1. Saints, 5-0, Last week: 1They definitely proved themselves to me. A blowout win over the Giants, who were widely thought to be the best team in the NFC... I'm impressed. All of the Saints' wins so far have been by at least 14 points.
2. Colts, 5-0, Last week: 3They had their bye this week, and next week they play the Rams. We could quite conceivably see a repeat of the Patriots-Titans game.
3. Broncos, 6-0, Last week: 5Once again, they proved the doubters wrong. After 6 wins in a row, they're definitely holding their own among the best in the league.
4. Vikings, 6-0, Last week: 4Another close call, but the Vikings remain undefeated. I have a feeling that they'll be the first team to slip, out of the 4 remaining teams without a loss. Don't be surprised if it happens in the next couple weeks, either in Pittsburgh or in Green Bay.
5. Giants, 5-1, Last week: 2Honestly, I hesitate to even have them ranked this high. They got completely embarrassed against the Saints. But at the same time, there appears to be quite a gap between the top 4 teams and the rest of the league. You can make a case for any of the next few teams to be in this spot.
6. Patriots, 4-2, Last week: 10It was only the Titans, who have the worst secondary in the NFL and have basically given up on the season. But the Patriots were reminiscent of 2007... but with a more stifling defense. Let's hope that Brady is back for real, and it wasn't just a one-time deal. But it was the Titans, so that's a distinct possibility.
7. Falcons, 4-1, Last week: 11They looked pretty good against the Bears, but it's clear that the Falcons are still a step below the NFC's truly elite teams. "Pretty good" probably won't cut it later in the year against the Saints. In fact, it definitely won't cut it.
8. Bengals, 4-2, Last week: 6They lost to the Texans... not impressive. Giving up 28 points against that offense really isn't too bad. The Texans can score. But only scoring 17 points against them... that's simply not good enough.
9. Steelers, 4-2, Last week: 13The defending champs looked good this week, but it was only the Browns. Next up: The Vikings. That should answer a lot of questions about both teams.
10. Ravens, 3-3, Last week: 12They were getting crushed by the Vikings, but came back and almost won it. In fact, if not for a missed field goal as time expired, they would have beaten the 6-0 Vikings. The Ravens have all the pieces, and they're a good team. They just need to pull it all together.
11. Bears, 3-2, Last week: 7They're very much in the same category as the Falcons. They're good teams, but they're probably not going to win the conference. They could really use Brian Urlacher right now.
12. 49ers, 3-2, Last week: 14They have 2 straight road games against AFC South teams coming up, and that could be a pivotal few games for them. If they can beat both the Texans and the Colts, I'll hand them the division. Most likely, they'll go 1-1 in those two games.
13. Eagles, 3-2, Last week: 8They lost to the Raiders. The Raiders. The Oakland Raiders. If ever there is a sign that your team is not legit, it's a loss to the Raiders. I don't even know how that happened.
14. Texans, 3-3, Last week: 21Solid win against the Bengals this week, and they show once again that they are as talented as they are inconsistent. They have the potential to beat almost anyone in the league... but I'm betting they'll finish 9-7.
15. Cowboys, 3-2, Last week: 15Can they beat the Falcons? If they play like they did against the Chiefs, then no, not at all. This team needs a new coach, and probably a new quarterback as well.
16. Packers, 3-2, Last week: 18If they had a halfway decent offensive line, they would be an excellent team. But as long as Aaron Rodgers is getting sacked 5 times per game, it will be hard for them to win. Even the Lions sacked him 5 times. No bueno.
17. Chargers, 2-3, Last week: 16Their loss to the Broncos this week all but cemented their place as the 2nd best team in the division. LT is no longer an elite RB, and they'll need Darren Sproles and Vincent Jackson to take over from here if they want to make the playoffs.
18. Cardinals, 3-2, Last week: 19This is a hard team to figure out. When it's all said and done, they'll probably have to win their division to even make it back to the playoffs, but the 49ers won't make it easy for them.
19. Dolphins, 2-3, Last week: 17They've had their bye week, and now they get to see the Saints, the Jets (again) and then the Patriots. We'll find out soon just how good Chad Henne and that offense can be.
20. Jaguars, 3-3, Last week: 22A win is a win, but the Jags shouldn't really feel good about this week at all. Beating the Rams in overtime is an embarrassment, I don't care who you are.
21. Bills, 2-4, Last week: 29This team lost to the Browns, and then beat the Jets. Does that speak to the inconsistency of the Bills, the Jets' huge dropoff, or is it something to do with the Browns? Honestly, I'm perplexed.
22. Panthers, 2-3, Last week: 23The Panthers have won 2 straight, but those wins were against the Redskins and Buccaneers... two teams who are a combined 2-10, and have never beaten a team with a win.
23. Seahawks, 2-4, Last week: 20The Seahawks are another team with 2 wins... but both are against terrible teams. They blew out the Rams, and blew out the Jaguars. With Lofa Tatupu out for the year, stick a fork in this team.
24. Jets, 3-3, Last week: 9So much for Mark Sanchez being the next great rookie QB, right? He now has the 3rd worst QB rating in the league among starters, ahead of only JaMarcus Russell and Derek Anderson. He's also tied with Jake Delhomme for the most interceptions. Not good.
25. Raiders, 2-4, Last week: 27Don't even ask me how this team beat the Eagles, but I'll go out on a limb and say that the Eagles' horrible 3rd down efficiency (2 for 16) had something to do with it. The Raiders are still awful, though. The only thing they did was ruin any chance they might have had to get the #1 overall draft pick again.
26. Chiefs, 1-5, Last week: 30They finally got a win. It was against the Redskins, who also gave the Lions their only win, but it was a win nonetheless. Congrats to the Chiefs... I guess.
27. Lions, 1-5, Last week: 25Without Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, they never really stood a chance against the Packers. With a final score of 26-0, it's clear that their game was over before it ever began.
28. Browns, 1-5, Last week: 28After their ridiculously ugly win over the Bills, the Steelers reminded the Browns that this is still the NFL, and beat them down. That's the 12th straight time the Steelers have beaten the Browns.
29. Redskins, 2-4, Last week: 24Despite what might be the easiest schedule in the history of schedules (so far), the Redskins are STILL only 2-4. Aside from the Giants, their opponents this year are ranked 22, 26, 27, 30 and 32 in these very power rankings. And the Redskins STILL were only able to sneak away with two wins. That's terrible. Fire Jim Zorn. Now.
30. Buccaneers, 0-6, Last week: 31Inching closer and closer to 0-16. This team has a VERY real chance to pull it off. If the Jets keep imploding, that might be their best chance, when they come to Tampa in week 14.
31. Titans, 0-6, Last week: 26Everyone thought this team wasn't THAT bad, but just had a vicious schedule. That is, until the Patriots beat them as badly as any team has ever been beaten in the NFL. This team is a disaster. Time for Jeff Fisher to go? It sounds crazy, but maybe it is.
32. Rams, 0-6, Last week: 32They actually looked better than the Titans this year, but I'm still convinced that this Rams team is the worst in football. Until they win, or until the Titans lose by 40+ again, the Rams aren't going anywhere.
What are your thoughts on the rankings? Let 'em rip.
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