NFL Power Rankings, September 1: Los Angeles Rams at No. 1
Movement compares each team with last week's published ranking. Ratings are published once a week, on Tuesday mornings. No 2026 games have been played, so this opens on last season's form. Expect it to move slowly through September.
Top of the League
1. Los Angeles Rams no change
Sitting at the top of the preseason rankings, the Rams pair one of the league's best offenses with a top-eight defense — a combination that drove a 12-5 finish last year before falling in the conference championship.
2. Seattle Seahawks no change
Last season's Super Bowl champions finished 14-3 behind one of the league's best defenses and an above-average offense, and nothing has changed to knock them from that perch heading into 2026.
3. New England Patriots no change
Sitting third overall heading into 2026, the Patriots bring a top-eight offense to a roster that leans on that unit to compensate for a middling defense. A 14-3 finish that ended in a Super Bowl loss shows how close this group came — and how much that offensive edge matters when the defense can only do so much.
4. Buffalo Bills no change
One of the league's best offenses carries the Bills into 2026, but a middling defense leaves the roster lopsided heading into the new year. They went 12-5 last season before falling in the divisional round, and that same imbalance figures to shape their ceiling again.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars no change
Went 13-4 last season only to exit in the wild card round, leaving plenty of unfinished business heading into 2026. An above-average offense paired with a top-eight defense gives Jacksonville a balanced roster, and the Cleveland Browns come to town in Week 1.
Bottom of the League
28. Miami Dolphins no change
A 7-10 finish and a missed playoff berth last year set a grim baseline — the Dolphins carry a below-average offense and one of the league's weakest defenses into 2026.
29. Tennessee Titans no change
A 3-14 finish and a missed playoff berth last year left little to build on, and both sides of the ball are expected to remain below average heading into 2026. The home opener against the New York Jets offers an early chance to prove otherwise.
30. Cleveland Browns no change
A 5-12 finish and a missed playoff berth last year tell the story — one of the league's weakest offenses dragging down a top-eight defense heading into 2026.
31. Las Vegas Raiders no change
A 3-14 finish and a missed playoff berth carry over into 2026, and little has changed — the Raiders still pair one of the league's weakest offenses with a middling defense, keeping them near the bottom of the league.
32. New York Jets no change
Sitting at the bottom of the league, the Jets carry one of the league's weakest offenses paired with one of the league's weakest defenses — a combination that produced a 3-14 record and a missed playoff berth last season. Little suggests 2026 will look much different.
All 32 teams, with movement for every one of them, are on the NFL Team Power Rankings page.