NFL Power Rankings Poll: Figuring Out Just How High the Jets Can Fly

The Messenger’s NFL Power Poll will be published weekly during the NFL season. Each voter ranks teams 1 through 32, with first-place votes worth 32 points, second-place votes worth 31 points, etcetera, down to 32nd-place votes, which are worth 1 point. After reviewing the results, the participants will then weigh in with commentary…

1. Kansas City Chiefs (6 first-place votes), 221 points

Gary Gramling: Six first-place votes. And there are seven voters. Huh.

Mike Renner: If power rankings really are supposed to reflect how good a team is now then I can’t justify the Chiefs at No. 1. Chris Jones was their pass-rush a season ago. He makes it all tick. Without him this defense is a shell of itself and I don’t know if they are built to win shootouts with a 33-year old tight end with a hyper-extended knee as their top target and a bevy of unproven receivers.

(tie)2. Buffalo Bills, 206 

Mike Tanier: I’m sorry, but a Bengals/Bills tie goes to the Bengals. Like, if they had to flip a coin to determine who comes in second, Ken Dorsey would order Josh Allen to throw the coin 50 yards into a sewer.

Kaelen Jones: Agreed. Josh Allen is still prone to haywire moments and this roster feels like it’s already peaked. Didn’t Skylar Thompson almost knock Buffalo out of the playoffs back in January? This is still a top-five team, but the Bengals have surpassed them. 

(tie)2. Cincinnati Bengals, 206 

Renner: Revisionist history is obviously meaningless, but I can’t help but think the only thing keeping the Bengals from the top spot on this list was a late hit penalty from Joseph Ossai on Patrick Mahomes in last year’s AFC championship game. That’s how complete this roster is heading into 2023.

4. Philadelphia Eagles, 204

Gramling: Don’t get me wrong, I’m good with them anywhere between 2 and 5. But I worry about the turnover on Nick Sirianni’s staff being eerily similar to the turnover on his mentor Frank Reich’s Indy staff over the years, and that Jeff Lurie is going to go Full Irsay after a rash of injuries and a 3–4 start, fire Sirianni and install Todd Herremans as head coach. I have very specific worries.

Jones: If the NFC weren’t such a weak conference, these concerns would be enough — O.K., maybe not the Lurie going Full Irsay part — to convince me the Eagles are due for the typical Super Bowl slump. But even with all the turnover, there’s enough of the core returning to warrant them being the NFC’s top representative here.

5. San Francisco 49ers, 199 

Renner: A starting quarterback fresh off a UCL tear behind an also-ran offensive line with the reigning defensive player of the year holding out. There’s too many rosters around the NFL that don’t have glaring holes to shoehorn the 49ers into the top-5. 

6. Dallas Cowboys, 191 

Neil Paine: This being the first Power Poll of the regular season, the Cowboys are a perfectly reasonable pick for No. 6 here. If anything, they might be underrated: Dallas was tied for fourth in regular-season SRS (aka schedule-adjusted PPG differential) last year and actually led the league the year before that. But as always, the question will be whether they convert that regular season performance to success in the playoffs — and we’ll save that matter for future power polls.

Jones: The Cowboys have a legitimate case for being the NFC’s most complete team. But, yeah, let’s see if it’s just another good regular season/underwhelming postseason showing for Dallas. They’re a top-10 unit, for sure, though.

7. New York Jets (1 first-place vote), 173 

Tanier: Everyone else: “Seventh? What a disappointment after all the Aaron Rodgers hype.” Jets fans: “Seventh! We have finally come in seventh! Take that, haters!”

Renner: The Packers had a 34–5 record the past four seasons when the defense allowed less than 24 points. Over the last 13 games last season, the Jets defense allowed 24 or more points once. And that was with no semblance of ball control from their offense! This is a team that was a quarterback away.

Gramling: I can buy that — I can buy anyone in the 7 to 10 range here as Super Bowl darkhorses. My main concern with the Jets is the traditional first-year slog with Rodgers (young Davante Adams, LaFleur’s first year in Green Bay, etc.). This offense might be a year away, assuming Rodgers doesn’t fall off significantly from a physical standpoint.

8. Baltimore Ravens, 169

Jones: The Ravens went 8-4 last season in games started by Lamar Jackson, and combined to go 2-3 in games started by Snoop Huntley and Anthony Brown. Now that the Lamar contract situation is settled — and the Ravens have added receiver help plus hired offensive coordinator Todd Monken — I think there’s reason to be bullish about Baltimore this season, even in a tough AFC North. 

9. Los Angeles Chargers, 160 

Tanier: Ranking the Chargers this high feels soooooo 2021. Haven’t all the cool kids moved on from Justin Herbert to Desmond Ridder or somebody?

Gramling: I have a feeling Justin Herbert shade and reflexive reaction to it is going to be a recurring bit in this space. I won’t oversell it, but with Kellen Moore designing an offense playing to Herbert’s strengths, rather than the one they ran last year which was presumably built for Chase Daniel, Herbert will win three MVPs in the next eight years. (So bookmark this can come back in February 2031.)

10. Jacksonville Jaguars, 155 

Jones: I think this is a fair spot for Jacksonville given their playoff run in Doug Pederson’s first season and the addition of receiver Calvin Ridley. Feels like most are (quietly?) projecting Trevor Lawrence to take another tangible step in his development and enter the crowded elite tier of AFC QBs.

11. Miami Dolphins, 147

Gramling: They’re 11th in the Power Poll, but they’re one great running back away from being 11th in the Power Poll. So by all means, let's keep those Jonathan Taylor rumors going.

12. Detroit Lions, 145 

Gramling: This is it. This is where we start the list of teams who look at the 2022 Minnesota Vikings and say, 13 regular-season wins, no realistic shot at winning multiple playoff games… that can be us!

13. Pittsburgh Steelers, 139

Jones: Between George Pickens and Kenny Pickett, I imagine the offseason hype about “second-year leaps” will manifest for one or both this year. In either case, that’s a boon for Mike Tomlin. The Steelers are gonna find a way to be in the playoff picture in Week 18, regardless. 

14. Seattle Seahawks, 132

15. New Orleans Saints, 127 

Tanier: First in gonzo-banana spending, last in schedule strength, 15th forever in our hearts. 

Jones: Last in schedule strength, but … coached by Dennis Allen. I want to believe the Saints can be a legitimate contender out of the NFC — I’m begging for more NFC contenders this year, please, Football Gods — but even with Derek Carr, it feels like New Orleans could end up being this season’s version of last season’s Vikings.

16. Cleveland Browns, 118

17. Minnesota Vikings, 113 

Tanier: They are only this high because the Messenger wouldn’t let me rank them 34th behind Georgia and the All Buccaneers Dead Cap Money Team.

Gramling: [choking back tears] Well, I think this year’s Vikings are better than last year’s Vikings.

(tie)18. Green Bay Packers, 106

Renner: This was a team on the doorstep of the playoffs last season that should feasibly be as good or better at every single position group on the roster except one: quarterback. It’s fine to want to see it from Jordan Love before having a strong take on the Packers, but his preseason looked legit.  

Jones: … I might be buying Packers stock very soon.

(tie)18. New York Giants, 106

Paine: It’s the Power of Daboll versus the evil forces of regression to the mean.

20. New England Patriots, 101

21. Atlanta Falcons, 87

Renner: The Falcons are the one team I wanted to put higher because of how dangerous their bevy of weapons can be offensively, but I couldn’t justify it with an unproven starter in Desmond Ridder and shoddy defense. If we were power ranking “fun to watch” teams they’d be in the top-10.

Gramling: Remarkable considering that the Falcons of two years ago — officially branded as “the worst seven-win team in NFL history” — was utterly unwatchable.

22. Washington Commanders, 77

Gramling: I’m glad we seem to have collectively grown out of the, You know, with this defense line, on that field, if they can string together enough 19–17 wins… line of thinking. But still, with that defensive line —

23. Tennessee Titans, 66 

24. Denver Broncos, 57

Gramling: This is it. This is where we end the list of teams who look at the 2022 Minnesota Vikings and say, 13 regular-season wins, no realistic shot at winning multiple playoff games, that can be us!

25. Chicago Bears, 55

26. Las Vegas Raiders, 53 

Tanier: The Raiders drop one spot every time Chandler Jones logs onto Instagram.

Jones: How long before Aidan O’Connell is starting?!

27. Carolina Panthers, 49 

28. Los Angeles Rams, 39

Gramling: I disagree with this ranking. Though I’m not yet courageous enough to explain why for fear of drawing too much attention to myself.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 37

Renner: This is how big the difference between “have” and “have not” at the quarterback position is nowadays. This roster is largely unchanged outside the quarterback position from a year ago with any losses (Leonard Fournette, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Donovan Smith) being relatively minor in scale. That is, besides Tom Brady. 

(tie)30. Houston Texans, 23

Gramling: The Texans and Colts both rebuilding with good coaching hires and promising rookie quarterbacks? The bottom of the AFC South used to be drenched in utter chaos, but now, all this competency and logic... it's just not as much fun. 

(tie)30. Indianapolis Colts, 23

Tanier: I hope the Colts and Texans tie in both their regular-season meetings too. 

32. Arizona Cardinals, 12

Gramling: This is a front office looking to capture the spirit of the 2021 Houston Texans but taking it a little too far.

Renner: 0–17 is in play if Kyler doesn’t return this season.