The Arizona Cardinals find themselves on top of the pre-season edition of the TSN.ca NFL Power Rankings, ahead of the Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers and Cincinnati Bengals.
A lot of Arizona's expectations will be tied to 36-year-old quarterback Carson Palmer, who had the best year of his career last season, before faltering in the playoffs. Palmer has the supporting cast so that he doesn't have to do it alone, but top-tier quarterback play is what gives Arizona a shot.
Two of the more interesting rankings are for the New England Patriots, pegged for eighth as they start the season without superstar quarterback Tom Brady, and the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, ranked ninth, as they start the year with unproven Trevor Siemian at quarterback.
A couple of other teams, the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, had their rankings significantly affected by injuries suffered in preseason play and practice, respectively.
The highest-ranked teams that didn't qualify for the playoffs last season include the Oakland Raiders, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills.
At the bottom, the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams are some of the teams that could be looking at a long season. .