With the 2010 regular season ready to kickoff Thursday night with a re-match of last year’s NFC Championship game between the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings, it’s time for the first round of NFL Power Rankings for Week 1. It’s that time of year where each team receives a fresh start with their mind set on one goal: hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February.

Thanks to Johnny Crosskey from BucsPost.com and Jeric Griffin of TheCowboysCentral.com for their contributions for this list. Without further ado, here are the 2010 NFL Power Rankings for Week 1 for www.RantSports.com:

1. Indianapolis Colts–As long as Peyton Manning is calling the shots at quarterback, the Indianapolis Colts will always be heavy contenders. With Pierre Garcon back to full strength, Indy is loaded with enough talent once again to make another Super Bowl run.

2. Green Bay Packers–Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has posted back-to-back 4,000+ yard seasons and helped  the Green Bay Packers finish on a strong note last season–winning seven of their final eight games. With a high-powered offense and one of the top defenses, the Packers could emerge as one of the top teams in the NFC.

3. New Orleans Saints–They were Super Bowl champions for a reason. Now, the New Orleans Saints look to make another run for their second title in franchise history.

4. Dallas Cowboys–The addition of Dez Bryant provides the Dallas Cowboys with one of the most high-powered offenses in the league. They certainly have the talent for a Super Bowl run–which would make them the first team in history to participate in the big show at their own stadium.

5. San Diego Chargers–Now that LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Cromartie–and possibly Vincent Jackson–have moved on, the San Diego Chargers face a major adjustment in 2010. However, they still have Philip Rivers–who may be the best player to have when the game is on the line.

6. Baltimore Ravens–The Baltimore Ravens added numerous key additions during the offseason to make them Super Bowl contenders. After the addition of T.J. Houshmandzadeh, they became even more dangerous.

7. New England Patriots–With the return of Wes Welker still up in the air, the New England Patriots still have a very dangerous squad. Like Peyton Manning with the Colts, the Patriots will always be strong contenders with Tom Brady around.

8. Minnesota Vikings–Without Brett Favre, the Minnesota Vikings wouldn’t be ranked as high heading into the 2010 season. However, it should be interesting to see how Favre manages the first half of the season without Sidney Rice–his top target from last season.

9. New York Jets–The New York Jets have to be relieved Darrelle Revis is returning for the start of the season. After making a surprise run to the AFC Championship last season, the Jets added numerous weapons to the offense and defense during the offseason that will make them strong contenders in the AFC.

10. Atlanta Falcons–Matt Ryan seems to get better with more experience and Michael Turner is expected to have a big year after slimming down during the offseason. Don’t be surprised if the Atlanta Falcons give the Saints a run for the NFC South title.

11. Cincinnati Bengals–Mike Zimmer’s defense helped the Cincinnati Bengals claim their first AFC North title since 2005. The addition of Terrell Owens certainly helps a passing unit that ranked 26th in the NFL last season.

12. New York Giants–Two things to focus on for the New York Giants this upcoming season: 1. Will the wide receiving corps play as well as 2009 and 2. Has the defense improved? If the answer is yes to both, the Giants will make a strong run in the NFC East.

13. Houston Texans–In 2009, Matt Schaub not only led the league in passing yards (4,770), but helped the Houston Texans earn their first winning season in franchise history. They’re expected to make some noise in the AFC South, but also have to face the league’s toughest schedule.

14. San Francisco 49ers–Many analysts are picking the San Francisco 49ers to emerge as NFC West champions in 2010. If there defense lives up to the high expectations (which it should), there’s every reason to believe this could happen.

15. Philadelphia Eagles–As long as the defense can stay healthy, the Philadelphia Eagles should give the Cowboys and Giants a run for their money in the NFC East. They will experience a huge transition process now that Kevin Kolb is the starter, but he has enough weapons on offense to make his first season a little bit easier.

16. Pittsburgh Steelers–The Pittsburgh Steelers have to rely on Dennis Dixon for their first four games until Ben Roethlisberger returns from suspension. Still, the defense will always make them contenders–and a healthy Troy Polamalu will be a difference factor.

17. Miami Dolphins–There are high expectations for Chad Henne and the Miami Dolphins–especially after acquiring Brandon Marshall. They were on a verge of a playoff run before losing the final three games of the regular season in 2009 and should give the Patriots and Jets a run for their money in the AFC East.

18. Tennessee Titans–After a 0-6 start, the Tennessee Titans bounced back to win eight of their last 10 games in 2009. They contain one of the top running backs in the league with Chris Johnson–who became the sixth running back in NFL history to cross the 2,000 yard mark last season.

19. Arizona Cardinals–No Kurt Warner. No Anquan Boldin. No Karlos Dansby. And now, Derek Anderson is all of a sudden the starting quarterback after the Arizona Cardinals released Matt Leinart last week.

20. Denver Broncos–It’s insane to think all of the changes made by the Denver Broncos since Josh McDaniels took over as the head coach. They were hit hard during the preseason when it comes to their running backs and now have to deal with having Brandon Marshall as their top wideout to either Brandon Lloyd or Eddie Royal.

21. Carolina Panthers–The Carolina Panthers contain one of the top running back duos in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Matt Moore showed potential at the end of last season, but after the offense failed to score even one touchdown during the preseason, they have a lot to prove still.

22. Chicago Bears–Lovie Smith could be out of a job if he doesn’t get the Chicago Bears back to the postseason. All eyes will be on Jay Cutler and whether or not he fits into Mike Martz’s new system on offense.

23. Washington Redskins–Donovan McNabb is an upgrade at quarterback for the Washington Redskins, but will he have enough weapons on offense? And what’s the future hold for Albert Haynesworth in Washington? Too many questions to be answered at this point.

24. Kansas City Chiefs–Will the addition of Charlie Weis make a difference for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2010? The weapons appear to be there on offense and the Chiefs could emerge as a sleeper team in the AFC West.

25. Oakland Raiders–The Oakland Raiders were finally smart enough to get rid of JaMarcus Russell. Look for Jason Campbell to turn around a team some analysts are predicting as one of the top sleeper picks for 2010.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars–The Jacksonville Jaguars are one of those teams that nobody can seem to figure out what to expect. 2010 could determine many things for the Jaguars–such as whether or not Jack Del Rio and Davird Garrard will be around next season.

27. Seattle Seahawks–It’s hard to imagine this team won five-straight division titles a few years ago. Now, the Pete Carroll era officially begins for the Seattle Seahawks as the team looks to improve after going 9-23 over the last two seasons.

28. Detroit Lions–One thing is certain–the Detroit Lions should win more than two games this season. There is a ton of potential for their young offense now that Matthew Stafford has a full season under his belt. Not to mention the impact Jahvid Best and Ndamukong Suh could have as rookies.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers–Like Stafford, Josh Freeman will benefit from his experience as a rookie for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, this team still appears to be another year or two away from being considered serious contenders.

30. Cleveland Browns–The Cleveland Browns are the only team from the AFC North who analysts haven’t used the term “Super Bowl contenders” for. Still, they should be excited for what the future holds considering Mike Holmgren is now calling the shots and they will cause headaches for a few teams in 2010.

31. Buffalo Bills–C.J. Spiller looks to be the real deal for the Buffalo Bills and could see significant playing time as a rookie. The main question is how will the rest of the Bills’ offense perform?

32. St. Louis Rams–Sam Bradford has looked impressive during the preseason as a rookie and earned the starting job for Week 1–but he still has a lot to learn about the NFL. The St. Louis Rams can win two games in September and already be considered a better team than last season.

Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for www.RantSports.com/NFL,  where he writes and edits NFL content for www.RantSports.com.