1/1

Colts

  4-0  

  The Colts were down 10 points to Denver in the first quarter and came back to win by 18 while missing Marvin Harrison… We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the Broncos were playing without Javon Walker. None the less, the defending champs have a perfect record in their title defense season.

2/2

Patriots

  4-0  

  The Patriots won their fourth straight game by 21 points or more. But as far as the top spot goes, the Colts beat the Pats twice last season; once during the regular season, and once during the postseason.

Cowboys

  4-0  

Dallas improved to (4-0) with a home battering of the Rams. Teams may be able to hang with the Cowboys in the first half, but in the second half it’s blow out time.

4/10

Packers

4-0

  The mark of a playoff team is winning road games in the division. The Packers improved to (4-0) with a win in Minnesota… Green Bay’s passing game and overall defense has been more than strong enough in the first quarter of the season to make up for the absence of a running game. Can it continue into the second quarter of the season and beyond? Note; the Packers have a chance to deal the Bears a knockout blow in week 5.

5/9

Seahawks

  3-1  

  The Seahawks’ defense smothered the 49ers’ offense. Then again, they’re the fourth team to do so this season. You have to wonder what the Seahawks might have done last season without all the injuries. Meanwhile, Seattle zips past the Steelers in the rankings. After all, look how much closer they played the Cardinals in Arizona. Who would have ever thought we would use the Cardinals as a barometer to measure the Seahawks and Steelers in the power rankings? Speaking of which, Seattle visits Pittsburgh week 5 in a rematch of Super Bowl XL.

6/6

Titans

2-1

The Titans had a bye in week 4, and were in no danger of losing their sixth spot in the power rankings thanks to losses by the Ravens, Steelers, and Chargers.

Jaguars

  2-1

  Rinse and repeat. The Jaguars had a bye in week 4, and were in no danger of losing their seventh spot in the power rankings thanks to losses by the Ravens, Steelers, and Chargers.

8/4

Ravens

  2-2

  The Ravens have done enough winning in the past 1 1/4 season to stay in the top 10 after a shocking loss in Cleveland… Also remember that Baltimore got a bad call at the worst possible moment in their loss in Cincinnati in week 1. Consider this a wake up call for the Ravens. If they don’t straighten out their defense soon, they’ll find themselves out of the top 10, or worse… Next week Baltimore plays a 49ers team that has had its offense shut down in all four games this season. If the Ravens are unable to do the same, then tumbling they may go in the power rankings.

9/19

Cardinals

2-2

  We’re going to preface this bold ranking by pointing out the sudden shortage of usual top 10 caliber teams. We’ll go on to say that if the Cardinals had played Kurt Warner against the 49ers, they probably would have won going away. One might even argue that if the Cardinals had brought Warner in against the Ravens much earlier, they might have won that game as well. Throw in wins over Seattle and Pittsburgh, and we’re willing to ‘temporarily’ re-grade the Cardinals in light of the new quarterback situation… We’ve always felt the ball takes a little too much time to travel from the hand of Leinart to his receivers. And that Warner is more effective in that regard… Of course this team has yet to win on the road. If they should stumble in St. Louis next week, back down they will go.

10/5

Steelers

  3-1

  Pittsburgh had a prime opportunity to finally pass the Ravens in the power rankings due to Baltimore’s meltdown in Cleveland, but the Steelers had their own meltdown in Arizona.

11/17

Giants

  2-2  

The Giants smothered the Eagles, sacking McNabb 12 times, 6 coming from Umenyiora… Do you think the Giants could have used Umenyiora for the full game week 1 in Dallas? Clearly this is a different team when their pass rush is healthy. But will they stay healthy?

12/13

Broncos

  2-2  

  Denver surrendered a 10 point lead in Indianapolis. Sure they were playing without Javon Walker, but the Colts suffered several key injuries during the game, and still came back. But with so many top teams falling to lesser opponents, the Broncos stay in this range, especially considering their two losses have come versus teams with an average power rankings of 3.5 (Indy and Jacksonville). The Broncos have a chance to deliver a knockout blow to the Chargers in week 5. Will they be able to rise to the occasion after such a humbling loss to the champs?

Buccaneers

3-1

  Tampa Bay notched a huge win in Carolina which may prove to have major playoff implications. As far as power rankings go, keep in mind the Panthers were playing without Jake Delhomme, so the win doesn’t grade as high as it would otherwise. Furthermore, The Bucs won at home against the decimated Rams which grades as nothing special. Shall we talk about the win over the punch-less Saints? The Buccaneers are looking great in the standings. But to crack the top 10 in the power rankings they need to beat a team that’s actually performing like a top 10 team- or win a few more games. Wouldn’t you know it; three of Tampa’s next four games are versus Indianapolis, Tennessee, and Jacksonville. Looks like the Bucs will get their chance to prove if they’re top 10 worthy. Unfortunately they’ll have to do so without Cadillac Williams and Luke Petitgout, both lost for the season due to injuries sustained against Carolina.

14/14

Redskins

  2-1

Washington had a bye in week 4. Looking back at the loss to the Giants- it certainly doesn’t look quite as bad after watching the G-Men trounce the Eagles. However, the overtime win over the Dolphins back in week 1 isn’t looking nearly as good. The Redskins will face the Lions in week 5, riding high after their miraculous 4th quarter come back against the Bears.

Chiefs

2-2

  These aren’t your Chiefs of recent memory with a tremendous offense and absolutely no defense. These are Herm Edwards’ Chiefs with practically no offense, but a much better defense than they’ve had in years. That defense kept us from dropping the Chiefs into the bowels of the power rankings when they hit a few early season bumps. And now that defense is starting to pay off with a few wins.

16/8

Chargers

1-3

With all the negative press the Chargers are receiving, what can be said about this San Diego team that is positive? For starters, two of their losses have come to teams currently ranked in the top 4 (New England and Green Bay)… They also held second half leads in two of their losses (Green Bay and Kansas City). Even at (1-3), the Chargers are still a formidable team. Their season is on the line week 5 in Denver. If they can bounce back in that game, you can be sure few teams will be want to face San Diego in the weeks to come.

17/15

Eagles

1-3

The Eagles hit a new low as McNabb was sacked 12 times in a loss to the Giants. To be fair, Philadelphia was playing without Westbrook. But to be realistic, 12 sacks is outrageous… At least the defense is playing well.

18/26

Lions

3-1

  This week’s home win over Chicago was nothing short of miraculous, aided in part by the collapse of a wounded Bears’ defense that simply expired in the 4th quarter, and in part by a Lions’ defense which rose to the occasion intercepting Griese 3 times, and returning one for a touchdown. The Lions are riding high at (3-1). But will the defense have what it takes to keep the wins coming? One thing is certain; Detroit’s offense is quite formidable.

19/11

Bears

1-3

For 3 quarters it looked like the old Bears’ defense was back; even 4 starters short, they held Detroit to 3 points. Then a massive 4th quarter meltdown followed as the Lions put up 34 points every way imaginable… Isn’t that how the Bears are supposed to win? At this point the Bears’ D isn’t playing strong enough to compensate for their lack of offense… Especially when quarterback Brian Griese throws 3 interceptions against a Detroit defense that hasn’t even been close to good at defending the pass. We would make our weekly comment that the Bears should get Bledsoe, but he probably wouldn’t want to suit up for a (1-3) team. The Bears really should have acted on this acquisition idea in the preseason… Even at (1-3) the Bears are not out of the NFC race. But if they’re going to save their season, they’ve got to win in Green Bay week 5.

20/12

Panthers

  2-2  

  The only saving grace in Carolina’s home loss to Tampa Bay was that they were playing without Jake. The Panthers are crawling into anomaly land. They’re (2-0) on the road, and (0-2) at home.

21/29

Browns

2-2

  Don’t look now, but the Browns have home wins over Ravens and Bengals… If not for the loss to Oakland, Cleveland would be ranked in the teens.

22/21

Bengals

1-3

The Bengals were never in the game against the Patriots. They have plenty of company in that regard.

23/22

Saints

0-3

The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for a Saints team that has dropped three straight games by at least 3 scores.

24/16

Jets

1-3

Pennington completed 32 of 39 passes, but he also threw two interceptions. And the Jets couldn’t get a running game going. As a result they fell in Buffalo by 3 points. And now find themselves two games under .500 again.

25/18

Texans

2-2

  In Shaub’s return to Atlanta, the Texans were upset. Playing without Andre Johnson certainly didn’t help the cause. With games coming up at Jacksonville, versus Tennessee, and at San Diego, the Texans can’t afford to falter next week versus Miami.

26/28

Raiders

2-2

  The Raiders ran all over the Dolphins to the tune of 299 yards. Culpepper ran for three scores and threw for two more… But with the Dolphins now sitting at #31, it’s not exactly the kind of win that propels a team to power rankings stardom.

27/27

Vikings

1-3

  The Vikings racked up plenty of yards on offense and the run defense was solid… Unfortunately, they allowed Favre to throw for 344 yards in a week 4 home loss to Green Bay which knocks the Vikings two games below the .500 mark.

28/25

49ers

2-2

QB Alex Smith was lost to an injury early in the game. We’d like to tell you Smith’s injury was the reason the 49ers were held to under 200 yards by the Seahawks. But coming into the game the 49ers had been held to under 200 yards in two of their three previous games… Now it has happened in three of four games.

29/32

Bills

1-3

The Bills grabbed their first win of the season upsetting the Jets thanks to solid defense, good QB play from Edwards, and tough running from Lynch.

30/31

Falcons

1-3

  In spite of 317 yards passing by Houston’s Schaub, the Falcons grabbed their first win of the season thanks to another good game from Harrington, and some decent run defense.

31/24

Dolphins

  0-4

  The Dolphins found a way to surrender 35 points at home while allowing only 5 completions to Culpepper. That equates to 1 touchdown drive per completion! Allowing 299 yards of rushing can do that to a team. Miami has hit a new low.

32/30

Rams

0-4

  The Rams were obliterated in Dallas. As goes the Rams’ offensive line, so go the Rams.