Week 2 NFL power rankings

The Carolina Panthers, last week's No. 1 team, tumble out of the Top 5; Green Bay is bad, but no longer the worst team in the NFL. Here are the NFL's 32 teams, in order, and you can take it to the bank, baby...

1. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1-0 (Last week: No. 2): How many NFL teams could lose their star quarterback and have their backup signal-caller throw three stellar touchdown passes? The Steelers looked sharp in their marquee opener against Miami, then upgraded their suspect short-yardage game by signing former Packer Najeh Davenport. Davenport has limited skills, but he can do the one thing the Steelers will ask of him.

2. Indianapolis Colts, 1-0 (Last week: No. 4): The running game still looks weak. Tiki Barber and Brandon Jacobs abused the Colts’ defense. Reggie Wayne hurt his knee. But what are you going to do about Peyton Manning? The other good quarterbacks in this league are doing algebra. Manning is doing advanced calculus. He’s a freak.

3. Chicago Bears, 1-0 (Last week, No. 5): Beating Green Bay was no great feat, but shutting out Brett Favre at Lambeau? That’s gotta count for something. The defense gave up lots of running yardage, but most of those ground numbers were recorded against a second-half scheme that intercepted Favre twice. Chicago hasn’t found its running game yet, but Rex Grossman, Muhsin Muhammand and Dwight Clark looked like they were in midseason form. If the Bears field a balanced offense to go with the best defense in football, watch out.

4. Seattle Seahawks, 1-0 (Last week, No. 6): I didn’t watch much of this one, but I came away with two impressions: Detroit’s defense, which I expected to be good, is still a notch above where I thought it was; the Seahawks found a way to win a dogfight on the road. Winning ugly is a great thing. Also, these guys significantly upgraded their receiver corps by adding Deion Branch on Monday.

5. New England Patriots 1-0 (Last week, No. 3): No disrespect against a Buffalo team that put up a valiant effort, but the Patriots were less than super in their 19-17 win. They’re still habitual winners, but until the wide receivers come up with more than four catches in a game, they’re going to be vulnerable. Doug Gabriel, this means you.

The Carolina Panthers, last week's No. 1 team, tumble out of the Top 5; Green Bay is bad, but no longer the worst team in the NFL. Here are the NFL's 32 teams, in order, and you can take it to the bank, baby...

1. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1-0 (Last week: No. 2): How many NFL teams could lose their star quarterback and have their backup signal-caller throw three stellar touchdown passes? The Steelers looked sharp in their marquee opener against Miami, then upgraded their suspect short-yardage game by signing former Packer Najeh Davenport. Davenport has limited skills, but he can do the one thing the Steelers will ask of him.

2. Indianapolis Colts, 1-0 (Last week: No. 4): The running game still looks weak. Tiki Barber and Brandon Jacobs abused the Colts’ defense. Reggie Wayne hurt his knee. But what are you going to do about Peyton Manning? The other good quarterbacks in this league are doing algebra. Manning is doing advanced calculus. He’s a freak.

3. Chicago Bears, 1-0 (Last week, No. 5): Beating Green Bay was no great feat, but shutting out Brett Favre at Lambeau? That’s gotta count for something. The defense gave up lots of running yardage, but most of those ground numbers were recorded against a second-half scheme that intercepted Favre twice. Chicago hasn’t found its running game yet, but Rex Grossman, Muhsin Muhammand and Dwight Clark looked like they were in midseason form. If the Bears field a balanced offense to go with the best defense in football, watch out.

4. Seattle Seahawks, 1-0 (Last week, No. 6): I didn’t watch much of this one, but I came away with two impressions: Detroit’s defense, which I expected to be good, is still a notch above where I thought it was; the Seahawks found a way to win a dogfight on the road. Winning ugly is a great thing. Also, these guys significantly upgraded their receiver corps by adding Deion Branch on Monday.

5. New England Patriots 1-0 (Last week, No. 3): No disrespect against a Buffalo team that put up a valiant effort, but the Patriots were less than super in their 19-17 win. They’re still habitual winners, but until the wide receivers come up with more than four catches in a game, they’re going to be vulnerable. Doug Gabriel, this means you.

6. Atlanta Falcons, 1-0 (Last week, No. 14): The Falcons make the biggest jump in this week’s rankings, thanks to the way they manhandled the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte. John Abraham dominated that game, attacking the Panthers from both defensive end spots, while Michael Vick looked calm and under control against a stout Carolina defense. If they do this a couple weeks in a row, they’ll be making a claim for top honors in the NFC.

7. Cincinnati Bengals, 1-0 (Last week, No. 9): The Bengals treated the Chiefs baaaadly, knocking their QB into the hospital, blowing up their vaunted running game and demoralizing Kansas City by the end of the game. Oh, and they also play offense.

8. Philadelphia Eagles 1-0 (Last week, No. 10): I still dislike this team, and they were sloppy in the first half, spotting the terrible Texans a 10-point lead. Then they woke up. The surprisingly effective McNabb-Stallworth connection is going to be money so long as they’re both healthy.

9. San Diego Chargers, 1-0, (Last week, No. 15): The Chargers can run, pass and play defense. Their Monday Night game in Oakland looked like the varsity scrimmaging the JV – and that was a division game.

10. Denver Broncos, 0-1 (Last week, No. 7): Losing on the road to the Rams isn’t a terrible flop, and Shanahan’s squad wasn’t bad, containing St. Louis on defense and churning up ground yardage. The problem? Jake Plummer, whose efficiency dropped after Javon Walker severely jammed his fingers. These guys are still good enough to win the AFC West, but I’m moving the Chargers ahead of them for now until they demonstrate they know how to play together as a unit.

11. Baltimore Ravens, 1-0 (Last week, No. 12): Beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-0 was a statement by the Ravens. The defense is good, and the offense under Steve McNair is balanced and efficient.

12. Carolina Panthers, 0-1 (Last week, No. 1): Steve Smith is a great wide receiver, but leaving him on the sideline shouldn’t have caused this team to implode the way it did against Atlanta. The Panthers did this last year, too, making the playoffs as a wild card after ceding the division to Tampa with poor early season play. Call it whatever you want, but they looked out-of-synch and bewildered.

13. New York Giants, 0-1 (Last week, No. 13): It’s easy to imagine this team going either way right now. On the one hand, the Giants made big plays against the Colts. On the other, they self-destructed with dinky penalties and mistakes at crucial moments. Tom Coughlin isn’t my kind of coach, but you have to think that his style should at least minimize those mental mistakes. Right?

14. Jacksonville Jaguars 1-0 (Last week, No. 16): The Cowboys were clearly overrated going into Week 1, and the Jags were marginally better. I’m still concerned about their wide receiver situation and their RB depth, but big old immobile Brian Leftwich just keeps making plays – including a touchdown run. Gotta love that.

15. Miami Dolphins, 0-1 (Last week, No. 17): I opened the season expressing skepticism about Daunte Culpepper, and he played against the Steelers like a man who was doing his best to prove my point. He was fine in the first half, but with the game on the line in the 4th quarter, Culpepper didn’t make the plays. One other point: Nick Saban is a control freak who rubs me the wrong way. The only thing worth noting about his failure to effectively toss a challenge flag on the bogus Heath Miller TD was the way he blamed the officials for not noticing. Two words: Punk. Ass.

16. Arizona Cardinals, 1-0 (Last week, No. 18): Some observers are sure to denigrate the Cardinals’ victory over the 49ers, but that would be a mistake. San Francisco flashed respectability on Sunday, but the Cardinals were just too much. Another boost: What’s the value of a sell-out crowd at an air-conditioned stadium in Arizona? A slot or two in this ranking.

17. Dallas Cowboys, 0-1 (Last week, No. 11): On Tuesday I said Drew Bledsoe was the key to this team. He’s is a veteran leader, a stand-up guy, and the right person to lead the Dallas huddle. But he flopped in Week 1, throwing three interceptions, and he looked an awful lot like the stiff who got run out of Buffalo three years ago. This isn’t panic time, because the Jags aren’t chopped liver, but the NFC East is a competitive division and the Cowboys just don’t look as promising as either Philadelphia or the Giants.

18. St. Louis Rams, 1-0 (Last week, No. 22): So far, so good: Facing a 2005 playoff team, the Rams responded with a surprisingly effective defensive game. The offense was clunky and devoid of rhythm, but -- as advertised – it featured RB Steven Jackson, who chewed up rubberized turf in chunks. With just a little better Red Zone execution, the Denver game would have been a blowout. One bad development: their center, Andy McCallum, is done for the year.

19. Minnesota Vikings, 1-0 (Last week, No. 21): Brad Johnson played a fantastic game in beating the Redskins Monday night, and if Troy Williamson could find some stickum, they would have tallied a couple more scores. The Redskins are the ultimate soul-less, corporate team, but beating them on the road was a good start for these overachievers. There isn’t a star on offense or defense (with the possible exception of Steve Hutchinson, a guard), but the Vikings played together as a unit. By the way: Chester Taylor had 30 carries. The last Viking to get 30 carries in a game was Robert Smith, about a decade ago.

20. Washington Redskins, 0-1 (Last week, No. 19): How much fun was that? With Tom Cruise schmoozing Dan Synder in the owner’s box, the mediocre but cohesive Vikings came into the Redskins’ house on opening night and stole this game. There’s talent all over this roster, but not an ounce of character, heart or soul to be found. Was there any doubt they'd miss the tying field goal?

21. Kansas City Chiefs, 0-1 (Last week, No. 20): I said last week that the loss of Willie Roaf was going to hurt the Chiefs in profound ways, but I didn’t expect all of those problems to be exposed in the first game. Trent Green got beat to shit, and is probably out until October. Larry Johnson, the No. 1 pick in most fantasy drafts, got contained. Herm Edwards will keep the Chiefs competitive, but this just doesn’t look like a winning season.

22. Buffalo Bills, 0-1 (Last week, No. 24):  As a Bears fan, I can testify to the Dick Jauron Effect: He can put together a respectable unit with less than respectable talent. Can he win? Well, the Buffalo Bills aren’t likely to win more than six or seven times this year, but at least they’ll show up in games against Big Boys like the Patriots.

23. San Francisco 49ers, 0-1 (Last week, No. 26): Here’s how good the Alex Smith-Antonio Bryant connection was this week against the Cardinals: the refs called back a 52-yard touchdown bomb on a ticky-tacky penalty and Bryant still finished with more than 100 yards receiving. Frank Gore is getting more attention for his stat-line, but Bryant and TE Vernon Davis opened up some of those rushing lanes by repeatedly stretching the field.

24. Detroit Lions, 0-1 (Last week, No. 25): This is a doomed franchise that made off-season headlines on the offensive side of the ball. Guess what? In Week 1 the offense flopped and the defense came through big, taking the NFC Champions down to the final play. If the offense can chew up the clock and support the defense, the Lions could challenge teams. There’s only one problem: Mike Martz.

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 0-1 (Last week, No. 8): I’ve been bitching about Tampa’s absurd unwillingness to fix its mediocre offensive line for years now, and Baltimore exposed this flaw on Sunday. The running game went nowhere, and with no continuity, journeyman QB Chris Simms reverted to rookie habits. When your offense can’t do a damned thing, even a good defense can look bad. I want to rank these guys better, but that was just a terrible first game. Something's broken, and I’m not convinced Simms has the gumption to fix it. It’s only Week 2, and the Bucs already face a gut-check game.

26. New York Jets, 1-0 (Last week, No. 30): The only non-Bears football item I own is a Chad Pennington Jets jersey, so watching him operate against the Titans was a thing of joy for me. One-two-three-throw. Pennington had the ball coming out on time to the right players, and there’s just enough of a supporting cast that this team will surprise opponents every now and again.

27. New Orleans Saints, 1-0 (Last week, No. 28): This defense sucks, so will someone please tell me how these guys held Reuben Droughns to 27 yards rushing? That Reggie Bush kid can play, eh?

28. Cleveland Browns, 0-1 (Last week, No. 27): Why can’t this team run? At all? Losing to the Saints the way the Browns did was just an awful way to open the 2006 season. At home.

29. Houston Texans, 0-1 (Last week, No. 29): On the bright side, they jumped out to a 10-0 lead against the Eagles. On the downside, NFL games last four quarters, not one. Donovan McNabb played with the Texans as if they were cat toys.

30. Tennessee Titans, 0-1 (Last week, No. 31): Pathetic. What else are you going to call a team that spends years grooming Bill Volek to take over for Steve McNair, then panics the week before the season starts, signs the absurdly obsolete Kerry Collins and gives him the starting job just hours before kickoff? Pathetic. The running game? A mess. Vince Young? Played one series, celebrated a good play as if he’d just scored in the Super Bowl, then threw a stupid interception. Pathetic. The only thing worth noting here is how tough Travis Henry and Drew Bennett are, and they’re wasted in this situtation.   

31. Green Bay Packers, 0-1 (Last week, No. 32) : I told you this was the worst team in the league, and they are. I just can't figure out what league the Oakland Raiders were playing in Monday night.

32. Oakland Raiders, 0-1 (Last week, No. 23): Aaron. Brooks. Sucks. And here’s the part that ought to really tell you how bad this is about to get: the Raiders’ quarterbacks coach is former Bears offensive coordinator John Shoop, a man so inept he once called a play-action pass on 4th and goal from the 16 with time expiring. Brooks is an athlete with the legs to scramble and evade, but he stands in a collapsing pocket with no poise or purpose. At one point in the 4th quarter he had seven sacks and six completed passes. Art Shell may be forced to bench Brooks for Week 2, but this is a bad team: changing bad quarterbacks isn’t going to make it good.

Originally posted on Xark! on Sept. 12, 2006.

6. Atlanta Falcons, 1-0 (Last week, No. 14): The Falcons make the biggest jump in this week’s rankings, thanks to the way they manhandled the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte. John Abraham dominated that game, attacking the Panthers from both defensive end spots, while Michael Vick looked calm and under control against a stout Carolina defense. If they do this a couple weeks in a row, they’ll be making a claim for top honors in the NFC.

7. Cincinnati Bengals, 1-0 (Last week, No. 9): The Bengals treated the Chiefs baaaadly, knocking their QB into the hospital, blowing up their vaunted running game and demoralizing Kansas City by the end of the game. Oh, and they also play offense.

8. Philadelphia Eagles 1-0 (Last week, No. 10): I still dislike this team, and they were sloppy in the first half, spotting the terrible Texans a 10-point lead. Then they woke up. The surprisingly effective McNabb-Stallworth connection is going to be money so long as they’re both healthy.

9. San Diego Chargers, 1-0, (Last week, No. 15): The Chargers can run, pass and play defense. Their Monday Night game in Oakland looked like the varsity scrimmaging the JV – and that was a division game.

10. Denver Broncos, 0-1 (Last week, No. 7): Losing on the road to the Rams isn’t a terrible flop, and Shanahan’s squad wasn’t bad, containing St. Louis on defense and churning up ground yardage. The problem? Jake Plummer, whose efficiency dropped after Javon Walker severely jammed his fingers. These guys are still good enough to win the AFC West, but I’m moving the Chargers ahead of them for now until they demonstrate they know how to play together as a unit.

11. Baltimore Ravens, 1-0 (Last week, No. 12): Beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-0 was a statement by the Ravens. The defense is good, and the offense under Steve McNair is balanced and efficient.

12. Carolina Panthers, 0-1 (Last week, No. 1): Steve Smith is a great wide receiver, but leaving him on the sideline shouldn’t have caused this team to implode the way it did against Atlanta. The Panthers did this last year, too, making the playoffs as a wild card after ceding the division to Tampa with poor early season play. Call it whatever you want, but they looked out-of-synch and bewildered.

13. New York Giants, 0-1 (Last week, No. 13): It’s easy to imagine this team going either way right now. On the one hand, the Giants made big plays against the Colts. On the other, they self-destructed with dinky penalties and mistakes at crucial moments. Tom Coughlin isn’t my kind of coach, but you have to think that his style should at least minimize those mental mistakes. Right?

14. Jacksonville Jaguars 1-0 (Last week, No. 16): The Cowboys were clearly overrated going into Week 1, and the Jags were marginally better. I’m still concerned about their wide receiver situation and their RB depth, but big old immobile Brian Leftwich just keeps making plays – including a touchdown run. Gotta love that.

15. Miami Dolphins, 0-1 (Last week, No. 17): I opened the season expressing skepticism about Daunte Culpepper, and he played against the Steelers like a man who was doing his best to prove my point. He was fine in the first half, but with the game on the line in the 4th quarter, Culpepper didn’t make the plays. One other point: Nick Saban is a control freak who rubs me the wrong way. The only thing worth noting about his failure to effectively toss a challenge flag on the bogus Heath Miller TD was the way he blamed the officials for not noticing. Two words: Punk. Ass.

16. Arizona Cardinals, 1-0 (Last week, No. 18): Some observers are sure to denigrate the Cardinals’ victory over the 49ers, but that would be a mistake. San Francisco flashed respectability on Sunday, but the Cardinals were just too much. Another boost: What’s the value of a sell-out crowd at an air-conditioned stadium in Arizona? A slot or two in this ranking.

17. Dallas Cowboys, 0-1 (Last week, No. 11): On Tuesday I said Drew Bledsoe was the key to this team. He’s is a veteran leader, a stand-up guy, and the right person to lead the Dallas huddle. But he flopped in Week 1, throwing three interceptions, and he looked an awful lot like the stiff who got run out of Buffalo three years ago. This isn’t panic time, because the Jags aren’t chopped liver, but the NFC East is a competitive division and the Cowboys just don’t look as promising as either Philadelphia or the Giants.

18. St. Louis Rams, 1-0 (Last week, No. 22): So far, so good: Facing a 2005 playoff team, the Rams responded with a surprisingly effective defensive game. The offense was clunky and devoid of rhythm, but -- as advertised – it featured RB Steven Jackson, who chewed up rubberized turf in chunks. With just a little better Red Zone execution, the Denver game would have been a blowout. One bad development: their center, Andy McCallum, is done for the year.

19. Minnesota Vikings, 1-0 (Last week, No. 21): Brad Johnson played a fantastic game in beating the Redskins Monday night, and if Troy Williamson could find some stickum, they would have tallied a couple more scores. The Redskins are the ultimate soul-less, corporate team, but beating them on the road was a good start for these overachievers. There isn’t a star on offense or defense (with the possible exception of Steve Hutchinson, a guard), but the Vikings played together as a unit. By the way: Chester Taylor had 30 carries. The last Viking to get 30 carries in a game was Robert Smith, about a decade ago.

20. Washington Redskins, 0-1 (Last week, No. 19): How much fun was that? With Tom Cruise schmoozing Dan Synder in the owner’s box, the mediocre but cohesive Vikings came into the Redskins’ house on opening night and stole this game. There’s talent all over this roster, but not an ounce of character, heart or soul to be found. Was there any doubt they'd miss the tying field goal?

21. Kansas City Chiefs, 0-1 (Last week, No. 20): I said last week that the loss of Willie Roaf was going to hurt the Chiefs in profound ways, but I didn’t expect all of those problems to be exposed in the first game. Trent Green got beat to shit, and is probably out until October. Larry Johnson, the No. 1 pick in most fantasy drafts, got contained. Herm Edwards will keep the Chiefs competitive, but this just doesn’t look like a winning season.

22. Buffalo Bills, 0-1 (Last week, No. 24):  As a Bears fan, I can testify to the Dick Jauron Effect: He can put together a respectable unit with less than respectable talent. Can he win? Well, the Buffalo Bills aren’t likely to win more than six or seven times this year, but at least they’ll show up in games against Big Boys like the Patriots.

23. San Francisco 49ers, 0-1 (Last week, No. 26): Here’s how good the Alex Smith-Antonio Bryant connection was this week against the Cardinals: the refs called back a 52-yard touchdown bomb on a ticky-tacky penalty and Bryant still finished with more than 100 yards receiving. Frank Gore is getting more attention for his stat-line, but Bryant and TE Vernon Davis opened up some of those rushing lanes by repeatedly stretching the field.

24. Detroit Lions, 0-1 (Last week, No. 25): This is a doomed franchise that made off-season headlines on the offensive side of the ball. Guess what? In Week 1 the offense flopped and the defense came through big, taking the NFC Champions down to the final play. If the offense can chew up the clock and support the defense, the Lions could challenge teams. There’s only one problem: Mike Martz.

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 0-1 (Last week, No. 8): I’ve been bitching about Tampa’s absurd unwillingness to fix its mediocre offensive line for years now, and Baltimore exposed this flaw on Sunday. The running game went nowhere, and with no continuity, journeyman QB Chris Simms reverted to rookie habits. When your offense can’t do a damned thing, even a good defense can look bad. I want to rank these guys better, but that was just a terrible first game. Something's broken, and I’m not convinced Simms has the gumption to fix it. It’s only Week 2, and the Bucs already face a gut-check game.

26. New York Jets, 1-0 (Last week, No. 30): The only non-Bears football item I own is a Chad Pennington Jets jersey, so watching him operate against the Titans was a thing of joy for me. One-two-three-throw. Pennington had the ball coming out on time to the right players, and there’s just enough of a supporting cast that this team will surprise opponents every now and again.

27. New Orleans Saints, 1-0 (Last week, No. 28): This defense sucks, so will someone please tell me how these guys held Reuben Droughns to 27 yards rushing? That Reggie Bush kid can play, eh?

28. Cleveland Browns, 0-1 (Last week, No. 27): Why can’t this team run? At all? Losing to the Saints the way the Browns did was just an awful way to open the 2006 season. At home.

29. Houston Texans, 0-1 (Last week, No. 29): On the bright side, they jumped out to a 10-0 lead against the Eagles. On the downside, NFL games last four quarters, not one. Donovan McNabb played with the Texans as if they were cat toys.

30. Tennessee Titans, 0-1 (Last week, No. 31): Pathetic. What else are you going to call a team that spends years grooming Bill Volek to take over for Steve McNair, then panics the week before the season starts, signs the absurdly obsolete Kerry Collins and gives him the starting job just hours before kickoff? Pathetic. The running game? A mess. Vince Young? Played one series, celebrated a good play as if he’d just scored in the Super Bowl, then threw a stupid interception. Pathetic. The only thing worth noting here is how tough Travis Henry and Drew Bennett are, and they’re wasted in this situtation.   

31. Green Bay Packers, 0-1 (Last week, No. 32) : I told you this was the worst team in the league, and they are. I just can't figure out what league the Oakland Raiders were playing in Monday night.

32. Oakland Raiders, 0-1 (Last week, No. 23): Aaron. Brooks. Sucks. And here’s the part that ought to really tell you how bad this is about to get: the Raiders’ quarterbacks coach is former Bears offensive coordinator John Shoop, a man so inept he once called a play-action pass on 4th and goal from the 16 with time expiring. Brooks is an athlete with the legs to scramble and evade, but he stands in a collapsing pocket with no poise or purpose. At one point in the 4th quarter he had seven sacks and six completed passes. Art Shell may be forced to bench Brooks for Week 2, but this is a bad team: changing bad quarterbacks isn’t going to make it good.

Originally posted on Xark! on Sept. 12, 2006.