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Week 2 Power Rankings: Rams Crash Down
Chris Pokorny September 15, 2007
Chris Pokorny
PFC Owner & Writer

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In our Week 2 Power Rankings, the top three teams were more than impressive, but the same can't be said about the next three. The New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, and Baltimore Ravens each earned a mulligan for their Week 1 efforts, but the same will not occur if they fall again this week. Meanwhile, several teams with veteran quarterbacks - including the Green Bay Packers and the Carolina Panthers - began their rise to the top. These rankings were made on September 14th, 2007. These power rankings for Pro Football Critics were created heading into Week 2. These rankings take into consideration team momentum from last season, preseason performances, and season expectations. Don't agree with where I rank your team? Then make sure you respond by sending an email to pokorny@pfcritics.com.

RankTeam Comment
1 (2) - The champs are back, and they didn't wait long to make a statement. After so many Super Bowl champions have disappointed in the season following their glory, the Colts shocked the world with a defensive statement against last year's top offense in football. With the Colts' offense and defense on the same page, nothing can stop them.
2 (1) - The Chargers may not have been as flashy as the Colts and the Patriots were in Week 1, but it certainly isn't an easy feat to defeat the defending NFC Champions in your first game of the season. The Chargers were able to do it without a respectably rushing average from Tomlinson, once again emphasizing the fact that this team is full of depth at every position.
3 (3) - The Patriots played well enough to move up in the rankings, but the Chargers and Colts didn't do anything to lose their spots. Unfortunately for New England, their huge victory over the Jets was overshadowed by the illegal antics used by Belichick and company during the game. The price was hefty, but their season isn't affected.
4 (4) - This is the first of three consecutive mulligans. I'm willing to give one, maybe two mulligans per year to a team. For the Saints to come out against the Colts defense and show absolutely nothing on either side of the ball was quite alarming for Sean Payton's team.
5 (5) - I didn't see anything from the Bears' running game, carrying over the issues they had during the preseason. Although I didn't think Rex Grossman really did anything to lose the game, the offense in general simply does not seem to have enough firepower. If the Bears fall again, it won't be long before the Packers are two games ahead of them.
6 (6) - The final team to earn a mulligan, the Ravens are in desperate need for some help. The last time the Ravens had so many crucial injuries, the Steelers and the Bengals made the postseason while Billick's crew did not.
7 (8)
 
- The Cowboys secondary was ripped apart again, bringing back all of the issues from last year. However, seeing Tony Romo in a groove removed any doubt that his botched hold last year would carry over mentally this year.
8 (7)
 
- Special teams can really kill a team, and that was definitely the case in Week 1 for the Eagles. At least ten points were directly due to fumbled punts, and that's not something the defensive unit can smile about after the work they put in.
9 (11) - Matt Hasselbeck did not throw an interception and Shaun Alexander went over 100 yards rushing in the Seahawks' first game of the season. They won't be low key very much longer, because with those two men healthy, Seattle is a force to be reckoned with in the NFC.
10 (13)

 
- The Bengals defense hasn't been good for a long time, but if they're able to hang around and intercept all of the tipped balls, they can take the AFC North. Carson Palmer is in sync with Chad Johnson sooner than last year.
11 (9)
- Why boo Chad Pennington? Pennington led the Jets to the postseason last year, and actually had a very good game against the Patriots overall. The Patriots may simply be too tough for anyone to beat this year, so a better test for the Jets comes this week against Baltimore.
12 (10)
- The Broncos' offensive effort against the Bills was fairly explosive, but how is it that they only put 15 points on the board, nearly losing the game if it weren't for Elam winning it as time expired? That's not how a contender should be winning football games.
13 (15)
- The Packers carried over their momentum last season using tremendous efforts from their defense and a little luck on special teams. Brett Favre has to hope that the running game will mature quickly to allow this team to compete for the division title right away.
14 (18)
- I was waiting for the Panthers to show me that they're back to being at top form this season. Their dominating victory on the road against the St. Louis Rams was certainly a step in the right direction.
15 (19)
- The Titans took a running back that they were about to waive (Chris Brown), and were able to get over 170 yards rushing out of him against one of the top defenses in the NFL. I guess they won't be missing Travis Henry.
16 (14) - Despite the victory, the 49ers didn't explode as I thought they would against the Cardinals. I haven't lost faith in them though, as I expect Frank Gore and Alex Smith to get more comfortable again in the coming weeks.
17 (12)
- It really is a shame that the two fumbles from Steven Jackson changed all of the momentum the Rams had against Carolina. Now, the Rams have started the season off on the wrong side of the record.
18 (16)
- I don't expect the Jaguars to be torched on the ground as they were last week for the rest of the season, but a performance like that sure raises a lot of questions.
19 (17) - With Brandon Jacobs out and the injury concerns to Eli Manning, the season isn't starting off as the Giants had hoped it would.
20 (21) - After Ben Roethlisberger threw for four touchdowns against the Browns, it's time to show that he can reproduce that type of effort over the span of several weeks.
21 (20) - Matt Leinart could not get anything going early on against the 49ers, but seeing Edgerrin James get close to 100 yards rushing is a positive sign.
22 (22) - The Bills let a huge game slip away that could have cost them their season. They may seem drastic for Week 1, but the Bills need to have a season in which they start off on fire, not end on fire.
23 (25) - After watching the Eagles and Giants fall in Week 1, Joe Gibbs and the Redskins are hoping that fundamental football will carry them into the playoffs like it did a few years ago.
24 (28)
- Jon Kitna may still throw some interceptions, but he has a full arsenal of weapons to make this one of the best passing offenses in the NFL. Roy Williams, Calvin Johnson, Shaun McDonald, and Mike Furrey combine for an offensive coordinator's dream.
25 (29)
- Last year, the Bears went to the postseason with a solid defense, a solid run game, and a below average passing game. That could very well equate to the Vikings gameplay this year: can they surprise some teams down the stretch?
26 (23) - Jeff Garcia wasn't able to produce as much firepower as he did with the Eagles, proving again that the Buccaneers' biggest mistake was failing to acquire a big-name receiver.
27 (26) - Trent Green didn't play bad, but the Dolphins are already looking up to the Patriots after Week 1.
28 (30)
 
- It only took Matt Schaub one week to have a better winning percentage than David Carr ever had.
29 (24)
- With all due respect to the Houston Texans' defense, things are not even close to looking positive for the Chiefs at this point. Neither side of the ball looks to be impressive, coming from a team that made the postseason last year.
30 (27)
- Charlie Frye's performance was so putrid in Week 1 that the Browns traded him to the Seattle Seahawks. With Derek Anderson as the new starter, another evaluation period takes place for Week 2.
31 (31) - Josh McCown provided an offensive spark that no one could have expected, but the Raiders' secondary full of talent failed to stop anyone on the Lions.
32 (32) - The Falcons aren't bad just because Michael Vick is gone, they're just bad period.

Do you have an opinion on this article? Do you want direct fantasy football advice from one of our writers? You can e-mail us at pokorny@pfcritics.com. Be sure to label your subject line appropriately so we don't think it is spam. Please include your name (can be a screename), city and state. We guarantee a response to any questions or comments you have, and will publish them in our next mailbag session if appropriate.

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