Tag: NFL Power Rankings (Page 5 of 8)

NFL Power Rankings: Week 2

September 14, 2010 /
HOUSTON - SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Arian Foster of the Houston Texans runs for a touchdown in the NFL season opener against the Indianapolis Colts at Reliant Stadium on September 12, 2010 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Week 1 is the week where every fan thinks their team shouldn’t be rated higher in the power rankings because they’ve been drunk on their team’s Kool-Aid for the past six months.

Week 2 is the week where half of those fans thinks their team is a pile of excrement.

Ah, fans.

Check out Week 1’s Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers
Previous Week: 2
It’s not easy to travel into Philadelphia in the opening week of the season and beat the Eagles on the road. Aaron Rodgers was far from perfect and Ryan Grant’s injury is a concern, but the Pack are off to a great start.

2. Indianapolis Colts
Previous Week: 1
I don’t want to drop the Colts too far down because they had that beating coming to them for a while now. The Texans were tired of being bullied and they finally did something about it. Now, if the Giants run all over the Colts this Sunday night in Indy, then we may have a problem.

3. Baltimore Ravens
Previous Week: 3
Anquan Boldin made Antonio Cromartie and rookie Kyle Wilson look like…well, he made them look like an average corner and a rookie. Still, Ozzie Newsome’s prized offseason acquisition came through in his first real test as a Raven and I think Joe Flacco is going to love targeting Boldin early and often from here on out.

4. New Orleans Saints
Previous Week: 5
The Saints’ performance last Thursday night left something to be desired, but the defense played well and you know the offense is going to produce more times than not. It’ll be interesting to see how NO fares in San Francisco next Monday night against what should be an embarrassed but motivated Mike Singletary team.

5. New England Patriots
Previous Week: 6
The Bengals’ defensive effort was pathetic last Sunday in Foxboro, but it was impressive to see the Pats’ offense rolling on all cylinders in the opening week of the season. I loved seeing Wes Welker catch the first touchdown of the year and it wasn’t only because he’s on my fantasy team…all right, all right – it was only because he’s on my fantasy team.

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External Sports, NFL

2010 NFL Week 1 Power Rankings

September 8, 2010 /
Aug. 15, 2010 - Fort Wayne, Ind. - Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, No. 18, center, talks to receiver Austin Collie, No. 17, before the start of the Colts' preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. ..Photo by Chad Ryan.

Week 1 is, by far, the most scrutinized week when it comes to doing power rankings. That’s because every Ram, Brown and Bill fan still has a glimmer of hope that their team will compete this year.

Here’s my first crack at doing a power ranking of all 32 teams in the NFL. Criticize all you want – I just have one rule: If you’re going to criticize, tell me which team you would have higher or lower. Don’t be the tool that leaves a hit and run comment without sharing his opinion or else you will be mocked…relentlessly.

2010 NFL Week 1 Power Rankings:

1. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts remain the team to beat in the AFC, although keep an eye on the interior of their defensive line because it could be an issue all season.

2. Green Bay Packers
This is honestly the most complete team in football to me right now besides the Colts. Remember, nobody on their offensive line has gotten hurt yet.

3. Baltimore Ravens
I may be a little higher on the Ravens’ expectations than most and I do admit that their secondary scares me. But I think Joe Flacco turns heads in his third year, especially now that he has a true No. 1 in Anquan Boldin.

4. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys are loaded with talent, but let’s see whether or not Doug Free can protect Tony Romo’s blindside on a weekly basis.

5. New Orleans Saints
I know, I know – it’s almost unjust to rank the defending Super Bowl champions any lower than second. But while the Saints’ O is going to be explosive again this year, it’s their D that concerns me (especially the run defense). It’s also extremely difficult to repeat when you have a target on your back.

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External Sports, NFL

Peter King releases his 2010 NFL Power Rankings

May 17, 2010 /

SI.com’s Peter King released his first NFL power ranking for the 2010 season and has more than a handful of surprises, most notably at No. 1.

1. Green Bay. It’s not just the maturation of Aaron Rodgers. It’s the carryover from a fluky end to 2009 (the weird playoff loss at Arizona) and the fact that only one team in football — New Orleans — had a better point differential than the Pack’s plus-164 last year. I like Jermichael Finley to become a great player in his second starting season. I don’t trust the pass-rush (where Clay Matthews is the only real thing), and I worry about two of the top three corners coming off ACL surgery, and aging. But the defensive front is formidable, and a very good match for the good run teams of the AFC North. I also like Weeks 2 through 5 on the schedule (Buffalo, at Chicago, Detroit, at Washington), which sets up for a strong start.

This should make my colleague John Paulsen extremely happy. The Packers’ offense is explosive, although the offensive line will once again be the focus. Rodgers endured a ton of hits last season and those blows eventually catch up with a quarterback. His O-line must do a better job of protecting him for them to get back to the playoffs.

With Green Bay ranking first, King must have the Saints at No. 2, right? Wrong.

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External Sports, NFL

NFL Week 10 COY Power Rankings

November 21, 2009 /

Some coaches here have changed positions but mostly it’s the same group. Still, just like with the players, November and December tend to bring out the best and worst of coaches as well. Here is the updated Coach of the Year power rankings….

1. Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts—Everyone kept saying the Colts hadn’t played a quality opponent yet. Well, they beat the Patriots in a thriller last Sunday night, and Caldwell’s team mirrored his calm sideline demeanor in working their way back from 17 points down late in the game to stay undefeated.

2. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints—Each game is getting to be an adventure, and after almost blowing it against the lowly Rams, coach Payton’s stock has to have dropped just a tad. Still, his Saints are 9-0, and at the end of the day, all nine of those wins count.

3. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals—The Bengals are for real. And Marvin Lewis, the defensive minded coach who has never had a defense to speak of in Cincinnati, finally has one. Boy, does he have one. But more than that, his Cardiac Cats are playing so inspired that they are now 7-2, leading the tough AFC North, and they are a combined 4-0 against the Steelers and Ravens. Wow.

4. Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings—Not much changes for Childress after disposing of the Lions last Sunday. It’s just that what Lewis has done is a bit more impressive.

5. Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos—He’s now lost three straight, but I guess if you look at this and think that McDaniels’ Broncos are 6-3 when everyone may have expected them to be 3-6 at this point, he deserves to stay here….for now.

Honorable mention: Mike Tomlin, Steelers; Ken Whisenhunt, Cardinals; Jack Del Rio, Jaguars

NFL

2009 NFL Power Rankings: Week 10

November 11, 2009 /

Here’s how I see things 1-32 in the NFL with nine weeks in the books:

1. New Orleans Saints (8-0)
Nobody should be surprised that the Falcons and Panthers gave the Saints issues at home the past two weeks. After all, Atlanta and Carolina are familiar with New Orleans since they play them twice a year. The real story is how the Saints never panicked when they got down early and outplayed both the Falcons and Panthers in the fourth quarter.

2. Indianapolis Colts (8-0)
The Colts have the eighth best defense in the NFL, which is rather remarkable given that starters Bob Sanders and Marlin Jackson haven’t played much at all. Dwight Freeney has terrorized opposing quarterbacks this season.

3. Minnesota Vikings (7-1)
Heading into the second half of the season, the only question I have about these Vikings is whether or not Brett Favre will stay healthy enough to lead this team deep into the playoffs. Last year, he couldn’t and the Jets tanked in the final month of the season.

4. New England Patriots (6-2)
We’ll get a great idea of how good this Patriots team is this weekend when they travel to Indianapolis to take on the undefeated Colts. Bill Belichick better figure out a way to get Dwight Freeney blocked so Tom Brady can build off the momentum he has created the past three games.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2)
I get the feeling that people keep waiting for the Bengals to cave and sink back to reality. Those folks will be waiting a while because this team is underrated, not overrated. A win this week in Pittsburgh and everyone will be believers.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
Jon Gruden hit the nail on the head when he said on Monday night that the Steelers close out games better than anyone in the league. One of the rare times they didn’t close out a team was earlier this season in Cincinnati, when the Bengals beat them on a last-second touchdown. They’ll get a chance to avenge that loss this Sunday in Pittsburgh, as well as take a one-game lead in the AFC North if they can pull off a win.

7. Denver Broncos (6-2)
I’m not ready to suggest that Denver is overrated or will start to freefall, but it is a little troubling that they’ve played two good teams the past two weeks and were beaten soundly in both contests. It’s time for Josh McDaniels to prove that he can make adjustments and Kyle Orton needs to take better care of the ball when his team is trailing.

8. Dallas Cowboys (6-2)
Given all their talent, I want to believe that the Cowboys have turned the corner under Wade Phillips. But this isn’t the first time in the past couple years where they’ve stringed together a couple of good outings to get people to believe. Their win in Philadelphia was awfully impressive, but they need to prove that they can sustain their momentum.

9. Philadelphia Eagles (5-3)
The Eagles had an opportunity to make a statement at home against the Cowboys last Sunday night and failed. Hopefully Brian Westbrook will return soon, because Philly’s offense can look stagnant at times without him.

10. Atlanta Falcons (5-3)
Michael Turner started hearing the words “one-year wonder” being tossed around a couple weeks ago and didn’t like it. He’s responded with two 150-plus rushing performances and has looked like the back he did last year. It’s a good thing too, because Matt Ryan hasn’t played well since Atlanta’s win in San Francisco four weeks ago.

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