Preseason NFL power rankings: Top spot for defending Super Bowl champ Patriots

CHICAGO – With the NFL regular season beginning Thursday night, here’s a look at how all 32 teams stack up before the year’s first snap

Last season’s record in parentheses.

1. Patriots (11-5): The champions remain No. 1 to start the season and why wouldn’t they? Bill Belichick finds creative ways to reload every year even as Tom Brady ages. Tight end Rob Gronkowski has retired, creating a major hole in the offense. If wide receiver Josh Gordon can avoid the off-field issues that have tainted his career, he could be a huge weapon.

2. Chiefs (12-4): Patrick Mahomes will have a difficult time topping the 50-touchdown season he had last year when he won NFL MVP. Andy Reid has a wealth of talent to work with on offense. All of the major questions surround a defense that will be run by new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. The Chiefs don’t have to be great on defense, but they can’t be in a situation where they need to score 30-plus points to win every week.

3. Rams (13-3): Sean McVay is trying to stay ahead of all of the other young coaches that are linked to him. Sure, the offense was a dud in the Super Bowl loss to the Patriots, but it operates on a high level. There are questions about the durability of running back Todd Gurley, who reportedly has an arthritic knee condition. Managing his workload to keep him fresh is imperative.

4. Saints (13-3): Drew Brees, 40, doesn’t have a lot of time remaining, but the Saints are loaded for another deep playoff run. The Saints made wide receiver Michael Thomas happy with a contract extension and Alvin Kamara remains one of the best all-around running backs in the league.

5. Bears (12-4): Mitch Trubisky is expected to take a big step forward in his second year in the offense, and coach Matt Nagy did a really fine job with him last season. The Bears should have a more dynamic and productive running game with rookie David Montgomery in the mix along with veteran Mike Davis. Chuck Pagano inherits a defense with elite players at all three levels and is charged with maintaining the level that Vic Fangio established.

6. Chargers (12-4): They are bracing for a protracted holdout by running back Melvin Gordon, but the Chargers are better equipped to handle his absence than they are the loss of talented safety Derwin James, who will miss at least half the season with a foot injury. James is a tone-setter in the secondary, and there is a major void with him out.

7. Eagles (9-7): The Eagles did a fine job of handling some serious injuries last season and they absolutely need Carson Wentz to remain healthy as fix-it-man Nick Foles has departed. The Eagles brought in some new running backs, but this will be about Wentz and his ability to carry the team.

8. Cowboys (10-6): With Ezekiel Elliott back in the fold, the Cowboys have the team’s most important component in place. Quarterback Dak Prescott could wind up with a new contract that pays him in the neighborhood of $30 million per season. Expectations have been cranked up, and Prescott needs to deliver.

9. Seahawks (10-6): The trade for pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney completes a rebuilt front seven after defensive end Frank Clark was traded and general manager John Schneider plucked Clowney from the Texans at a discounted rate. Pairing him with Ziggy Ansah ought to provide the Seahawks with strength up front. If Russell Wilson continues to play at a high level, they should be in the mix in the NFC.

10. Browns (7-8-1): The hype machine is probably running ahead of the Browns, but the job general manager John Dorsey has done in reshaping this roster is impressive. They have a talented front seven that will need to play well to mask issues in the secondary. Second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield is surrounded by a wealth of talented skill-position players with wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry leading the way. Browns fans may finally have a winner to root for.

11. Steelers (9-6-1): Things are a lot more tranquil in Pittsburgh with Antonio Brown gone, and that’s a good thing. JuJu Smith-Schuster looks capable as a No. 1 wide receiver, but there are fair questions about the depth at the position beyond him. Will Ben Roethlisberger have enough targets to be as productive as he always has been?

12. Ravens (10-6): Lamar Jackson is going to have to improve as a passer because it’s going to be challenging for him to remain durable running the ball as much as he did last season. The Ravens added Mark Ingram to the backfield and if he can carry the load, that will help a team that is driven to win old-school on the ground. It simply remains to be seen if Jackson can advance as a passer.

13. Vikings (8-7-1): The Vikings spent the offseason trying to upgrade an offensive line that did a poor job protecting Kirk Cousins last season. Coach Mike Zimmer wants to see a greater commitment to the running game and that could mean big things for Dalvin Cook. The kicking game remains a giant question mark as the Vikings went toe-to-toe with the Bears this offseason in efforts to find solutions.

14. Falcons (7-9): Injuries decimated the Falcons on defense a year ago and they faced an uphill battle early on. If they can have a little more luck with durability and Matt Ryan gets hot, they could challenge the Saints in the NFC South.

15. Texans (11-5): The Texans made a bold move that will upgrade a porous offensive line by trading for Dolphins left tackle Laremy Tunsil. That’s good news for quarterback Deshaun Watson, but the loss of running back Lamar Miller to a season-ending knee injury creates questions about the ground game. Coach Bill O’Brien has a ton on his plate as the Texans roll without a general manager.

16. Jaguars (5-11): If you believe in Foles as a starter, the Jaguars could be positioned to return to the successes the franchise enjoyed in 2017. Foles is an upgrade from Blake Bortles and the defense remains one of the better units in the league. Running back Leonard Fournette must bounce back in a big way.

17. Colts (10-6): Coach Frank Reich was dealt a tough hand with the abrupt retirement of quarterback Andrew Luck. The Colts like Jacoby Brissett a lot and believe he’s a starting-caliber quarterback, but he’s going to need time to develop. The Colts have built a pretty strong roster under general manager Chris Ballard, but they’re going to have to be better across the board to handle the change at quarterback and remain in the thick of the AFC South race.

18. Packers (6-9-1): The marriage of new coach Matt LaFleur with two-time MVP Aaron Rodgers is likely going to work spectacularly or blow up. If the latter is the case, the Packers haven’t reached the depths they’re headed. The hope is the defense, under returning coordinator Mike Pettine, will take a considerable step forward in Year 2. We have to see if newcomers added in free agency jump-start the pass rush and the secondary, where there have been a slew of busted draft picks in recent years.

19. Panthers (7-9): Cam Newton enters the season coming off an ankle injury suffered in the preseason, which has to be at least somewhat concerning. The Panthers absolutely have to find more productive running backs outside of Christian McCaffrey. It’s a critical season for coach Ron Rivera and general manager Marty Hurney.

20. Broncos (6-10): Vic Fangio inherits a better roster than the Bears had when he joined them in 2015 as the defensive coordinator under John Fox. But the Broncos have some depth issues and Joe Flacco certainly isn’t the quarterback of the future. It remains to be seen if rookie Drew Lock can emerge as that guy. The Broncos should play good defense but will need to play a bunch of low-scoring games to have success.

21. Titans (9-7): It’s now or never for Marcus Mariota in Tennessee as he is entering the final year of his contract. He has led the Titans to the postseason once, and they were one-and-done. He needs to drive a successful season to convince the front office that he’s the quarterback to lead the franchise into the future.

22. Bills (6-10): Josh Allen has a huge arm and a ton of athletic ability, but the best passers operate at a high level in the pocket, and he has a long way to go there. If Allen can make strides in his second season, the Bills can feel good about the future. Their decision to cut veteran running back LeSean McCoy clearly was a vote of confidence in rookie Devin Singletary. It will be interesting to see if Singletary can provide the kind of dynamic spark McCoy had earlier in his career.

23. Giants (5-11): General manager Dave Gettleman rid the roster of the circus act known as Beckham. Presumably that will mean fewer problems in the locker room and fewer slam-dunk back pages for the New York tabloids. Veteran quarterback Eli Manning will have to be sharp to keep rookie Daniel Jones, who enjoyed a successful preseason, on the bench. It’s worth wondering whom Manning or Jones will throw the ball to when they’re not handing off to Saquon Barkley.

24. Jets (4-12): Sam Darnold looked like the real deal at times during his rookie season and new coach Adam Gase might be a good match for him. But the Jets seem to be doing some mighty quick roster shuffling with new GM Joe Douglas bouncing outside linebacker Jachai Polite, a third-round pick made by former GM Mike Maccagnan less than five months ago. What’s worse? No team claimed Polite.

25. Lions (6-10): The Lions made plenty of changes after Matt Patricia’s first season, bringing in Darrell Bevell to run the offense. It will be interesting to see if his scheme is a proper fit for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, who hasn’t always been great but has been the least of the Lions’ problems. New pieces were added on defense, including defensive end Trey Flowers from the Patriots, but will they improve in the standings?

26. Buccaneers (5-11): Bruce Arians is a highly regarded offensive mind and he’s going to earn more cache if he can be a quarterback whisperer with Jameis Winston. The Bucs are going to have to be more potent on offense because they could make only so many moves to overhaul their wretched defense in one offseason. Can Peyton Barber or Ronald Jones prove adequate in the backfield?

27. 49ers (4-12): The 49ers were was a popular breakthrough pick at this time last year, then quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was injured, running back Jerick McKinnon was injured and things went south in a hurry. Pressure has to be mounting for coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch to get things going in the right direction, but no one is as high on Garoppolo now.

28. Redskins (7-9): The plan was to have Colt McCoy and Case Keenum compete for the starting job, allowing rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins to learn from the sideline. But when McCoy went down with an injury, Keenum basically was given the job by default. Left tackle Trent Williams hasn’t shown up and would like to be traded. It’s a shame the Texans filled their need with Laremy Tunsil. The defense might be decent and running back Derrius Guice has some promise, but this season could be reduced to waiting for Haskins to get his shot.

29. Raiders (4-12): If Antonio Brown’s new helmet isn’t a troublesome issue moving forward, all Jon Gruden has to worry about is the next seemingly innocuous thing that will set off his prized wide receiver. Why the Raiders added Brown when Gruden is attempting to change the culture of the franchise remains a bit of a head-scratcher but, who knows, maybe he’ll catch 100 balls and help revive the career of quarterback Derek Carr.

30. Bengals (6-10): Thirty-six-year old Zac Taylor takes over for Marvin Lewis and has a huge task in front of him. The Bengals will be without their best offensive player, wide receiver A.J. Green, for at least a couple of weeks and maybe more as he recovers from an ankle injury. It’s going to take time for Taylor to reshape the offense, and the defense was terrible last season, allowing 28.4 points per game, 30th in the NFL.

31. Cardinals (3-13): Kliff Kingsbury was fired at Texas Tech at the end of last year after the Red Raiders’ third consecutive losing season. He may prove to be the next young, sharp offensive mind in the NFL and Kyle Murray, the No. 1 overall pick, might become the next super-exciting young quarterback. Those are two pretty big ifs right now for a team with a roster that is still in need of considerable talent.

32. Dolphins (7-9): First-year coach Brian Flores did his best to dismiss talk of the Dolphins tanking in 2019 and possibly beyond, saying, “I wouldn’t disrespect the game with that. Again, no, we’re not. We’re going to try to win every game. I think that’s disrespectful to even to say that. It’s disheartening to hear people talk about it, to even say that. For a guy who respects the game as much as the game has done for me, when people say that, it’s extremely sad.” No one will dispute what the game means to Flores, but dealing top-shelf left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Texans for a haul of draft picks makes the Dolphins worse this season and they weren’t going to be good to begin with.