NFL Power Rankings
1
Last Week: 4 Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0)
If the Steelers are going to start with the offense, too, then it's really not fair to the rest of the NFL. Pittsburgh's defense has been enough of an advantage through three games, creating 10 takeaways, almost half of its total for the entire 2009 season (22). But the Steelers' final game without Ben Roethlisberger should be their toughest test yet, a visit from the 2-1 Ravens, who have lost nine of their past 10 games in Pittsburgh despite usually playing the Black and Gold very close at Heinz Field.
2
Last Week: 5 Indianapolis Colts (2-1)
Has anyone noticed how Austin Collie has morphed into Peyton Manning's pet receiver in the season's first three weeks, leading the NFL in receptions (27), yards (359) and touchdown catches (four)? Nice dilemma for opposing defenses, deciding where to concentrate your coverage, on Collie, Reggie Wayne or Dallas Clark? Jacksonville's best strategy this week might be praying for a driving rainstorm.
3
Last Week: 12 Atlanta Falcons (2-1)
There's no one in the NFC playing a better brand of ball than Mike Smith's Falcons, who have already lost in overtime at Pittsburgh in Week 1 and beaten the defending Super Bowl champion Saints in overtime last Sunday. Atlanta is a tough-minded club with a physical style of play that wears out opponents. The Falcons impose their will as the game unfolds. Did anyone out there pick a Super Bowl pairing of the Steelers and Falcons? At the end of September, that looks like a real possibility.
4
Last Week: 1 New Orleans Saints (2-1)
Every game has been an exhausting battle so far for the Saints, and that's usually the way it goes the year after the big confetti shower. Every team hits you with its best shot, and even when you win, it takes a chunk out of you. New Orleans should get a bit of a breather this week, with struggling Carolina in town. The Saints have more to worry about than just the Garrett Hartley field goal drama. New Orleans is last in rushing (57.3 yards), third-to-last in rushing defense (145 yards allowed), and opponents are converting almost half of their third downs (47.5 percent).
5
Last Week: 2 Green Bay Packers (2-1)
I really thought the Packers should have surrendered the go-ahead touchdown late in regulation at Chicago on Monday night, rather than let the Bears bleed the clock down to almost nothing and then kick a game-winning 19-yard field goal. I would have wanted the ball back in Aaron Rodgers' hands with at least a chance to tie, but I seem to remember Mike Holmgren tried that outside-the-box strategy once in Green Bay (in the Super Bowl loss to Denver) and it wasn't entirely well-reviewed.
6
Last Week: 7 New York Jets (2-1)
The Jets can complete a three-game sweep through their division rivals this week with a win at Buffalo, but then they don't play another AFC East game until December. The back-to-back wins over the Patriots and Dolphins were ultra significant, because New York went just 2-4 in the division last season, losing at least once to all three rivals.
7
Last Week: 13 Chicago Bears (3-0)
Let me pre-empt the howls of protest by Bears fans that are sure to come from the sight of Chicago being ranked two notches below the just-vanquished Packers: As well as Chicago's defense played in the key moments Monday night, that was mostly a case of the Packers self-destructing. All those penalties and dropped interceptions decided the outcome. Now, I did bump the undefeated Bears up six spots and knocked 2-1 Green Bay down from second to fifth. So there's that.
8
Last Week: 3 Houston Texans (2-1)
That convincing home loss to Dallas took the steam out of the Texans' Super Bowl Express, but maybe it'll serve the useful purpose of reminding Houston that it's not yet good enough to win on reputation alone. Now here comes a trip to Oakland, and if even Bruce Gradkowski and the Raiders can exploit that porous Texans secondary, then Houston will have itself a problem.
9
Last Week: 8 New England Patriots (2-1)
The good news is that no one in the NFL has scored more than the Patriots, who are averaging 30 points per game. The bad news is that the four teams that have given up more than New England's total of 82 points allowed all reside in last place in their respective divisions. It's probably going to be that kind of year in Foxboro. Plenty of points all around.
10
Last Week: 9 Cincinnati Bengals (2-1)
I don't see the explosive offense that Batman and Robin were so giddy about this preseason, and you just know that's eventually going to cause friction in Bengal-dom. Maybe for now, ugly wins and the Reds returning to the playoffs is enough to keep the folks in Cincinnati happy.
NFL Power Rankings (cont.)
11
Last Week: 10 Baltimore Ravens (2-1)
It's probably not the best week for Ray Rice to be nursing a bruised knee, with the Ravens' showdown in Pittsburgh looming. Baltimore has yet to fire all of its offensive weapons in the same game, and with the Steelers defense playing at an otherworldly level, Sunday would be a fine time to start. Going to 0-2 on the road in the division would make us question if the Ravens are who we thought they were.
12
Last Week: 6 Miami Dolphins (2-1)
Miami has hosting duties on Monday night against the Patriots -- the team that first got the Dolphins' Wildcat formation sprung on it back in 2008 -- making it somewhat ironic that Miami's gimmick offense seems to be less of a difference-making factor all the time. Maybe that's because with Chad Henne and Brandon Marshall starting to click, the Dolphins don't need the Wildcat as much as they once did. You would think that's probably the goal in Miami.
13
Last Week: 14 Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)
It's been so long since the Chiefs blew the doors off anyone they almost didn't know how to react to Sunday's 31-10 beatdown of the demoralized 49ers. But this versatile and imaginative Kansas City offense is going to have a few more fun days like that before the season is over. Just maybe not next game at Indianapolis, though.
14
Last Week: 16 Tennessee Titans (2-1)
These Titans are a chippy bunch, aren't they? That Cortland Finnegan can mix it up with the best of them. Tennessee went into the Meadowlands and got the Giants all riled up and off their game in no time last Sunday. But the Titans are back to playing some solid defense, with that unit giving up just three touchdowns in three games and holding opponents to a league-best 16.7 touchdown percentage in the red zone.
15
Last Week: 19 Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)
Could you ask for anything more than this week's dramatic tableau of Donovan McNabb vs. Michael Vick, in an intriguing matchup of the Eagles' accomplished past and surprising present? I suppose you could get greedy and wish that both teams were 3-0 and tied for the NFC East lead, or that Andy Reid started talking trash for the first time ever, but other than that, McNabb vs. Vick should suffice.
16
Last Week: 20 Dallas Cowboys (1-2)
The last two seasons have taught us the Cowboys know how to play with a sense of desperation, when their backs are pressed firmly to the wall. But they're not so good at knowing how to handle big expectations. Dallas gets a bye this week, and then the Titans at home next week. The Cowboys owe their fans a better showing against Tennessee than the sloppy home-opener against the Bears in Week 2.
17
Last Week: 23 Seattle Seahawks (2-1)
The Seahawks are buying what Pete Carroll is selling, and that really is half the battle when it comes to coaching in the NFL. Seattle is nowhere near being a complete team, but who in the NFC West is? Somebody's got to win the division. We checked with the NFL office. It's apparently a rule.
18
Last Week: 26 Minnesota Vikings (1-2)
The Vikings' struggles on offense have gotten all the attention, but Minnesota's defense is quietly getting the job done. Only the Steelers have given up fewer than the 38 points allowed by the Vikings, and Minnesota's run defense has allowed only one touchdown in 2010.
19
Last Week: 21 Arizona Cardinals (2-1)
I'm not sure how many games the Cardinals can win this season with just 12 completions and 122 yards passing, but that was good enough to win against the mistake-prone Raiders. The best news of all was seeing Larry Fitzgerald find his way back into the end zone for only the second time this season.
20
Last Week: 11 San Diego Chargers (1-2)
Can't quite recall if there has ever been an NFL team so habitually prone to slow starts as Norv Turner's Chargers. San Diego just isn't comfortable unless it has dug itself an early-season hole. But, shoot, being 1-2 after three weeks is nothing. Need we remind you that two years ago the Chargers were 4-8 entering December and still won their division?
NFL Power Rankings (cont.)
21
Last Week: 15 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)
Reality returned to Tampa Bay with a vengeance last week against the Steelers. But the key for Raheem Morris this season will be to find ways to stop the bleeding and avoid long losing streaks. The Bucs are on their bye and have two weeks to prepare for a trip to Cincinnati next week. Let's see how much coaching Morris can do with his young club.
22
Last Week: 17 New York Giants (1-2)
I'm not sure another dose of prime-time exposure is what Tom Coughlin's sloppy Giants need right now. New York beat itself last week at home against Tennessee, and you get the feeling the Giants are only one more meltdown away from full-blown crisis mode. I'm pretty sure NBC is going to train a camera on Brandon Jacobs (and his helmet) at all times Sunday night.
23
Last Week: 18 Washington Redskins (1-2)
The Redskins have played progressively worse every week, and that's not what you're looking for as you head into your first division road game of the year. Washington had a top-10 defense last year, but the move to a 3-4 formation has been far from seamless. The Redskins are surrendering 423.7 yards per game, last in the NFL, and both the Texans and Rams scored 30 points against Washington the past two weeks.
24
Last Week: 22 Denver Broncos (1-2)
Kyle Orton and the Broncos passing game isn't the problem. Denver leads the NFL with 350 yards per game through the air. But the Broncos, partly due to injuries, have had a nonexistent ground game. Their 2.5-yard average rush is last in the league, and their 67 yards per game ranks 30th. It's actually the Denver rush defense that should be pretty crucial this week, with the Broncos traveling to Tennessee to face Chris Johnson and the Titans.
25
Last Week: 27 Oakland Raiders (1-2)
The Raiders did enough to win at Arizona and kicker Sebastian Janikowski turned victory into defeat with one swing of his chunky left leg. But I still think Oakland will be heard from in the AFC West playoff race before this season is done.
26
Last Week: 29 St. Louis Rams (1-2)
The Rams hung up 30 points in their win over Washington, an offensive high-water mark they hadn't reached in 28 regular season games (since a 34-14 upset of Dallas in Week 7 of 2008). But with Seattle coming in this week, now comes the even more important challenge: Trying to win a division game for the first time since beating San Francisco in mid-November 2007.
27
Last Week: 24 Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)
I understand why Jack Del Rio is excited about getting Trent Edwards off waivers from Buffalo. He's about had his fill of David Garrard. But I keep wondering if Edwards is excited to be going from one struggling, small-market team to another?
28
Last Week: 25 San Francisco 49ers (0-3)
Firing Jimmy Raye as offensive coordinator only momentarily deflects the pressure from 49ers head coach Mike Singletary. Now it's up to him to be more than a good motivator and find a way to win a season-saving game for San Francisco.
29
Last Week: 28 Detroit Lions (0-3)
The Lions simply aren't making enough good things happen to win games. They're competitive, but they're also 0-3 for the fifth time in the past 10 years. Tough to see anything but 0-4 on the way with this week's trip to Lambeau, where the Packers should be in the mood to take out their aggression on someone.
30
Last Week: 31 Buffalo Bills (0-3)
The Bills gave the Patriots all they wanted last week at Foxboro, and that's something to build on. But the release of Trent Edwards on Monday just reinforces the belief that there's not much of a long-term plan in place in Buffalo.
31
Last Week: 32 Cleveland Browns (0-3)
No blowout losses for the Browns, but that's little solace for the tortured Cleveland fans. I have one suggestion for the Browns: Keep Seneca Wallace as the starting quarterback, even past this week, once Jake Delhomme is healthy. Unless Cleveland trades for Kevin Kolb one of these days, Wallace is the best QB the Browns have to choose from.
32
Last Week: 30 Carolina Panthers (0-3)
The Panthers' offense ranks 31st in the league and doesn't threaten anyone at this point. Just getting this team to four or five wins might register as the best coaching job of John Fox's career.
