| Rank | Team |
Comment |
| 1 (1) |  | Last year, the Colts'
defense was shredded by the Titans' running backs allowing Vince Young and
company to pull off an upset after Rob Bironas drilled a 60-yard field
goal. What was the difference this year? Bob Sanders. Sanders was all over
the field to stuff the Titans' running game, and played a big role in
preventing Young from scrambling on the Titans' final play of the game. |
| 2 (3) |  | The Patriots have
completed dominated the New York Jets and the San Diego Chargers over the first
two weeks. Both of those teams were solid playoff teams last year. New England
looks like the team to beat in the league, but until the Super Bowl Champions
suffer defeat, Belichick will have to stay in second. |
3 (7)
 |  | The defense may not be
lights out, but they were able to record four interceptions en route to
their second win of the season. Tony Romo has the Cowboys' offense at its
peak right now, almost like the New Orleans Saints' offense was destroying
the opposition last year. |
| 4 (3) |
 | Despite LaDainian
Tomlinson's horrific rushing numbers through two games, I sincerely
believe that their loss against the Patriots could be their only loss of
the season. The Chargers are still built to win a championship - they just
need to work out a few kinks. |
| 5 (5) |  | The Bears didn't
dominate the Chiefs as I expected them to, nor did Rex Grossman do
anything overly impressive. As long as the Bears have a dominating defense
and a Devin Hester in the return game though, they'll be amongst the top
of the NFC. |
6 (13)
|  | The NFL's been put on
notice: Brett Favre's leading a winning football team again. Just imagine
how much more potential the offense would've had with Randy Moss? The real
story remains the defense, which completely shut down the Giants offense
late on the road in an impressive 35-13 stomping. |
7 (20)
|
 | I underestimated the
Steelers heading into this season due to Mike Tomlin taking over as head
coach. Tomlin has shown me a lot over the first two weeks, as his Steelers
have dismantled the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Bills. With
Roethlisberger in a groove, it'll be great to see them go up against the
2-0 49ers this week. |
8 (6)
|  | Despite coming away
with their first victory of the season over the Jets, the Ravens haven't
looked like a powerhouse yet. In fact, they almost allowed backup
quarterback Kellen Clemens lead the Jets to a comeback, had it not been
for a drop in the end zone. |
9 (12)
|
 | Jason Elam's 2-for-2
in game-winning kicks over the past two weeks, something that has surely
made Broncos games exciting to watch. However, it's time for Denver to
discover a way to punch it in early and often rather than settling for
field goals. |
10 (16)
|
 | Mike Nolan has his
team focused and primed for a run at the postseason earlier than last year.
Frank Gore's ability to overcome adversity was a touching story. Now, they'll
face their first "big" test this week versus the 2-0 Steelers. |
11 (11)
|
 | Unlike some of the
other "good" teams from last season in the NFL, the Seahawks didn't look
pitiful in defeat. Then again, the Seahawks team that made the Super Bowl
a few seasons back wouldn't have allowed teams in their division to come
away with victories. |
12 (4)
 |
 | Based on the way the
Saints have played over the first two weeks, they should be ranked as one
of the worst team's in the NFL. I am giving them one final chance before I
drop them that far, and it comes with a home game this week against the
Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football. |
13 (10)
|
 | Before the season
started, I was confident that the Bengals were by far the worst defensive
team in the NFL. They showed that against the Browns last week, but it
doesn't mean they'll be torched that much every week. |
| 14
(15) |
 | What's the
scariest part about the Tennessee Titans being 1-1 already, and only
losing by two points to the Indianapolis Colts? I don't think Vince Young
has even come close to reaching his potential this season yet. |
15 (28)
|
 | Matt Schaub, thank
your lucky stars that you're out of Atlanta. After having the unpleasant
task of sitting behind Michael Vick for a few years, Schaub has led a team
that's been buried for year to a 2-0 start. With that said, not having
Andre Johnson will be a big deterrent for the Texans this week. |
| 16 (14) |
 | When the Panthers
scored two touchdowns right away in the first quarter against the Texans,
I was almost convinced that Carolina was going to return to being a Super
Bowl contender. Then, all of a sudden, things took a turn for the worse,
and the Panthers were pretty much dominated by Houston. |
17 (11)
|
 | Chad Pennington should
return to action this week, but the Jets need to start winning as soon as
possible if they want to repeat last season's stunning postseason
appearance. |
| 18 (18) |
 | As far as I'm
concerned, the Jaguars 13-7 victory over the Atlanta Falcons might as well
have been a loss. David Garrard's not playing bad, but where are the
touchdowns for the offense? And, when is the running game going to show
anything? |
19 (24)
|
 | Two weeks into the
season, Jon Kitna's projection of the Lions winning 10 games seems quite
realistic. They aren't ranked higher because they've only faced two of the
team's I ranked at the bottom of the league to start the season, so we'll
see how they fare this week. |
20 (23)
|
 | The Redskins aren't
supposed to dominate teams: they're supposed to play fundamental football
to get the job done. Their defensive efforts over the first two weeks has
been the key ingredient to success. |
| 21 (21) |  | Edgerrin James must be
the first Cardinals' running back to be averaging over 100 yards rushing
per game in decades. Or, at least it seems like that after the past few
seasons. |
22 (8)
|  | The Eagles aren't
playing good. The special teams blew it week one, but Donovan McNabb
hasn't been in any type of groove in either week. |
23 (26)
|
 | Jeff Garcia knows how
to elevate an offense to another level, despite how old he is. I'm sure
the whole "trying to acquire Jake Plummer" situation is a thing of the
past now. |
24 (17)
|
 | I expected this to be
the year where the Rams offense would take over a game again, compensating for
any defensive flaws they had. Instead, neither Marc Bulger or Stephen Jackson
have made any noise. |
25 (19)
|
 | You can't win without
a defense. Tom Coughlin may not be doing anything wrong this time - he
just doesn't have the talent on that side of the ball. |
| 26 (25) |  | Minnesota's run
defense will make it difficult for some teams to come away with victories,
but I don't see how Tarvaris Jackson has any potential to be a legitimate
starting quarterback in the league. With Jackson injured this week, the
best thing that can happen for the team is for Kelly Holcomb to get the
start and string a couple of wins together. |
27 (30)
|  | The five touchdowns
from Derek Anderson were not just a reflection on him, but a reflection on
what everyone hoped the combination of Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow
would be. Suddenly, a team that was in turmoil is a team on the rise, at
least for this week. |
28 (27)
|
 | Trent Green provides
the feeling of a better quarterback, but there's no excitement on the Dolphins.
The defense doesn't have a primary identity on gameday, and Ted Ginn Jr. hasn't
even caught a pass through two games. |
29 (22)
|
 | Personally, the Bills
have been one of the bigger disappointments in the NFL. Marshawn Lynch
hasn't played bad, but J.P. Losman hasn't been able to get the ball to Lee
Evans like he was able to last season. |
| 30 (31) |
 | The Raiders have
played the best 0-2 football of any team this year. With Josh McCown being
a little banged up, Daunte Culpepper may see some playing time this week
in relief duty. |
| 31 (29) |
 | It's
embarrassing how quickly the Chiefs have gone from a powerhouse offense to
a completely inept offense. I'd have to place the blame squarely on the
shoulders of Herman Edwards. |
| 32 (32) |
 | Signing Byron Leftwich
was the right move for a team that's going no where this season. |
