Tuesday, September 25, 2012

NFL Power Rankings

There isn't enough space to write everything you could on this past week in football. We talked last time about the upsets we saw through two weeks, but they didn't compare to week 3. For the second week in a row, #1 on our Power Rankings got beat. Plus, for the second week in a row #32 on won last week. Will that trend continue?

The biggest fall on our Power Rankings were by the replacement refs... sorry it slipped out. Don't fine me. But they were terrible this week. I thought they would get better and better each week, but the opposite is proving true. Last night's chaotic finish on MNF just lit this story on fire.

In all seriousness, the biggest fall in the rankings was by the Philadelphia Eagles. They fell from 7th to 16th in our rankings. On the flip side, the fortunate Seahawks rose 11 spots, from 19 to 8. As you can expect the Vikings rose and 49ers fell. The Raiders rose and Steelers fell. The Titans rose and Lions fell. The Chiefs rose and Saints fell. The list goes on and on.

As always, this list is based on the first three weeks of the year, and not necessarily how we think the teams will play going forward. Plus, our updated picks standings is at the top. In terms of our rankings, please let us know in the comment section what you think. Enjoy!


NFL Power Rankings
Week 2

Andrew – 215 Points (23-25)         Greg – 195 Points (21-27)
Evan Atkinson – 127 Points (17-15) – Winner of Week 3

NOTE: Last week’s rank is noted in the first parenthesis. Current team record noted in the second parenthesis.

1. (2) Atlanta Falcons (3-0) – Matt Ryan is playing at an elite level and the offense continues to roll. Their defense though has arguably been better than the offense. Nobody is eager to play these guys right now. – Andrew

2. (3) Houston Texans (3-0) – Matt Schaub isn't putting up huge numbers, but he's throwing for a lot of TD's.  They are a complete team, and already have a 2 game lead on everyone else in their pathetic division. Is it possible to clinch the playoffs in week 3? – Greg

3. (10) Arizona Cardinals (3-0) – This week, they show many that they are the real deal. This team defense, not the 49er defense, looks like the best unit in the division through 3 weeks. Plus, Kolb finally earned his money. – Andrew

4. (6) Baltimore Ravens (2-1) – Torrey Smith gave an inspired effort after his brother died early Sunday morning. Sad story, but he honored him on with his play that night. – Andrew

5. (14) New York Giants (2-1) – Absolutely embarrassed the Panthers on Thursday night (with backups), and the defense finally looked like the championship defense again. They may be hitting their stride. – Greg

6. (1) San Francisco 49ers (2-1) – Absolute shocker of a loss to Minnesota. First time I've ever seen a game where this team was physically dominated.  Should be a good wake-up call for Harbaugh's team. I feel bad for the Jets next week. – Greg

7. (12) Chicago Bears (2-1) – The offense hasn’t been there since their first game, but their defense showed up once again. The O-line still is a major concern, but so is Jay Cutler. – Andrew

8. (19) Seattle Seahawks (2-1) – Regardless of your opinion about the way the game ended, the Seahawks played a great game. Their home field advantage is one of the best in the league, and their defensive line dominated the Packers last night. If Russell Wilson continues to play turnover-free football, this team could be very good. – Greg

9. (11) New England Patriots (1-2) – They lost another heartbreaker to a good team Sunday night. The defense just isn’t quite good enough right now. And they have also gotten away from Ridley after his great week 1 performance. – Andrew

10. (18) Dallas Cowboys (2-1) – The Cowboys won an ugly game on Sunday. The defense did play solid, but the offense struggled mightily for the second straight week. Maybe another nationally televised game is what they need to click again. And they have one Monday Night against Chicago. – Andrew

11. (20) Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) – Since their opening day loss on the road at Baltimore, they have beaten two less than stellar teams. Yet, they still won, and Andy Dalton looks to be getting better as the season goes along. – Greg

12. (4) Green Bay Packers (1-2) – Again, regardless of your opinion about the way the game ended, the Packers have now been shut out in the first quarter in all three games they have played. They have scored 22, 23, and 12 points in three games for an average of 18.6. Well below the mark for an offense that has been averaging well over 30 the last few years. – Greg

13. (5) Denver Broncos (1-2) – They have played the toughest three game schedule of any team in the NFL, plus Manning still has some rust. Things will get easier, and he will keep getting better. – Andrew

14. (23) Buffalo Bills (2-1) – Back to back dominating wins. Ryan Fitzpatrick has picked up his play, but now both Spiller and Jackson are out.  Can Tashard Choice step in and put up similar numbers? – Greg

15. (8) Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2) – This team has always been built on the reputation of its defense. Its defense is no longer intimidating, and its showing. Dick Lebeau needs to get that unit healthy and back together. – Greg

16. (7) Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) – Despite the winning record, they have a -19 point differential. The turnovers are killing them, and Michael Vick is taking a beating behind a porous offensive line. – Andrew

17. (9) San Diego Chargers (2-1) – Nothing wrong with losing to the hottest team in football right now.  This week's result will tell us whether the Chargers are for real, or whether their opening two wins were simply a product of poor competition. – Greg

18. (25) Minnesota Vikings (2-1) – The Vikings shocked the nation by defeating the mighty 49ers. Ponder toyed with arguably the best defense in the league. Who would have thought they would be leading the NFC North at this point? – Andrew

19. (16) New York Jets (2-1) – This is a team without an offensive identity. Are they a running team, passing team, or wildcat team? To make matters worse, Darrelle Revis is done for the year. Yet they are the only team in the league to be 2-0 in their division. – Andrew

20. (15) Washington Redskins (1-2) – Putting up points (33/game) and in every game so far this year. I have no reason to believe they won't be in the rest of them with a chance to win as well. A team learning how to win. – Greg

21. (13) Detroit Lions (1-2) – Detroit’s defense struggled to contain the lowly Titans. An even bigger worry is that Stafford got injured once again. On the bright side, LeShoure made his debut and looked great. – Andrew

22. (17) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-2) – Another team that will be in every game so far this year. Played two NFC East teams extremely tough on the road and have beaten a division opponent at home. Defense is much improved, but can the offense keep up? – Greg

23. (32) Tennessee Titans (1-2) – Jake Locker showed Sunday why he was so highly coveted out of college. But that was just one game. They still have a league worst -46 point differential this season. – Andrew

24. (30) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) – Gabbert and Shorts know how to score late don’t they? Unlike week 1, this time the defense held on. Glad to see MJD running wild again too. – Andrew

25. (24) Indianapolis Colts (1-2) – The headline should read that Andrew Luck once again led the team to a great game-winning drive. But it doesn’t because of some bad late defense. – Andrew

26. (31) Oakland Raiders (1-2) – Their offense finally clicked on Sunday, and it was against Pittsburgh of all defenses. Can't help but think Denarius Moore's return helped take the top off of the defense and exposed those underneath routes. – Greg

27. (26) Miami Dolphins (1-2) – If not for Dan Carpenter's 2 missed FG's in this game, Miami would be 2-1 and a game ahead of the hapless Jets in the division. Unfortunately Dan's moustache made him sneeze those kicks wide left. – Greg

28. (28) Kansas City Chiefs (1-2) – Monumental comeback on the road this week. Jamaal Charles (217) nearly rushed for as many yards as Matt Cassel threw for (234), and that's a great sign for the Chiefs. – Greg

29. (21) St. Louis Rams (1-2) – After putting up great numbers last week, the Rams offense couldn’t generate anything vs. the Bears. – Andrew

30. (22) Carolina Panthers (1-2) – Got shellacked at home in primetime this week. Will need to recover quickly from that debacle. The offense seems to be quite inept, and I never thought a defense with Jon Beason and Luke Kuechly would get run over so easily. – Greg

31. (27) New Orleans Saints (0-3) – I didn’t think losing their coach this season would hurt them much, but it clearly has. Have they forgotten that they are allowed to run the ball? Drew Brees is trying to do too much. – Andrew

32. (29) Cleveland Browns (0-3) – Look on the bright side Browns fans, Weeden is getting better and you'll have 7 #1 picks next year. – Greg

By: The Sports Guys

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