NFL kickoff power rankings: Does Micah Parsons make the Packers a contender?

The Green Bay Packers were stuck, in a sense. It wasn't the worst situation to be in. Green Bay had a deep group of very young players but lacked a game-changing superstar. That might have been a reason the Packers were 0-6 vs. the Lions, Vikings and Eagles last season. It seemed like that would keep them from being one of the NFL's truly elite teams.

The Packers got themselves a game changer. Micah Parsons came to Green Bay at a cost that doesn't really hurt the Packers this season and given the fantastic depth on the team's roster, might not be a big issue in future years either. Kenny Clark went to the Cowboys in the trade and while he's a good player, Parsons will have a bigger impact. Green Bay isn't in desperate need of the first-round draft picks they'll lose in 2026 and 2027. For a reasonable cost, the Packers landed one of the best players in football. And with that, expectations change.

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The Packers can't think about a Super Bowl yet because they play in one of the best divisions in recent memory. The Lions and Vikings combined to go 29-5 last regular season and the Bears believe they're improving. The Packers might be a Super Bowl contender and finish second or third in their division. It's that tough.

But the Packers do look like a true Super Bowl contender now, and there aren't many in that group going into the season. Parsons changed Green Bay's ceiling. The Packers can win a championship with Parsons. They just have to navigate the NFC North first.

Here are the power rankings going into the regular season.

32 (previous ranking 31): New Orleans Saints

Spencer Rattler won the starting QB job, and that’s not great news for the franchise. Second-round draft pick Tyler Shough turns 26 in September after he played parts of seven college seasons, and therefore isn’t a developmental rookie. There should still be an opportunity for him to impress.

31 (32): Tennessee Titans

Cam Ward had some impressive plays in the preseason. He has fantastic arm talent. Being named captain speaks volumes about what he’s doing behind the scenes. Week 1 at Denver will be tough, but Ward looks like he’ll be pretty good.

30 (30): Cleveland Browns

The Browns’ runout to start the season (vs. Bengals, at Ravens, vs. Packers, at Lions, vs. Vikings, at Steelers) is rough. Joe Flacco might not be the starter by the seventh game. That would give the Browns a look at rookie Dillon Gabriel, who looked very good in the preseason.

29 (29): Carolina Panthers

I get why there’s excitement for the Panthers, but their defense is still poor and Bryce Young has to prove that what we saw late last season is his true level. It will be a fun team, just one that’s a year away from playoff contention.

28 (27): New York Giants

There’s a scenario in which Russell Wilson plays well deep into the season, keeping Jaxson Dart on the bench. That seems unlikely, especially since Dart was one of the biggest stories of the entire NFL preseason.

27 (23): Miami Dolphins

Maybe it isn’t fair to have the Dolphins down this far, but the vibes haven’t been great, and that includes nagging injuries to running back De’Von Achane and defensive tackle Zach Sieler, two of the team’s best players. Maybe the Dolphins will be fine, but there are questions.

26 (28): New York Jets

Justin Fields struggled to pass in the preseason. Is that a preseason storyline to ignore or a preview of what we’ll see this season? If Fields is just an above-average passer, the Jets could surprise a lot of people.

25 (24): Indianapolis Colts

I get why the Colts picked Daniel Jones as their QB1. The head coach and front office are on the hot seat. I’m also skeptical Jones will lead Indy to the playoffs. The one thing in his favor is the Colts have an underrated cast around him.

24 (26): Las Vegas Raiders

Ashton Jeanty didn’t get many preseason carries, but in those rushes he looked like he wants to run everyone over. The Raiders might want him to tone that down. The good news is Jeanty looked as explosive as advertised.

23 (21): Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons had a big injury that didn’t get enough attention. Right tackle Kaleb McGary is a stellar lineman and he’s done for the season. That was an unexpected blow less than two weeks before the season started.

22 (18): Dallas Cowboys

Kenny Clark is a very good player, but he’s not Micah Parsons. We saw this Dallas defense without Parsons for a time last season, and it wasn’t pretty. Make no mistake, the trade was a step back for Dallas.

21 (25): New England Patriots

Preseason highlights often don’t matter much. But it sure seems like what we saw from rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson is legit. He looks very explosive. Henderson could be a dark horse candidate for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

20 (20): Pittsburgh Steelers

Aaron Rodgers was a constant topic of conversation during the offseason. How many times did you hear about him or the Steelers the past month? Not much. That’s a good thing. He hasn’t been a distraction, yet anyway.

19 (19): Arizona Cardinals

Rookie defensive tackle Walter Nolen will start the season on the PUP list, which isn’t great for the Cardinals. It’s hard to depend heavily on any rookie, but a Cardinals defense looking to turn a corner could have used its first-round draft pick in Week 1.

18 (17): Seattle Seahawks

Are we sleeping on the Seahawks? They won 10 games last season. Everyone expected their defense to take a year to get used to Mike Macdonald’s scheme. Sam Darnold is coming off a heck of a season. And the rest of the NFC West has plenty of issues coming into the season.

17 (16): Houston Texans

The Joe Mixon absence, which will be for at least four games and maybe longer, isn’t ideal. Either Nick Chubb has one more productive season left or the Texans' running game might be in trouble.

16 (15): Chicago Bears

Seeing Caleb Williams play well in the preseason should give Chicago confidence. We’ll see how he handles the Vikings’ blitz-heavy scheme while operating the Bears' new offense in Week 1.

15 (22): Jacksonville Jaguars

Travis Hunter got banged up before the preseason finale but maybe that’s a good thing. He’ll be used plenty during the season, and missing a bit of time in August isn’t bad. Hunter is going to be a big story in September as he likely plays offense and defense.

14 (12): Los Angeles Rams

Matthew Stafford’s toughness can’t be underestimated. He has a back injury but returned to practice in plenty of time to play in the opener. The next big question is left tackle Alaric Jackson, who missed all of training camp with blood clots before returning to practice last week.

13 (13): San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers had awful injury luck last season and it’s starting again with some absences among the skill positions. And the Jauan Jennings situation lingers; it’s tough to trust what the team says about it after last season’s Christian McCaffrey deception.

12 (14): Cincinnati Bengals

Getting Trey Hendrickson back in the fold was necessary. It still might not fix the Bengals' defense, but it gives Cincinnati a chance. Now the Bengals need to avoid a slow start, which has been a big problem under head coach Zac Taylor.

11 (9): Los Angeles Chargers

The Rashawn Slater injury might be the biggest one of the preseason. He's the highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL for a reason. That injury should lower the expectations for the Chargers this season.

10 (10): Washington Commanders

Rookie seventh-round draft pick Jacory Croskey-Merritt had a meteoric climb in the preseason, leading to the team trading Brian Robinson Jr. Will it carry over to the regular season? Austin Ekeler and Chris Rodriguez Jr. could cut into Croskey-Merritt’s playing time.

9 (8): Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I’m very high on the Buccaneers this season. For right now, the Tristan Wirfs and Chris Godwin injuries are lingering. It’ll be a team that is much better by December than it is in September.

8 (11): Denver Broncos

The Broncos are good. Their defense is elite. Their offensive line is tremendous. Everyone has raved about Bo Nix’s improvement. Denver's depth is impressive. KC will get a significant challenge in the AFC West.

7(6): Minnesota Vikings

Adam Thielen didn’t come cheap in a trade (a fourth-round draft pick for a 35-year-old receiver is a lot) but the Vikings are doing everything they can to set up QB J.J. McCarthy for success. There’s no reason McCarthy can’t take advantage of a tremendous opportunity.

6 (7): Green Bay Packers

Micah Parsons changes everything. However, the Packers also need a healthy Jordan Love and Jayden Reed, who dealt with injuries in August.

5 (5): Buffalo Bills

The Bills tied up the one loose end that could have been a big issue, getting James Cook’s extension done. The Bills also got good news when receiver Khalil Shakir returned to practice from a high ankle sprain last week.

4 (4): Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have six games without Rashee Rice, and it’s not an easy stretch. It includes games against the Chargers, Ravens, Eagles and Lions. That stretch could shape the AFC West race.

3 (3): Detroit Lions

The Lions couldn’t have been happy to see Micah Parsons go to a very good Packers team. Detroit should still be considered a Super Bowl contender, but it first has to survive the gauntlet of the NFC North.

2 (2): Baltimore Ravens

In Week 1, the Ravens play at the Bills, and in Week 4 they’re at the Kansas City Chiefs. Those two games will be massive in ultimately determining seeding in the AFC. Baltimore also faces the Lions in Week 3. The Ravens will be under a lot of pressure in September.

1 (1): Philadelphia Eagles

Linebacker Jihaad Campbell is a player to watch early in the season. The first-round draft pick solidified his role, at least until Nakobe Dean returns. Campbell could have an impact right away, which makes a championship defense even stronger.