Green Bay Packers: Preseason NFL Power Rankings

The NFL Preseason is almost over and optimism surrounds the entire NFL. Here’s a look at where the Green Bay Packers rank in terms of the rest of the NFL.

Optimism is all over the place in the NFL, it’s one of the beauties of this game as everyone believes they have a chance to get to the playoffs and make a run at the Super Bowl.

However, that’s not entirely based in reality. To put it simply, at the end of the year there’s good teams and bad teams.

The Green Bay Packers are no exception. They are one of the more polarizing teams in the NFL and some analysts think the coaching change along with the talent added in the offseason will propel them back to the playoffs. On the other hand, there are others who want to see them prove it on the field before believing it.

So before the regular season begins, let’s see where the Green Bay Packers rank with the rest of the NFL.

32. Miami Dolphins – If they start Ryan Fitzpatrick instead of Josh Rosen, what are they even doing? The least talented roster in all of football and it’s not that close.

31. Cincinnati Bengals –  This could be a team that has a fire sale at the trade deadline. They used to be one of the most talented rosters in all of football but now that roster is drained, aging, and still employs Andy Dalton at quarterback.

30. New York Giants – Eli Manning is still the starting quarterback.

29. Denver Broncos – Joe Flacco is the quarterback, however, there is a chance that they have a really good defense with Vic Fangio as the head coach, but….. Joe. Flacco.

28. Arizona Cardinals – All eyes will be on Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray but can they stop anyone from scoring? Larry Fitzgerald is reliable, but they have a lot of inexperienced pass catchers on the roster currently. I also expect that David Johnson will find his groove again.

27. Detroit Lions – The Lions were active in the offseason, but what did they really add? Trey Flowers is someone Bill Belichick was willing to let walk. They used a top-10 draft choice on a blocking tight end. Their offensive line is below average. Add in that Matt Patricia is in over his head, and you have a disappointing season on the horizon.

26. Tampa Bay Bucs – Bruce Arians came out of retirement to get the most out of Jameis Winston. Color me skeptical.

25. Oakland Raiders – Too much Antonio Brown drama. They never should have given that ridiculous contract to Jon Gruden. Derek Carr gets graded on a curve because he’s not David Carr. Ultimately, the Raiders are a mess.

24. New York Jets – Sam Darnold could take a jump, with that said, Adam Gase could be someone who holds the team back.

23. San Francisco 49ers –  Kyle Shannahan is a genius but can he get the best out of Jimmy G?

22. Tennessee Titans – The Titans are a team that should be better, but they really haven’t been. Their pass rush has little outside of Harold Landry. They also have a lot of high pedigree weapons, but they have yet to perform to their draft status and Marcus Mariota is entering a make-or-break year.

21. Indianapolis Colts– Jacoby Brissett, I feel for you. You didn’t ask for this situation, but it’s simply going to be tough for the Colts to overcome the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck. They are very talented on both sides of the ball. Eventually, however, the quarterback is what will hold them back.

20. Washington Redskins – Case Keenum is a bridge quarterback, and it’s only a matter of time before he gives way to Dwayne Haskins. Their defensive front has a chance to be ferocious and that’s what will help them win games. The offensive line may get a boost if Trent Williams has a change of heart and decides to return but for now, they’re in relatively good shape up front on both sides of the trenches.

19. Buffalo Bills – Another team relying on a jump from their second-year quarterback. Josh Allen had his moments last season and the roster is talented, but will they be able to score enough points?

18. Seattle Seahawks – Russell Wilson is great. The Seahawks need to let him be great instead of “establishing the run” as they attempted to do far too often last season. The defense is young but there are questions about it without Frank Clark, their best pass rusher from a season ago. Could they make a move for Jadeveon Clowney?

17. Carolina Panthers  – The Cam Newton injury is terrifying and what can their weapons do outside of Christian McCaffrey? There’s a lot of questions.

16. Jacksonville Jaguars – I love the addition of Nick Foles from the simple standpoint that he’s not Blake Bortles. If he’s able to manage games the way he did in Philadelphia and if the Jaguars are able to play defense the way they did two seasons ago, they can win their division. Foles’ job will be simply not to screw things up. That said, they have some talent issues on offense, and Foles proved to be a bit of a mirage in any extended sample he’s played in throughout his career.

15. Green Bay Packers – A team that is similar to the Browns from the standpoint of if things go well, they could be a prime NFC contender. The defense should be improved with the additions of Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith in the front seven. The offensive line should be improved as well.

However, there are also plenty of questions. Can Aaron Rodgers get back into MVP form? Was Matt LaFleur the right choice as Head Coach? Can the young secondary make enough plays on the back-end? What about the weapons? Yes, there’s a new scheme that will help them, but what if the offensive struggles are because they simply aren’t good players? There are a lot of questions surrounding this Green Bay Packers team. Ones that will not have answers until the latter stage of the season.

14. Minnesota Vikings  – All eyes will be on Kirk Cousins, but Dalvin Cook has a chance to win the rushing title as he fits Gary Kubiak’s system perfectly. The defense could be nasty again but locker room dynamics are something to watch as Mike Zimmer scapegoated everyone around him a season ago. Typically that hasn’t ended well, but the Vikings have the talent to be very good.

13. Baltimore Ravens  – The Ravens will always be a tough team as long as John Harbaugh is the coach. Their defense, despite some of the roster turnover, should be good again. But perhaps the biggest question is can Lamar Jackson take the next step as a passer?

12. Cleveland Browns – The hype team of the offseason. Can Freddie Kitchens control all of their personalities? Will the team mesh? Everyone loves Baker Mayfield, but he’s only played 13 games. There’s room for growing pains but if everything clicks, this team could be 13-3 and a prime Super Bowl contender. If it doesn’t? It could get ugly in a hurry and Freddie Kitchens might be looking for a new job.

11. Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan is back with his full stable of weapons. They invested in the offensive line heavily this offseason in order to protect him, while Julio Jones is happy and healthy. The defense was ravaged by injuries a season ago but this year, they should be prime challengers to New Orleans.

10. Houston Texans – The offensive line is a concern, but Deshaun Watson is a dynamic talent. They have talent on defense but their issue will be the Head Coach that seems to come up small in every big game.

9. New Orleans Saints – Two years, two heartbreaking playoff losses. One conversation nobody seems to be having: Is Drew Brees losing the battle with Father Time? He did look like he was losing arm strength as the season progressed last year. With the weapons around the Saints’ roster the other question could be, does it even matter?

8. Pittsburgh Steelers – Controversial perhaps, but I believe the Steelers had additions by subtraction this offseason. They were worn down by the Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown drama. Ben Roethlisberger is still a great quarterback and their defense is young and talented. The Steelers will be just fine this season with breakout years from JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner.

7. Chicago Bears – Is Mitchell Trubisky ready? That’ll be the question that determines the Bears’ season. The defense will take a step back from last year and if Trubisky does not take a step forward, the question as to how far the Bears could fall is on how far the Bears defense falls.

6. Los Angeles Rams – Could there be a Super Bowl hangover? Sean McVay is one of the best coaches in football, but it has happened to other great coaches in the past. Talent-wise, the Rams are loaded.

5. Dallas Cowboys – There’s a lot of talk about the absence of Zeke Elliott but eventually, he’ll report and play. Dak Prescott isn’t a great quarterback, but he is good enough. The talent on this Cowboys team is on the defense where they are fast and talented at all three levels.

4. Los Angeles Chargers – Very talented, but cursed. Melvin Gordon is holding out and Derwin James is already hurt. The Chargers are supremely talented, but can they finally get over the hump?

3. Philadelphia Eagles – Just an absolutely loaded roster. Carson Wentz is locked and loaded for a big year and their offensive line runs 2 deep at both tackle positions. Their defensive front is one of the best in football. The weapons they have around Wentz make the offense scary, and Doug Pederson is one of the best coaches in all of football. It could be another big year in Pennsylvania.

2. Kansas City Chiefs – Could this be the year Andy Reid finally pushes through to the Super Bowl? He has the best quarterback in the NFL coming off an MVP season while his defense should be better with the additions of Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu.

1. New England Patriots – I know it’s annoying, but why would anyone with a sane mind bet against the Patriots at this point? They’re essentially a lock every year that Belichick and Brady are employed to make at a minimum, the AFC Championship game.