The NFL Hall of Fame Game was this past Sunday, but we are just a couple of days away from the official start of Week 1 in the 2013 NFL preseason. Teams will take the field on Thursday and Friday mostly, with one game each day on Saturday and Sunday.
Let’s not expect to see the starters on the field for very long, but we will get to see all 32 teams in action by the end of Sunday.
There is about a month left until the start of the regular season, but NFLSeasonSchedules.com wanted to take a shot at the preseason power rankings in the league, similar to how the top college football teams in the country are ranked prior to their season beginning.
If NFL teams were ranked….
1. Denver Broncos – The Broncos look like they could be the team to beat this season with Peyton Manning entering his second year with the team. Denver had a terrible ending to the playoff game last season and that doesn’t sit well with them. The Broncos should have an easier time in the AFC with New England and Baltimore potentially taking a step back with the loss of production.
2. San Francisco 49ers – The 49ers are a bit of a wildcard because it’ll be interesting to see how Kaepernick does now that teams have prepared for him and he will get to start a full season. If he plays like he did last season, then the 49ers deserve to be right about this spot. If he doesn’t they would fall pretty quickly.
3. Atlanta Falcons – Simply put, the Falcons are loaded on the offensive side of the ball. They have the best wide receiver tandem in the league in Roddy White and Julio Jones. Quarterback Matt Ryan just signed a contract extension and is one of the top-10 quarterbacks in the league. Now add in the addition of running back Steven Jackson from the Rams, and that’s a recipe for a lot of points.
4. Seattle Seahawks – The Seahawks come in highly ranked in the preseason because of how they ended a year ago. Russell Wilson was much better than expected, and shows no signs of letting up. The Seahawks defense should be good again, and the balanced offensive attack is solid. It hurts that new addition Percy Harvin will be sidelined for much of the season.
5. New England Patriots – We debated back and forth about including New England in the top-five. The simple fact of the matter is who will Tom Brady throw the ball to? It’s hard to doubt Brady and head coach Bill Belichick but there comes a point where play makers need to be on the field. Right now it’s just difficult to see.