LAS VEGAS -- With NFL free agency and the draft behind us and minicamps having begun, it's a good time to update the NFL Vegas Rankings with the regular season just four short months away.
The Seattle Seahawks are the No. 1 overall team, according to ESPN Chalk's panel, which includes updated power ratings from Erin Rynning and yours truly, in addition to input from other NFL handicappers. The composite power ratings are meant to be used to compare two teams as if they were to meet on a neutral field (after which most teams get 2.5 points for home-field advantage) and can be used to compare to Week 1 lines or other early lines that are available.
Our rankings aren't too far off from the order that the teams are listed in the Super Bowl futures at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, so we've added those odds to the accompanying chart.
The New England Patriots are the 6-1 favorite at the Westgate, and they were the hardest team to make a power rating for, as Tom Brady's four-game suspension for Deflategate has been reinstated. We went through this last year, and no one is sure if the suspension will be overturned again or possibly shortened, so we chose to keep the Patriots' power rating the same as if Brady was expected to play. (Besides, most books have New England's games off the board, so it's kind of a moot point.)
As we do every week during the regular season, let's take a look at which teams are moving up or moving down in the rankings/ratings, and then we'll look at all 32 teams individually.
Note: We don't have a definitive way to compare each team's current power rating to where it was after the regular season, because we only updated the 12 playoff teams after Week 17; but we can still compare to where teams were heading into the final weekend.
NFL Vegas Rankings
1. Seattle Seahawks (27)
If not for falling behind 31-0 to the Panthers in the divisional playoffs (and losing only by seven points, 31-24), we could be talking about a dynasty. Even with the retirement of RB Marshawn Lynch (with Thomas Rawls taking over, along with potential third-round steal C.J. Prosise), the Seahawks have the most balanced roster in the league.