By Paul Imig Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Sep 16, 2015 at 7:56 PM

With the first week of regular season football in the books, here is where all 32 teams rank. 

1. New England Patriots (Record: 1-0; Previous rank: 3)

Tom Brady looks determined to have one of his best seasons yet. First, he defeated the NFL in the DeflateGate ruling. Then, he teamed up with Rob Gronkowski to defeat the Steelers.

2. Green Bay Packers (Record: 1-0; Previous rank: 2)

The Packers got a Week 1 win in Chicago, but their run defense got eaten up by Matt Forte. A win over the Seahawks on Sunday night would go a long way in showing if this year’s Green Bay team has what it takes to win a Super Bowl.

3. Arizona Cardinals (Record: 1-0; Previous rank: 7)

Carson Palmer picked apart the Saints’ defense, with Larry Fitzgerald looking like he still has plenty left in the tank at age 32. Arizona’s defense stuffed New Orleans’ running attack to the tune of 2.7 yards per carry.

4. Buffalo Bills (Record: 1-0; Previous rank: 8)

A decisive win over the Colts was obviously a great way for Rex Ryan to begin his Bills tenure. Tyrod Taylor was efficient at quarterback, and Buffalo’s defense (even without Marcell Dareus) was able to shut down Andrew Luck.

5. Denver Broncos (Record: 1-0; Previous rank: 6)

Denver’s defense was in top form in the win over Baltimore. DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller combined to produce 11 QB hurries.

6. St. Louis Rams (Record: 1-0; Previous rank: 14)

The Rams have been building a defense in recent years that has the ability to dominate in 2015. Against the Seahawks, St. Louis did just that. Don’t be deceived by the 31 points given up by the Rams, as one Seahawks touchdown was a punt return and another came on a fumble recovery.

7. Seattle Seahawks (Record: 0-1; Previous rank: 1)

One overtime loss on the road to a good St. Louis team doesn’t suddenly mean Seattle is falling apart. But with a matchup looming at Lambeau Field, the Seahawks are in danger of starting off 0-2 in a very difficult NFC West.

8. Kansas City Chiefs (Record: 1-0; Previous rank: 15)

Alex Smith was in his best "game-manager" mode in a win over J.J. Watt and the Texans, even with Jamaal Charles being held in check. A Week 2 victory Thursday night over Denver would help solidify the Chiefs as a true threat in the AFC.

9. Dallas Cowboys (Record: 1-0; Previous rank: 9)

The Cowboys will have to get by for a month or so without Dez Bryant. But Dallas is a strong, balanced team that should be near the top of the NFC standings all season.

10. Atlanta Falcons (Record: 1-0; Previous rank: 19)

Chip Kelly and the Eagles had all the hype heading into the Week 1 Monday night game with Atlanta, but it was the Falcons who left with a victory. Julio Jones went off for nine catches, 141 yards and two touchdowns.

11. Miami Dolphins (Record: 1-0; Previous rank: 10)

A seven-point win over lowly Washington doesn’t breed much confidence. Even a Week 2 win in Jacksonville wouldn’t convince too many people that the Dolphins are for real. But Joe Philbin’s team should hang around all year.

12. Indianapolis Colts (Record: 0-1; Previous rank: 4)

It wasn’t a good performance from Andrew Luck, nor from the Colts’ questionable defense. They’ll be in the Monday night spotlight in Week 2 when hosting the New York Jets.

13. Philadelphia Eagles (Record: 0-1; Previous rank: 5)

The Eagles shouldn’t panic after a Week 1 loss in Atlanta. But not much went right for Philadelphia to begin its regular season, especially not the debut of $63-million cornerback Byron Maxwell.

14. Cincinnati Bengals (Record: 1-0; Previous rank: 16)

The Bengals were leading Oakland, 33-0, heading into the fourth quarter. The Raiders aren’t good, but that’s still complete dominance over another NFL team.

15. San Diego Chargers (Record: 1-0; Previous rank: 18)

The Chargers went on a 30-0 run to come back and beat the Lions in Week 1. Keenan Allen had 15 catches for 166 yards, while Melvin Gordon split carries with Danny Woodhead.

16. Pittsburgh Steelers (Record: 0-1; Previous rank: 13)

Losing on the road to the Patriots while playing without Le’Veon Bell is nothing for the Steelers to hang their heads about. But Pittsburgh’s defense could struggle all season.

17. San Francisco 49ers (Record: 1-0; Previous rank: 23)

The 49ers might not be as bad as what many expected them to be. They played a good all-around game at home to beat the Vikings, shutting down Adrian Peterson and Teddy Bridgewater in the process.

18. Baltimore Ravens (Record: 0-1; Previous rank: 11)

Baltimore’s offensive line was embarrassed by the Broncos’ pass-rush. The good news for the Ravens is their defense looks like it could be a top-10 group.

19. New York Giants (Record: 0-1; Previous rank: 22)

The Giants gave the game away to Dallas. Still, it was an overall good showing on the road for Eli Manning and company. 

20. Carolina Panthers (Record: 1-0; Previous rank: 24)

The top receiver for Carolina caught four passes for 45 yards. That will be the theme all season as the Panthers try to get by without Kelvin Benjamin.

21. New York Jets (Record: 1-0; Previous rank: 31)

The Jets’ offense looked surprisingly good with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. It’s important to note, though, that it looked good against the Browns.

22. Detroit Lions (Record: 0-1; Previous rank: 17)

The Lions found a way to lose in San Diego. Calvin Johnson had only two catches for 39 yards.

23. Minnesota Vikings (Record: 0-1; Previous rank: 12)

If the Vikings are going to be as good as many projected, they’ll need to improve quickly over their performance in San Francisco. Scoring three points is never going to earn a win.

24. New Orleans Saints (Record: 0-1; Previous rank: 21)

Drew Brees always makes the Saints respectable, but his top two receivers Week 1 are both running backs. With Jimmy Graham gone, does Brees have enough weapons to work with?

25. Tennessee Titans (Record: 1-0; Previous rank: 30)

Marcus Mariota had a great debut. Let’s see if he can do it a few more times before anyone gets too excited.

26. Houston Texans (Record: 0-1; Previous rank: 20)

Ryan Mallett takes over as starting quarterback after just one game. If the Texans can ever figure out their quarterback situation, their defense should carry them into the playoffs.

27. Chicago Bears (Record: 0-1; Previous rank: 26)

The Bears performed fairly well against Green Bay. But actually winning a game won’t be any easier for Chicago in the next two weeks, with matchups against the Cardinals and Seahawks.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Record: 0-1; Previous rank: 27)

Jameis Winston was bad in his debut. The Buccaneers’ defense didn’t help much, allowing 35 points to Tennessee’s offense.

29. Washington (Record: 0-1; Previous rank: 32)

Washington hung around with the Dolphins, but Kirk Cousins doesn’t have the reinforcements alongside him on offense to win many games this season.

30. Oakland Raiders (Record: 0-1; Previous rank: 28)

Beginning the season by trailing 33-0 to Cincinnati was not exactly a great start for the Raiders.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (Record: 0-1; Previous rank: 29)

Playing at home in Week 1, the Jaguars scored nine points. Blake Bortles threw two interceptions and had a 54.5 passer rating.

32. Cleveland Browns (Record: 0-1; Previous rank: 25)

Cleveland allowed the Jets (without Geno Smith) to score 31 points. Offensively, Johnny Manziel had a long touchdown pass, but he also fumbled twice. 

Paul Imig Special to OnMilwaukee.com
Paul Imig spent the past five years working for FOX Sports WI. He began by covering the Milwaukee Bucks and Milwaukee Brewers before taking over the Green Bay Packers beat in 2011. In addition to his writing, Paul also made television appearances nationwide on FOX Sports 1. He can be heard on the radio statewide on The Bill Michaels Show and can be seen on Time Warner Cable's Roundtable show with Dennis Krause. Paul is the 2015 recipient of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's award for Graduate Of the Last Decade (GOLD).