1 (4)

Bears

5-0

Sunday’s win over the Bills marks the fourth time in just five games this season the Bears have held their opponent to single digits while scoring between 26-40 points of their own… Chicago moves up to #1 in the rankings with another mauling.

2 (1)

Colts

  5-0  

  Can Manning pull out wins in the final seconds if the defense continues giving up big yardage on the ground as was surrendered to Tennessee at home this weekend?
Perhaps so in the regular season, but probably not in the playoffs… Indianapolis improved to 5-0 overall, but drops to #2 in the rankings due to close shaves against the Jets last week, and now the winless Titans, a team that ran the ball all over the Colts.

3 (2)

Broncos

  3-1  

  It’s tough when a team drops in the power rankings after beating a 4-0 team, while keeping that opponent out of the end zone, and scoreless through the final 3 quarters of play. But while competing power rankings had the Broncos ranked outside of the top 5, they were already ranked #2 here.
To justify, consider in recent history how the Colts have owned the Broncos. And consider how the Bears have been destroying teams on both sides of the ball… Denver will get their chance week 8 versus Indianapolis… All the Broncos have to do to enter that game still ranked #3 or better is to beat the Raiders and Browns, which would give Denver a 5-1 record… As far as teams ranked below, the Broncos won at New England this season, and don’t foget the win at Jacksonville last season. So barring an upset loss to the Raiders or Browns, the #3 spot should be very secure, in spite of what any lower ranked teams may do.

4 (3)

Patriots

  4-1  

  The Patriots held the Dolphins to 62 yards rushing, while picking off Joey Harrington twice… However, New England’s offense was held in check without premier blocking tight end Daniel Graham in the lineup. Yet the offense did just enough versus Miami’s tough defense to get the win, leading from start to finish.

Jaguars

  3-2

  Posted a 41-0 shutout over the Jets… Jacksonville’s defense limited Chad Pennington to just 71 yards passing. Meanwhile, Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew combined for 3 TD’s and 170 yards on the ground. It was a much needed relief win after back to back road losses to Indianapolis and Washington (two playoff teams from a season ago).

6 (6)

Bengals

3-1

Coming off a week 5 bye, Cincinnati will return to action at Tampa Bay in week 6. The Buccaneers still have a solid defense… With a record of 0-4, Tampa has absolutely nothing to lose, and could be upset minded… Meanwhile, Cincinnati needs to shore up its run defense after giving up big rushing efforts to the Steelers and Patriots.

7 (10)

Panthers

  3-2  

  Easily dispensed of the Browns. After an 0-2 start, Carolina is back on track at 3-2.

8 (12)

Eagles

4-1

McNabb was on target with the deep ball in a huge home win over Dallas. And the defense blasted through the Cowboys’ offensive line to the tune of 7 sacks, not to mention holding former teamate Owens to just 3 receptions for 45 yards.
It was the second game in a row the Eagles overcame a halftime deficit to get a victory. And it was Philadelphia’s first win of the season versus a team with a winning record, while also versus a team not ranked #25 or worse at the time of the game in these NFL rankings… Hence a few of the reasons the Eagles only check in at #8.

9 (9)

Seahawks

  3-1  

  Coming off a week 5 bye, Seattle will return to action in a divisional road game at St. Louis in week 6. Sole possession of 1st place in the NFC West is on the line… The Seahawks swept the Rams last season. While the Rams did the sweeping two seasons ago.

10 (13)

Saints

4-1

For the most part New Orleans was outperformed at home on both sides of the ball by the winless Buccaneers, but got an electrifying, game winning 65 yard punt return for a TD by Reggie Bush.
When you have momentum, you have momentum. And the Saints have momentum… The Saints face another team with some serious momentum in week 6 as the 4-1 Eagles pay a visit… The winner will be half way to the playoffs. But there’s no guarantee the winner will make the playoffs as both teams face brutal second half schedules.

11 (11)

Ravens

  4-1

  Baltimore’s defense played admirably in Denver. But the Ravens fell by 10 points to the Broncos as McNair threw 3 interceptions. We doubt folks will be calling for McNair’s job as could have been the case if the fortunes were reversed, and the game had gone the other way with Plummer throwing the picks… Typically when a veteran QB throws a couple of interceptions in a game involving top defenses, it usually means the backup would have done even worse. Of course, the quick to jump media thrives off of such stories as you may be noticing in another city at this time. But coaches usually have cooler heads.

12 (17)

Chargers

3-1

Overcame a 10 point deficit at home versus the Steelers to get their first win against a solid team, even though the Steelers checked into the game with a record under .500, at 1-2… Rivers threw for 242 yards, but Tomlinson was held to 36 yards rushing, although carries were split with Turner.
With the Chargers looking like they’ll be favorites in 3 of their next 4 games (likely underdogs at Kansas City), a record of 6-2 should be attainable before the Chargers play at Cincinnati, and at Denver, which could put the Chargers at 6-4. But there should be some smooth sailing in San Diego until then. Any road victories versus the aforementioned teams (especially at Cincinnati or at Denver) would move the Chargers into the top 10 of these rankings.

Cowboys

  2-2  

Allowed McNabb to complete several huge plays down the field while sputtering on offense for most of the game. But still had a chance to tie the game in the closing moments before Bledsoe ill-advisedly attempted to thread the needle to Jason Witten with 2 downs remaining, and was picked off in the end zone. Typically when a veteran QB throws a couple of interceptions in a game involving top defenses, it usually means the backup would have done even worse. (That’s for the Romo crowd).
In their two losses, both on the road (at Jacksonville #5 in the rankings, and at Philadelphia #8) the Cowboys held leads at halftime, which is certainly better than most teams do when playing at those venues. So it’s far too early to push the panic button in Dallas as we suggested similarly last week in regards to the 2-2 Jaguars. Reserve any panic button pressing for next weekend if the Cowboys lose to the Texans.

14 (7)

Steelers

  1-3

  In uncharacteristic fashion the Steelers couldn’t hold a double digit lead, even though their defense held Tomlinson to just 36 yards rushing in San Diego (though LT was splitting carries with Turner)… While a 1-3 start is certainly disappointing for the champs, teams have recovered from such beginnings to reach the postseason before… Additionally, all three losses were against 1st and 2nd place teams (at Jacksonville, #5 in the rankings, Cincinnati #6, and at San Diego #12)… However, with games on deck versus Kansas City, and at Atlanta, the Steelers won’t have any picnics in their quest to get back to the .500 mark.

15 (14)

Falcons

3-1

  Coming off a week 5 bye, Atlanta returns to action at home versus the Giants in week 6. The following week the Falcons play at home versus Pittsburgh, and then they take a road trip to Cincinnati… It’s a three game stretch that could potentially drop Atlanta to under .500 or boost them into the top 10. Meanwhile, there is a bit of a logjam in the rankings between #13 and #19. Atlanta checks in at #15 as consideration has been made for the fact that the win over Carolina came without Steve Smith in the lineup. Otherwise, the Falcons have yet to beat a .500 or better team.

16 (15)

Vikings

3-2

  In surprising fashion Minnesota trailed Detroit by 14 points at home going into the 4th quarter, but pulled out a win… Meanwhile, the Vikings are still the only team that has come close to beating Chicago. But more consistency is needed. Minnesota will get two chances to show their stuff again versus top teams after their bye week as the Vikings play in Seattle, and then at home versus New England.

17 (18)

Giants

  2-2  

New York beat Washington in all facets of the game. If the Giants can play like this each week they should qualify for the playoffs again… The next two games are key road matchups at Atlanta and at Dallas which will surely tell a lot.
There is a bit of a logjam in the rankings between #13 and #19. So consider #17 a temporary resting spot in the rankings for the Giants… If the Giants win either of these two road meetings, there’s plenty of room to move up. Meanwhile, if the Giants lose in respectable fashion, they should certainly hold this range as they’re a bit undervalued at #17 due to the aforementioned logjam.

18 (20)

Rams

4-1

  St. Louis continues to win, thanks in part to a very light schedule. In our preseason NFL predictions we noted if the Rams could win on the road in Arizona and in Green Bay, it would do wonders for their postseason chances. And the Rams have done just that. Although we didn’t expect them to lose at San Francisco, but they made up for that loss in reverse by pulling out an upset win versus the Broncos in week 1 at home as the carpet is still a tough place for visiting teams to win.
Still the Rams’ playoff chances will most likely come down to how they perform versus the Seahawks, a team they alternated sweeps with the last two season. The first meeting takes place next weekend, in a battle for first place in the NFC West… If the Rams win and improve to 5-1, it will be difficult to keep them from being ranked considerably higher as they will have two quality wins, in spite of some of the questionable wins, and the loss to San Francisco.

Chiefs

2-2

  It wasn’t pretty, but the Chiefs got back to .500 with a road win in Arizona. Larry Johnson is okay after having his head twisted while being face masked.

20 (16)

Redskins

  2-3

Washington couldn’t get enough momentum going on offense or defense to contend with the Giants in a divisional road loss, as the Redskins dropped below the .500 mark for the second time this season.

21 (21)

Jets

2-3

The Jets’ finesse ran out as they were shut out by Jacksonville. Call it a letdown after nearly upsetting the Colts a week ago, combined with catching a focused Jaguars team off 2 bitter losses versus playoff teams from a season ago which made this game virtually unwinnable for New York.

22 (22)

Bills

2-3

Buffalo never had a chance at Chicago as the Bears scored 8 different times before Buffalo finally got on the scoreboard in the closing 2 minutes of the game. We could drop the Bills for such an overwhelming loss, but which team are we going to move up? Technically, the Bills could have been ranked higher in the week 4 power rankings, but there was a bit of a logjam. So #22 works well this week as the logjam shrinks to #13 through #19.

Buccaneers

0-4

  For the second week in a row Tampa Bay could have emerged victorious versus a team sitting above them in the NFC South standings. But in spite of solid performances by the offense and defense, the special teams could not contain Reggie Bush who returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown with less than five minutes to go in another heartbreaking loss.

24 (25)

Cardinals

1-4

  Lost a close game at home to Kansas City as the defense held Larry Johnson to just 36 yards rushing. Leinart had a respectable first showing, but Arizona lost Fitzgerald in the process for up to 5 weeks.

25 (24)

Browns

1-4

  Costly turnovers ruined any remote chance the Browns might have had to win in Carolina as Richard Marshall returned an early Frye interception 30 yards for a touchdown… 8 of Cleveland’s next 9 games are as follows; Denver, at San Diego, at Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Kansas City, at Pittsburgh, and at Baltimore. As you can see this scheduling puts a dim view on Cleveland’s outlook for the remainder of the season.

26 (26)

Dolphins

  1-4

  Miami’s defense played solid again. However, despite flashes from Joey Harrington, the Dolphins couldn’t get any offensive balance as Ronnie Brown was held to just 39 yards rushing, in a loss at New England.

27 (28)

49ers

2-3

It’s hard to move a team up in the power rankings after trailing Oakland at halftime at home. But San Francisco pulled it off, improving to 2-3 with a come from behind win over the Raiders (perhaps easier done than said). San Francisco eeks up one spot, passing the reeling Packers in this week’s NFL power ratings.

28 (27)

Packers

1-4

  For the 2nd week in a row Green Bay couldn’t hold a first half lead, although both leads were given up against teams with winning records… In fact, all four of Green Bay’s losses are to first place teams (Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and St. Louis). Unfortunately three of those losses were at home… After the week 7 bye, Green Bay’s schedule gets a little easier as they (presumably) won’t face another first place team until New England comes to Lambeau in week 11.

29 (32)

Titans

0-5

You gotta feel for any team ranked #32 that goes on the road to face the #1 ranked team from the last two weeks (Indianapolis), and shuts them out during the first half, plus holds the lead for nearly 90% of the game, but losses by 1 point in the closing minutes… You also gotta raise em’ a few spots in the rankings for such an impressive loss, but you can’t get too carried away.

30 (29)

Texans

1-3

  While on their bye week Houston slips below Tennessee in the rankings… Look at it this way. Entering the 4th quarter when they played Indianapolis, Houston trailed by 27 points, whereas Tennessee led by 6 points in the same situation… True, Houston beat Miami by 2 points at home, but Tennessee only lost to Miami by 3 points on the road. Call it a near wash… Therefore, the Titans get the nod in the contest to stay out of the dreaded #30’s this week.
More will be learned week 8 when Houston visits Tennessee. For now the Texans have to travel to Dallas to face an angry Cowboys team… Can Houston pull a Tennessee and play to within 1 point as a double digit underdog? If so, we promise to rank Houston ahead of Tennessee in next week’s power rankings, unless of course the Titans pull another “Tennessee” of their own this week versus the Redskins… Please tell your friends about these NFL power rankings. If nothing else, you gotta love rankings that pay this much attention to the bottom teams.

31 (30)

Lions

0-5

  Held the lead in Minnesota for a good portion of the game, but couldn’t close the deal… As is often the case when holding a rare lead while only rushing for 16 combined yards as a team.

32 (31)

Raiders

0-4

  Fell to San Francisco 34-20… Allowing 34 points to the #28 ranked team in the previous week’s power rankings is a sure way to land in the #32 spot. Especially when the record drops to 0-4 in the process.