Colin Cowherd Ranks the 10 Best NFL Teams After Week 1 – September 15th
10. 49ers (0-1)
“There are areas of concern. They struggle with mobile quarterbacks. They struggle with Kyler Murray, they struggle with Russell Wilson, and they struggle with Lamar Jackson. The league is getting increasingly mobile. Wide receiver has been a bit of a problem for them with Emmanuel Sanders gone. Only 41 of the team’s 260 yards came from their wide receivers Sunday. Kyle Shanahan and Jimmy Garoppolo are sleeping in separate bedrooms and I’m seeing a little tension here.”
9. Steelers (1-0)
"Here’s the good news. That defense held Saquon Barkley to a nothing burger of 6 yards on 15 carries. That was impressive and we knew their defense good, and they have the second easiest schedule. I probably should have put them at 9-7 or 10-6, and not 8-8, I just didn’t know what I was going to get – I said I needed to watch Big Ben play. They look good and look ‘Pittsburgh-ey’ where they’re going to win all the games they should, I just don’t know if they’re next level.”
8. Bills (1-0)
“Buffalo Bills are exceptionally coached and I’m not sure if there is a staff in the NFL that knows the limitations of their players and avoids it, and the strengths of their players and leans into it. Josh Allen, they’re just taking baby steps and baby steps, finally scored 27 points against the Jets, and finally got into the high 20-‘s. Allen looked a little more comfortable, but still erratic. We don’t pay a lot of attention to Buffalo but I think this is a coaching story. I think Josh Mcdermott, Sean McVay, and Kyle Shanahan are the three best young coaches in the NFL.”
7. Rams (1-0)
“I like them. Malcolm Brown the running back gets no press. That guy is a bull, that guy is good, and that guy delivered against Dallas. I know none of you like Jared Goff, but he had five completions of 20+ yards, tied for the most in the NFL. Goff and McVay like each other, they complete each other, it works, it's not tense, and they appreciate each other. Goff is his best quarterback with McVay, and their wide receiver and tight end corps could be second to the Chiefs in the NFL. They got a bunch of guys who can catch and run in LA.”
6. Bucs (0-1)
“Tampa Bay is going to be fine. New Orleans could win the Super Bowl! Lighten up, they had a punt blocked, and 9 penalties. Mike Evans is recovering from a hamstring injury and had one catch. Leonard Fournette will soon became their number one back and is just learning the system. Those are STAR players in the NFL. They go to Carolina this week, and Carolina is not good on defense. Mark my words, they are going to score A LOT of points this weekend. Going up against that Saints defense is just no day at the beach. Don’t overreact, Tampa’s offense will be fine.”
5. Packers (1-0)
“I don’t think Minnesota’s defense is as good as it’s been the last three years, they lost too many players – Griffin on the edge and they’ve got injuries up front. Aaron Rodgers owns that team. Davante Adams and DeAndre Hopkins might be the two best receivers in the NFL. I’m not sure if you can guard them. Not only did Adams have a bunch of catches but he was wide open. Aaron looked happy and Aaron looked healthy, and they’re on a six-game winning streak in Week 1. I don’t think Minnesota is very good and that is why I don’t have the Packers in my elite 4.
4. Seahawks (1-0)
“Pete Carroll finally said ‘ya know what Russ? I’m gonna finally let ya go’. Russell Wilson maybe had the greatest game I’ve ever seen a quarterback play. Third highest single game completion percentage in NFL history, and Atlanta is no slouch. He leads all quarterbacks in the NFL with 107 touchdown passes the last three years, and no other quarterback has 100. THIS IS RUSSELL’S TEAM, LET HIM GO! GIVE IT TO HIM! And I will say, they played with Jamal Adams, Bobby Wagner, and played with a lot of swagger on defense and a lot of toughness. They were running around hitting people and they established that physicality very early on on the road. They really impressed me defensively.”
3. Saints (1-0)
“They weren’t perfect, I mean Michael Thomas was held to three catches, but this is a really good football team, and they added two smart veterans in Malcolm Jenkins and Emmanuel Sanders. The way I feel about the Saints is how I’ve felt the last five years – not a lot of room for error, they don’t get a lot of cheap touchdowns – you don’t get any D-Hop or Mike Evans touchdowns, they don’t commit penalties, they’re very efficient, they’re great at home, I just don’t feel with Drew Brees over the top at his age you don’t get a lot of free touchdowns and a lot of play-making ability. But they’re well-coached, well-oiled, well-run, really smart, and you can tell with the salary cap that they’ve gone ALL IN on this team, and that’s what you do when you’ve got Drew Brees as a broadcaster in six months.”
2. Chiefs (1-0)
“They’re currently on 10-game winning streak, including the playoffs, which is the longest in the NFL. They’re a little top heavy and pay a couple guys a ton of money, and I worry about depth at certain positions. Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz is really, really important, and he’s one of their stars that they’re not paying a ton too. They're good, and what I liked aout Week 1 was Mahomes has always looked like a gunslinger, but now he looks efficient. Him going from gunslinger to surgical doesn’t look good for everybody else.”
1. Ravens (1-0)
“I picked them to win the Super Bowl, they’re a machine. Cleveland has talent and they beat them by 32 points. Cleveland is not going to lose a game the rest of the year by 32 points, that is unbelievable. I just don’t see the flaws. Last year their pass rush was inconsistent, but it doesn’t appear to be now. In a salary cap era this is about as good of a roster that you’ll see. For the Lamar Jackson critics – he’s now 20-3. Let’s move past the ‘I don’t know if it’s going to work!’ It’s WORKING… WELL. He’s lost a couple playoff games? Whatevsss. Peyton Manning lost a lot of them for a lot of years and so did John Elway. Baltimore is the team to beat in this league.”
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