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The 2015 NFL season is just one week away from kicking off, so what better time to roundup the latest power rankings from around the internet?
Ever since the Seattle Seahawks narrowly lost to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, they've been the No. 1 team in many preseason power rankings. That is not the case, however, in Pat Kirwan's rankings over at CBS Sports. He has the Green Bay Packers coming in at No. 1 on his list with Seattle (2) and the Denver Broncos (3) right behind them.
The defending champion Patriots come in at No. 5 on his list. While still high, that would make them the third-best team in the AFC behind Denver and the Indianapolis Colts (4). You don't often see a defending champ get that little love, which is exactly how the Patriots like it.
As for the Cincinnati Bengals, they come in at No. 9 on Kirwan's ranking. While that's a good ranking, it's still puts Cincinnati as the third-best team in the AFC North and the sixth-best team in the AFC, meaning they're a fringe playoff contender, despite being in the top 10. Here's Kirwan's analysis of the Bengals:
Until they win a game in the playoffs I can't move them up much higher than ninth. I like this group from top to bottom but, as always, it comes down to Andy Dalton.
We cannot confirm or deny that Kirwan copy and pasted the same analysis every so-called expert has for Cincinnati. I think No. 9 is a good ranking, but I'd have the Bengals ahead of the Ravens and even Steelers if we're factoring in they won't have their best offensive lineman, Maurkice Pouncey, for most of the regular season.
Over at SB Nation, Danny Kelly has the Seahawks as the No. 1 team heading into the regular season in his latest rankings, just ahead of the Packers (2), Patriots (3), Broncos (4), and Colts (5). He has the Bengals all the way down at No. 13, making them the seventh-best team in the AFC.
At Bleacher Report, Sean Tomlinson has the Bengals all the way up at No. 7. He didn't even have the Ravens or Steelers in the top 10 and even had the Colts as his No. 1 team, just ahead of the Seahawks (2) and Patriots (3).
Here are the top-10 rankings from CBS, B/R and SB Nation:
Rk |
SB Nation |
Bleacher Report |
CBS |
1 |
Seattle Seahawks |
Indianapolis Colts |
Green Bay Packers |
2 |
Green Bay Packers |
Seattle Seahawks |
Seattle Seahawks |
3 |
New England Patriots |
New England Patriots |
Denver Broncos |
4 |
Denver Broncos |
Dallas Cowboys |
Indianapolis Colts |
5 |
Indianapolis Colts |
Green Bay Packers |
New England Patriots |
6 |
Philadelphia Eagles |
Denver Broncos |
Baltimore Ravens |
7 |
Baltimore Ravens |
Cincinnati Bengals |
Dallas Cowboys |
8 |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
Philadelphia Eagles |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
9 |
Arizona Cardinals |
Arizona Cardinals |
Cincinnati Bengals |
10 |
Kansas City Chiefs |
Detroit Lions |
Arizona Cardinals |