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NFL Power Rankings - Week 1: Chiefs ready to defend the throne

Photo illustration by Nick Roy / theScore

A panel of theScore's football editors votes on the NFL Power Rankings.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

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Pre-camp rank: 1

The defending champs made it through camp without any major injuries, and they're the team to beat in 2020.

2. Baltimore Ravens

Pre-camp rank: 2

The Ravens boasted a championship-caliber defense before Earl Thomas' departure, so they shouldn't suffer much after cutting the star safety following a practice scuffle.

3. New Orleans Saints

Pre-camp rank: 3

The Saints seem to have averted a potential Alvin Kamara holdout crisis, and they're ready to make another charge at the Lombardi Trophy.

4. San Francisco 49ers

Pre-camp rank: 4

The Niners are a little more banged up than they would like heading into the season, but they're skilled enough to make up for it early in the campaign when opponents won't yet be at their best.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Pre-camp rank: 5

The offseason overhaul in Tampa continued throughout training camp, as the Buccaneers brought in LeSean McCoy and Leonard Fournette to bolster a backfield in need of depth.

6. Tennessee Titans

Pre-camp rank: 9

The Titans went from good to scary with the signing of Jadeveon Clowney, who should bounce back as a pass-rusher with the talent on his new team's defensive line after a three-sack campaign with the Seahawks in 2019.

7. Seattle Seahawks

Pre-camp rank: 7

The Seahawks will always be contenders as long as Russell Wilson is their quarterback, and they should be better defensively this year with Jamal Adams and Quinton Dunbar in the secondary.

8. Dallas Cowboys

Pre-camp rank: 8

Late arrivals Everson Griffen and Randy Gregory could seriously impact the Cowboys' pass rush, an area in which they struggled last year.

9. Buffalo Bills

Pre-camp rank: 6

A soft early-season schedule should help Josh Allen and Co. start hot, but the team will need to prove itself against better competition to be seen as a legitimate Super Bowl threat.

10. Green Bay Packers

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Pre-camp rank: 10

Aaron Rodgers says the Packers are more comfortable in Matt LaFleur's offense this year, and that could spell trouble for the rest of the NFC.

11. Minnesota Vikings

Pre-camp rank: 11

Yannick Ngakoue and Danielle Hunter might be the NFL's best pass-rushing tandem, but the Vikings' secondary still needs work.

12. Pittsburgh Steelers

Pre-camp rank: 12

The Steelers' 2020 fortunes hinge on Ben Roethlisberger's durability, and he's ready for Week 1 after months rehabbing his surgically repaired elbow.

13. Philadelphia Eagles

Pre-camp rank: 13

If the Eagles can ever stop succumbing to the injury bug, they could be a pretty good team.

14. Houston Texans

Pre-camp rank: 16

It's hard to envision Deshaun Watson missing the playoffs, even if he needs to put the Texans on his back and carry them there.

15. Indianapolis Colts

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Pre-camp rank: 15

It's time to see how much gas is left in Philip Rivers' tank. The roster around him is solid.

16. Arizona Cardinals

Pre-camp rank: 17

If Kyler Murray makes the type of progress the Cardinals foresee, Arizona could be more than simply a playoff hopeful.

17. New England Patriots

Pre-camp rank: 14

Just when you thought the Patriots' receiving corps couldn't get any thinner, New England released Mohamed Sanu.

18. Denver Broncos

Pre-camp rank: 20

The Broncos will field plenty of young talent, but youth often needs time to develop.

19. Atlanta Falcons

Pre-camp rank: 18

The offense should be good enough, but there are questions about the Falcons' defense and coaching staff.

20. Los Angeles Rams

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Pre-camp rank: 19

Sean McVay needs to come up with some new tricks to reverse the Rams' trajectory. That won't be easy in the deep NFC West.

21. Cleveland Browns

Pre-camp rank: 21

It's hard to trust the Browns to do anything besides disappoint, though it wouldn't be stunning if their talented group wins a decent number of games in 2020.

22. Las Vegas Raiders

Pre-camp rank: 23

The Raiders appear better equipped to handle losing Tyrell Williams than they were a year ago, but that isn't saying much.

23. Los Angeles Chargers

Pre-camp rank: 22

Losing Derwin James is huge for the Bolts, who need to be sharp defensively to offset their expected offensive limitations.

24. Detroit Lions

Pre-camp rank: 24

They say defense wins championships, and that should quickly eliminate the leaky Lions from any such conversation.

25. Chicago Bears

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Pre-camp rank: 25

Mitchell Trubisky may be starting Week 1, but calls for Nick Foles to replace the oft-criticized signal-caller could come as early as Week 2.

26. New York Giants

Pre-camp rank: 26

The Giants are much more than a Logan Ryan addition away from contending, even in the winnable NFC East.

27. Miami Dolphins

Pre-camp rank: 27

Expectations should be significantly tempered with Tua Tagovailoa slated to begin the season on the bench.

28. New York Jets

Pre-camp rank: 30

Camp reports about Le'Veon Bell's lack of explosion and Sam Darnold's inconsistencies can't inspire much confidence among the Jets' faithful.

29. Cincinnati Bengals

Pre-camp rank: 28

The Bengals' offense could be exciting with Joe Burrow in the saddle, but their defense took a major hit in camp when Trae Waynes went down with a pectoral injury.

30. Carolina Panthers

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Pre-camp rank: 29

The Panthers lack legitimate depth at every position - other than maybe wide receiver - and they don't possess enough star power to make up for those shortcomings.

31. Washington Football Team

Pre-camp rank: 32

Releasing Adrian Peterson signaled the start of a youth movement in Washington. It could take a couple of seasons for the rewards of that phase to manifest.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars

Pre-camp rank: 31

The Jaguars didn't roster much talent to begin with, and there's even less skill in Jacksonville following the recent departures of Ngakoue, Fournette, and Ronnie Harrison.

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