It's here, it has arrived and it's beautiful. For the most part.
Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season was eventful. And telling. The top dogs proved worthy of their preseason hype, the bottom feeders overall were a tough watch, rookie debuts were a mixed bag and key players on contending teams went down with injuries.
Here's where the league stands entering the star-studded Monday Night Football affair between the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets:
32. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 32)
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Gross. Next.
31. New York Giants (Last week: 26)
Daniel Jones stinks. The "revamped" offensive line and defense were mediocre. More of the same for Big Blue this season? Poor Malik Nabers.
30. Denver Broncos (Last week: 29)
Bo Nix completed 26 passes for a whopping 138 yards. Yuck. The defense is average, but this offense might be terrible.
29. New England Patriots (Last week: 31)
It doesn't matter how disjointed the Bengals are right now. A win over a Super Bowl hopeful is impressive. It might be the highlight of New England's season, though.
28. Las Vegas Raiders (Last week: 30)
Gardner Minshew is serviceable and as long as he gets Davante Adams the ball there won't be much drama. There also won't be many wins, either. This team isn't good.
27. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 28)
Will Levis likely isn't the answer, but Tennessee needs to ride it out and see. It will be a season of peaks and valleys. Mostly valleys.
26. Washington Commanders (Last week: 27)
A very nice debut for Jayden Daniels, who looks like Lamar Jackson lite. However, that defense ...
25. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 25)
Sam Darnold truthers rise up. He's not Kirk Cousins, but he should be able to keep this offense afloat. The expectations still aren't high, but this could be a fun team to root for.
24. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 24)
Kyler Murray and the Cards started hot, but that defense killed all their momentum. Expect plenty of shoot-outs this season.
23. Los Angeles Chargers (Last week: 22)
Please, please get Justin Herbert some proven weapons in the passing game. This team is built to win now, but the offense doesn't reflect that. Fortunately for Jim Harbaugh and Co., J.K. Dobbins appears healthy. Please don't let that be a jinx.
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 17)
The defense kept Trevor Lawrence in the game, but he didn't do much with it. I have major doubts that he's worth $55 million per year.
21. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 21)
Geno Smith still is very average. They will go as far as that running game takes them. They beat a bad team, so the jury's still out.
20. Chicago Bears (Last week: 18)
Caleb Williams was not good in his first taste of real NFL action but was bailed out with two touchdowns by defense and special teams. Rookie jitters?
19. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 15)
A rough start for Captain Kirk and the offense. Coming off the Achilles injury, though, I'll give them a pass. For now.
18. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 11)
There are about one million things I'd rather do than watch Deshaun Watson play football. Fortunately for the Browns, their defense should keep them in almost every game. This wasn't one of those games. They got punked.
17. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 10)
The offense looked awesome, but Jordan Love's injury unfortunately will drop them down quite a bit in the rankings. Just tread water with Malik Willis.
16. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 23)
Beating the brakes off the Panthers is not impressive, but the offense genuinely looks good. The Saints are frisky.
15. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 20)
Anthony Richardson is awesome. Continue to unleash him and don't look back. That run defense, though ... yikes.
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 19)
Baker Mayfield cooked. Last year wasn't a fluke. Just an overall decent team.
13. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 12)
Scoring just 10 points against the Patriots is nasty work. The vibes in Cincy are bad right now, but the Bengals have a history of starting slow. It will get worked out.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 16)
Justin Fields stepped in for Russell Wilson and played well. T.J. Watt began his annual Defensive Player of the Year campaign. This is a fairly balanced team, but it won't be the last we hear about this quarterback controversy. Is there one?
11. Los Angeles Rams (Last week: 13)
Injuries to two key offensive linemen and Puka Nacua is a big concern. If healthy, they're a good team, but that defense still is a concern.
10. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 14)
It turns out Josh Allen can do it all. Can he make do with a lackluster supporting cast? It sure seems like it.
9. New York Jets (Last week: 8)
This team will be good with a healthy Aaron Rodgers, but will the 40-year-old need a week or two to shake off the rust? Regardless of what happens Monday night, we shouldn't rush to conclusions.
8. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 9)
Miami-Dade police did what the Jags' defense couldn't: contain Tyreek Hill. The Dolphins' offense started slow but returned to form and squeaked out a walk-off win.
7. Houston Texans (Last week: 5)
C.J. Stroud and his receiving core were as advertised and Joe Mixon is looking like an early offseason steal. This offense with a competent run game is a scary thought. I have some minor concerns about their secondary, though.
6. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 6)
Dak Prescott secured the bag and showed why he's a wise investment. At least in the regular season. The defense made Watson and the Browns look foolish. Not hard to do.
5. Detroit Lions (Last week: 4)
Jared Goff and the offense were less-than-impressive against a mediocre Rams defense but still secured the overtime win. Was it just a blip?
4. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 7)
Saquon Barkley behind a good offensive line is unfair. The defense was OK, but not great. It might not matter this season. They will be in the dogfight for the top seed.
3. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 3)
They say it's a game of inches, right? What a painful way to lose. Derrick Henry might have lost a step, but that shouldn't be a big deal when Lamar Jackson rushes for 122 yards. They lost to the champs, so no biggie.
2. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 2)
The NFL's best roster had a terrible summer. The vibes quickly are shifting, but let's see how they fare against a stout Jets defense Monday night.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 1)
The defending champs looked great on both sides of the ball. Also, shame on the 31 other teams for letting them draft Xavier Worthy. Seriously?
