| Week 1 |
| Rank | Team | Comment |
| 1. | Jacksonville Jaguars | Nothing in the preseason causes me to come off the Jags as my Super Bowl winner. |
| 2. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Rabih Abdullah to back up Warrick Dunn, and away we go. |
| 3. | Green Bay Packers | Nothing wrong with the Pack. Just think the Bucs will squeeze by them this year. |
| 4. | San Francisco 49ers | Love the defense, not sure about the O-line. |
| 5. | Denver Broncos | O-line was the platform for all success. Now? Tony Jones at LT, Harry Swayne at RT, Dan Neil at RG. OK pass protection, but Terrell Davis's numbers will be down. |
| 6. | Pittsburgh Steelers | I always rate the Steelers too low at this time of year. Kordell Stewart keeps raising his game, but who's he gonna throw to? |
| 7. | New York Giants | Terrific defense, even without CB Jason Sehorn. |
| 8. | Minnesota Vikings | Best offense of the preseason, but I'm still waiting for the D to show something. |
| 9. | Kansas City Chiefs | Traditionally a running team, but in the preseason only two backs gained more than 20 yards, total, for a night's work. These guys couldn't run if their houses were on fire. |
| 10. | Washington Redskins | NFC East is the second weakest division right now. The Skins could sneak in as a wild-card in this kind of competition but I don't think they have enough muscle to unseat the Giants. |
| 11. | Tennessee Oilers | Just have a hunch that this will be the league's emerging nation. |
| 12. | New York Jets | The Curtis Martin trade brings in one key ingredient—passion. |
| 13. | New England Patriots | I've always been impressed with the way Pete Carroll defenses rally when things get tough. But I'm still not sold on the attack, even with all those superstars. |
| 14. | Miami Dolphins | Two fine new guards, Kevin Donnalley and CFL import Mark Dixon, setting the scene for breakaway rookie RB running back John Avery. If this works out, the Dolphins will steadily climb in my ratings. |
| 15. | Detroit Lions | They gimme a little consistency, I'll give 'em higher numbers. |
| 16. | Seattle Seahawks | Possible sleeper. Liked what I saw in the preseason, but it's a big mistake to take these exhibition games too seriously. |
| 17. | Cincinnati Bengals | It all depends on how soon Dick LeBeau's zone blitz defense kicks in—if at all. |
| 18. | Atlanta Falcons | Like Dan Reeves. Like the pass rush. Not sure about the rest of it. |
| 19. | Buffalo Bills | Can new QB Rob Johnson lead the Bills out of the swamp? Maybe, but the rebuilding program is one draft away. |
| 20. | Dallas Cowboys | First show me a running game, then an O-line that can get after people like it did in the old days, then a second wideout, then a pass rush, and I'll take the Cowboys seriously. |
| 21. | Carolina Panthers | Comeback QB plus crippled O-line equals big problems. |
| 22. | Arizona Cardinals | The Hall of Fame QB emerging from this era is Jake Plummer (Young, Aikman and Marino are one era removed). Don't see a lot of life in a line that was close to the league's worst last season. |
| 23. | Baltimore Ravens | Active defense led by a terrific MLB, Ray Lewis. Jim Harbaugh vitalizes an offense that can score. Ravens could move up. |
| 24. | Oakland Raiders | Can one super rookie, Charles Woodson, turn the NFL's worst defense around? Sure, if you believe in miracles. |
| 25. | Philadelphia Eagles | Too many injuries, especially on defense, for a team that was shaky to begin with. |
| 26. | San Diego Chargers | Promising preseason for Ryan Leaf, but now he'll be facing the full defensive package. |
| 27. | Indianapolis Colts | Ditto for Peyton Manning, and he's got a weaker line to work behind. |
| 28. | Chicago Bears | The talent drain continues, but Curtis Enis could excite the fans—for a while. |
| 29. | St. Louis Rams | Don't see a significant improvement. Hate to harp on this offensive line thing, but let's face it, that's where it all starts. |
| 30. | New Orleans Saints | Hey, I've got a great idea for this team. First you put pillow cases over their heads, then the coaches all line up in a gauntlet. Then ... oh, forget it. |
