TSN: NFL Power Poll Week 2

[bubba9497]

NFL Power Poll

http://warroom.sportingnews.com/voices/war_room/

By War Room scouts

Don't read too much into one week's worth of games. Still, we learned some things in Week 1. Such as, Donovan McNabb knows where to find T.O., the Vikings and Seahawks have bulked up their defenses to be legitimate Super Bowl threats but the Chiefs haven't, Joe Gibbs is a coaching God, the Rams haven't learned ANY lessons about ball security and Tom Brady still knows how to win.

1. New England Patriots. The Pats will remain No. 1 until somebody beats them. New England has a 16-game winning streak and has not lost a game since Sept. 23, 2003. Tom Brady is the best QB in the league under pressure.

2. Philadelphia Eagles. In Week 1, Philadelphia showed why it is so dangerous. Donovan McNabb-to-Terrell Owens for three touchdowns is too much for any secondary to handle. Hugh Douglas and Jeremiah Trotter provide excellent depth.

3. Carolina Panthers. The Panthers are better than they looked on Monday night in Week 1, but they do have trouble spots. The retooled offensive line and secondary will make it difficult for them to repeat last season's success.

4. Tennessee Titans. Chris Brown proved he is an upgrade over Eddie George in Week 1, running for 100 yards in one half. The defense is better than advertised, too, after intercepting three Miami passes.

5. Indianapolis Colts. The Colts lost to the Super Bowl champs in Week 1, and it's clear their defense can't stop elite teams. They still have Peyton Manning, though.

6. Seattle Seahawks. Seattle's defense, thought to be good, is better than predicted. It creates turnovers and limited New Orleans' Deuce McAllister to only 57 yards rushing in Week 1. Shaun Alexander led the offense with 135 yards rushing and three touchdowns but could miss a couple weeks because of a knee injury. Maurice Morris is a capable backup who will get the bulk of the carries in his absence.

7. Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota put up 415 yards of offense against a Dallas defense that was ranked No. 1 last season. Daunte Culpepper had a big day, and Minnesota no doubt will score a lot of points this season. The Vikings have depth at running back and have improved on defense. This is a dangerous team.

8. Green Bay Packers. Brett Favre is on a mission and has the offensive weapons to get the job done. The Pack's run defense looked much improved Monday night in Week 1, holding Carolina to 38 yards rushing.

9. Denver Broncos. Clinton who? Apparently, Mike Shanahan CAN get production from just about anybody. Second-year running back Quentin Griffin ripped apart Kansas City's allegedly improved defense for 156 yards and two touchdowns. He'll get his first true test this week at Jacksonville, a real NFL defense.

10. Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs upgraded at defensive coordinator (Gunther Cunningham) but failed to upgrade its defensive talent. Opponents will shred this defense all year. But Priest Holmes and the offense still will electrify us and keep the Chiefs competitive.

11. St. Louis Rams. The Rams' offense is not as explosive as believed. Marc Bulger's interceptions will be a big problem all year. That's a coaching problem. Against Arizona in Week 1, the team was outhustled overall. That's a coaching problem.

12. Baltimore Ravens. Kyle Boller and the offense didn't show much in Week 1, getting only 250 yards against Cleveland. The lack of a passing game means the elite defense must score points to win games against good teams.

13. Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals' offense was impressive in Week 1, but the defense has question marks in the secondary and against the run. Quarterback Carson Palmer played like a veteran in his first start and running back Rudi Johnson and wide receiver Chad Johnson provide a well-rounded offense.

14. Washington Redskins. Joe Gibbs and the new-look Redskins looked good on both sides of the ball in Week 1. The defense was especially impressive against the run, holding Tampa Bay to only 30 yards rushing and 169 yards total offense.

15. Dallas Cowboys. It was not a good debut for Dallas. The defense, ranked No. 1 last season, looked old and slow against Minnesota. On the upside, Vinny Testaverde can still sling the rock.

16. New York Jets. With Chad Pennington, the Jets' offense will be hard to contain. He has lots of options, and a healthy Wayne Chrebet will mean more third-down conversions. Plus, Curtis Martin showed more burst and speed Sunday than he has in years.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh could be the AFC sleeper. Coordinator Dick LeBeau has cured the defensive problems, and Duce Staley and Jerome Bettis provide a nice 1-2 punch.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars. Byron Leftwich is ready for a breakout season. In Week 1, the Jags converted three fourth-down plays in the game-winning drive against a good Buffalo defense.

19. New Orleans Saints. The Saints' offense looked out of sync in Week 1. Quarterback Aaron Brooks must make things right quickly, or the whole team will unravel.

20. Atlanta Falcons. QB Michael Vick does not look ready to beat the good teams, and the defense will give up tons of points against good teams. It's clear: Atlanta is a year away from making a run at the playoffs.

21. Miami Dolphins. Week 1 was a tryout for the running backs, the quarterback situation is blowing up and the defense couldn't stop Tennessee's running game. Uh-oh, Dave Wannstedt.

22. Oakland Raiders. The Raiders were ineffective running the ball, but the downfield passing game will cause problems for most opponents. If the Raiders can limit turnovers, they could cause trouble this season.

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Tampa Bay offense could not get anything going at Washington. Now, it'll be without speedy receiver Joey Galloway for 4-6 weeks. When he returns, second-year quarterback Chris Simms will be running the offense. Coach Jon Gruden should start preparing for '05.

24. Buffalo Bills. The Bills can't rely on their defense. The offense must move the ball, eliminate turnovers and make better use of their weapons. Losing close games at home -- a 13-10 defeat to Jacksonville in Week 1 -- will doom the Bills.

25. Cleveland Browns. The Browns might be better than we thought. New QB Jeff Garcia will cause problems scrambling on the perimeter all season. He looks like a genuine leader -- something the new Browns have lacked since Day 1 -- and he makes his receivers and those around him better.

26. New York Giants. A weak offensive line allowed five sacks in Week 1, there is a quarterback controversy brewing and the secondary is ridiculously soft (330 yards, four TDs passing in Week 1). It's going to be a long season.

27. Houston Texans. Houston has bright spots but still has too many holes in the defense. Plus, the Texans must learn to protect the ball better.

28. Detroit Lions. The Lions did not show much on offense in Week 1 but played well on special teams and protected the ball. Losing wide receiver Charles Rogers (broken collar bone) for the season is a big blow.

29. Chicago Bears. Chicago has an improved defense and a bright spot on offense in running back Thomas Jones, but it will need more offense to win games.

30. San Diego Chargers. We knew LaDainian Tomlinson would show up in Week 1, but the big surprise was how well QB Drew Brees played (209 yards passing, two TDs, no interceptions). Tomlinson will carry this team to some victories over the bottom dwellers.

31. Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals -- minus its top running back and its top wide receiver -- still put up a good fight in St. Louis. Emmitt Smith filled in well for Marcel Shipp, rushing for 87 rushing yards and a touchdown.

32. San Francisco 49ers. The veterans know the situation is bad, and coach Dennis Erickson has nowhere to turn for help. The 49ers will spend the season at the bottom of the power poll unless a miracle occurs.

[Mark]

Probably the most stupid and incoherent power rating I’ve ever seen.

Most of the teams ranked based not what they have shown this season but what they did a year before or what they could have done.

3. Carolina Panthers. The Panthers are better than they looked on Monday night in Week 1..”.

How do they know this? They couldn’t run they couldn’t pass against good but not spectacular defense and their defense allowed a lot of points/yards. They were better LAST year.

Colts who lost very close game to number 1 team ranked number 5. Why?

Cincinnati Bengals - 13 were clearly overplayed by Jets who is 16. How Cincinnati deserves betters ranking? For last year? For years to come?

And I am not saying anything about Redskins because I am probably cannot be objective here. I wish some sport writers had done the same.

[redman]

Power rankings = :jerkoff:

If you want power rankings, look at the standings.

[jrfriedm]

You can't read anything into these types of lists, they are made up of "experts" who have less football knowledge than my 4 month old dog.

[China]

Some of their rankings are incomprehensible. The Panthers at #3 after they get beat at home by Green Bay, yet GB is only #8. Cincinatti loses and move up one spot from the previous weeks rankings. And they are still ahead of Washington which won their first game. Huh?! :doh:

[bulldog]

Baltimore stunk against Cleveland and yet they are ranked ahead of teams that won in Week 1? :laugh:

You don't sing the praises of a team that loses 20-3 and one you admit has a lousy offense with no qb and no receivers, elite defense or no