It's a special Tuesday treat! We're 35% done with the season, so let's have a little bit of Power Ranking fun, shall we? This is basically how I think the teams rank right now, and my final little section about who I think the playoff teams will be when the season ends doesn't necessarily match up. Like if a team looks like they suck right now, but I think they'll come around, they'll be rated low-ish, but still might show up on the playoff team list. (Like the Jets.) Likewise, if a team is playing pretty good right now, but I expect to collapse, they probably won't make the playoff list. (Like the Panthers.) It's parity at it's finest this year folks! Especially with the Brady injury and the Giants getting destroyed last night. Anyways, the first one shouldn't come as much of a surprise:
32. Lions
Valiant effort against the Vikings. They should have won that game. Blame Dan Orlovsky, product of that QB factory UConn. He stepped on the end zone back line for a safety with zero pressure on him early in the game, and those two points were the deciding factor.
31. Bengals
Looks like Carson Palmer's elbow problem may be more serious than originally thought which means bad news for the Bungles.
30. Rams
They move up two slots with an upset over the Redskins. These Rams do have a bit of life in them, and maybe the new coach will give them enough of a change to win a few games.
29. Raiders
What a freakshow in Oakland right now. They have a decent defense, and two high draft picks on offense in JaMarcus Russell and Darrenn McFadden. But it's starting to look like maybe Russell is a bust.
28. Chiefs
I'll say it again - Herm Edwards is a horrible coach. Maybe they'll do classy veteran Tony Gonzalez a favor and trade him to a contender before this week's trade deadline.
27. Seahawks
The defense looks awful. They're getting no pressure on the QB and the secondary is getting lit up. And now Hasselbeck is hurt and they're not sure when he'll be back. Looks like Holmgren's last season is a lost one.
26. Niners
After a couple good games, it looks like the league has caught up with J.T. O'Sullivan. He's staring down his receivers and now has more picks than TDs.
25. Texans
They're one of the few teams better than their horrible record. Gutsy win this week led by Matt Schaub. And had Sage Rosenfals not self destructed last week, this team would be right in the thick of the playoff hunt.
24. Vikings
They almost lost to the Lions. In Minnesota. We're hearing a lot less about Adrian Peterson. Their defense isn't as good as people think (especially against the pass) and Gus Frerotte hasn't exactly been the savior at QB.
23. Jaguars
This team is a bit of a mystery. Their running game is struggling. David Garrard looks mediocre at best. But their WRs are finally holding onto the ball and the defense seems decent.
22. Browns
Decent sized jump after demolishing the Giants. I had them at #27 in my rough draft done on Monday afternoon. I cannot figure this team out.
21. Dolphins
Chad Pennington looks good. Shocking, I know. They've knocked off a couple good teams already, but then they lose to the Texans. They're probably not quite ready to make a run at the AFC East, but they've got some fight in them.
20. Bears
Kyle Orton continues to look like he might be the answer at QB. Rookie RB Matt Forte has been awesome. (Which I've noticed mostly because he's on my fantasy team.) The defense isn't as dominant as a couple years ago, but still better than most.
19. Broncos
Another strange team. Seems their defense is pretty leaky, and their offense is mostly good, but a bit inconsistent. To be honest, I haven't followed them too much. So I'm just making this up.
18. Ravens
They looked good until they got drubbed by the Colts this week. I like their rookie QB, and their defense is still pretty good (though older). I think they're a borderline playoff team right now.
17. Packers
They are totally banged up, but Aaron Rodgers has hung in there and looked pretty good. They still have lots of weapons on offense. If the defense can weather the storm until they get healthy, they'll likely take the NFC North.
16. Saints
Yes, Drew Brees is still on pace to break the single-season passing yardage record. How come nobody else is talking about this? If his name were Romo or Favre, they would have been talking about this after week 2.
15. Jets
Speaking of Romo and Favre, I'm not quite sold on the Jets, but they have a pretty weak schedule (including the Raiders and Chiefs the next two weeks). It looks like they should make the playoffs.
14. Cowboys
Speaking of Romo and Favre, could it be Romo has been exposed as the overrated fraud I've been saying he is for months now? Dallas was very lucky that game even went to overtime against the Cardinals. Their defense can be thrown on very easily, and if you take away TO and Whitten, Romo doesn't have much to throw to.
13. Eagles
They miss Westbrook. But McNabb is playing very well right now and they have their typical solid defense. It'll be an interesting 4-way battle in the NFC East. Someone I don't think the Eagles will come out ahead, but they'll be in th thick of things.
12. Falcons
What the?!?! Who the?!? I continue to be shocked each week when I see the Falcons beating a legitimate opponent. Matt Ryan and Michael Turner have been awesome, but you have to give some credit to their coaching staff. They're turned a "rebuilding" year into a season with playoff aspirations.
11. Patriots
So much for Belichick out-coaching Norv Turner. I guess he'd need an NFL-caliber QB to do that. Still, I expect the Patriots to find a way to stick around for playoff contention somehow. I think.
10. Panthers
Just as I was starting to believe in them, they get dominated by the Bucs. The NFC South could be the league's most interesting division this year. It'll probably be tough for them to get 2 teams in the playoffs with the way the NFC East looks, but you never know.
9. Cardinals
They almost blew it, but they knocked off the Cowboys. The end of the game was eerily reminscient of the "They were who they thought they were!" meltdown against the Bears a few years ago. The difference? Denny Green was nowhere to be found to complete the self destruction.
8. Redskins
I would have had them as high as #3 had they not just lost to the Rams in DC. Ouch. Still, I like how they've knocked off both the Cowboys and Eagles on the road. As long as they don't do a reverse of last year and finish the season ice cold, they should make the playoffs.
7. Colts
A bit of a resurgence here for the Colts after spanking the Ravens. Their offensive line is getting healthy again, which is huge for the hobbled Manning. Their defense still has some questions, but as long as they keep Manning upright long enough to find Harrison and Wayne, they could look like the Colts of old.
6. Chargers
The toe injury to Tomlinson is worrisome. But Phillip Rivers is starting to look like the real deal at QB. Impressive win over the Patriots. It almost looks as if the AFC West is theirs for the taking again.
5. Steelers
They're banged up pretty badly, but somehow managed to squeeze out the last few wins. They could be dropping like a rock really soon, but I'm not too impressed with the rest of the AFC North at this point.
4. Bucanneers
I will spare you the Jeff Garcia joke in this power rankings item. However, expect the running gag (as unfunny as it may be) to return during this week's picks. In the meantime, somehow the Bucs defense looks pretty formidable again. And Warrick Dunn has found the Fountain of Youth.
3. Bills
I believe it was Week 2 when I said the Bills will win the AFC East. They hit a little stumble in Arizona, but I still believe this. Sad to say, but in the end, I think the Patriots are going to have a hard time over-coming the loss of Brady. The Bills get Trent Edwards back this week, which should help.
2. Giants
Minor fall after a bad road game on Monday night. I still think they're probably one of the best teams in the league. But a few more poor road showings like that, and maybe the NFC East is even more wide open than most people thought.
1. Titans
Presenting your starting QB of the #1 ranked NFL team - Kerry Collins! Seriously though, this team is doing it with hard-nosed defense and a solid running game. I've always liked Jeff Fisher, so it's good to see his team on top again. It'll be interesting to see their remaining AFC South games, especially against the Colts.
Playoff Teams:
(Going out on a limb here with the Falcons claiming a wild card, but I'm thinking the Cowboys are in deep trouble with Romo hurt and Pacman suspended..)
AFC: Titans, Steelers, Bills, Chargers, Jets, Colts
NFC: Giants, Bucanneers, Packers, Cardinals, Falcons, Redskins
Great stuff!!!! This is good enough to belong on a real blog!
ReplyDeleteWhere to begin? I'll do a couple of quick comments.
* Chiefs: The Packers could have had Gonzalez for a second round pick. They offered a third and the Chiefs balked. The story is Gonzalez is disgusted that they didn't take the third, and Packer fans are disgusted that Ted Thompson is a gutless moron.
* Browns: I sat in shocked amazement as the Browns demolished the Giants. But when all was said and done I saw a talented team that is poorly coached. How many illegal procedure calls did they have?
* Bears: Who said Kyle Orton was a good QB? Hey, I don't get a lot right so it's OK if I pat my own peepee a bit.
* Dolphins: Pennington is absolutely maddening. He is by far the weakest armed QB I've ever seen. But he's accurate. Oh, and having Ronnie Brown as your running back doesn't hurt.
* Jets: I think they win the divsion. Heck, they have the 4th rated QB in the league.
* Packers: Aaron Rodgers has been quite good. The defense? Not so much. Last year's first round pick Justin Harrell is coming off the PUP list this week. I wonder of he can stay healthy for I dunno, a week or two?
* Dallas: St. Ides was right. Enough said. It's starting to sound a bit like me and Mrs. Samichlaus.
* Arizona: I saw them at #9 and thought "that can't be right", but the more I looked at the list the more I realized that I couldn't find a better spot.
* Tennesee: I don't even want to talk about this.