We’re kicking things off with the first edition of my weekly NFL power rankings. Hopefully, this will run every Tuesday or so. These were harder to make than I expected due to the ridiculous number of terrible teams this year. It may be a few more weeks before we know who’s for real and who’s not.
These rankings are based solely on my opinions and mean absolutely nothing. The way I see it, there are 5 tiers of teams right now, starting with:
Legit Contenders
- Colts 6-0 – I hate the Colts but damn do they look good right now. The Pats trip to Indy in mid November should be a show.
- Saints 6-0 – They got a scare in Miami, but came out unscathed. That was a character building win and should help them down the road. The Superdome will be a tough place to play in the playoffs.
- Broncos 6-0 – Denver is only this high because they haven’t lost. Once they do, I’m dropping them down a tier. I refuse to believe they’re really this good.
- Patriots 5-2 – Maybe a bit high, but if Brady returns to form (and it seems like he has) then the Pats will be hard to beat.
- Steelers 5-2 – A big win over the Vikings proves that the Steelers are for real.
- Vikings 6-1 – Vikings fans got their first glimpse of the REAL Favre last week. If they really want to contend, they need to limit his chances to blow it.
- Giants 5-2 – I’m surprised to see them this low, but 2 straight losses have Giants fans worried. With only 1 quality win (@Dallas), the G-Men have a lot to prove next week in Philly.
- Bengals 5-2 – Too high you say? Child pleeez. The numbers don’t lie (wins against GB, Pit, Bal, and Chi).
Potentially Frisky in the Playoffs
- Cardinals 4-2 – The Cards looked good in that win over NY, but don’t expect another miracle run in the playoffs.
- Falcons 4-2 – Another team thats hard to figure out. They’ve looked good in their 4 wins but terrible in both losses.
- Packers 4-2 – Aaron Rodgers looks great and they’ve taken care of business against bad teams. Favre’s return to Lambeau should be entertaining.
- Eagles 4-2 – The Eagles bounced back after an embarrassing loss to the Raiders, but how good are they? They haven’t beaten a quality opponent yet. That could change next week when the Giants come to town.
- Ravens 3-3 – Another potential paper tiger, they’ve beaten bad teams and lost to good ones. The schedule isn’t kind in the 2 weeks (Den, @Cincy).
Fighting to lose in round 1
- Cowboys 4-2 – The win against Atlanta was a shocker, but I’m still convinced that the Cowboys suck. Unfortunately the NFC is so bad that they might be able to sneak into the playoffs.
- Jets 4-3 – The Sanchize bounced back after a few bad weeks, but I don’t see them making any noise in the postseason.
- Chargers 3-3 – Everyone expected them to cruise to a division title, but now they find themselves 3 games out. Making the playoffs might be difficult with Baltimore, NY and Houston chasing the final wild card.
- Texans 4-3 – Is this the year they finally break 8-8? I say no.
- Bears 3-3 – So much for Jay Cutler turning them into contenders.
- 49ers 3-3 – I drank the Mike Singletary Kool-Aid after a 3-1 start, but this team screams 7-9.
Teams with serious issues
- Jaguars 3-3 – Any team that goes to overtime against the Rams isn’t for real.
- Dolphins 2-4 – The Dolphins went up 24-3 against an unusually turnover prone Saints team, only to blow the game in the final minutes. The Wildcat has been working but it doesn’t help in a 2 minute drill.
- Bills 3-4 – Ryan Fitzpatrick leads Buffalo to 2 straight wins? I don’t get it. I think its safe to say that the T.O. experiment was a failure.
- Seahawks 2-4 – Have these guys ever been healthy? I can’t remember. Luckily for Seattle they play in the NFC West.
Just plain awful
- Panthers 2-4 – How is Jake Delhomme still employed? Carolina’s only wins are against Washington and @Tampa Bay.
- Chiefs 1-6 – The Chiefs have been frisky, and they’ve played a harder schedule than most teams in this tier. Don’t be surprised if they win a few more.
- Lions 1-5 – See above. Expect Detroit to get win #2 next week against St. Louis.
- Redskins 2-5 – I’m convinced the Skins are awful. They’ve lost to Detroit, KC and Carolina, while only beating the winless Bucs and Rams. Jim Zorn’s days are numbered.
- Raiders 2-5 – Oakland is the only bad team with a quality win (Phi), but I can’t move them up when they average under 9 points a game and JaMarcus Russell is their QB.
- Browns 1-6 -Another team with an inept offense. How bad must Brady Quinn be if Derek Anderson is still the starter?
- Bucs 0-7 – With a decent QB and a competent coach the Bucs could win a few. Unfortunately they have neither. Who’s ready for the Josh Freeman era?
- Titans 0-6 – Wow, what happened to these guys? The 59-0 loss to the Patriots was the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever seen. Jeff Fisher should be fired for that game alone.
- Rams 0-7 – The worst scoring offense(8.6 ppg) and defense(30.1 ppg) in the NFL. The ’08 Lions might have company.