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A tricky week to put together power rankings, after the NFC finally stepped up and grabbed a few victories from the AFC. The NFL just keeps getting more and more confusing each week, regardless here is what I am thinking heading into week 9, which can’t get here fast enough for Jets fans:
1. New England Patriots (6-1) – They just win football games, despite a young defense and an inconsistent running game. Beyond that, I am pretty sure Bill Belichick has acquired 102 draft picks for next season.
2. Indianapolis Peyton Mannings (5-2) – I am pretty confident you could throw me in the slot for the Colts and they’d still put up 30 points a game.
3. Baltimore Ravens (5-2) – They watched two of their top competitors in the AFC lose to NFC teams during their bye week.
4. New York Giants (5-2) – Seattle has always been a house of horrors for them. However if they can get a win, their schedule is very manageable the rest of the way.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) – The defending champs were desperate and made a few more plays than Pittsburgh, not a terrible loss for them.
6. Green Bay Packers (5-3) – Two straight impressive wins for Green Bay, who showed they could win a defensive struggle and take advantage of wide receivers who can’t catch the football.
7. New York Jets (5-2) – Too steep of a fall? I don’t think so. Great teams don’t get shut out at home by defenses of Green Bay’s caliber.
8. Atlanta Falcons (5-2) – They had a bye week to prepare for a huge game against the second place Bucs…who would have thought?
9. New Orleans Saints (5-3) – Did they get their swagger back with a big win over the Steelers?
10. Tennessee Titans (5-3) – Tough loss to San Diego and it won’t be easy to keep pace with the Colts, unless they get more consistent.
11. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2) – They could give themselves a nice mid-season cushion in first place by beating Oakland.
12. Tampa Bay Bucs (5-2) – Let’s see how legit they are against the Falcons this week, after they failed two of their other big tests miserably.
13. Miami Dolphins (4-3) – Chance for a statement win this week in Baltimore.
14. Philadelphia Eagles (4-3) – Can Mike Vick keep the Eagles on pace with the Giants for a NFC East title?
15. Houston Texans (4-3) – Feeling like another 8-8 year for the Texans.
16. Oakland Raiders (4-4) – Oakland actually has a big game in November.
17. San Diego Chargers (3-5) – Are they ready to make their annual mid-season run?
18. Seattle Seahawks (4-3) – They just lost by 30 to Oakland and still might be the NFC West’s best team…yuck.
19. Washington Redskins (4-4) – Rex Grossman is never the answer.
20. Chicago Bears (4-3) – The crappiest team in the NFL over .500
21. St. Louis Rams (4-4) – A very impressive season so far for this young team.
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4) – The crappiest team in the NFL that is at least .500.
23. Arizona Cardinals (3-4) – You think they miss Kurt Warner?
24. Detroit Lions (2-5) – Yes I am beyond worried about the Jets traveling to Detroit this week.
25. Cincinnati Bengals (2-5) – Playing out the string with their cast of characters should just be a joy.
26. Cleveland Browns (2-5) – Come on Mangini, let’s get that upset over New England this week.
27. Denver Broncos (2-6) – Is it time for Tim Tebow yet?
28. San Francisco 49ers (2-6) – Sadly alive in the NFC West.
29. Minnesota Vikings (2-5) – The most talked about 2-5 team in NFL history.
30. Carolina Panthers (1-6) – I’d be shocked if they won more than 3 games this year.
31. Buffalo Bills (0-7) – At least they put up a fight every week.
32. Dallas Cowboys (1-6) – No heart, no effort. I’d be more scared of the Jets playing Buffalo or Carolina right now than Dallas.
