Week 3 NFL Power Rankings
Written by Nick Caron
BringTheBlitz.com1. New England Patriots (2-0)No one has looked more impressive, more dominant in the first two weeks than the Patriots. Despite the controversy of the video cameras, the Patriots have destroyed two of the 2006 AFC playoff teams.
2. Indianapolis Colts (2-0)The Titans gave the Colts a run for their money, but the defense stood strong and Manning threw for 300+ yards. It was a blocked Adam Vinatieri extra point and a missed field goal that made this game look a lot closer than it truly was.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0)After a dominant win over Cleveland in week one, the Steelers steamrolled into week two and ran right over the Bills. The Steelers have out-scored their opponents 60-10 over the first two games of the year and will face another 2-0 team, the 49ers, in week three.
4. San Diego Chargers (1-1)Following a big win over the defending NFC champion Bears in week one, the Chargers were thoroughly beaten on the road in week two by a red-hot New England Patriots team led by the arm of Tom Brady and the hands of Randy Moss. San Diego is still one of the best teams in the NFL and it would be surprising if their week two performance is repeated at all again this season.
5. Dallas Cowboys (2-0)Many fans thought that Tony Romo’s confidence would be shaken after his bobbled snap that cost the team their playoff game in 2006, but that doesn’t appear to be so. Romo has thrown 6 touchdowns, ran for one more, and thrown just one interception over the first two weeks.
6. Chicago Bears (1-1)A lethargic Bears offense allowed the Chiefs to stay in the game in week two, but it was the defense and special teams, once again, that secured the win for Chicago. The Bears get a true test next week when they host the 2-0 Dallas Cowboys.
7. Cincinnati Bengals (1-1)400 yards, six touchdown passes, and over 140 yards on the ground – and the Bengals couldn’t beat the Cleveland Browns in a game that would’ve made your fifth-grade team’s defenses look world-class. The Bengals defense looked good in week one, but that was obviously a mirage as they allowed Jamal Lewis, Derek Anderson, and the Browns offense torch them for 51 points.
8. Baltimore Ravens (1-1)Kyle Boller is back in the driver’s seat and the Ravens appear to be back on the right track with a win over the Jets. The defense held strong again, allowing just 13 points and securing the win with a late 4th quarter interception by all-pro linebacker Ray Lewis.
9. Seattle Seahawks (1-1)The Seahawks went on the road within the division and were not able to cement the win over the Cardinals. The Cardinals offense produced 431 yards of offense against the Seahawks defense that allowed just 6 points in week one. Once again, Seattle is an on-again, off-again team in the NFC. They will need to become a bit more consistent if they hope to continue their division winning streak in the ultra-competitive NFC West.
10. Denver Broncos (2-0)Perhaps the most expected, but somehow disappointing 2-0 start in the league goes to the Denver Broncos. With a schedule that started out with Buffalo and Oakland, the Broncos were expected to be off to a strong start. Despite winning the games, the Broncos have out-scored their opponents by just 4 total points in the first two weeks.
11. Carolina Panthers (1-1)The Panthers looked good in week one as they beat up on the Rams, but a reality check came in week two when their defense was lit up by the Matt Schaub-led Houston Texans. Steve Smith and Jake Delhomme have already connected for two 100+ yard games and four touchdowns, but the inconsistencies on defense are killing this team.
12. Green Bay Packers (2-0)One of the surprising 2-0 teams so far are the Green Bay Packers. Brett Favre became the NFL’s all-time winningest quarterback with his team’s win over the Giants in week two. This team is extremely young and can only get better, but the Packers host the Chargers in week three in what could be the toughest game on their schedule.
13. Tennessee Titans (1-1)The Titans rallied in the second half to force the Colts into a tight game, but they weren’t able to repeat their 2006 heroics with a win over the defending Superbowl champs. Vince Young has been held in check throughout the first two games of the year, but the team has run the ball effectively in both games. The Titans have an opportunity to right the ship in week three on Monday night when they face the 0-2 Saints.
14. San Francisco 49ers (2-0)With two inner-division wins over the Cardinals and Rams, the 49ers are now sitting alone atop the NFC West. The defense appears to be vastly improved from what they looked like in 2006, and Frank Gore’s success has continued, but the offense is still struggling in the passing game. Alex Smith has thrown for just 252 yards and 0 touchdowns while losing 2 fumbles in the first two weeks of the season.
15. Detroit Lions (2-0)Maybe Jon Kitna wasn’t so crazy when he predicted that the Lions would win 10 or more games this season. They’re already a fifth of the way there with their wins over the Raiders and Vikings. The Lions have their first big test of the season next week when they head into Philadelphia to face the Eagles.
16. Houston Texans (2-0)Another surprising 2-0 start has been the Houston Texans. After finishing near the bottom of the league once again in 2006, the Texans may finally be ready to take that next step into becoming a legitimate contender. They get the Colts this week at home and could shoot up the power rankings if they can somehow pull out a win.
17. St. Louis Rams (0-2)The Rams are in a world of hurt right now with Orlando Pace out for the season, Steven Jackson not looking as dominant as he did in 2006, and the defense in complete shambles. If Scott Linehan can’t turn things around, he might be back to looking for a job in the near future.
18. Washington Redskins (2-0)After winning nail biter in week one, the Redskins marched into Philadelphia and won a tough divisional road game over the Eagles, who were expected to be the class of the NFC East. Jason Campbell is developing as a leader and he has the chance to bring his team back to the playoffs this year.
19. New Orleans Saints (0-2)The Saints were the number one offensive team in the NFL in 2006, but they have scored just 24 points in two games against average defenses. Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, and Deuce McAllister need to step it up; but it is the offensive line and coaching that is the true problem with this team right now. If the Saints don’t win this Monday night at home against the Titans, it will be time to press the panic button.
20. New York Jets (0-2)The problem with over-achieving in the previous season is that the expectations in the next season are higher. The Jets have been thoroughly dominated in two games against the Patriots and Ravens and they don’t look to be the Cinderella team they were last season. They host the Dolphins, Bills, and Giants over the next three weeks, so they have a chance to turn things around before they get really bad.
21. Arizona Cardinals (1-1)The Cardinals squeezed out a win in week two over the defending division champion Seahawks in week two, improving their record to 1-1. While Matt Leinart threw for nearly 300 yards, Edgerrin James added another 128 on the ground and the defense held Shaun Alexander to just 70 yards – the second week in a row that they held a top-tier running back under 100 total yards.
22. Philadelphia Eagles (0-2)The Eagles were ready to right the ship in week two by defeating the Redskins at home on Monday night, but the lingering effects from their loss on the road to the Packers were still there. The Redskins handed the Eagles their second loss – this time a division loss at home – and the Eagles are at the bottom of the NFC East, looking up at the red-hot Cowboys and Redskins.
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1)What a turnaround for the Bucs in week two. After having a sluggish offensive performance in week one, to throwing 34 points in the board in week two; the Buccaneers might be back to being a respectable offensive team. Jeff Garcia and Joey Galloway appear to be on the same page, Cadillac Williams had the first multi-touchdown game of his career, and the defense is playing well enough to keep this team out of the bottom quarter of the NFL power rankings.
24. Minnesota Vikings (1-1)The Vikings run defense is still elite, but it is the pass defense – and their own lethargic offense - that killed the Vikings in week two against the Lions. Missed opportunities and penalties have also contributed to making this offense incredibly bad. Tarvaris Jackson looked awful against a mediocre Lions defense, so expecting much out of him this season is probably out of the question. If the Vikings don’t beat the Chiefs this week on the road, this team can pretty much already be removed from playoff discussions.
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1)The Jaguars turned things around in week two by beating the Falcons. This team is still very much a question mark, however, due to their crumbling loss in week one to the Titans. Most of us expected that not only would they beat the Falcons in week two, but they would completely dominate them. That didn’t happen. The Jaguars offense has only scored 23 points in the first two weeks of the season against two below-average defenses and Maurice Jones-Drew, who scored 15 offensive touchdowns in his rookie season, hasn’t hit the end-zone yet in 2007.
26. Buffalo Bills (0-2)The Bills have scored just 17 points over the first two weeks of the year and quarterback JP Losman has been terrible. Rookie running back Marshawn Lynch has been about the only positive thing for the Bills so far. Buffalo has 5 games in a row against 2006 playoff teams, so it very likely that this team is far out of playoff conversation before the second half of the year even begins.
27. Miami Dolphins (0-2)Cam Cameron was already walking on fire with the fans when he decided to reach to draft Ted Ginn Jr. in the first round of this year’s NFL draft, but after starting 0-2, he is under even more scrutiny. This team’s offensive line is awful and their running game has been very unproductive because of it. The Dolphins play another 0-2 team, the Jets, this week on the road; and they could really use a win.
28. Cleveland Browns (1-1)After scoring just 3 points in week one against the Steelers, the Browns came home in week two and scored 51 in an absolute offensive shootout with the Cincinnati Bengals. It would certainly be outrageous to expect that the Browns put this kind of a hurt on another defense this season, but if they are going to do it; it might be this week against the Raiders. One statistic of note is that the Browns secondary has been beat for 10 touchdowns over the first two weeks of the season. In comparison, the 2006 New England Patriots allowed just 10 passing touchdowns against them for the entire season.
29. New York Giants (0-2)Injuries have completely killed this team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Eli Manning was injured in week one’s game against the Cowboys and was able to play most of week two, throwing 29 passes, including a touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress; before handing the reigns over to Jared Lorenzen – who then got injured and handed them over to Anthony Wright. This team is in complete shambles and the defense has allowed a ridiculous 80 points over the first two weeks of the season
30. Oakland Raiders (0-2)It’s not very surprising to see the Raiders this low on the list, but here they are. Josh McCown and the offense have been able to score a total of 41 points over the first two games, which is much improved from what the offense did in 2006. Unfortunately, the defense has allowed 59 points in that same amount of time. The one thing the Raiders can take into next week is that they were able to keep both of their first two games very close (despite what the score indicated in week one).
31. Kansas City Chiefs (0-2)When Larry Johnson held out of training camp and the pre-season, it was a pretty good indication that this team was in for some serious struggles this season. At 0-2, the Chiefs come home to face a mediocre Minnesota Vikings team in what could be their only win in September. Damon Huard will need to be good, though, as Larry Johnson still doesn’t appear to be back to full condition and the Vikings run defense remains one of the best in the league.
32. Atlanta Falcons (0-2)This is what happens when you take a player, build the entire team around him, and then that player leaves the team. Michael Vick was this team’s offense and it’s showing in full color. Vick helped this team be the number one rushing offense in the league for three consecutive seasons. Without Vick, the team is currently ranked 24th in the league in rushing offense and they have scored a league-low 10 total points.
Bill.
