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NFL Power Rankings: Lions? Bills? Texans? Maybe we'll get a first-time Super Bowl champion

frank schwab
Senior writer
·14-min read

There are 12 teams that have never won a Super Bowl. When we think of those franchises, ineptitude stands out.

And let's give the New York Jets an exemption and throw them on that list, too. They have the longest drought since their last Super Bowl win in the 1968 season. Joe Namath's guarantee was a long, long time ago and there has been a lot of frustration since then, including what is currently the longest playoff drought in major North American professional sports.

Not all of those 13 teams have a shot this season. Spoiler alert: The Carolina Panthers aren't winning a championship this season. But the list of contenders this season includes plenty of the "never won a Super Bowl" club (and the Jets).

Among teams atop the Super Bowl odds at BetMGM this season, four have never won a Super Bowl: Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans. The Jets are tied for 10th. The Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars might not profile as true championship contenders this season but they aren't that far down the list either.

This season will be defined by the Kansas City Chiefs' chase for their third straight Super Bowl win, which has never been done before. It could end up being remembered as the season some new blood broke through and brought a city unspeakable joy with a long-awaited Super Bowl.

The Lions headline the group. They have never been to a Super Bowl, one of four teams that has that sad claim along with the Browns, Texans and Jaguars. The Lions are the only team that has played every season of the Super Bowl era and hasn't made it. They came close last season. They had a 17-point lead at halftime of the NFC championship game. The San Francisco 49ers came back and beat them, but the Lions' roster looks better this season thanks to additions on defense. There's no reason Detroit can't win a Super Bowl. This might be the first time in the Super Bowl era we can say that before a season and be serious about it.

The rise of teams like the Lions and Texans give all other downtrodden teams hope, even ones that have Lombardi Trophies that might be getting dusty. The Lions' rise has come from strong management from the front office including some excellent drafts. The Texans hit home runs at head coach and quarterback and saw their fortunes turn around quickly. The Bills drafted Josh Allen, a quarterback with tremendous skills, and developed him into an MVP candidate. There are different ways to build a title contender. Even teams that have been down for many years can figure out the formula.

SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 28: David Montgomery #5 of the Detroit Lions celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter of the NFC Championship NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
David Montgomery and the Lions are looking to make a historic flex this NFL season. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

The story of the 2024-25 NFL season will be the Chiefs. Part of that story is the teams trying to unseat the champ. Maybe a dynasty will be upended by a team that has never had a championship parade before.

Here are the NFL Power Rankings as we start the regular season (click each team's name for an offseason preview on that team. For these Week 0 Power Rankings, "last week" refers to our rankings before the preseason started).

It's understandable why the Patriots went with Jacoby Brissett over Drake Maye at quarterback to start the season. It's also an admission that the Patriots don't have the infrastructure to support a rookie quarterback. That's disheartening. But it's also prudent. Look through the Patriots' schedule and you'll have a tough time finding a game you'd pick them to win.

Bryce Young looked sharp the only time we saw him in the preseason. Are we underestimating the possibility of a former No. 1 overall draft pick, in his second season with a much-improved offensive cast and a new coaching staff, taking a massive leap? There isn't much optimism surrounding Young but maybe there should be.

The Giants are banking heavily on two things this season: Their defensive line might be one of the best in the NFL, and Malik Nabers could step right into a 100-catch season. The rest? It might not be very pretty. This is a tough task for Brian Daboll, who is likely on the hot seat.

There's a lot of optimism in Colorado after Bo Nix's 30 preseason passes, and that fan base should be excited. It has been a long time since they've had decent quarterback play. It's also OK to acknowledge this is still a flawed roster and it's rare for the sixth quarterback in a draft class to be an above average starter immediately. We'll see how Nix does, but it might be best to not expect a C.J. Stroud sequel.

It appears DeAndre Hopkins' knee injury won't keep him out of the opener, which is big news. The Titans are an interesting team this season. They're going to be passing a lot more, as we saw in the preseason. Maybe that change will be good, maybe it won't, but it will be a big culture shift under Brian Callahan.

This is the year for Chris Olave to break out. The Saints gave up a ton to draft him and he has been good, but not great. Part of that is the environment. This season he will get as many targets as he can handle. Olave had a career-best 1,123 yards last season and he should add 300-400 to that total. If he doesn't take a big step forward, we can just assume that "good not great" will be his career level.

J.J. McCarthy being out for the season isn't good in any way, but now the Vikings can take a long look at Sam Darnold without worrying about when to start McCarthy. For Darnold, it's now or never on proving he can be a long-term NFL starter.

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The Cardinals' defense didn't have a lot of reason for optimism, but one was if defensive lineman and first-round draft pick Darius Robinson had an immediate impact. Then came the news that Robinson will start the season on injured reserve with a calf injury. There are going to be a lot of high-scoring games in Arizona, and Kyler Murray is going to put up some huge numbers.

The Raiders chose Gardner Minshew II to be their quarterback, though it seemed like a default pick. Still, Minshew has had good stretches and always has his teams more competitive than anticipated. The Raiders will be a tough out if the defense is as good as some believe.

Jayden Daniels did everything you'd want from a rookie quarterback in the preseason. He'll be very good right away. The Commanders move up because they were ranked a little too low in these rankings to start with. If the offensive line is somewhat competent, the Commanders could be a huge surprise this season.

Justin Herbert is back from his foot injury, which isn't a surprise. Everyone figured he'd play Week 1. The concern is if he's not 100%. That injury can linger. Needless to say, if Herbert is affected at all by that injury, the Chargers' ceiling gets a lot lower.

Bucky Irving might be a factor this season. The rookie running back looked good in the preseason. Rachaad White is still the starter but might be able to take a break more often if Irving keeps this going into the regular season. And if White gets injured, Irving could have a big breakout.

The Steelers chose Russell Wilson as their QB1, and that made it seem like the outcome of the so-called competition was predetermined. Either way, Wilson now has a chance to write a different narrative and salvage his legacy after two horrible Broncos seasons.

One of the more interesting Week 1 games will be Broncos at Seahawks. If the Seahawks are comfortable in new head coach Mike Macdonald's defensive scheme, they should make it a long day for rookie quarterback Bo Nix. We'll get a progress report on Sunday.

There was some angst over Anthony Richardson having an up-and-down performance in the Colts' preseason finale. Did people think Richardson was a polished NFL starting quarterback after four games last season? If you were one who was surprised that Richardson made some mistakes, that's more about unrealistic expectations than Richardson. Even the Colts know that the ride will be exhilarating, with some incredible highs and a lot of bumpy moments.

Trevor Lawrence looked good in the preseason, and we've all forgotten that Jacksonville was about to win the AFC South last season before Lawrence's high ankle sprain. The Jaguars were 8-3 and a good shot to beat the Bengals in their 12th game before Lawrence got hurt. Everything went wrong after that. Don't sleep on Jacksonville being a viable contender in the AFC South, even though everyone has handed Houston the division already.

Caleb Williams had some awesome highlights in the preseason. Bears fans are beyond excited. There has to be a little bit of a reality check too. Sure, some rookies have unbelievable seasons. But some great QBs had a tough first year. Peyton Manning had 28 interceptions as a rookie. Williams has a great environment and is a fantastic prospect, but he could still have some rough days this season.

There was a lot of worry about Michael Penix Jr. not playing beyond the first preseason game, but consider the head coach. Raheem Morris was just with the Rams as their defensive coordinator. The Rams never play starters in the preseason and Sean McVay doesn't even play his QB2. It's an organizational philosophy. When we assume Morris doesn't value the preseason at all anymore, his decision is a lot more palatable. It's not like Penix was sitting on his couch in August; he got plenty of work in training camp and joint practices.

The Rams didn't get much at all for trading linebacker Ernest Jones, receiving just a late-round pick swap in return from the Titans. The Rams weren't going to give Jones an extension, but it's still not much to get back for a team captain and a player who had 145 tackles last season. Even with the Rams not valuing inside linebackers, it was a curious move.

Mike McDaniel got an extension through the 2028 season and it is well deserved. McDaniel's work with Tua Tagovailoa alone provides a blueprint for every franchise that has a young quarterback who needs more organizational support to succeed. McDaniel was the right hire at the right time for Miami.

The Bengals have come a long way from their days of being a truly cheap franchise. But the Ja'Marr Chase drama will be a huge hit to any gains they've made to their reputation. The Bengals knew the deal was coming, they knew the market for a receiver of Chase's ability and there's no good reason it dragged on all summer.

Deshaun Watson not playing at all in the preseason, being scratched for the finale after he had shoulder soreness a few days before it, isn't a good sign. Watson was already a mystery based on how he played the past two seasons. Now it's hard to figure out where he's at after shoulder surgery last year.

(Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports)
(Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports)
(Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports)
(Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports)

Matt LaFleur likes to use multiple backs, but he might not have a great option for a committee this season. AJ Dillon went on injured reserve with a neck injury. Rookie MarShawn Lloyd avoided IR but has had a hamstring injury for weeks. Emanuel Wilson has been a preseason standout but is unproven. Josh Jacobs might get a lot of work early in the season.

Last season Nico Collins played 68% of the Texans' offensive snaps, topping 80% in just three games, and still put up 1,297 yards. This preseason, Collins played 21 of 23 snaps (91%) with the starters, via Adam Levitan of Establish The Run. If Collins plays anywhere close to 90% of the Texans' snaps this season, he could fly past 1,300 yards.

The retirement of Jason Kelce has been brought up often this offseason, especially as it relates to the Eagles' ”Brotherly Shove” success. Fletcher Cox retiring is huge too. Cox was a six-time Pro Bowler, an all-decade pick for the 2010s and had 70 career sacks. The Eagles had big losses on both lines this offseason.

Linebacker Matt Milano was put on injured reserve with a torn biceps, but was designated to return. That means the Bills have hope that one of their best defensive players might return before the end of the season.

The Haason Reddick standoff isn't ideal, and the Jets should have read the room better before trading for him and not giving him a new contract, but it's not like Reddick has many viable options. Unless he wants to retire at age 29, the Jets will see him at some point.

CeeDee Lamb got his deal, and with plenty of time before the season to be at his normal workload. However, "normal workload" might change.

“He's going to touch the ball a ton,” Stephen Jones told Yahoo Sports' Jori Epstein. “When you pay receivers that kind of money, they got to catch the ball 8-12 times a game, 15 times, an occasional 15."

In other words, the Cowboys are paying $34 million a year and they're getting their money's worth.

The Isaiah Likely vibes from camp were very good. Likely would start for many NFL teams but with the Ravens he's stuck behind Mark Andrews. It is rare in this era for a team to have two tight ends as the base personnel, but it fits the Ravens' strengths. We'll have to see what Likely's snap count looks like, starting with the Week 1 opener at Kansas City on Thursday night.

The 49ers used the Steelers. Pittsburgh presumably came into Brandon Aiyuk trade talks with the 49ers with genuine intentions of doing a deal, but it became clear as the drama dragged on that the 49ers didn't. They just wanted another team to set the market. The end justifies the means apparently because San Francisco got its star receiver back on a deal worth $30 million a year.

The Lions had some injury scares during training camp and preseason but it doesn't seem like any major contributors will miss Week 1. We'll have to see if rookie first-round pick Terrion Arnold gets a starting nod for Week 1 after missing time in August with a pectoral injury.

It seems like Rashee Rice will avoid suspension, with it dragging on beyond Week 1. The Marquise Brown injury isn't ideal but he won't miss much time. The way the Chiefs used rookie Xavier Worthy is an indication that they think he can be an impact player right away. Patrick Mahomes has had a 5,000-yard season and a 50-touchdown season, and neither are off the table for him again in 2024.