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2021 NFL Power Rankings: Week 1

The Denver Broncos are better than people think, but they still have a lot of work to do and a lot to prove before they move up these boards.

DENVER BRONCOS, NFL Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

As I did last year, I put the Super Bowl champions at the top to kick off the next season. It seems only fair that the reigning champion start there and must defend their status from there. The AFC is the top-heavy conference in the NFL right now and I really only see two real contenders in the NFL for now. Although, others may emerge as the season progresses.

Six of the top nine teams are in the AFC, but I have my eye on the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills as the teams to beat there. In the NFC it should continue to be Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

The Denver Broncos will have a lot of work to do to keep pace in a stacked conference. Somehow I think even a 10-win season won’t be enough this year. I think this is the strongest Broncos team since the Super Bowl, so my expectations are high. I put them somewhere in the middle of the pack to start, because even I need some early season wins to prove my expectations are where they should be for this squad.

Where do you think the Broncos should be ranked here?

Week 1 NFL Power Rankings

Rank Team
Rank Team
1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2 Kansas City Chiefs
3 Buffalo Bills
4 Green Bay Packers
5 Cleveland Browns
6 Tennessee Titans
7 Baltimore Ravens
8 Seattle Seahawks
9 Pittsburgh Steelers
10 San Francisco 49ers
11 Arizona Cardinals
12 Los Angeles Rams
13 Minnesota Vikings
14 Dallas Cowboys
15 Indianapolis Colts
16 Denver Broncos
17 Chicago Bears
18 Miami Dolphins
19 Los Angeles Chargers
20 Washington Football Team
21 New England Patriots
22 New Orleans Saints
23 Atlanta Falcons
24 Philadelphia Eagles
25 Jacksonville Jaguars
26 Cincinnati Bengals
27 Carolina Panthers
28 New York Giants
29 Las Vegas Raiders
30 New York Jets
31 Detroit Lions
32 Houston Texans