1.
New England Patriots (4-0)
Randy Moss and Tom Brady are absolutely dominant. It’s really becoming scary. Can anyone stop these two?... Oh yeah, and the defense is ranked No. 1 in the league.
2. Indianapolis Colts (4-0)
Marvin Harrison went down to an injury in week 4 and looked hobbled when he returned, but that didn’t stop Peyton Manning from throwing 3 touchdown passes against the Denver Broncos, who are widely considered the top pass defense in the league.
3. Dallas Cowboys (4-0)
Tony Romo and the Cowboys offense were relentless in this one. Romo threw three touchdown passes in the 3rd quarter alone, and Dallas easily beat the Rams by 28. This team looks to be the class of the NFC at the moment, and they have taken a 1.5 game lead in the East.
4. Green Bay Packers (4-0)
Brett Favre broke the all-time touchdown record, but it was the Packers defense that was even more impressive in week 4, as they shut down the Vikings for most of the second half. They will need some semblance of a running game if they hope to stay undefeated, but the Packers look great right now.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)
They were dealt their first loss on week three as they went into Arizona and were held to just 14 points. Without Hines Ward, Roethlisberger threw both touchdown passes to 2nd year WR Santonio Holmes. Pittsburgh hosts Seattle in week 5 and will be tested by another good passing game.
6. Seattle Seahawks (3-1)
The Seahawks look like they’re back on track, having beat the Bengals and 49ers in back to back weeks. Shaun Alexander has struggled to get back to the ‘dominant’ form he had before being injured in ’06, but Hasselbeck has picked up the slack so far this season.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1)
After being thoroughly beaten by the Seahawks in week one, the Bucs have now moved to 3-1 and have looked very good in the process. It was a short celebration, though, as injuries have knocked their starting running back and left tackle, Carnell Williams and Luke Pettingout, for the season.
8. Tennessee Titans (2-1)
The Titans moved up on their bye week by default, as teams above them have dropped out of the top-8. Tennessee has a very favorable match-up in week 5 as they host the Falcons. The Titans should win easily, but the Falcons did surprise the Texans last week.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1)
The Jaguars also benefited from their bye week, moving up the power rankings because of falling teams above them. Week five sees the Jaguars heading into Kansas City against a Chiefs team who are riding high after their road division win last week over the Chargers.
10. Detroit Lions (3-1)
What a fourth quarter. The Lions set an NFL record with 35 points against the Bears in the 4th quarter, after being held to just 3 points in the first three quarters. Jon Kitna currently leads the NFL in passing yardage and is on pace for one of the best passing seasons of all-time. Detroit’s defense and special teams still needs to step it up if they hope to be a playoff team, but they are currently second in the NFC North behind only the Packers.
11. Baltimore Ravens (2-2)
An embarrassing loss to the Browns have dropped the Ravens out of the top-10 for the first time in over a year. The Ravens just aren’t “getting it” offensively and the defense finally had a bad game. They ran the ball with Willis McGahee just 14 times for 104 yards, but opted to pass the ball 53 times instead of letting the running game set the pace. Though McNair passed for over 300 yards, he was not able to pick up numerous big third downs, and the offense struggled to score just 13 points.
12. Denver Broncos (2-2)
Even with a tough road loss to the Colts, the Broncos are currently (technically) at the top of the AFC West. This team is still very questionable, but don’t expect the Broncos pass defense to give up too many more 3 touchdown games this season.
13. Arizona Cardinals (2-2)
Though it’s not the most textbook way of doing things, the Cardinals’ quarterback “rotation” of Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner has been successful thus far this season. The Cardinals were able to knock off the previously undefeated Steelers and, surprisingly, the defense looked very good. In fact, the Cardinals held running back Willie Parker, who led the league in rushing yards, to just 37 yards on 19 carries.
14. San Diego Chargers (1-3)
What is wrong in San Diego? The now 1-3 Chargers were embarrassed at home last week against the winless, and offensively lethargic, Kansas City Chiefs. LaDainian Tomlinson has publicly aired his frustration and this team looks like it could be on the brink of a complete disaster if they don’t get a big road win against the Broncos next week.
15. Washington Redskins (2-1)
Following their bye week, the Redskins host the red-hot Detroit Lions. The injury to Santana Moss significantly hurts this team’s already below-average passing game and if Moss misses week 5, Detroit will be able to put more men in the box to stop the Redskins’ “two-headed backfield.”
16. Houston Texans (2-2)
The Texans were looking good after week two and week three, but were unable to keep their momentum rolling into Atlanta, as they were beat up by a Joey Harrington led, previously winless, Atlanta Falcons. Maybe this is just a bump in the road, or maybe Houston has been brought back to reality.
17. Chicago Bears (1-3)
The Bears defense was absolutely embarrassing in the 4th quarter. On top of that, Brian Griese was no better than Rex Grossman and the offense sputtered pretty badly. Cedric Benson was the leading rusher in this game, with just 50 yards.
18. Carolina Panthers (2-2)
Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins has accused his own team of having, “No heart.” On top of that, Jake Delhomme’s shoulder may need surgery and backup David Carr looked awful against the Buccaneers. Steve Smith hasn’t caught a touchdown pass or had over 40 yards receiving in the last two weeks. Surprisingly, the running game has been the most consistent thing on this team.
19. San Francisco 49ers (2-2)
The 49ers were a trendy pick to win the NFC West heading into 2006, but that is now becoming a thing of the past. Quarterback Alex Smith’s season is now in doubt and two consecutive losses to Pittsburgh and Seattle have started the 49ers tumble down the power rankings.
20. Cincinnati Bengals (1-3)
Could this team be any thinner at linebacker? Injuries have completely ravaged and dismantled this team’s front seven and the Patriots exploited it on Monday night. Chad Johnson looked hurt and was unproductive and Marvin Lewis is getting frustrated with the team’s level of play. Realistically, this team should be one of the best offenses in the league; but they haven’t shown that enough this season.
21. New York Giants (2-2)
A completely dominant defensive performance by the Giants allowed them to get a huge road divisional win over the Eagles in week four. Following the lead of DE Osi Umenyiora, who had a team-record 6 sacks, the Giants team had 12 total sacks and made Donovan McNabb’s day a living hell.
22. Philadelphia Eagles (1-3)
Apparently the Eagles’ dominant, 56-point, week three offensive performance was a mirage. With Brian Westbrook held out of the game due to injury, the Eagles totaled just 190 net offensive yards and scored only 3 points. The Eagles’ bye week comes at a very good time as they really need to get healthy if they hope to right this ship.
23. Cleveland Browns (2-2)
This team has been one of the most confusing in the NFL this season. They were dominated in week one against the Steelers, then lit up the Bengals defense in a win, lost to the Raiders in week three, and won a big divisional game over the ’06 AFC North champion Baltimore Ravens. If this team could find any quality consistency, they might have a chance against the Patriots – but they don’t have any consistency, and they really have no chance.
24. New York Jets (1-3)
The Jets have struggled significantly out of the gate and have just one win – a close, 3-point home victory over the winless Dolphins. The Jets have to start putting more pressure on the quarterback - they have just three sacks on the year. The Jets really need a win this week – in a “neutral grounds” game against the Giants.
25. Oakland Raiders (2-2)
Daunte Culpepper’s five total touchdowns helped catapult the Raiders over his former team, the Dolphins, in week four. Culpepper completed just five passes on the day, but it was a ridiculous 299 yards on the ground that gave the Raiders their second consecutive win.
26. Kansas City Chiefs (2-2)
The Chiefs surprised just about everyone with their road division win over the Chargers. Larry Johnson got his first 100-yard game of the year and Damon Huard looked good as the team scored a season-high 30 points after scoring a combined 26 points over the first three weeks of the season.
27. New Orleans Saints (0-3)
Let’s hope the Saints used their bye week to turn things completely upside down. With Deuce McAllister out, New Orleans will have to lean heavily on the shoulders of 2nd year running back Reggie Bush and the ’06 Comeback Player of the Year, Drew Brees. The Saints will host the Panthers at the Superdome this week.
28. Buffalo Bills (1-3)
A possibly quarterback controversy has erupted in Buffalo after rookie quarterback Trent Edwards led the Bills to their first win of the ’07 season. Filling in for the injured JP Losman, Edwards completed 22 of his 28 passes for over 230 yards passing, a touchdown, and an interception. The Bills have their work cut out for them in week five as they get the Cowboys on Monday Night Football.
29. Minnesota Vikings (1-3)
Somebody needs to sit the Vikings coaches down, stare them in the face, and explain to them that they are a bunch of morons. It is absolutely inexcusable that Adrian Peterson touched the ball just twice in the second half of Sunday’s game against the Packers. Peterson had 12 rushes for 112 yards, including a 55-yard run, before the coaching staff decided that he would be better suited taking punt returns. It is baffling that Zygi Wilf hasn’t fired every offensive coach on this team.
30. Atlanta Falcons (1-3)
The Falcons got their first win of the season as they stopped the march of the Texans in week three. Joey Harrington had his second consecutive nice passing game and the team has been improving every week. Unfortunately, after leading the NFL in rushing for three consecutive seasons, the Falcons have yet to break 100-yards rushing this season and do not look like the same offensive team that they were with Mike Vick under center.
31. St. Louis Rams (0-4)
The Rams have now gone 31 consecutive possessions without a touchdown and are in desperate need of a new look on offense. With Steven Jackson still hurting, head coach Scott Linehan has decided to bench all-pro quarterback Marc Bulger in favor of Gus Frerotte.
32. Miami Dolphins (0-4)
Defensively, this team just seems to be completely worn down, broken, and spiritless. Zach Thomas was knocked out of the week four contest against the Raiders with yet another concussion and Jason Taylor was visually upset following the loss. The defense is allowing nearly 200 yards rushing per game to opposing offenses. The lone bright spot so far this season has been running back Ronnie Brown, who is currently averaging over 5 yards per carry.
