Tag: NFL Power Rankings (Page 7 of 8)

Here’s how I see things 1-32 in the NFL after four weeks.

1. New York Giants (4-0)
The Giants have the deepest collection of depth in the entire league. GM Jerry Reese did an outstanding job adding defensive depth this offseason and it’s paying off following injuries to Kenny Phillips, Chris Canty and Michael Boley. Eli Manning’s foot injury is a concern, but the G-Men look as good as anyone in the league right now.

2. New Orleans Saints (4-0)
Thanks to Darren Sharper and new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, the Saints finally have the D to match their explosive offense. Teams are going to find it hard playing inside the Superdome all season.

3. Indianapolis Colts (4-0)
Peyton Manning is playing up to his Pro Bowl-caliber self and the defense looks faster and more aggressive under new coordinator Larry Coyer. Indy is currently the team to beat in the AFC.

4. Minnesota Vikings (4-0)
The Vikings look great so far this season, but the theme all year is going to be whether or not Brett Favre can stay healthy. Last night the Packers took away Adrian Peterson and Favre beat them with some amazing throws. But he also faced zero rush and teams aren’t going to give him that kind of time every week.

5. New York Jets (3-1)
It’s not surprising that a team finally made Mark Sanchez look like a rookie because it was bound to happen. What he does next will determine how good this kid will be and whether or not he can lead the Jets to the playoffs.

6. New England Patriots (3-1)
Something still seems off with the Patriots, but they have a great opportunity over the next couple weeks to rack up three more wins before their bye. Their defense still has holes and they’ve benefited from some questionable calls, but give Bill Belichick and Tom Brady credit for finding a way to get to 3-1 after a lackluster start.

7. Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
A couple of calls didn’t go their way on Sunday, but that’s no excuse for Baltimore’s receivers to drop two key passes in the red zone with the game on the line. This is still a very good football team, but the Ravens cost themselves an opportunity to stay undefeated last week.

8. Denver Broncos (4-0)
The Broncos’ offense is still a work in progress, but Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno are a form a nice duo in the running game, the offensive line is solid and Brandon Marshall is a weapon. As long as the defense continues to play as well as it has, the Broncos should overcome their limitations on offense.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)
Is Rashard Mendenhall the key to what ails the Pittsburgh running game? If he is, the defending champs are going to be tough to beat from here on out. The offensive line played great against San Diego on Sunday night.

10. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)
Hopefully over the bye, Mike Smith fixed some of the Falcons’ defensive issues that were on display in New England two weeks ago. This team needs to do a better job of applying pressure on the quarterback and stopping the run or else they’re going to continue to have problems against elite teams. Michael Turner and the running game need to get going as well so that Matt Ryan can benefit from a balanced attack.

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I usually wait until midseason to compile any sort of power rankings for the NFL, but readers eat up power rankings like kids mowing down candy on Halloween so I figured I’d indulge.

Here’s how I see things 1-32 in the NFL for the first two weeks:

1. New York Giants (2-0)
For all the criticism it received in the offseason, the Giants’ passing game looks fine to me. Mario Manningham and Steve Smith have embraced their new starting roles and thanks to NY’s outstanding pass protection, Eli is finding them with the greatest of ease.

2. New Orleans Saints (2-0)
Pundits chalked up the Saints’ 45-point effort in Week 1 as a result of the Lions’ brutal defense…until the Saints hung 48 on the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 2. Nobody should overlook this juggernaut, led by their MVP-caliber quarterback Drew Brees.

3. Baltimore Ravens (2-0)
The Ravens still have some issues to iron out in their secondary, but Ray Lewis is playing like he’s 24 (not 34) and the offense is averaging 34.5 points a game. With the lowly Browns coming to town this week, Baltimore is headed for a 3-0 start.

4. Indianapolis Colts (2-0)
How do the Colts win a game by only running 35 offensive plays? Peyton Manning – that’s how. Indy will have concerns all year about its defense wearing down late in games but as long as the score is close, Peyton is going to give them a chance to win.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1)
The defending champs are battling injuries (Troy Polamalu) and still don’t pose a threat running the ball, but Ben Roethlisberger and a great defense will keep this team afloat all season.

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Here are ESPN.com’s NFL Power Rankings for Week 2:

1 Steelers
They need to get their running game going, but Big Ben seems better than ever. (Chadiha)

2 Patriots
Tom Brady is magic in the final minutes, but the Pats’ defense appears shaky. (Clayton)

3 Giants
The Giants might not have a No. 1 receiver, but they seem like a No. 1 team. (Clayton)

4 Eagles
By going for a meaningless fifth TD against the Panthers, Donovan McNabb fractured his ribs and the Eagles’ season. (Clayton)

5 Colts
Jim Caldwell showed some killer instinct at the end, but his running game didn’t prove to be worth the faith. (Kuharsky)

6 Chargers
They escaped with a win in Oakland, but the injury to center Nick Hardwick could be a big issue. (Kuharsky)

7 Falcons
They beat the Dolphins comfortably without getting much production from Michael Turner or the ground game in general. Matt Ryan already seems to have a rapport with Tony Gonzalez. (Sando)

8 Vikings
Adrian Peterson already seems like this season’s MVP. (Chadiha)

9 Titans
Mistakes in Pittsburgh kept the Titans from a potential upset, but Jeff Fisher won’t let them dwell on the opener. (Kuharsky)

10 Ravens
Even though it was against the Chiefs’ defense, the Ravens’ offense appears far more diversified and explosive this season. (Chadiha)

My problem with power rankings that are compiled early in the season is that they put too much emphasis on preseason predictions and not enough on performance.

For example, did the Patriots play like the second best team in the league against the Bills on Monday night? Absolutely not, but because they’re the Patriots they find themselves ranked high in everyone’s rankings. The fact is that the Bills were a Leodis McKelvin touchback away from beating the Pats in Foxboro. That doesn’t sound like a team that should be ranked No. 2.

How about the Chargers? They played uninspired in Oakland and still find themselves in the top 10. For the record, I think San Diego is a Super Bowl contender this year. But there was something very unsatisfying about the Bolts’ (and the Patriots’ for that matter) win last night.

I understand this isn’t how power rankings work, but if we were to rank each team based off of last week’s games, then the Eagles would be No. 1 in my book. No team (outside of the Saints, who played the lowly Lions) dominated their opponent like the Eagles did to the Panthers.