Altima
09-19-2007, 07:24 AM
Here are the power rankings for the first 2 weeks of football as experts see them.
Top 16.
Over the past week, the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick have been called a lot of names. One thing they haven't been called is distracted. In what was billed as a battle of AFC heavyweights, the Pats came out with an "us against the world" mentality and dismantled the San Diego Chargers.
So how far will the Chargers drop? How high will surprise teams like Houston, Green Bay and Washington jump?
Find out in the Week 2 installment of our NFL Power Rankings:
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September 18, 2007
NFL Power Rankings
RK LW Team Comment
1 1 Patriots (2-0) Tom Brady’s passer rating through two games: 134.2. Belichick must be satisfied with his offense then, right? "We left some points out there and we left some plays out there," he said. "Hopefully, we'll keep working hard and try to convert those."
2 2 Colts
(2-0) The Titans always play the champs tight. The last three games against Tennessee have been decided by a total of six points.
3 4 Steelers (2-0) Steeltown is giddy over the dominating start, with Pittsburgh outscoring opponents 60-10 in the first two games. Of course, the Steelers won’t get to play the Browns and Bills all season.
4 11 Cowboys (2-0) Tony Romo is about to be a very rich man. With the Cowboys averaging 41 points per game, the longer Jerry Jones takes to sign the deal, the more his star quarterback will cost him.
5 3 Chargers (1-1) Gasp. L.T. Jr. and the Bolts are last in the league in yards per rush (2.3). I know it was against two of the best Ds in the league, but a team with championship aspirations and the best back in the league has to run better than that.
6 10 Bears
(1-1) Rex Grossman’s passer rating of 55.1 ranks 32nd in the NFL this season. Lovie keeps talking patience, but Chicago’s is wearing thin.
7 8 Ravens (1-1) Sure, you need to be healthy to win, but you also can’t be committing stupid penalties. Baltimore leads the league with 21.
8 9 Broncos (2-0) The first win came on a panicked, last-second field goal. The second was a loss, if not for a Shanahan timeout. Hey, 2-0 is 2-0.
9 15 Texans (2-0) “This year’s Saints” have now won four in a row (dating back to last season) including a win against the Colts at Reliant Stadium. This week’s opponent: the Colts at Reliant Stadium.
10 16 Packers (2-0) Mike McCarthy has a brilliant plan for not allowing his young team to get overconfident, “I keep telling them they're not very good."
11 13 Titans
(1-1) Sure, Vince Young is a warrior. But holding Indy to one TD in five red zone trips, that’s what impressed me on Sunday.
12 18 49ers
(2-0) San Francisco has won twice despite being dead last in the league in total offense. That’s a tight rope to walk.
13 5 Seahawks (1-1) Both Hasselbeck and Holmgren are insisting on taking the blame for “the fumble” Sunday. But the more they talk, the more it seems like it was all Alexander.
14 20 Lions
(2-0) I’ve been making fun of Jon Kitna for his 10-win prediction, but for him to come back from that hit and win the game for Detroit…that was Favresque.
15 23 Redskins (2-0) Maybe I’m being too picky, but Jason Campbell has to put more air under the ball on that long pass to Moss. That would have sealed the game. Playoff teams make that play.
16 7 Panthers (1-1) “When you turn the ball over and you have drops and you don't execute on defense on third down,” said coach Fox, “you add that up and it's usually not very good.”
The bottom 16
What a difference two games can make.
The Saints have gone from an inspirational story to an inexplicable joke, the Eagles drafting of Kevin Kolb has gone from confounding to profound and Steven Jackson has gone from prolific to impotent.
See how far some early favorites have fallen in the dregs of our Week 2 NFL Power Rankings:
September 18, 2007
NFL Power Rankings
RK LW Team Comment
17 17 Vikings
(1-1) All quarterbacks have bad days, but four INTs? Maybe it’s time to give Kelly Holcomb a shot.
18 22 Cardinals (1-1) Ken Whisenhunt gave much of the credit for his first Cardinals win the crowd in Phoenix. Wait, there was a crowd in Phoenix?
19 6 Bengals (1-1) Remember what I said about the Bengals’ defense last week? Yeah, scratch that.
20 28 Buccaneers (1-1) Maybe Jeff Garcia just knows how to win football games…
21 19 Jaguars (1-1) A win and the Jags drop two slots? Let’s just say that 11.5 points per game isn’t very impressive.
22 29 Raiders
(0-2) OK, I’m with you Raiders fans. This is the best 0-2 team in the league. Freaking Shanahan and his wily timeout calls.
23 31 Browns (1-1) What happened to all those Brady chants? Romeo Crennel summed up Cleveland’s collective attitude thusly, “A division win. Yaaay!”
24 21 Jets
(0-2) You can’t win in this league without an offensive line. The Jets’ O-line has given up nine sacks already and has opened up holes for New York runners to the tune of a whopping 2.8 yards per carry.
25 14 Eagles
(0-2) It’s early, but Donovan McNabb looks a lot more like Daunte Culpepper coming off a knee injury than Carson Palmer coming off a knee injury.
26 26 Dolphins (0-2) According to coach Cameron, "No matter what that performance looked like, I can tell you unequivocally that this team cares.” If only this were kindergarten.
27 25 Rams
(0-2) Memo to Steven Jackson: if you are going to do all those commercials and then rush for 60 yards on 21 carries, you can’t sneak out the back without talking to the media.
28 32 Falcons (0-2) I understand talking to Leftwich. There are only three Joey Harrington fans left in this country (Joey, his mom, and some guy who emailed me last week). But unless the O-line is fixed (an NFL-worst 13 sacks in two games), Joe Montana wouldn’t be able to squeeze six wins out of this team.
29 24 Bills
(0-2) When J.P. Losman was asked if he was disappointed with his execution in the passing game he responded, “No, I'm not. I feel we're throwing the ball effectively when we get those plays called." With the Bills averaging 96.5 passing yards per game, that answer left many in Buffalo scratching their heads.
30 30 Chiefs
(0-2) Hey, last year, in the Chiefs’ first two games, L.J. was held out of the endzone and the Chiefs went winless. K.C. still made the playoffs. Maybe history is repeating itself.
31 12 Saints
(0-2) I’ll throw this one to former Saints coach Jim Mora: “I can understand getting beat by the Colts, but when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat 'em 31-14, I think it's definitely cause for concern. I saw Tampa Bay in Week 1, and they're not that good."
32 27 Giants
(0-2) All offseason, New Yorkers have been worried about Eli. Maybe more focus should have been on a defense that has given up the most points over the first two games than any other in the franchise’s last 41 years.
Top 16.
Over the past week, the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick have been called a lot of names. One thing they haven't been called is distracted. In what was billed as a battle of AFC heavyweights, the Pats came out with an "us against the world" mentality and dismantled the San Diego Chargers.
So how far will the Chargers drop? How high will surprise teams like Houston, Green Bay and Washington jump?
Find out in the Week 2 installment of our NFL Power Rankings:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
September 18, 2007
NFL Power Rankings
RK LW Team Comment
1 1 Patriots (2-0) Tom Brady’s passer rating through two games: 134.2. Belichick must be satisfied with his offense then, right? "We left some points out there and we left some plays out there," he said. "Hopefully, we'll keep working hard and try to convert those."
2 2 Colts
(2-0) The Titans always play the champs tight. The last three games against Tennessee have been decided by a total of six points.
3 4 Steelers (2-0) Steeltown is giddy over the dominating start, with Pittsburgh outscoring opponents 60-10 in the first two games. Of course, the Steelers won’t get to play the Browns and Bills all season.
4 11 Cowboys (2-0) Tony Romo is about to be a very rich man. With the Cowboys averaging 41 points per game, the longer Jerry Jones takes to sign the deal, the more his star quarterback will cost him.
5 3 Chargers (1-1) Gasp. L.T. Jr. and the Bolts are last in the league in yards per rush (2.3). I know it was against two of the best Ds in the league, but a team with championship aspirations and the best back in the league has to run better than that.
6 10 Bears
(1-1) Rex Grossman’s passer rating of 55.1 ranks 32nd in the NFL this season. Lovie keeps talking patience, but Chicago’s is wearing thin.
7 8 Ravens (1-1) Sure, you need to be healthy to win, but you also can’t be committing stupid penalties. Baltimore leads the league with 21.
8 9 Broncos (2-0) The first win came on a panicked, last-second field goal. The second was a loss, if not for a Shanahan timeout. Hey, 2-0 is 2-0.
9 15 Texans (2-0) “This year’s Saints” have now won four in a row (dating back to last season) including a win against the Colts at Reliant Stadium. This week’s opponent: the Colts at Reliant Stadium.
10 16 Packers (2-0) Mike McCarthy has a brilliant plan for not allowing his young team to get overconfident, “I keep telling them they're not very good."
11 13 Titans
(1-1) Sure, Vince Young is a warrior. But holding Indy to one TD in five red zone trips, that’s what impressed me on Sunday.
12 18 49ers
(2-0) San Francisco has won twice despite being dead last in the league in total offense. That’s a tight rope to walk.
13 5 Seahawks (1-1) Both Hasselbeck and Holmgren are insisting on taking the blame for “the fumble” Sunday. But the more they talk, the more it seems like it was all Alexander.
14 20 Lions
(2-0) I’ve been making fun of Jon Kitna for his 10-win prediction, but for him to come back from that hit and win the game for Detroit…that was Favresque.
15 23 Redskins (2-0) Maybe I’m being too picky, but Jason Campbell has to put more air under the ball on that long pass to Moss. That would have sealed the game. Playoff teams make that play.
16 7 Panthers (1-1) “When you turn the ball over and you have drops and you don't execute on defense on third down,” said coach Fox, “you add that up and it's usually not very good.”
The bottom 16
What a difference two games can make.
The Saints have gone from an inspirational story to an inexplicable joke, the Eagles drafting of Kevin Kolb has gone from confounding to profound and Steven Jackson has gone from prolific to impotent.
See how far some early favorites have fallen in the dregs of our Week 2 NFL Power Rankings:
September 18, 2007
NFL Power Rankings
RK LW Team Comment
17 17 Vikings
(1-1) All quarterbacks have bad days, but four INTs? Maybe it’s time to give Kelly Holcomb a shot.
18 22 Cardinals (1-1) Ken Whisenhunt gave much of the credit for his first Cardinals win the crowd in Phoenix. Wait, there was a crowd in Phoenix?
19 6 Bengals (1-1) Remember what I said about the Bengals’ defense last week? Yeah, scratch that.
20 28 Buccaneers (1-1) Maybe Jeff Garcia just knows how to win football games…
21 19 Jaguars (1-1) A win and the Jags drop two slots? Let’s just say that 11.5 points per game isn’t very impressive.
22 29 Raiders
(0-2) OK, I’m with you Raiders fans. This is the best 0-2 team in the league. Freaking Shanahan and his wily timeout calls.
23 31 Browns (1-1) What happened to all those Brady chants? Romeo Crennel summed up Cleveland’s collective attitude thusly, “A division win. Yaaay!”
24 21 Jets
(0-2) You can’t win in this league without an offensive line. The Jets’ O-line has given up nine sacks already and has opened up holes for New York runners to the tune of a whopping 2.8 yards per carry.
25 14 Eagles
(0-2) It’s early, but Donovan McNabb looks a lot more like Daunte Culpepper coming off a knee injury than Carson Palmer coming off a knee injury.
26 26 Dolphins (0-2) According to coach Cameron, "No matter what that performance looked like, I can tell you unequivocally that this team cares.” If only this were kindergarten.
27 25 Rams
(0-2) Memo to Steven Jackson: if you are going to do all those commercials and then rush for 60 yards on 21 carries, you can’t sneak out the back without talking to the media.
28 32 Falcons (0-2) I understand talking to Leftwich. There are only three Joey Harrington fans left in this country (Joey, his mom, and some guy who emailed me last week). But unless the O-line is fixed (an NFL-worst 13 sacks in two games), Joe Montana wouldn’t be able to squeeze six wins out of this team.
29 24 Bills
(0-2) When J.P. Losman was asked if he was disappointed with his execution in the passing game he responded, “No, I'm not. I feel we're throwing the ball effectively when we get those plays called." With the Bills averaging 96.5 passing yards per game, that answer left many in Buffalo scratching their heads.
30 30 Chiefs
(0-2) Hey, last year, in the Chiefs’ first two games, L.J. was held out of the endzone and the Chiefs went winless. K.C. still made the playoffs. Maybe history is repeating itself.
31 12 Saints
(0-2) I’ll throw this one to former Saints coach Jim Mora: “I can understand getting beat by the Colts, but when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat 'em 31-14, I think it's definitely cause for concern. I saw Tampa Bay in Week 1, and they're not that good."
32 27 Giants
(0-2) All offseason, New Yorkers have been worried about Eli. Maybe more focus should have been on a defense that has given up the most points over the first two games than any other in the franchise’s last 41 years.