NFL power rankings roundup: Tracking where teams are entering Week 1

The New England Patriots still reign supreme over all the 31 teams as we take a look at the NFL power rankings entering Week 1. Each week this season, we’ll be keeping track of the power rankings posted at Yahoo Sports, NFL.com, ESPN, and CBS, as well as our own.

We, too, see the Patriots as the team to beat, and we put them atop our SB Nation power rankings to start the year. We went with the Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, Green Bay Packers, and Seattle Seahawks to round out our top five.

Yahoo Sports questioned if Julian Edelman’s injury would alter the outlook of the Patriots in 2017. Edelman tore his ACL in the preseason and will miss the entire year. Even though New England lost one of its most talented players, Yahoo Sports still has the Patriots as the top-ranked team in its power rankings. Yahoo Sports top-5 looks similar to our own, but the Steelers replaced the Raiders in the top five.

ESPN released a power ranking during the preseason and had New England, Atlanta, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, and Seattle in its top five. NFL.com’s power rankings has Seattle at No. 2 behind the Patriots. Lastly, CBS’s power rankings also have the Patriots as the top team, but it’s the only site to put the Packers as high as second.

One sleeper team to watch a little further down the rankings: the Tennessee Titans. They were ranked in or near the top 10 of every list. The Titans went 9-7 last year and almost won the AFC South. The team’s defense and rushing attack should put the Titans in the driver’s seat to win their division.