Our weekly NFL Power Rankings: 1-32 poll, plus the biggest defensive issue for each team — SkimNews
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- NFL offenses are averaging 23.3 points per game in the 2026 season, prompting ESPN's panel to identify a defensive flaw for every team in the 1-32 rankings.
- 49ers remain No. 1 after a 32-29 win over the Seahawks to go 5-0, but rank just 20th in third-down defense, giving up conversions at that clip while allowing opponents to extend drives (40.8% conversion rate).
- Chiefs (4-0, No. 2) head into their second half with a statistical anomaly: zero sacks through the first month despite generating a season-high 21 pressures on Raiders QB Kirk Cousins before the bye.
- Chargers, Titans, and Dolphins all sit at 0-5 — only the fifth time since the 1970 merger that three teams from the same conference have opened a season winless through five games.
- Patriots surged to No. 9 after a 45-17 rout of the Raiders (most points since 2021), but played the game with only three healthy cornerbacks as Christian Gonzalez (shoulder) and Carlton Davis III (neck) were inactive.
- Rams (No. 8) have managed just eight sacks (tied sixth fewest) and remain without reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, who had surgery in mid-September and won't have his 21-day practice window opened this week despite being eligible to return.
- Lions (No. 11) secondary has surrendered a league-high 1,487 passing yards while missing Pro Bowl safeties Brian Branch (torn Achilles, out since December) and Kerby Joseph, plus Thomas Harper and Avonte Maddox on injured reserve.
Why it matters: The 23.3-points-per-game league average signals defenses are losing ground across the board, and the fact that even unbeaten teams like the 49ers (20th in third-down defense), Chiefs (zero sacks), and Patriots (three-healthy-CB roster) carry major defensive flaws suggests no contender is structurally sound. The simultaneous 0-5 starts by the Chargers, Titans, and Dolphins mark just the fifth such cluster from one conference since 1970 — an unusual concentration of losing rosters that could shape draft positioning and coaching decisions by season's end.
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