|
Week 9
Power Rankings |
|
Rank |
Last Wk. |
+/- | Team |
Comment |
| 1 |
1 |
- |  |
No one's doubting New England's dominance. The Colts have actually been
involved in some close games this season though, and having experience in
those situations could be an underrated "X" factor. |
|
2 |
2 |
- |  |
By this time next week, Tom
Brady may have finally overtaken the first-ranked Colts, something I've been too
stubborn to change all season long. |
|
3 |
3 |
- |  |
Coming off of the bye week, the Cowboys have no room to relax: not only
are the Giants a game behind them, the Eagles are ready to make their
stand against the division leaders in prime time. |
|
4 |
4 |
- |
 |
In what turned out to be an ugly, rain-filled game over in London, the
Giants didn't fold to the winless Dolphins as their defense stayed strong. |
|
5 |
5 |
- |
 |
The Packers have a 6-1 record, but the Cowboys, Colts, and Patriots have
been hogging the spotlight. Could Ryan Grant give the Packers the running
game they've been seeking? |
|
6 |
6 |
- |
 |
Ben Roethlisberger can't seem to lose in Ohio. Considering that two of the
Steelers' three-divisional foes play in that state, that bodes well for a
team that finally got Hines Ward involved in the offense again. |
|
7 |
7 |
- |
 |
I'd love to see how this Chargers team would match up against the
Patriots at this point of the season. |
| 8 |
8 |
- |
 |
I simply don't get it: Vince Young has continued playing the actual
quarterback position pretty bad, yet the Titans' defense will always keep
the lead for him. When Young breaks out, the Titans will be a top-five
team in the league. |
|
9 |
12 |
+3
 |
 |
I didn't think the Jaguars could execute a gameplay of Quinn Gray playing
it safe while the defense carried the load. I was proven wrong last week:
even if the Jaguars get only one more win before Garrard returns, they'll
be in great shape. |
|
10 |
10 |
- |
 |
The mistakes have started to
build up for Jeff Garcia over the past two weeks, resulting in two very closes
losses. The Buccaneers failed to take advantage of a Delhomme-less Panthers team
and an early-season Saints struggle. |
|
11 |
14 |
+3
|
 |
The Lions are beginning to win with the running game, but don't think for
a second that their pass offense has permanently disappeared. When they
feel like they need to use it again, they'll do so. |
|
12 |
15 |
+3
|
 |
Derek Anderson's been the story of the Browns, but the real breakout
player for Cleveland has been Braylon Edwards. Randy Moss has recorded
more touchdowns, but in terms of acrobatic catches, Edwards has been the
best in football. |
|
13 |
16 |
+3 |
 |
It's tough to believe the Chiefs will maintain the edge over the Chargers
for very long in the AFC West, but stranger things have happened. Once
again, it'll be fun to see what Priest Holmes does after the team's bye
last week. |
|
14 |
9 |
-5
 |
 |
The Redskins have been solid overall this season, but their effort against
the Patriots was a major turnoff. |
|
15 |
13 |
-2 |
 |
Shaun Alexander: are you there still? The former MVP of the league faces a
weary Browns run defense this week, but the faith that he'll go over 100
yards isn't even there. |
|
16 |
22 |
+6
|
 |
I'm not sure if I've ever had a team fluctuate as much as the Eagles have.
Philadelphia's edge definitely involves the years of experience and
continuity they have with players on the field and coaches on the
sideline. |
|
17 |
11 |
-6
|
 |
No one expected the Panthers to take down the Colts. However, if Vinny
Testaverde's not going to play, is David Carr really going to light a fire
under the offense? |
| 18 |
18 |
- |
 |
With a 3-4 record, the world is far from over for the Cardinals: a win
this week combined by a Seahawks loss puts them in a first-place tie
again. |
|
19 |
26 |
+7
|
 |
The Saints have won three games in a row after teetering towards the
out-of-contention-for-sure "0-5" mark. The Saints' wins haven't been
flukes either: Drew Brees has cut down on his mistakes and the defense is
getting the offense the ball more often. |
|
20 |
23 |
+3
|
 |
Technically, if you're keeping score, the Bills are 3-1 since Trent
Edwards became the starting quarterback. Due to injury and J.P. Losman's
two scoring-led drives last week though, Losman is back to the field for
now. |
|
21 |
19 |
-2 |
 |
Steve McNair is back and ready to take on the Steelers, but this four-win
team's offense doesn't go very far beyond Willis McGahee. |
|
22 |
21 |
-1 |
 |
Close, but not close enough. You can't blame the Broncos' defensive backs
for a lackluster offensive showing, but you don't expect Dre Bly and Champ
Bailey to give up two 70+ yard touchdowns in one season, let alone one
game. |
|
23 |
17 |
-6
|
 |
Sage Rosenfels is in at starting quarterback for the injured Matt Schaub.
A productive offense over the first two weeks that featured Schaub, Ahman
Green, and Andre Johnson is no more, and this the reason for being 1-5
since. |
|
24 |
20 |
-4
|
 |
The Bears of the past depended on winning both division games against the
formerly "lowly" Detroit Lions. Now, the tables are turned as the Bears
continue to turn the ball over way too often. |
|
25 |
24 |
-1 |
 |
It's not as if the Vikings had a passing game to begin with. This week,
Bobby Wade and Troy Williamson may not be able to play, and they are
"considered" the team's top two receivers. Maybe Tarvaris Jackson will go
for negative passing yards? |
|
26 |
25 |
-1 |
 |
After Marvin Lewis received so much credit for originally turning the
Bengals around, he deserves all of the criticism for the team's current
issues. He's done nothing to improve the defense, there are too many
troublemakers, and he didn't keep a once-solid offensive line in tact. |
|
27 |
27 |
- |
 |
After Daunte Culpepper's lackluster efforts with the Dolphins last year
and the Raiders this year, it's hard to imagine that he'll ever make much
of an impact in the NFL again. |
|
28 |
28 |
- |
 |
After so many defensive
additions, the lack of a standout wide receiver has cost the 49ers for the
second season in a row. At least there was a buzz last year; this year there's
nothing. |
|
29 |
29 |
- |
 |
So, what idiotic thing will DeAngelo Hall do this week? |
|
30 |
30 |
- |
 |
Kellen Clemons was finally named the Jets' new starting quarterback. You
can't blame Eric Mangini; after all, Pennington could only put three
points on the board against the Bills at home. |
|
31 |
31 |
- |
 |
Just when Marc Bulger started to show some spark with the Rams' offense
with the return of Steven Jackson, Jackson suffered another injury and the
Rams lost their advantage to the Browns. |
|
32 |
32 |
- |
 |
The worst ranking for the worst team in football. |
