The NFL officially gets underway tonight when the New England Patriots host the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., for Thursday Night Football. While many NFL analysts and media outlets have the Patriots as the undisputed team to beat, and have them atop many – if not all – of their power rankings, the rest is a mystery, and nothing is set in stone.
The Oakland Raiders finished 12-4 last year, and earned a playoff berth, which is why many people expect them to return to the postseason once again, with the addition of talented playmakers like running back Marshawn Lynch, wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, and tight end Jared Cook. The Week 1 power rankings are never an indication of how things will go throughout the season, there's always risers and fallers, but it's important to remember not to read into them too much.
With that being said, here's a look at the Week 1 Power Rankings.
10
**Bleacher Report**
Division Rivals: Broncos 22, Chargers 24, Chiefs 8
Analysis: N/A
7
**ESPN**
Division Rivals: Broncos 9, Chargers 24, Chiefs 8
Analysis: Beast Mode has given the Raiders faithful a lot of excitement and hope this preseason, but it has been a while since he has carried the ball in a meaningful game. Last time we saw Lynch he averaged fewer than four yards per rush.
6
**NFL.com**
Division Rivals: Broncos 16, Chargers 14, Chiefs 5
Analysis: As much as we're all hot dogs and apple pie and Skittles about Marshawn Lynch's return after a year off, we barely saw him play in the preseason. Those legs are fresh, for sure. But how explosive are they? If you watched the offense in August -- like against the Cowboys' kids in the secondary -- you know Derek Carr is going to be pretty, pretty, pretty good.
4
**Yahoo! Sports**
Division Rivals: Broncos 9, Chargers 17, Chiefs 11
Analysis: Derek Carr got paid, and now he's looking to get to the next level of quarterbacking. This will still be an offensive-heavy effort for the Raiders because Carr still has a lot more help than DE Khalil Mack.
11
**CBS Sports**
Division Rivals: Broncos 16, Chargers 10, Chiefs 13
Analysis: The defense didn't play well last season, despite the successful year for the team. That unit has to be better.
8
**USA Today**
Division Rivals: Broncos 16, Chargers 14, Chiefs 5
Analysis: How dire is the need for defensive playmakers to emerge alongside Khalil Mack? Two rookies are set to start, and that's not including top picks Gareon Conley and Obi Melifonwu.
