense from 2017. - Chippin
3. New England Patriots| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 4 |
The Patriots haven't made a lot of noise in free agency, but low-key additions like pass-rusher Adrian Clayborn, defensive tackle Danny Shelton, and cornerback Jason McCourty are exactly the kind of moves that always end up working perfectly for New England. - Browne
4. Los Angeles Rams| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 | 3 |
What do you get when you put Ndamukong Suh alongside Aaron Donald, with Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters behind them waiting to make panicking quarterbacks pay? An NFC rightfully petrified. - Browne
5. New Orleans Saints| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 5 | 5 |
The Saints have been relatively quiet this offseason but did re-sign Drew Brees to keep their quarterback situation among the league's best. They also added Patrick Robinson, one of the top available defensive backs, to an already scary secondary. - Belbeck
6. Pittsburgh Steelers| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 7 | 6 |
Even with the uncertainty surrounding Le'Veon Bell, the Steelers are still a favorite to progress from the AFC. Ben Roethlisberger has a veritable arsenal to work with on offense, while the defense should take another step forward this year after noticeable progress in 2017. - Chippin
7. Jacksonville Jaguars| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 6 | 13 |
The Jaguars landed talented guard Andrew Norwell to keep the league's top running game humming. Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns may be gone, but the team re-signed Marquise Lee and added Austin Sefarian-Jenkins and Donte Moncrief as weapons for Blake Bortles. - Belbeck
8. Green Bay Packers| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | 8 | 7 |
So long as Aaron Rodgers is healthy, the Packers will be contenders. They added tight end Jimmy Graham, who should be a major red-zone help and offset the loss of receiver Jordy Nelson. If the defense can be anything better than terrible - the signing of Muhammed Wilkerson should help - Green Bay could be Super Bowl-bound. - Chippin
9. Atlanta Falcons| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 9 | 8 |
Losing Adrian Clayborn to the Patriots will certainly hurt the Falcons' pass-rush, an area they didn't exactly address with free agency. Adding center Brandon Fusco helps the offensive line depth, but Atlanta will need to add some defensive weapons in the draft. - Belbeck
10. Carolina Panthers| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 11 | 8 |
Torrey Smith should help the Panthers' receiving depth after arriving in a trade with Philadelphia, while Ross Cockrell will be a key player in the secondary. Norwell leaving for Jacksonville is a big hit to Cam Newton's protection, but the talented pivot is no stranger to avoiding a pass-rush. - Belbeck
11. Kansas City Chiefs| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | 12 | 11 |
The Chiefs were smart to bring in more downfield weapons for the big-armed Patrick Mahomes, but paying $16 million per season for Sammy Watkins was questionable at best. - Browne
12. Houston Texans| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | 10 | 14 |
Houston had a clear aim during the offseason: shore up its secondary after a dreadful 2017. The additions of Tyrann Mathieu and Aaron Colvin should do just that, while a healthy Deshaun Watson will handle the offensive side of the ball. - Belbeck
13. Los Angeles Chargers| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | 15 | 12 |
The Chargers were arguably a playoff-caliber team in 2017, with only a few bad breaks early in the year ultimately seeing them fall short. L.A. hasn't improved its roster that much during free agency but should remain in the AFC West hunt with a solid draft. - Browne
14. San Francisco 49ers| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | 13 | 10 |
The 49ers were set to enter the 2018 season as the hottest team thanks to a Jimmy Garoppolo-inspired five-win streak to end 2017. But, after adding Richard Sherman and Jerick McKinnon, San Fran's hype is set to enter the stratosphere. - Browne
15. Tennessee Titans| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | 14 | 17 |
The Mike Vrabel-era in Tennessee began with the addition of a pair of Patriots in Malcolm Butler and Dion Lewis. Both should have an immediate impact, with Lewis taking over from DeMarco Murray alongside Derrick Henry in the backfield. - Belbeck
16. Detroit Lions| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | 17 | 15 |
The Lions didn't get much worse, that's the good news. The bad news is they didn't get much better, either. Matthew Stafford will keep them afloat, but following a mundane offseason, the Lions seem destined for another average season after back-to-back nine-win campaigns. - Chippin
17. Washington Redskins| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | 20 | 16 |
Is Alex Smith an upgrade over Kirk Cousins? The Redskins better hope so, as it's hard to argue the team is that much better following the major part of free agency. - Browne
18. Baltimore Ravens| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | 16 | 18 |
A healthier roster should improve the outlook, but it's hard to ignore Joe Flacco's declining performance the last couple of years. Baltimore desperately needs better receivers ... and a better running game ... and a better offensive line. Even then, the Ravens may just require a better quarterback to re-emerge as an AFC force. - Chippin
19. Dallas Cowboys| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | 18 | 19 |
Considering the cap-strapped Cowboys weren't in any position to upgrade their roster dramatically, Allen Hurns and Cameron Fleming are solid additions. Still, Dallas needs a great draft haul and an end to the Dez Bryant saga if it's to get back on top of the NFC East. - Browne
20. Oakland Raiders| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 22 | 22 |
Much has been made of Jon Gruden's bevy of older free-agent signings, and while much criticism is unfair, the Raiders haven't done much to suggest they can make it back to the playoffs in 2018, either. - Browne
21. Denver Broncos| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | 21 | 24 |
Case Keenum is certainly an upgrade on the Broncos' QB talent last season; however, he's still an average passer at best and might not be enough if Denver's aging roster doesn't get an influx of youth soon. - Browne
22. Buffalo Bills| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | 25 | 20 |
The Bills' free agency was highlighted by overpaying defensive tackle Star Lotulelei and settling on the uninspiring, albeit cheap, AJ McCarron as their potential stop-gap starter. Barring a dramatic draft-day trade-up for Josh Rosen or Baker Mayfield, it's hard not to envision Buffalo's playoff streak ending at one. - Browne
23. Seattle Seahawks| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | 19 | 29 |
It's been foolish to doubt Seattle in recent seasons, but these aren't the same Seahawks. No more Richard Sherman, no more Michael Bennett, and Russell Wilson is still playing behind the league's worst line. Suddenly, the Seahawks are the third-best team in their division. - Browne
24. New York Giants| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 29 | 23 |
It's insane the Giants would even consider trading Odell Beckham Jr., especially after deciding to try to squeeze one last run out of Eli Manning. New York could be a top bounce-back candidate in 2018, but their offense isn't scaring anyone without the one-handed-catch-loving superstar. - Browne
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | 24 | 31 |
The Buccaneers turned an area of weakness into a strength this offseason with the additions of Vinny Curry and Jason Pierre-Paul, who will certainly put pressure on the talented quarterbacks in the NFC South, while also freeing up Gerald McCoy. - Belbeck
26. Indianapolis Colts| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | 27 | 27 |
The Colts added Eric Ebron to the passing attack, who could team with Jack Doyle to form one of the better tight end duos in the league. Thanks to the trade with the Jets, the team also holds four draft picks in the opening two rounds. Andrew Luck could be ready for opening day, a move that would be the biggest of all. - Belbeck
27. Cincinnati Bengals| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | 26 | 26 |
There's only so much A.J. Green can do to make Andy Dalton look like a capable quarterback. The Bengals are a shell of their former selves offensively, so Marvin Lewis' team needs its defense to rebound from an average 2017 to avoid disaster in 2018. - Chippin
28. Arizona Cardinals| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 28 | 30 |
The Cardinals are one of the hardest teams to read after losing Bruce Arians and Carson Palmer to retirement and releasing Tyrann Mathieu. While Arizona certainly has talent - David Johnson will remind the NFL world of his talent after a year on the sidelines - relying on the brittle knees of Sam Bradford seems like a disaster waiting to happen. - Browne
29. Cleveland Browns| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 32 | 21 |
The Browns have made plenty of moves this offseason to inspire optimism for 2018, but it's hard to talk up a team that went 0-16 a year ago, and 1-15 the year before that. - Chippin
30. Chicago Bears| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | 23 | 32 |
The Bears need quarterback Mitchell Trubisky to make significant strides in his second season if they are to vastly improve upon their 5-11 record from 2017. Chicago made plenty of noise in free agency but still doesn't have enough difference-makers on offense to change the trajectory of the franchise. - Chippin
31. Miami Dolphins| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | 30 | 28 |
The Dolphins have had a confusing offseason. Are they blowing it up or trying to contend in what is a make-or-break year for Adam Gase? As usual, Miami seems to be going nowhere fast. - Browne
32. New York Jets| Belbeck | Browne | Chippin |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | 31 | 25 |
New York definitely overspent to trade up with the Colts, and barring another move, will have given up significant resources to not even land its desired quarterback. Death, taxes, and the Jets making rash decisions. - Browne
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