The first NFL Sunday of the 2026 regular season is in the books.
Week 1 of the 2026 NFL regular season will wrap up on Monday evening, with the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Denver Broncos. Earlier in Week 1, the Giants took down the Cowboys, the Browns were blown out by the Jaguars, the Packers fell to the Vikings and the 49ers blew out the Rams, among others.
But who are the NFL’s worst teams right now?
ESPN’s computer model, the Football Power Index, shared an update on the league’s worst teams after Week 1.
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images.
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the NFL’s five worst teams after Week 1 of the 2026 regular season are:
- Miami Dolphins
- Cleveland Browns
- Tennessee Titans
- Carolina Panthers
- Las Vegas Raiders
“The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily,” ESPN writes.
How does ESPN’s FPI work?
“At its core, NFL FPI is a prediction system for the NFL. Each team’s FPI rating is composed of a predicted offensive, defensive and special teams efficiency, as measured by expected points added per play, and that rating is the basis for FPI’s game-level and season-level projections. In the preseason, FPI uses a number of predictive factors to project future team strength. The main component of preseason FPI is Vegas expectations; the expected win totals and money lines for each team are an accurate representation of predicted team strength and provide a strong baseline for teams entering the season,” ESPN describes.
