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NFL Power Rankings: New York, New York

Posted Nov 26, 2008 12:00PM By Michael David Smith (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Jets, Giants, NFL Power Rankings

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Now that the Titans have lost, we're all in agreement that the Giants are the best team in the NFL. But who's the second best?

Crazy as this would have sounded just a couple of weeks ago, I think it's the New York Jets.

No, the Jets haven't been the second-best team in the league over the course of the entire season -- not even close. They played some ugly football in losses to the Patriots, Chargers and Raiders. But the way the Jets look right now, with Brett Favre playing his best football of the season and Kris Jenkins looking like the defensive player of the year, I think New York has football's two best teams.

On to this week's NFL power rankings.


  • 1. Giants (10-1) | Previous Week: 1
    Even without Brandon Jacobs and Plaxico Burress, the Giants managed to put 37 points on the board in Arizona. Behind an outstanding offensive line, Eli Manning is running the most complete offense in football.
  • 2. Jets (8-3) | Prev.: 13
    I love the way the Jets are using running back Leon Washington. He's not going to be the every-down back, not as long as the Jets have Thomas Jones, and not as long as Washington is handling punt and kickoff returns. But getting him about 10 touches a game on offense is perfect. In the win over the Titans, Washington had eight carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns. If he can be even close to that productive on offense going forward, the Jets are going to be in very good shape.
  • 3. Titans (10-1) | Prev.: 2
    I don't want to move the Titans down too far in my power rankings after just one loss. They are, after all, tied for the best record in football. But I also don't want to overlook just how badly they got beaten. The final score of 34-13 doesn't even tell the whole story; the Titans didn't reach the end zone until midway through the fourth quarter, when the Jets had gone into a soft zone on defense. I can't rank them ahead of the Jets after that.
  • 4. Steelers (8-3) | Prev.: 5
    Pittsburgh has a murderer's row ahead: at New England, home against the Cowboys, at Baltimore, at Tennessee. I think they'll win two of those four, then win the season finale against the Browns. Pencil them in for 11-5.

  • 5. Colts (7-4) | Prev.: 6
    Yes, that was a clutch kick by Adam Vinatieri to win Sunday night's game. But it's a funny thing about being "clutch." Once people decide that a guy like Vinatieri is clutch, they conveniently forget all the times that he's choked. Everyone remembers that Vinatieri hit the game-winning 41-yard field goal in Super Bowl XXXVIII. No one remembers that Vinatieri missed field goals of 31 and 36 yards earlier in that game. That's why Vinatieri will end up in the Hall of Fame some day, while superior kickers like Jason Hanson are overlooked.
  • 6. Cardinals (7-4) | Prev.: 3
    Neil Rackers booted just about the most perfect onside kick I've ever seen on Sunday, right into the hands of teammate Ralph Brown, who stood there like a statue as it bounced off his hands. And that's how you become one of the duds of the week.
  • 7. Ravens (7-4) | Prev.: 8
    Ed Reed is the best interception returner in NFL history. His 108-yarder on Sunday was the longest in NFL history, breaking his own record. He already has more than 1,000 interception return yards in his career. Now if he can just stop lateraling the ball when he picks it off, as he stupidly did at the end of his other interception return on Sunday.
  • 8. Panthers (8-3) | Prev.: 4
    After back-to-back bad games against the Raiders and Lions, Jake Delhomme's numbers were good against the Falcons. Unfortunately, he put up those good numbers after the Panthers fell into a 17-0 hole against the Falcons. I still like the Panthers to win the NFC South, mostly because they still get to play the Buccaneers at home, but it's been a while since they've played a complete football game.
  • 9. Patriots (7-4) | Prev.: 15
    Back-to-back 400-yard games have me believing in Matt Cassel. His teammates believe in him, too: Guard Logan Mankins says there's not another quarterback in the league he'd rather have. Does that include Tom Brady?
  • 10. Cowboys (7-4) | Prev.: 7
    For all the justified criticism Terrell Owens gets for his inconsistency on the field and his attitude off the field, when he's on -- as he was Sunday against the 49ers -- there's not an NFL wide receiver I'd rather have on my team.
  • 11. Redskins (7-4) | Prev.: 9
    If the Redskins are going to get to the playoffs, they're going to do it on the back of Clinton Portis, who had 143 yards on Sunday and is on pace for more than 1,750 this season. My only question is whether his body can withstand the pounding of many more 29-carry games.
  • 12. Buccaneers (8-3) | Prev.: 10
    The Bucs won by 18 on the road on Sunday, and I dropped them two spots in the power rankings. That's how bad the Lions are.
  • 13. Falcons (7-4) | Prev.: 18
    The Falcons have been a pleasant surprise all season, and a huge game from Harry Douglas was the latest example. It's still a very tough path to the playoffs, but beating the Panthers makes it possible.
  • 14. Saints (6-5) | Prev.: 19
    The Saints are the best last-place team in the NFL. For what that's worth.
  • 15. Packers (5-6) | Prev.: 12
    And the team the Saints beat, Green Bay, is the best team in the NFC North, even if both the Bears and Vikings are ahead of them in the standings. The North will be a three-way race down to the wire, but I like the Packers to pull it out.
  • 16. Bills (6-5) | Prev.: 16
    Nothing quite like getting the Chiefs on the schedule to stave off a meltdown. And with San Francisco coming to town, the Bills should make it two in a row on Sunday. It won't be easy in the AFC East, but they're not out of it just yet.
  • 17. Bears (6-5) | Prev.: 14
    People in Chicago are already talking about the Bears going after Donovan McNabb, which is utterly ridiculous. What makes anyone think the 32-year-old Donovan McNabb is going to be a better quarterback than the 26-year-old Kyle Orton next season?
  • 18. Eagles (5-5-1) | Prev.: 11
    I can't think of a worse situation for a young quarterback to get his first significant playing time than on the road against the Ravens. For Andy Reid to throw Kevin Kolb to the wolves like that was incredibly stupid.
  • 19. Broncos (6-5) | Prev.: 17
    As long as Champ Bailey is out, the Broncos' pass defense may be the worst in the league. In the AFC West, they're probably going to make the playoffs. Think Peyton Manning would love to see the Broncos in the wild card round?
  • 20. Dolphins (6-5) | Prev.: 20
    The Dolphins don't like the Patriots running up the score on them. Of course, when the situation was reversed in Week 3, the Dolphins didn't just stop playing after they went up 35-13 in the fourth quarter.
  • 21. Chargers (4-7) | Prev.: 21
    The fans in San Diego are making clear how they feel about this team: After selling out every game the last four years, the Chargers are in danger of being blacked out on local television and playing in front of thousands of empty seats.
  • 22. Vikings (6-5) | Prev.: 22
    The Vikings' entire defensive line is in trouble with Commissioner Roger Goodell, with tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams both appealing four-game suspensions and ends Jared Allen and Ray Edwards both getting big fines for hitting quarterbacks. Edwards' response to all this? To remind us that men don't wear panties. Duly noted.
  • 23. Texans (4-7) | Prev.: 25
    The Texans' defense finally looked good on Sunday. Too bad they don't get to play the Browns every week.
  • 24. Raiders (3-8) | Prev.: 29
    The blowout win over the Broncos was nice, and it showed what great physical tools JaMarcus Russell has. I think this talk that they could still make the playoffs is going a little overboard, though.
  • 25. Jaguars (4-7) | Prev.: 24
    Jaguars wide receiver Troy Williamson spent the week leading up to the game against the Vikings talking tough about confronting his old coach, Brad Childress. As it turns out, Williamson didn't confront Childress, or even suit up, because of a groin injury.
  • 26. Browns (4-7) | Prev.: 23
    I don't really get the point of benching Brady Quinn, seeing as the rest of Cleveland's season seems mostly about getting Quinn ready to be the quarterback of the future. Of course, since Romeo Crennel won't be Quinn's coach next year anyway, I guess he doesn't really care about Quinn's development.
  • 27. Seahawks (2-9) | Prev.: 26
    I looked for something good to say about Seattle, and this was the best I could come up with: Kickoff returner Josh Wilson, who ran one back 55 yards on Sunday, has had a good season.
  • 28. 49ers (3-8) | Prev.: 27
    Coach Mike Singletary says the most important thing is to get better each week. Which, judging by the 49ers' performance against the Cowboys, means Singletary hasn't done his job.
  • 29. Bengals (1-9-1) | Prev.: 28
    Carson Palmer still says he might play in December. Does anyone really believe that? Would the Bengals really risk their franchise quarterback aggravating an elbow injury just so he can try to help the team get from 1-11-1 to 2-11-1?
  • 30. Rams (2-9) | Prev.: 30
    Here's a wild idea for Rams offensive lineman Richie Incognito: Instead of whining that the fans don't support you, how about playing like a team worthy of support?
  • 31. Chiefs (1-10) | Prev.: 31
    Chiefs defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham says he hasn't slept in six weeks. Does it occur to him, after the Bills rang up 50 points on his defense, that maybe his sleep deprivation is one of the reasons his defense stinks?
  • 32. Lions (0-11) | Prev.: 32
    I had the Lions-Buccaneers game on at the time that the Lions took a 17-0 lead. It never once even occurred to me that the Lions would actually hold on and win; I was just interested in seeing how they would blow their big lead. The answer: They'd give up five touchdowns in 20 minutes of playing time. Enjoy watching these guys on Thanksgiving.

Tags: NFL+power+rankings, NflPowerRankings

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