NFL Power Rankings - Week 3
Last week had some great football. I think I have to back off of my Jacksonville as Super Bowl favorites by mid-season comment now. They're terrible. I also was completely off at the beginning of the season on Denver. I was right that they have no defense and that their offense was solid, but I didn't know that their offense was unstoppable. I typically hate when teams blame refs for losses, but, San Diego, I'll give you that one. That was just terrible. I had that San Francisco team right. They're a decent football team and Seattle is not. I was also right on the Pats not losing to the Jets. How about Green Bay letting Favre go and sticking with Aaron Rogers now? Week 3 has some great matchups and of course, we're all pretending that last week's UCLA football game didn't happen. We're focusing on the Raiders and the emergence of McFadden while ignoring the Al Davis debacle and again, we're not mentioning that team leading the NL West. Do not jinx them. I just bought my playoff tickets. Speaking of College Football, the only good news for the Pac-10 is that at least they're not the Big-10.
32. Detroit Lions (0-2)
I couldn't believe that they came back to take the lead on the Packers. I could believe that they gave up 24 points in the final 5:17 of the game. That's pretty impressive, almost as impressive as losing to the Falcons in Week 1. They're bringing up the rear until they win. It's like a guy throwing up an air-ball on the road in a basketball game. The crowd chants "Aiiiirrr-baaaaall" every time he touches it until he makes another basket.
31. St. Louis Rams (0-2)
Operation Bet Against The Rams is now 2-0. This team cannot do anything right. I especially enjoyed the throw the ball directly to the defensive lineman for a touchdown play. Betting against the Rams is like flipping the script on Vegas. You may lose a game here and there, but in the end, you'll come out ahead.
30. Kansas City Chiefs (0-2)
Losing at home to the Raiders is not exactly a good sign that things are going to improve. Neither is your marquee running back whining about touches. How many QB's do they have by the way? Since when did Yancy Thigpen come back to the NFL? They have a must win game this week if they want to avoid the possibility of a winless season. Not many more easy games on their schedule.
29. Miami Dolphins (0-2)
Easily the worst pick I made last week. If I ever decide to bet on the Dolphins, please remind me of Week 2 against the Cardinals. On the bright side, Joey Porter is still insane. Apparently getting shot in the rear end did nothing for him. They get to go to Foxboro this weekend. Do you think Pennington can throw more than 20 yards into a 5 MPH wind? We may get to find out.
28. Atlanta Falcons (0-2)
Atlanta is one of the five worst teams in football yet could be 2-1 after this weekend's game. I think they showed their true colors against Tampa this past weekend. Someone needs to tell Matt Ryan that David Carr is not a good guy to try to emulate. Don't be surprised if they're 2-1, but don't be surprised if they finish the season at 2-14.
27. Cincinnati Bengals (0-2)
Are they really this bad? They go into Week 3 as 13.5-point dogs to an Eli Manning led Giants team. What's worse, I'm not sure who to take yet. I have a feeling I'll talk myself into the points and then just be another one of the people tricked by Vegas into picking this team of underachievers.
26. Oakland Raiders (1-1)
The good news is, I now know who will be on the back of my next football jersey. Darren McFadden is a baller and making me feel very good for saying that we got the #1 pick in the draft in the 4 slot. The bad news is, we played the Chiefs, they're not good, and we'll be coming back to reality this weekend in Buffalo. JaMarcus will have 0.3 seconds to get rid of the ball this weekend, give or take 0.2 seconds.
25. Seattle Seahawks (0-2)
For all of you picking the Seahawks as your 0-2 team most likely to make the playoffs, here's the conversation I just had:
Me: I heard Koren Robinson say that he's been sober for 2 years.
D.J.: That's just the alcohol talking.
Good luck Seahawks fans. At least you get the Rams this week.
24. Arizona Cardinals (1-1)
Apparently it's easy to look good against the Dolphins. Arizona's offense is running on all cylinders but I'll believe they're for real if they can win this week at Washington. Until then, they're just one Kurt Warner thumb pull away from being the traditional Cardinals.
23. Cleveland Browns (0-2)
They're a 13-6 loss to the Ravens and about two more weeks away from the calls for Brady Quinn. Poor Cleveland fans. You're about to erase one good season with another decade of futility.
22. Baltimore Ravens (1-0)
The Ravens will have to go the rest of the season without a bye. This coming week though they'll get to rub it in Cleveland's face again that they skipped town. Unfortunately you'll remember at some point that they have no offense. That wake up call figures to come in Week 4 at Pittsburgh.
21. Chicago Bears (1-1)
Their defense continues to shine and the team gave a valiant effort last week in the heat in Carolina. They have a game coming up this week against Tampa Bay that should be very telling. If they can beat a Brian Griese led Tampa team and get to 2-1, we may see a team that could shock people like they did a couple of years ago in getting to the Super Bowl against the Colts. If they lose at home then they could nose dive. I have no idea what to expect from this year's Bears.
20. Houston Texans (0-1)
The blowout loss to Pittsburgh and then of course Hurricane Ike. It has been a rough season to say the least for the Texans and the season is but a couple of weeks old. Things don't figure to get better this weekend against the Titans who they historically struggle against. It will be tough to root against them though.
19. New York Jets (1-1)
Brett Favre says that this week's game at San Diego on Monday night is a must win. That's like my saying, the stock market must go up tomorrow. It's just not in the cards. Favre is trying to motivate his guys after a humbling loss but this figures to backfire. The Jets looked very unimpressive.
18. San Francisco 49ers (1-1)
I'm a believer. I'm drinking the J.T. O'Sullivan Kool-Aid. I picked them last week to beat the Seahawks outright on the road and they didn't let me down. Now I will boldly predict that the 49ers can hold serve at home against the mighty Detroit Lions.
17. Minnesota Vikings (0-2)
Is anybody else having trouble finding an analogy for going from Tarvaris Jackson to Gus Frerotte? Is it like going from a Datsun to a Hyundai? I don't know, but this team may have the best running game in football and one of the top-3 defenses in the league. There is no excuse. Oh wait, yes there is. They have no QB.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2)
They're not good at football. Outside of their mediocre running game, they've been unable to get anything else done. Their once vaunted defense was getting eaten up by the Buffalo Bills. They're in big danger of going 0-3 after playing in Indy this coming week and effectively taking themselves out of the playoff race before a month of the season has even passed.
15. Washington Redskins (1-1)
A very impressive comeback win at home against the Saints. Jason Campbell just looks smooth back there at QB and Santana Moss seems to sneak behind safeties at least once a game. If they beat the Cardinals at home as they should, expect a jump for the Skins in the RW rankings.
14. Carolina Panthers (2-0)
Jake Delhomme is looking like a guy who just figures out how to get things done. They're getting back one of the best receivers in the game in Steve Smith, and their defense has been impressive. A road win at Minnesota and a 3-0 start seemed unfathomable at the beginning of the season but now only Gus Frerotte stands in their way.
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1)
They didn't look all that great against the Falcons, which worries me a bit, but they got the job done in Gruden fashion. It never really seemed like a game in doubt, the defense looked good, and the offense didn't screw up too much. There will be a lot of speed bumps along the way, but again, this is a good team.
12. Buffalo Bills (2-0)
Marshawn Lynch, Trent Edwards and Lee Evans. All of a sudden that sounds like quite a trio. They'll be getting a Raiders team with a lame duck coaching staff and after beating Jacksonville on the road I can't imagine them losing this week. 3-0 in the Brady-less AFC East and all of a sudden this is a formidable playoff team.
11. New Orleans Saints (1-1)
Uh-oh. This is starting to look a lot like the team that missed the playoffs in giving up 2 late TD's last weekend. Their defense looked far too porous against a Redskins team that couldn't get things done against the Giants who were missing their two best defenders from the previous year. Take the over against the Broncos this week.
10. San Diego Chargers (0-2)
A last second TD against Carolina through 3 guys and then the Hochuli gaffe last weekend. They're due a few breaks. They'll get one this week against the Jets. This is not a bad football team and they'll bounce back.
9. Denver Broncos (2-0)
They have no defense but apparently it doesn't matter. You kick a field goal, then they'll come right back down and score a touchdown. You score a touchdown, they'll come back down, score a touchdown, and then kick a 2-point conversion. Their offense is football's version of Nicky Santoro (think Joe Pesci in "Casino"). Denver just entered You Don't Want To Play Them territory.
8. Tennessee Titans (2-0)
Tennessee's defense and running game make them a team that will control the clock against pretty much anyone. Jeff Fisher has they type of team he's always wanted and it won't much matter whether it's Kerry Collins or Vince Young behind the center. This is a playoff team.
7. New York Giants (2-0)
The G-Men have the second easiest schedule next to the Patriots. We won't get to find out for a while what kind of team they are but RW isn't impressed by eking past the Redskins or giving the Rams a good shellacking. They still have a shaky passing game and their defense has yet to be tested. I'm in wait and see mode on them.
6. Green Bay Packers (2-0)
We'll get to find out just how much magic Aaron Rogers has in that arm. He'll be under some serious pressure from that Dallas D-Line and he'll have to put up at least 25 points to beat the Cowboys if we learned anything from Monday Night. I'm happy for Rogers though. He has the city behind him, his team believing, and the Packers are the favorites to win the division going away.
5. New England Patriots (2-0)
I think I overreacted last week dropping the Pats out of the Top-10, maybe I'm overreacting this week putting them back into the Top-5. However, Matt Cassel knows what he has to do. He has to take 3 to 5 steps back and then not throw a pick. It looks like he's capable of that. If that's the case, and he can get comfortable enough to heave it in Randy Moss' direction, then this is still more or less the team that hasn't lost a regular season game since before the sub-prime mortgage scandal started.
4. Indianapolis Colts (1-1)
Peyton Manning is starting to get his legs back under him. The Colts had the bend but don't break defense working. That will work against Tarvaris Jackson but I don't think it would even work in the Big XII with the QB's they have there. Big game this week against Jacksonville but I expect the Colts to look much better than they did last week.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0)
A lot will depend on how Big Ben's shoulder is doing. Fast Willy is looking like he did three years ago and the Steelers won a road game on national television in brutal conditions. They'll have to accomplish an even larger feat this weekend to come away unscathed in Philadelphia.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)
Speaking of the Eagles, did anyone else get the feeling that Monday Night's game was a preview of the NFC Championship game? If not for Donovan McNabb's brain fart with 8 minutes or so left, Philadelphia wins that game. I couldn't really bring myself to drop the Eagles in the rankings because I just don't see the Eagles losing this weekend and there's nobody else who I would favor over the Eagles before gametime.
1. Dallas Cowboys (2-0)
They have one of the top quarterbacks, wide receivers, short yardage rushers, tight ends, return-men, and defensive ends in the league. Their secondary is the only weak spot but it doesn't look like Dallas has a problem winning in a shootout if they have to.
WEEK 3 PICKS
Kansas City +6 at Atlanta
Raiders +9.5 at Buffalo
Tennessee -5 vs. Houston
Cincinnati +13.5 at New York Giants
Washington -3 vs. Arizona
New England -12.5 vs. Miami
Tampa Bay +3 at Chicago
Carolina +3.5 at Minnesota
Seattle -9.5 vs. St. Louis
San Fran -4 vs. Detroit
New Orleans +5.5 at Denver
Philadelphia -3 vs. Pittsburgh
Indy -5.5 vs. Jacksonville
Baltimore -2 vs. Cleveland
Dallas -3 at Green Bay
San Diego -9 vs. New York Jets
Season: 15-15-1
Today's Pick: West Virginia/Colorado Over 56.5
32. Detroit Lions (0-2)
I couldn't believe that they came back to take the lead on the Packers. I could believe that they gave up 24 points in the final 5:17 of the game. That's pretty impressive, almost as impressive as losing to the Falcons in Week 1. They're bringing up the rear until they win. It's like a guy throwing up an air-ball on the road in a basketball game. The crowd chants "Aiiiirrr-baaaaall" every time he touches it until he makes another basket.
31. St. Louis Rams (0-2)
Operation Bet Against The Rams is now 2-0. This team cannot do anything right. I especially enjoyed the throw the ball directly to the defensive lineman for a touchdown play. Betting against the Rams is like flipping the script on Vegas. You may lose a game here and there, but in the end, you'll come out ahead.
30. Kansas City Chiefs (0-2)
Losing at home to the Raiders is not exactly a good sign that things are going to improve. Neither is your marquee running back whining about touches. How many QB's do they have by the way? Since when did Yancy Thigpen come back to the NFL? They have a must win game this week if they want to avoid the possibility of a winless season. Not many more easy games on their schedule.
29. Miami Dolphins (0-2)
Easily the worst pick I made last week. If I ever decide to bet on the Dolphins, please remind me of Week 2 against the Cardinals. On the bright side, Joey Porter is still insane. Apparently getting shot in the rear end did nothing for him. They get to go to Foxboro this weekend. Do you think Pennington can throw more than 20 yards into a 5 MPH wind? We may get to find out.
28. Atlanta Falcons (0-2)
Atlanta is one of the five worst teams in football yet could be 2-1 after this weekend's game. I think they showed their true colors against Tampa this past weekend. Someone needs to tell Matt Ryan that David Carr is not a good guy to try to emulate. Don't be surprised if they're 2-1, but don't be surprised if they finish the season at 2-14.
27. Cincinnati Bengals (0-2)
Are they really this bad? They go into Week 3 as 13.5-point dogs to an Eli Manning led Giants team. What's worse, I'm not sure who to take yet. I have a feeling I'll talk myself into the points and then just be another one of the people tricked by Vegas into picking this team of underachievers.
26. Oakland Raiders (1-1)
The good news is, I now know who will be on the back of my next football jersey. Darren McFadden is a baller and making me feel very good for saying that we got the #1 pick in the draft in the 4 slot. The bad news is, we played the Chiefs, they're not good, and we'll be coming back to reality this weekend in Buffalo. JaMarcus will have 0.3 seconds to get rid of the ball this weekend, give or take 0.2 seconds.
25. Seattle Seahawks (0-2)
For all of you picking the Seahawks as your 0-2 team most likely to make the playoffs, here's the conversation I just had:
Me: I heard Koren Robinson say that he's been sober for 2 years.
D.J.: That's just the alcohol talking.
Good luck Seahawks fans. At least you get the Rams this week.
24. Arizona Cardinals (1-1)
Apparently it's easy to look good against the Dolphins. Arizona's offense is running on all cylinders but I'll believe they're for real if they can win this week at Washington. Until then, they're just one Kurt Warner thumb pull away from being the traditional Cardinals.
23. Cleveland Browns (0-2)
They're a 13-6 loss to the Ravens and about two more weeks away from the calls for Brady Quinn. Poor Cleveland fans. You're about to erase one good season with another decade of futility.
22. Baltimore Ravens (1-0)
The Ravens will have to go the rest of the season without a bye. This coming week though they'll get to rub it in Cleveland's face again that they skipped town. Unfortunately you'll remember at some point that they have no offense. That wake up call figures to come in Week 4 at Pittsburgh.
21. Chicago Bears (1-1)
Their defense continues to shine and the team gave a valiant effort last week in the heat in Carolina. They have a game coming up this week against Tampa Bay that should be very telling. If they can beat a Brian Griese led Tampa team and get to 2-1, we may see a team that could shock people like they did a couple of years ago in getting to the Super Bowl against the Colts. If they lose at home then they could nose dive. I have no idea what to expect from this year's Bears.
20. Houston Texans (0-1)
The blowout loss to Pittsburgh and then of course Hurricane Ike. It has been a rough season to say the least for the Texans and the season is but a couple of weeks old. Things don't figure to get better this weekend against the Titans who they historically struggle against. It will be tough to root against them though.
19. New York Jets (1-1)
Brett Favre says that this week's game at San Diego on Monday night is a must win. That's like my saying, the stock market must go up tomorrow. It's just not in the cards. Favre is trying to motivate his guys after a humbling loss but this figures to backfire. The Jets looked very unimpressive.
18. San Francisco 49ers (1-1)
I'm a believer. I'm drinking the J.T. O'Sullivan Kool-Aid. I picked them last week to beat the Seahawks outright on the road and they didn't let me down. Now I will boldly predict that the 49ers can hold serve at home against the mighty Detroit Lions.
17. Minnesota Vikings (0-2)
Is anybody else having trouble finding an analogy for going from Tarvaris Jackson to Gus Frerotte? Is it like going from a Datsun to a Hyundai? I don't know, but this team may have the best running game in football and one of the top-3 defenses in the league. There is no excuse. Oh wait, yes there is. They have no QB.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2)
They're not good at football. Outside of their mediocre running game, they've been unable to get anything else done. Their once vaunted defense was getting eaten up by the Buffalo Bills. They're in big danger of going 0-3 after playing in Indy this coming week and effectively taking themselves out of the playoff race before a month of the season has even passed.
15. Washington Redskins (1-1)
A very impressive comeback win at home against the Saints. Jason Campbell just looks smooth back there at QB and Santana Moss seems to sneak behind safeties at least once a game. If they beat the Cardinals at home as they should, expect a jump for the Skins in the RW rankings.
14. Carolina Panthers (2-0)
Jake Delhomme is looking like a guy who just figures out how to get things done. They're getting back one of the best receivers in the game in Steve Smith, and their defense has been impressive. A road win at Minnesota and a 3-0 start seemed unfathomable at the beginning of the season but now only Gus Frerotte stands in their way.
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1)
They didn't look all that great against the Falcons, which worries me a bit, but they got the job done in Gruden fashion. It never really seemed like a game in doubt, the defense looked good, and the offense didn't screw up too much. There will be a lot of speed bumps along the way, but again, this is a good team.
12. Buffalo Bills (2-0)
Marshawn Lynch, Trent Edwards and Lee Evans. All of a sudden that sounds like quite a trio. They'll be getting a Raiders team with a lame duck coaching staff and after beating Jacksonville on the road I can't imagine them losing this week. 3-0 in the Brady-less AFC East and all of a sudden this is a formidable playoff team.
11. New Orleans Saints (1-1)
Uh-oh. This is starting to look a lot like the team that missed the playoffs in giving up 2 late TD's last weekend. Their defense looked far too porous against a Redskins team that couldn't get things done against the Giants who were missing their two best defenders from the previous year. Take the over against the Broncos this week.
10. San Diego Chargers (0-2)
A last second TD against Carolina through 3 guys and then the Hochuli gaffe last weekend. They're due a few breaks. They'll get one this week against the Jets. This is not a bad football team and they'll bounce back.
9. Denver Broncos (2-0)
They have no defense but apparently it doesn't matter. You kick a field goal, then they'll come right back down and score a touchdown. You score a touchdown, they'll come back down, score a touchdown, and then kick a 2-point conversion. Their offense is football's version of Nicky Santoro (think Joe Pesci in "Casino"). Denver just entered You Don't Want To Play Them territory.
8. Tennessee Titans (2-0)
Tennessee's defense and running game make them a team that will control the clock against pretty much anyone. Jeff Fisher has they type of team he's always wanted and it won't much matter whether it's Kerry Collins or Vince Young behind the center. This is a playoff team.
7. New York Giants (2-0)
The G-Men have the second easiest schedule next to the Patriots. We won't get to find out for a while what kind of team they are but RW isn't impressed by eking past the Redskins or giving the Rams a good shellacking. They still have a shaky passing game and their defense has yet to be tested. I'm in wait and see mode on them.
6. Green Bay Packers (2-0)
We'll get to find out just how much magic Aaron Rogers has in that arm. He'll be under some serious pressure from that Dallas D-Line and he'll have to put up at least 25 points to beat the Cowboys if we learned anything from Monday Night. I'm happy for Rogers though. He has the city behind him, his team believing, and the Packers are the favorites to win the division going away.
5. New England Patriots (2-0)
I think I overreacted last week dropping the Pats out of the Top-10, maybe I'm overreacting this week putting them back into the Top-5. However, Matt Cassel knows what he has to do. He has to take 3 to 5 steps back and then not throw a pick. It looks like he's capable of that. If that's the case, and he can get comfortable enough to heave it in Randy Moss' direction, then this is still more or less the team that hasn't lost a regular season game since before the sub-prime mortgage scandal started.
4. Indianapolis Colts (1-1)
Peyton Manning is starting to get his legs back under him. The Colts had the bend but don't break defense working. That will work against Tarvaris Jackson but I don't think it would even work in the Big XII with the QB's they have there. Big game this week against Jacksonville but I expect the Colts to look much better than they did last week.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0)
A lot will depend on how Big Ben's shoulder is doing. Fast Willy is looking like he did three years ago and the Steelers won a road game on national television in brutal conditions. They'll have to accomplish an even larger feat this weekend to come away unscathed in Philadelphia.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)
Speaking of the Eagles, did anyone else get the feeling that Monday Night's game was a preview of the NFC Championship game? If not for Donovan McNabb's brain fart with 8 minutes or so left, Philadelphia wins that game. I couldn't really bring myself to drop the Eagles in the rankings because I just don't see the Eagles losing this weekend and there's nobody else who I would favor over the Eagles before gametime.
1. Dallas Cowboys (2-0)
They have one of the top quarterbacks, wide receivers, short yardage rushers, tight ends, return-men, and defensive ends in the league. Their secondary is the only weak spot but it doesn't look like Dallas has a problem winning in a shootout if they have to.
WEEK 3 PICKS
Kansas City +6 at Atlanta
Raiders +9.5 at Buffalo
Tennessee -5 vs. Houston
Cincinnati +13.5 at New York Giants
Washington -3 vs. Arizona
New England -12.5 vs. Miami
Tampa Bay +3 at Chicago
Carolina +3.5 at Minnesota
Seattle -9.5 vs. St. Louis
San Fran -4 vs. Detroit
New Orleans +5.5 at Denver
Philadelphia -3 vs. Pittsburgh
Indy -5.5 vs. Jacksonville
Baltimore -2 vs. Cleveland
Dallas -3 at Green Bay
San Diego -9 vs. New York Jets
Season: 15-15-1
Today's Pick: West Virginia/Colorado Over 56.5
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