Power Rankings Week 16

I just spent a long time making a great PR spreadsheet but this fuckward site doesn't allow you to upload a spreadsheet. I'll be back to post these when I figure it out.

Week 10 - Power Rankings

Week 10 is imminent with a short turnaround for the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons, who play in a possible Super Bowl preview matchup Thursday night on NFL Network. Without any further ado, I give you the Week 10 edition of 2^nd and Inches’ Power Rankings (As of 5pm Thursday, 1-20 are posted). Here’s the format:

Rank|Team|(Record)|Div. Rank|(Div. Record)|Next Game|Comments

1 Baltimore Ravens (6-2) 1^st AFC North (2-1)|@Falcons

Michael Lombardi of NFL.com says it better than I can: “Miami did not force Baltimore to punt, thus allowing 60 combined completions and rushes, which is enough to win any game.”

2 Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) 2^nd AFC North (2-1)|v.Patriots

Pittsburgh is 3-1 with (and without) Big Ben, and in the thick of the AFC North race entering the second half of the season. The defense is in true form, despite the 24^th-best pass D, they are by a long shot the stingiest run D in the NFL (58.2 ypg, with 2^nd-best being the Giants with 80.9 ypg).

3 New York Giants (6-2) 1^st NFC East (1-0)|v.Cowboys

The Giants have been dominating both sides of the ball in recent weeks, and look to easily notch another win with the deflating Cowboys visiting this week.

4 Atlanta Falcons (6-2) 1^st NFC South (2-0)|v.Ravens

Michael Turner has been running great for the past several games, making life easy for QB Matt Ryan. The Falcons’ defense also boasts the 2^nd-most interceptions in the league (13), with ten different defenders with at least 1 pick.

5 Green Bay Packers (6-3) 1^st NFC North (2-1)|BYE

The Packers’ defense has been looking great, letting up only 7 points in the past 8 quarters. Sure, anyone can beat the Cowboys this year, but the Packers handily destroyed them last week with offense and defense. The running game is still suspect, however.

6 New York Jets (6-2) 1^st AFC East (3-0)|@Browns

I’ve never been a huge fan of Mark Sanchez, but he did lead an impressive comeback last Sunday. Against the Detroit Lions… Regardless of whether a comeback should be necessary or not, at least he’s showing signs of “clutch” ability.

7 Philadelphia Eagles (5-3) 2^nd NFC East (0-1)|@Redskins

This team is extraordinary with Michael Vick under center. He’s just the upgrade from McNabb the offense needed, and if he can stay healthy, the Eagles should be ready for a postseason run.

8 New England Patriots (6-2) 2^nd AFC East (2-1)|@Steelers

This is a defense I’ve been watching all year with a lack of trust, and its weaknesses got exposed by Peyton Hillis last week. The offense is looking out of synch without Randy Moss to keep opposing defenses honest, so the season should be fine, but Bill Belichick is going to have a hard week of practice planned.

9 Indianapolis Colts (5-3) 2^nd AFC South (1-2)|v.Bengals

With Peyton Manning at the helm, you could put any random no-name receiver on the field and have him produce. Last week’s loss was tough, but the Colts are ready to play through the injuries.

10 New Orleans Saints (6-3) 2^nd NFC South (3-1)|BYE

It’s strange that last year’s Super Bowl teams are rounding out the top ten, but neither has been terribly impressive yet. The Saints get a much-needed bye week to get some injuries healed up, with the RB position the most depleted so far.

11 Tennessee Titans (5-3) 1^st AFC South (1-0)|@Dolphins

The Titans are looking good, and the addition of Randy Moss is going to help the running game as Chris Johnson has yet to step up his game in 2010. Despite being ranked No. 26 in the passing game, Vince Young has the NFL’s second-highest QB rating (103.1).

12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-3) 3^rd NFC South (1-2)|v.Panthers

Josh Freeman gives this offense the ability to build an identity, and continuity has been lacking in the offense for a few years in Tampa. The defense is scrappy and opportunistic as well, which helps them stay in every game for 60 minutes.

13 Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) 1^st AFC West (1-1)| @Broncos

The Chiefs are getting more solid on offense, and Dwayne Bowe seems to have finally stopped dropping the ball. Victories within the AFC West will likely be enough to win the division, even if those are the only 4 games they win.

14 Oakland Raiders (5-4) 2^nd AFC West (3-0)|BYE

The division title is in even closer grasp for the Raiders, and teams that sweep their divisions don’t watch the playoffs on TV. Jason Campbell has the hot hand right now and needs to make sure it doesn’t cool off during the bye.

15 San Diego Chargers (4-5) 3^rd AFC West (0-2)|BYE

The Chargers are, without a doubt, the best team in the NFL with a losing record. Philip Rivers is on pace to shatter the single-season record for passing yardage, and he hasn’t had star WR Vincent Jackson on the field since January of last season. The Chargers have pulled off late-season streaks before, so don’t be surprised if it happens again.

16 Miami Dolphins (4-4) 3^rd AFC East (1-2)|v.Titans

The Dolphins looked good for one whole drive against the Ravens, and then just abandoned the running game, despite Ronnie Brown’s production. The defense failed to force a single punt, and there were no takeaways. They need to tighten up for this week’s challenge.

17 Washington Redskins (4-4) 3^rd NFC East (2-0)|v.Eagles

Donovan McNabb insists that the air is clear between him and head coach Mike Shanahan, so he should play all 60 minutes of the game. However, the importance of two-minute offense will be determined to how the defense holds up against a surging Michael Vick-led Eagles offense.

18 Houston Texans (4-4) 4^th AFC South (1-1)|@Jaguars

This next game is must-win for the Texans, who were preseason dark horse playoff contenders. The defense has completely crippled the team’s ability to hold a lead, as this season has seen the offense need to have shootout after shootout for their wins.

19 St. Louis Rams (4-4) 1^st NFC West (1-1)|@49ers

This team has a ton of upside, especially with Sam Bradford running the offense, and a victory over the 49ers could not only put the nail in the Niners’ coffin, but give the Rams a leg up in the race for the NFC West.

20 Chicago Bears (5-3) 2^nd NFC North (2-0)|v.Vikings

I am not sold on the Bears to get anywhere close to the Super Bowl this year, but they’re hanging in at only a half-game behind the Packers. Jay Cutler is still throwing too many picks and the offensive line is extremely inconsistent. In fact, Mike Martz may need to wait a year for some O-Line help before he builds another “Greatest Show on Turf.”

Week 6 Power Rankings

Week 6 will commence in just a couple of days, so here’s Second & Inches’ power rankings. Here’s the format:

Rank|Team|(Record)|Div. Rank|(Div. Record)|Next Game|Comments

1 Baltimore Ravens (4-1) 1^st AFC North (2-1) |@Patriots

Baltimore has staged some extremely tough road victories, and stuffing Denver last week gives the NFL’s #2 defense a lot of confidence on its way into Tom Brady’s turf.

2 Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) 2^nd AFC North (0-1) |v.Browns

Big Ben makes his return after a 4-week suspension, and who better to get back to football speed against then the Browns, who will start rookie QB Colt McCoy.

3 New York Jets (4-1) 1^st AFC East (3-0) |@Broncos

The Jets’ defense has been stifling and Mark Sanchez has yet to throw a pick this season, and should only get better with the addition of Santonio Holmes.

4 Atlanta Falcons (4-1) 1^st NFC South (1-0) |@Eagles

Matt Ryan has started winning on the road finally, and Michael Turner looks much better than last year. Throw in the 10^th-best D, and you’ve got a helluva team in Atlanta.

5 New England Patriots (3-1) 2^nd AFC East (2-1) |v.Ravens

Let’s hope Deion Branch makes up for the loss of Randy Moss with an extremely stingy Ravens’ defense on its way in.

6 Chicago Bears (4-1) 1^st NFC North (2-0) |v.Seahawks

With Jay Cutler, this team is way better than with Todd Collins. However, the defense has shown that it can take over a game and win when its QB throws 4 picks.

7 Indianapolis Colts (3-2) 3^rd AFC South (0-2) |@Redskins

The Colts have been the team to beat for so long, it seems to finally be catching up with them. Peyton still looks great, but the defense and running game have been lackluster, with way more problems in the latter.

8 Washington Redskins (3-2) 1^st NFC East (2-0) |v.Colts

Donovan McNabb has given this team a chance to win this year. With an ugly come-from-behind win against Green Bay, the ‘Skins have proven they can stage an upset. Consistency is their next challenge to overcome.

9 Green Bay Packers (3-2) 2^nd NFC North (1-1) |v.Dolphins

The Packers have been completely ravaged early this season by injuries, and with QB Aaron Rodgers receiving a concussion, there’s a lot of pressure on the defense to keep this team afloat.

10 Kansas City Chiefs (3-1) 1^st AFC West (1-0) |@Texans

The Chiefs have a good defense and can win games. To keep it going for the rest of the season, Matt Cassel must step up, or the Chiefs will miss the playoffs yet again.

11 Tennessee Titans (3-2) 4^th AFC South (0-0) |@Jaguars

Ignore any and all division rankings in the AFC South, they all are 3-2. The Titans looked very impressive on both sides of the ball against the Cowboys. Winning their first division game may be the key to what looks like a tough race in the South this year.

12 New Orleans Saints (3-2) 3^rd NFC South (1-1) |@Buccaneers

Drew Brees is talented enough to pick up his game and get the offense back on track. The defense is having a lot of trouble taking the ball away this year, and that’s a huge difference in 2010 from 2009.

13 Houston Texans (3-2) 1^st AFC South (1-0) |v.Chiefs

The Texans can put up huge offense, but they also let huge offense stack up against their woeful secondary. It remains to be seen whether this year is the year they get it together, or if it’s just more of the same ol’ Texans.

14 Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) 3^rd NFC East (0-1) |v.Falcons

Michael Vick wants to play the Falcons, and with him at the helm, the Eagles stand a chance to win this and many other tough conference games. Not so sure about them with Kevin Kolb.

15 New York Giants (3-2) 2^nd NFC East (0-0) |v.Lions

The Giants laid a smack-down on the Texans, but their defense stinks. If Eli Manning can pick apart better defenses, this team will go places. Luckily Detroit’s up next.

16 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1) 2^nd NFC South (1-0) |v.Saints

Capitalizing on turnovers at key moments has kept the Bucs in games this season. Second-year QB Josh Freeman is looking impressive, too. This game against the Saints will be huge.

17 Jacksonville Jaguars (3-2) 2^nd AFC South (1-0) |v.Titans

The Jaguars have been pretty decent this season, and another AFC South victory would shut the mouths of their doubters.

18 Miami Dolphins (2-2) 3^rd AFC East (1-2) |@Packers

I just realized the three Florida teams are in a row. Anyhow, the Dolphins have a chance to improve their record after a bye week against a banged-up Packers squad.

19 San Diego Chargers (2-3) 3^rd AFC West (0-2) |@Rams

The Chargers look awful on special teams this year, and that’s what is stopping them from being 5-0. They seem to go on an 8+ game winning streak every year, though, so I’m not worried yet.

20 Minnesota Vikings (1-3) 3^rd NFC North (1-0) |v.Cowboys

Things aren’t looking too good for Minnesota, and a lot of people are questioning Brett Favre’s decision to go for a 20^th season. Good to see Randy in purple again, too.

21 Dallas Cowboys (1-3) 4^th NFC East (0-1) |@Vikings

If the ‘Boys lose to the Vikings, their hopes of playing the Super Bowl at home are essentially nullified.

22 Denver Broncos (2-3) 4^th AFC West (0-0) |v.Jets

Kyle Orton is good, but not good enough to make up for the lack of a running game or a solid pass rush or a run-stuffing defense or…

23 Oakland Raiders (2-3) 2^nd AFC West (1-0) |@49ers

Now that the Chargers’ monkey is off their back, the Raiders need to focus on keeping momentum going with a chance to win the wide-open AFC West.

24 Cincinnati Bengals (2-3) 3^rd AFC North (1-1) |BYE

It seems like their decisive victory over the Ravens was ages ago. Besides T.O. being totally bad-ass, the Bengals are in a lot of trouble if they keep losing to teams like the Browns and the Buccaneers. Good time for a bye.

25 Arizona Cardinals (3-2) 1^st NFC West (1-0) |BYE

The Cardinals are playing pretty decent defense, but Max Hall? Really? Really? Isn’t Daunte Culpepper or anyone else a free agent?

26 St. Louis Rams (2-3) 3^rd NFC West (1-1) |v.Chargers

After posting back-to-back wins for the first time in a long time, the Rams got destroyed by the Lions. Strong special teams could bring them back to .500 this week.

27 Seattle Seahawks (2-2) 2^nd NFC West (1-1) |@Bears

I don’t think the Seahawks will be able to get much done outside of excellent KR and PR play (their guys lead the NFC in both) until the QB issues are solved.

28 Cleveland Browns (1-4) 4^th AFC North (1-1) |@Steelers

Colt McCoy is going to get an extremely rude awakening this weekend. The defense in Pittsburgh is already licking their chops.

29 Detroit Lions (1-4) 4^th NFC North (0-3) |@Giants

What a way to gain the first win of the season. If the offense clicks like that once Matthew Stafford returns, we may see a 5- or 6-win season for the cowardly Lions.

30 San Francisco 49ers (0-5) 4^th NFC West (0-1) |v.Raiders

The good news is that they’ve only lost one divisional contest, which means that they can still win the NFC West with a turnaround. Bad news is that they have yet to win, and another loss practically ends what should have been a stellar campaign for the Niners.

31 Buffalo Bills (0-5) 4^th AFC East (0-3) |BYE

A bye week means you can’t lose another one, right?

32 Carolina Panthers (0-5) 4^th NFC South |BYE

Even with 4 interceptions, this team can’t capitalize. Lame.

Week 1: Power Rankings

Continuing a trend I started last season, I will be putting together a set of power rankings all season. This basically means that I assign seemingly arbitrary ranks (1-32) for each team, which don’t necessarily go by standings or actual records. It’s difficult to get much out of just having the stats from Week One, so don’t pay too much attention to wins/losses as we move out of the top 6 or so, 16 teams had to lose this week. Division standings are also somewhat deceptive, but were gained through the NFL’s website.

Sorry it’s up on gameday, this literally took about 15 hours of work to compose, with all the stat-compiling.

So, here’s the format:

Rank|Last Week’s Rank (LW)|Team Name|Record|Divisional Standing|Comments

Hopefully, by Week Five or so, I’ll be uploading a more interactive version of the power rankings, but until then, bear with me. Last note: there is no LW column this week. Here we go!

1 New Orleans Saints (1-0) 1^st NFCS

The Saints looked solid enough in their opener last Thursday. Their stats weren’t amazing, but Drew Brees looked on form, and the defense was able to prevent either QB Brett Favre or RB Adrian Peterson from getting much done.

Key Stat: 0-2 FG, Garrett Hartley missed both attempts (46, 32) and in close games like this, you have to be able to rely on your kicker, so expect Hartley to come back strong or else have an ad out in the newspaper.

2 New England Patriots (1-0) 2^nd AFCE

Wow. The Patriots of 2010 look like the Patriots of the early 2000s, and came to play hard with the Bengals. They made the former AFC North champs look like amateurs as Tom Brady gashed Cincy’s secondary for over 250 yards and 3 scores. However, New England’s defense surrendered the 3^rd-most yardage in the NFL.

Key Stat: Wes Welker’s 8 grabs for 64 yards and 2 TDs show that his knee is feeling great, which is terrific news for Tom Brady.

3 Green Bay Packers (1-0) 2^nd NFCN

Losing Ryan Grant for the season is going to hurt, but they have an incredible offense and backup Brandon Jackson could be a sleeper for a great year, fantasy owners. The stats don’t show the talent (17^th-overall offense, 18^th-overall defense), but the talent is present and overwhelming in opposing war rooms during planning sessions.

Key Stat: 5 Sacks, including 2.0 by Clay Matthews shows dedication to the pass-rush to help an injured defensive backfield.

4 Baltimore Ravens (1-0) 1^st AFCN

The Ravens were able to top the best defense from 2009 in a nail-biter 10-9 finish. They were unable to get the running game established, however, and Joe Flacco showed poor awareness early on. The defense did have a vintage appearance, giving young QB Mark Sanchez nothing to work with all game.

Key Stat: 60 PYA (best in the NFL), with many pundits attacking Baltimore’s secondary as the team’s weakest unit, they’ll get a real test versus Carson Palmer in Cincy on Sunday (Carson threw for 340 yards against the Pats, of which 212 were to T.O. and Ocho).

5 Houston Texans (1-0) 1^st AFCS

The Texans got an early lead and never looked back as Arian Foster carried the Texans to only their second victory over the Colts since their inception in 2002. Foster looked amazing, running for a Texans-record 231 yards and 3 TDs against a usually-stout Colts defense. Houston gained a huge advantage in the ultra-competitive AFC South with this win, but need more from their passing game to keep defenses honest.

Key Stat: 98 PYG (30^th in NFL), with teams soon to be game-planning to contain Foster, QB Matt Schaub needs to bring the passing game back to its recent form to avoid becoming one-dimensional.

6 Miami Dolphins (1-0) 1^st AFCE

Miami’s defense came out this week and held the Bills to 166 yards, which was the best total D in the league. With 3 sacks and a safety by Miami, the Bills were unable to slow down the Dolphins in the trenches. This gives Miami an easy lead in the AFC East, where they will be heavily challenged by the Patriots this season.

Key Stat: 0 Turnovers, when you have a young, inexperienced starting QB, ball security is extremely important, so it’s good to see a lack of foolish miscues.

7 Indianapolis Colts (0-1) 4^th AFCS

I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Colts as 4^th in the AFC South. Ever. This loss doesn’t show the Colts waning, but the Texans improving. The Colts are still elite as long as Peyton Manning is under center. He threw all over the Texans in Sunday’s loss, going 40/57 for 433 yards and three scores. Expect Manning to let the Giants have it in Week Two.

Key Stat: 44 RYG (31^st in the NFL) With Peyton having to do all the work on offense (57 attempts is a LOT), the Colts need to work on establishing the run.

8 Tennessee Titans (1-0) 2^nd AFCS

With a decisive victory over the Raiders, the Titans are out to show that last year’s 0-6 start is just a memory and that this year’s team is the real deal. There was nothing too fancy, just great running by Chris Johnson and successful game-management by Vince Young to get a solid victory.

Key Stat: 12 straight 100-yard games rushing by halftime for CJ2K, which shows that he means it when he says he’s not satisfied with having less than 2500 yards this year.

9 Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) 2^nd AFCN

The Steelers can win without Ben Roethlisberger, but not with a lot of breathing room. Dennis Dixon needs to get more in synch with his offense against the Titans next week, or the defense won’t be able to keep it close.

Key Stat: Mendenhall’s 22 carries for 122 yards, the Steelers can’t expect Dixon to replace Big Ben’s ability, so it is imperative for Mendenhall to produce until Week Five.

10 Seattle Seahawks (1-0) 1^st NFCW

What a way for Pete Carroll and Matt Hasselbeck to come out swinging against the NFC West favorite and get a leg up in the weakest division in the NFL. Holding the 49ers to little production on the ground was crucial and allowed the ‘Hawks to win with 31 unanswered points (21 of which were Hasselbeck TDs).

Key Stat: Hasselbeck went 18/23 for 170 yards and 2 TDs, plus another TD on the ground. Seattle can not win without him under center, and he looked good.

11 San Diego Chargers (0-1) 3^rd AFCW

You could look at Phillip Rivers’ face once to tell that he was missing holdouts Vincent Jackson and Marcus McNeill. The Chargers outplayed the Chiefs 389-197 in offensive yards, but couldn’t put the ball in the endzone. Add in the poor special teams coverage, and the Chargers have some issues to analyze going into Week Two.

Key Stat: 4/15 on third down, that’s not efficiency you can afford to have when playing from behind, showing the impact of Jackson’s holdout.

12 Dallas Cowboys (0-1) 4^th NFCE

Penalties destroy good teams; just check out the ’09 Ravens. With an extremely foolish end-of-the-game penalty negating the winning TD, Wade Phillips is going to strictly direct practice with his offensive line. His OC will probably generate plenty of scrutiny if this loss damages their NFC East record with later losses.

Key Stat: Miles Austin had 10 catches for 146 yards and a score, proving that he earned his extension to be the #1 receiver in Dallas.

13 Washington Redskins (1-0) 1^st NFCE

This was a great way to start Mike Shanahan’s comeback. Holding off the Cowboys was good, but they only one on a penalty. Not to diminish the value of the win, but the defense needs to tighten up and finish games.

Key Stat: No offensive touchdowns, showing that the offense has some work to do, though it’s always positive to see playmakers on defense.

14 Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) 1^st AFCW

Toppling giants doesn’t always require a lot of offense, but the KC special teams showed up this week and rookie Dexter McCluster is proving to be a playmaker for the unit. Huge win in the AFC West for the Chiefs.

Key Stat: 10/22 (45.5%), 68 yards; Matt Cassel’s stats are unimpressive, and he posted a meager 68.0 passer rating, which has to improve for the Chiefs to balance their attack.

15 Chicago Bears (1-0) 1^st NFCN

Despite an early division victory, Coach Lovie Smith is on the hot seat, and he can’t be too impressed by his team in their win over the Lions. I was pleased to see Jay Cutler keep his turnover ratio even, but he’s going to need to do better with a tough road game against Dallas (ranked 5^th in offense and 7^th in defense) coming up.

Key Stat: 20 RYA (1^st in NFL), the Lions are not a running threat, but this is good for their front seven, especially after acquiring free agent DE Julius Peppers this offseason.

16 Atlanta Falcons (0-1) 4^th NFCS

The Falcons are the third team ranking 4^th in their division in the top half of the league, and they played a hard defensive struggle against the Steelers. Without being able to generate much from their running game, Matt Ryan was unable to get into a good rhythm.

Key Stat: 58 RYG; Michael Turner hasn’t returned to his 2008 form yet and has to against the Cardinals this week, who ranked 17^th against the run last year.

17 New York Giants (1-0) 2^nd NFCE

The Giants won their first game in the New Meadowlands and laid a second-half beat-down on the Panthers. Eli Manning threw three interceptions, but the defense was able to limit the Panthers ability to capitalize too much on them.

Key Stat: 4 catches for 75 yards, 3TD; Hakeem Nicks gave Eli a solid target to rely on this week, with the receiving corps being heavily scrutinized this offseason.

18 Arizona Cardinals (1-0) 2^nd NFCW

Derek Anderson looked pretty good in his debut for Arizona, throwing for almost 300 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. He needs to continue building a rapport with his receivers with Atlanta looking to even out their record. It wouldn’t hurt to continue shutting the run out either, with Michael Turner struggling against Pittsburgh last week.

Key Stat: 378 yards total offense (7^th best), the main concern following Kurt Warner’s retirement was the ability of the offense to bounce back, and so far, so good.

19 Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0) 3^rd AFCS

The Jaguars came out offensively against the Broncos and were able to score points, an issue in 2009 (24^th in the NFL in points per game). David Garrard posted his best passer rating since 2006 and pocket Hercules looked awesome in the running game.

Key Stat: 16/21, 175 yards, 3TD by David Garrard; Garrard has been criticized for his lack of TDs, with just 30 since 2008, so it was good to see the production early this season.

20 Denver Broncos (0-1) 2^nd AFCW

Good news: the offense looked good, and it seems that Brandon Marshall isn’t being missed too badly. Plus, the pass defense played alright, holding #1 WR Mike Sims-Walker to 0 catches. Bad news: the Broncos are 0-1.

Key Stat: 5 catches, 117 yards by Brandon Lloyd, it’s crucial that the Broncos maintain a strong passing game without Marshall, and Lloyd could step up into the role.

21 Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) 4^th AFCN

The offensive additions of rookies TE Jermaine Gresham and WR Jordan Shipley, as well as the veteran Terrell Owens have already paid dividends. Carson Palmer threw for 345 yards against New England, despite a good bit of garbage time yardage.

Key Stat: Zero sacks; when you’re ranked first in your division, you play the other division leaders in your conference the next year (Colts, Chargers, Patriots), and all three the Bengals play have amazing aerial attacks, which begin with powerful offensive lines. With no push up front, this will be a very long season.

22 Minnesota Vikings (0-1) 3^rd NFCN

It already looks like last year’s success for Brett Favre is not going to last for too long. Sidney Rice has been out, and now Percy Harvin isn’t looking healthy either. If the Vikings can trade for Chargers’ holdout Vincent Jackson, there could be a silver lining.

Key Stat: 4 catches for 76 yards, TD; TE Visanthe Shiancoe is still a scoring threat after having 11 TDs last season, and Favre badly needs it with WRs dropping left and right.

23 New York Jets (0-1) 3^rd AFCE

The Jets came into Week One huffing and puffing, but the Ravens blew the house down, deflating the high hopes the Jets carried. The defense was sloppy and was unable to match up against the Ravens multiple passing threats, though Darrelle Revis did look good keeping his side of the field barren.

Key Stat: 14 penalties for 125 yards; sloppy plays gashed the defense for critical yardage, especially a Roughing the Kicker call on 4^th down. That’s dumb.

24 Philadelphia Eagles (0-1) 3^rd NFCE

The heir to McNabb went down with a concussion, and Michael Vick looked like he was in old form, rushing and passing for over 100 yards apiece, the seventh time he’s done so in his career. The defense, on the other hand, definitely needs some work.

Key Stat: 16/24, 175 yards, TD, 11 attempts rushing, 103 yards, TD; Vick’s stat line looks awesome, and if he starts against Detroit, the Eagles will win. Mark it.

25 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) 2^nd NFCS

Josh Freeman looked great for Tampa Bay, giving the fans something to cheer about. The defense generated turnovers, too, which always makes things easier on a young quarterback.

Key Stat: 17/28, 182 yards, 2TD, INT; Josh Freeman provides stability at QB for Tampa, and though his stats aren’t too flashy, he manages the game well and isn’t reckless.

26 San Francisco 49ers (0-1) 4^th NFCW

Big trouble in San Francisco is brewing after the poor play all over the offense against the Seahawks. Alex Smith is being criticized; Michael Crabtree is under fire… The defense looked unable to stop Matt Hasselbeck, though they did stuff the run well.

Key Stat: 17 attempts, 38 yards; RB Frank Gore is a huge piece of the offense, and if he continues to disappoint, Mike Singletary will look elsewhere to head the charge.

27 Detroit Lions (0-1) 4^th NFCN

Detroit could have won the game if the NFL Rulebook was written with common sense guiding the authors. Alas, Calvin Johnson didn’t get the game-winning TD credited. With a hard-fought division game under their belt, the Lions showed they are able to win games. Doing so without QB Matthew Stafford might be difficult though.

Key Stat: 4 sacks; I said before the season started that the Detroit front seven would be strong, and there you have it, including a sack by rookie Ndamukong Suh in his debut.

28 Oakland Raiders (0-1) 4^th AFCW

The Raiders were thoroughly outplayed by the Titans in Week One, posting the 22^nd-ranked offense and the 21^st-ranked defense. The defense allowed 5 TDs and the Titans went 3/3 in the red zone for 21 points.

Key Stat: 22/37, 180 yards, TD, INT; Jason Campbell looked way less than spectacular in his silver-and-black debut. He was brought in to turn the offense around, and must do so in order to avoid dropping to 0-2 against St. Louis.

29 St. Louis Rams (0-1) 3^rd NFCW

There wasn’t a victory to celebrate in St. Louis, but they do have some hope in rookie QB Sam Bradford, who performed admirably. Not many rookies would be able to keep a lot of poise behind that offensive line.

Key Stat: 32/55, 253 yards, TD, 3 INT; Sam Bradford threw a lot in his regular season debut. Building the running game up will help him both keep his picks down and allow adjustment to NFL-speed.

30 Buffalo Bills (0-1) 4^th AFCE

The Bills looked anemic against the Dolphins, with the only worthwhile play being Roscoe Parrish’s 31 yard TD. Chan Gailey has got a lot of work to do.

Key Stat: 6 three-and-outs; for the offense to score, they have got to be able to move the ball. John Madden couldn’t have said it better.

31 Carolina Panthers (0-1) 3^rd NFCS

The Carolina defense was poor at stopping the Giants at getting points off turnovers, which doesn’t help with a young quarterback. This team isn’t built for the long haul, and with Jimmy Clausen possibly starting in Week Two, let the growing pains begin.

Key Stat: 2 points scored in the 2^nd half; no way to come back from behind if you can’t score all game, and a safety isn’t going to cut it against a solid offense.

32 Cleveland Browns (0-1) 3^rd AFCN

The Browns are just bad. They lost starting QB Jake Delhomme and will play an excited Kansas City team. Expect losses from these guys.

Key Stat: 2 catches, 46 yards, TD; second-year pro Mohamed Massaquoi’s growth is critical to a weak passing game in Cleveland.