By Robby Wellington – Staff Writer
I know power rankings are incredibly cliché, but I’ve never done them before and figured I would give it a shot. Now I’m never quite sure what ‘power rankings’ actually mean, but my way of looking at it is taking two teams and deciding whom I would favor in a neutral setting, then ranking the favorite ahead of the underdog. So while the Saints have been impressive this year, there is no way I would favor them over the reeling Steelers. Without further adieu. . .
32. Oakland Raiders
0-16 anyone?
31. Tennessee Titans
The Titans v. Colts result was the most shocking score of the season. The Titans are still awful.
30. Houston Texans
29. Green Bay Packers
28. Cleveland Browns
27. Miami Dolphins
Harrington or Culpepper? Who cares.
26. San Francisco 49ers
Easily the most promising team going forward in this bottom tier.
25. Detroit Lions
24. Buffalo Bills
23. Arizona Cardinals
Matt Leinart looked pretty good, but he’s still a rookie and losing Fitz hurts. Humm, maybe ‘07 will be their year.
22. New York Jets
The Jets have been surprisingly competent this season (the Jacksonville debacle notwithstanding), but I can’t put them any higher than this.
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
20. Washington Redskins
19. Kansas City Chiefs
18. New Orleans Saints
The Saints are a great story, but they are not making the playoffs.
17. Minnesota Vikings
16. St. Louis Rams
The Rams have only played one impressive game, their first week win over the Broncos.
15. Baltimore Ravens
14. Dallas Cowboys
13. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are struggling mightily, but I still wouldn’t bet against them versus the majority of teams in the league.
12. New York Giants
11. Atlanta Falcons
10. San Diego Chargers
Marty took the kid gloves off Rivers, and he looked good.
9. Carolina Panthers
8. Denver Broncos
This ranking will drop if the Broncos don’t impress this evening like I expect them to.
7. Philadelphia Eagles
Donovan McNabb looks unstoppable, but the defense needs some work.
6. Jacksonville Jaguars
5. Seattle Seahawks
Who needs Hutchinson when you have the best #4 receiver in all of football?
4. Cincinnati Bengals
3. New England Patriots
2. Chicago Bears
Wow. The Bears are pretty good. They still need to prove themselves on the road, although they may not have to in the playoffs.
1. Indianapolis Colts
This may seem indefensible after the Colts looked terrible beating the Titans at home, but I’m still taking the Colts over any team in the NFL in a neutral environment. I would put the Bears at -3 at home against the Colts and the Colts at -4 at home against the Bears.
Dalton Says: I actually like these rankings, as mine wouldn’t differ much at all. I think Kansas City is better than most realize, while I’m still not buying the Rams or Ravens. Something is clearly wrong with Ben Roethlisberger, but I refuse to count Pittsburgh out. The San Diego Chargers are legit. While the Bears are undeniably the NFC’s best team right now, and Seattle the likely No. 2 seed, it wouldn’t shock me if one of Atlanta/New York Giants/Philadelphia ends up going to the Super Bowl. Although winning in Soldier Field come December might be close to impossible.
Wow I was w/ you on Denver tonight, but they aren’t looking so good so far….Plummer is a turnover machine.
I dont see the Giants going very far with their defense playing the way they have. I like Philly but that is more b/c of the offense than the defense and Atlanta? Hmm. I cant see that happening. Barring major injuries I think it is Chicago or Seattle in the NFC and Indy or SD in the AFC. Rivers is better than advertised and LT is a man among boys. I really think Jacksonville is a good team but probably a year away from being an elite team. They might the bears (from last year) of 2006.
I was more trying to make a point of how things don’t always go as planned, but with Chicago both leading points against and points scored in the entire NFL so far, it’s pretty tough arguing against them, especially since they are likely to have homefield (the NFC North looks like the worst division in the league), and I’m also a believer in Seattle.
I thought the Giants’ D would be much better, but they have time to improve (and the players), and their offense is a pretty solid unit….Atlanta’s defense and running game is pretty impressive, but I’m not a Vick believer (in real football at least, fantasywise, he’s pretty great)….Philly I think should not be underestimated. They really could go pretty far, but with Westbrook’s knee issues (and overall lack of running game), plus a defense that has been somehwhat beatable (albeit not at full strength), they don’t look quite as good as the top dogs as of now.
I agree with Jax, but losing Mike Peterson is a pretty devasting blow. Maurice Jones-Drew looks like a future star, however. Like tv said, maybe next year.