|
Rank |
Team |
Comment |
| 1(1) |
 |
Peyton Manning struggled to get his offense going against Jacksonville, but when the Jaguars made mistakes, he capitalized. The lack of a run game is still a big concern for the Colts, but they are so talented at other positions to make up for it. When they face Jacksonville on the road is when they may face their toughest test of the season. |
| 2(2) |
 |
Although it took a little help from the Steelers shooting themselves in the foot, Carson Palmer thrived off the return of T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The Bengals' defense continues to be impressive in creating turnovers, picking Roethlisberger off left and right, including one that would have almost tied the game. |
| 3(3) |
 |
The Seahawks offense finally showed up...and then Shaun Alexander broke his foot. The game against the Giants looked a lot closer than it really was. With Deion Branch getting more involved with the offense, Hasselbeck will be fine until Alexander is able to return. |
| 4(7) |
 |
It's pretty good when you move from the seventh ranking to the fourth ranking during your bye week. The Steelers, Patriots, and Giants are coming off very poor weeks, and although I thought about it, I couldn't leave them ahead of a team like the Chargers at this point. |
| 5(4) |
 |
New England simply did not show up against the Broncos. Bill Belichick always has his team well prepared following a loss, but they'll have their hands full against the Bengals this week. Doug Gabriel will probably see some more playing time this week to give Brady a more reliable target to get comfortable with. |
| 6(8) |
 |
Despite losing, the Jaguars' improved ranking not only comes as a result of other teams losing, but the fact that they did play a solid game against the Colts. They held Peyton Manning to a career low in completion percentage, and saw the emergence of Maurice Drew. If they wouldn't have allowed a punt return (to the COLTS?), they may have had a shot at winning. |
| 7(9) |
 |
Denver's defense has been very good throughout the first three games, and aren't getting enough recognition due to the poor play of Jake Plummer in the first two games. The Broncos will be ranked in the top five if Plummer continues the rebound performances like he had last week. Getting Javon Walker involved will be a priority. |
| 8(6) |
 |
At 1-2, the Steelers are lucky they haven't fallen any further. They only game they've won came against a team that isn't looking very good right now, but both of their losses have come against teams that will challenge for playoff spots in the AFC. Roethlisberger needs to regroup during the bye - big time. |
| 9(16) |
 |
It took me three weeks to believe in the Bears again, and they've finally moved back into the top ten. Rex Grossman has been impressive this year, even with the poor interception he threw against the Vikings. His late, game-winning touchdown showed the maturity needed to turn the Bears' offense into a more consistent threat. |
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| 10(5) |
 |
Could disaster be in store for the Giants? They have been outplayed 110% the past two weeks, and are very fortunate to have won against the Eagles two weeks ago. Like the Steelers, the bye is coming at the right time for the Giants, because Eli Manning needs to make a lot of adjustments. |
| 11(10) |
 |
Coming off of a bye week, the Cowboys will look to look past the weird Terrell Owens story that happened throughout the week. There's even a chance that Owens will play this week, but I wouldn't risk it against a team they'll probably win without him. |
| 12(12) |
 |
Steve Smith is back, and so is the number in the win column for the Panthers. Carolina dominated the first half of the game, but several fumbled in the second half nearly led to a disaster. John Kasey kicked the Panthers to a win with four clutch field goals from long range. |
| 13(15) |
 |
The Ravens made a great comeback against the Browns with several unbelievable throws by Steve McNair. Although the defense stopped the running game of the Browns, Charlie Frye had his way with their secondary, something that'll raise a concern when they do face a good running back - like Tomlinson this week. |
| 14(20) |
 |
I expected the Saints to surprise people, but not to this extent. They are undefeated still, and with a win over the Panthers, they could establish control of the NFC South and become the first or second seed in the NFC. Drew Brees has been masterful for this team. |
| 15(11) |
 |
Unfortunately, after two weeks of the running game dominating, we saw what happened when Michael Vick struggles: nothing. When Vick is down, the Falcons are down. For their sake, hopefully they were just overmatched in the theme of "returning to the Superdome". |
| 16(14) |
 |
Despite falling two spots, the Vikings are still a solid team. They shot themselves in the foot against the Bears after looking like they were on their way to winning a game. Minnesota is a team that won't dominate other teams, but they'll win more times than not in a close game. |
| 17(13) |
 |
Despite picking up their first win, the Dolphins actually dropped three spots. Daunte Culpepper is going to have to show something against the Texans this week, who are poor against the pass. If he can't throw for a couple of touchdowns at least, then the Dolphins won't be going anywhere this season. |
| 18(19) |
 |
Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook are hooking up like the tandem that made the playoffs two years ago. With the Giants struggling, Washington trying to get its offense going, and the Cowboys suffering the Terrell Owens controversy, this may be the most consistent team in the division right now. |
| 19(17) |
 |
Mark Brunell's record-breaking consecutive completion mark against the Texans was impressive, but it wouldn't have been possible without the return of Clinton Portis. Portis makes the offense click all around, and will bring them back into contention after a rough start. |
| 20(21) |
 |
The Rams have a chance to quietly make some noise in the NFC. Once their offense catches fire, they could be the most underrated team in football. |
| 21(23) |
 |
Three games into the season, the Jets have a winning record due to the play of Chad Pennington, who should be a comeback player of the year candidate if he continues this pace. |
| 22(18) |
 |
The Chiefs are still a couple of weeks away from the return of Trent Green, meaning they'll be depending on running back Larry Johnson to literally carry the team on his shoulders until then. The Chiefs can't afford to fall behind in a division with the Chargers and Broncos both on the rise. |
| 23(22) |
 |
This talented offense is struggling due to Kurt Warner taking shots over and over from opposing defenses. The offensive line will prevent the Cardinals from reaching the postseason. The defense has actually played somewhat better than expected, and Warner not being able to pull games out has brought the question of a switch to Matt Leinart. |
| 24(24) |
 |
How can you possibly have that much offense in one week, and still lose? They aren't a team that can be walked all over, but it doesn't look like they are ready to play well on both sides of the ball each game. |
| 25(25) |
 |
The Browns have lost to three teams with 3-0 records, and nearly upset the Ravens last week after a great effort by Charlie Frye, Braylon Edwards, and Kellen Winslow. They'll look for light this week against the Oakland Raiders on the road. |
| 26(30) |
 |
Brett Favre is feeling it on offense, so it's unfortunate that he can't play defense as well. If the defense was even playing average, the Packers would actually have a legitimate shot at the playoffs. They allow too many points though, and Favre is bound to throw interceptions in a shootout. |
| 27(26) |
 |
Losing Vernon Davis will halter the progress of Alex Smith a little, but he's still working well with Antonio Bryant and Frank Gore. It's still a maturity year for the 49ers though, who would love to have the Rams on their schedule more often. |
| 28(27) |
 |
The Buccaneers showed some heart in a near comeback against the Panthers, but losing Chris Simms for possibly the rest of the season adds insult to injury. Although Simms had struggled, they are now forced to have a rookie quarterback control a team that was already struggling heavily on offense. |
| 29(28) |
 |
Jon Kitna had his best game with the Lions, but they still need a lot of work in other areas of the game. They at least seemed to have an upper hand on the Packers last year, but couldn't grab the advantage against a team that couldn't win at home. |
| 30(29) |
 |
The Titans stayed in the game last week, but this has turned into a young, exciting team, into a team that really isn't too interesting at the moment. Maybe I'm spoiled with the thought of both Vince Young and LenDale White starting, since both of them are on the bench still. |
| 31(31) |
 |
David Carr has the best quarterback rating in the league right now, but their is virtually no running game for them right now. Wouldn't Reggie Bush seem a little better right now, even if Mario Williams was cheaper? |
| 32(32) |
 |
Many fans were upset that the Raiders had a bye last week, because they didn't have a "for sure" team to pick against as their lock of the week. |
