From PhillyVoice · · 5m
Week 1 reshuffled the entire NFC pecking order
Jimmy Kempski ranks all 16 NFC teams after a wild opening week, from a QB3 starting in Atlanta to the champs still sitting on top.
In brief
Jimmy Kempski ranks all 16 NFC teams after a wild opening week, from a QB3 starting in Atlanta to the champs still sitting on top. One week is barely evidence, but it already exposed which contenders were built on hype: Dallas has no pass rush, the Rams botched their own travel plan, and the Eagles won while managing…
Week 1 blew the board up
Scoring was up across the league in the season opener, and that chaos shows in the rankings. Big moves in both directions as the real teams start separating from the pretenders.
“Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season is in the books, and there were a lot of high-scoring games, league-wide.”
16. Falcons start a QB3
Michael Penix still isn't right after his 2025 ACL tear, and Tua Tagovailoa got ruled out late with an oblique injury. That left Cooper Rush, the third-stringer, opening the season under center.
“So, QB3 Cooper Rush had to start. I wonder when was the last time a QB3 was a Week 1 starter.”
15. Panthers look historically bad again
Carolina fixed its record-setting 2024 defense in 2025, then the Bears undid all of it in one afternoon: 291 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns, and 269 more through the air.
“All told, they allowed 552 yards, 59 points, and four TDs of over 20 yards. Gross.”
14. Cardinals bust the survivor pools
Arizona won in Los Angeles as 9.5-point underdogs, torching everyone who took the Chargers as a safe Week 1 pick. Kempski included himself in the wreckage.
“The Cardinals destroyed a lot of survivor pools right off the bat”
13. Commanders punched above their weight
First-time play caller Daronte Jones built a smart plan against Philadelphia and largely won the chess match. Hurts beat it with off-schedule scrambling rather than clean execution.
“The Commanders don't have a lot of talent, but they played better than anticipated”
12. Packers can't run, can't cope
With Josh Jacobs on the Commissioner's Exempt List, Green Bay abandoned the run early and went one-dimensional. A three-negative-play series with two Jordan Love fumbles handed Minnesota the ball at the 1.
“They feel very fraud'y to me.”
11. Cowboys defense hit rock bottom
Dallas was sold as a Super Bowl team with an improved defense. By EPA per drive it was the worst defensive showing of any team in Week 1, and nearly the worst in two seasons.
“Among 574 games since the start of last season, it ranked 571st.”
The pass rush does not exist
This was flagged back in June as the defining flaw, and the opener confirmed it. Four-man rushes produced almost nothing, so the Giants had all night to throw.
“only 2 of Dallas' 20 four man rushes got pressure tonight.”
Christian Parker never adjusted
Dallas poached the Eagles DB coach to run the whole unit. New York ran the same concepts on a loop and he had no answer, leaving Giants receivers wide open.
“like that annoying friend you had back in the day that never diverted from the same three or four plays in Madden”
Dak gifted away points
The offense was efficient, three touchdowns on six real possessions. Then Prescott threw a careless interception late in the half that turned into Giants points.
“If you want to call him an "elite" quarterback, that kind of careless play can't happen.”
10. Saints will be entertaining
New Orleans isn't a contender and probably misses the playoffs, but a good offense paired with a bad defense makes for watchable football every week.
“They're going to be in a lot of shootouts.”
9. Mayfield fumbled it away
Three lost fumbles against the Bengals, each a different flavor of trying to do too much: ignoring pressure, freelancing after the first down, and no internal clock in the pocket.
“He lost this game for the Bucs.”
8. Jaxson Dart was the best QB in Week 1
Dart led all quarterbacks in EPA per play and win probability added, and the upset in Dallas is the Giants' biggest win since their 2022 playoff run. He also keeps absorbing hits he could avoid.
“Dart looks like a legit QB1, but will he make it to Week 18?”
7. Vikings win, quarterback room worries
Beating Green Bay was real, but the depth chart is Kyler Murray, who played poorly before a concussion, and Carson Wentz, who looked good for exactly one game.
“whose poor body of work since 2018 far outweighs one good game”
6. Lions win, rulebook loses
The season's first infuriating officiating explanation arrived right on schedule, the kind where almost everyone watching disagrees and the rules analyst insists it was correct.
“Well, we had our first one of those this season, and man it was a doozy lol”
5. Eagles won ugly and got away with it
The defense shut Washington down until the fourth quarter and Hurts made enough plays. But 10 first downs was the second fewest in the league that week, behind only Denver.
“And the Eagles played against one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Not good enough.”
4. Rams botched their Australia trip
Los Angeles landed roughly a day before kickoff while San Francisco arrived a week early, and it showed. Aaron Donald sat out, Myles Garrett was invisible, then had knee surgery and landed on IR.
“No hot take, just reality…Rams will go undefeated on their way to winning another home Super Bowl title”
3. Caleb Williams is the real thing
The arm talent is obvious, he creates with his legs, and Chicago can grind out yards on the ground. The defense still needs work, but this team will score in bunches.
“Caleb Williams is really freaking good.”
2. The washed 49ers weren't washed
Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel looked like their old selves, Trent Williams erased Myles Garrett for a full game, and Dre Greenlaw forced a fumble. The question is whether it holds for 17 weeks.
“Those guys were all labeled as washed, or in the case of Williams, potentially in decline.”
1. Seahawks grind out a champion's win
An ugly, low-scoring game over New England, decided by opportunistic defense and one huge play from their star. It echoes the 2018 Eagles: clearly a step down from last year, still the team to beat.
“But they're still the top team in the Hierarchy until someone beats them.”
The big picture
One week is barely evidence, but it already exposed which contenders were built on hype: Dallas has no pass rush, the Rams botched their own travel plan, and the Eagles won while managing just 10 first downs.
