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NFL Power Rankings, Week 2: Win and You're In

Posted Sep 17, 2009 1:00PM By Chris Burke (RSS feed)

Filed Under: NFL Power Rankings

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Pittsburgh Steelers fansI like to think of myself as a relatively sharp football mind. But I can't, in good conscience, sit here after Week 1 of the NFL season and predict without a shadow of a doubt who's going to win divisions, conference and the Super Bowl. I don't have that foresight. No one does. I've seen the History Channel documentaries on Nostradamus -- he's full of crap.

So what you'll find in FanHouse's first set of weekly NFL Power Rankings is a loose estimation of who the best teams in the league are based on roster talent, recent performance, and of course, record. This isn't the college football Top 25 where Oklahoma State stays ahead of Houston even after Houston wins in Stillwater -- you've got to earn your way to the top here by winning games (Denver gets a slight bump-down exception for its method of victory)

Rankings after the jump.

  • 1. Steelers (1-0)
    It wasn't pretty, but Ben Roethlisberger added another comeback win to his bio -- should this one count twice because of Hines Ward's fumble? And finally, the national media has caught up to the average Steelers fan, now everyone realizes this offensive line is kind of scary. - JJ Cooper
  • 2. Eagles (1-0)
    Who'd have thought Michael Vick would turn out to be the low-maintenance Eagles quarterback? - Dan Graziano
  • 3. Giants (1-0)
    If Eli can't find a receiver Sunday night, it's okay. He can always just throw one off the scoreboard and take the do-over. - Graziano

  • 4. Vikings (1-0)
    Adrian Peterson carried the offense while the other team was allegedly focused on stopping him. It's a credit to the ability of Peterson and the blocking up front. However, that blocking was pretty sour when it was time to protect Brett Favre in the first half. If the Vikings aren't careful, they could end up being purely one-dimensional despite Favre's presence. - Bruce Ciskie
  • 5. Patriots (1-0)
    Tom Brady and a gift from the bungling Bills saved them from an 0-1 start. But the offense looked shaky for the first 55 minutes, and the depleted defensive...well, it honestly just looks bad. - Graziano
  • 6. Ravens (1-0)
    This is a Ravens team? Giving up 24 points to a Brodie Croyle-led Chiefs team? Throwing for over 300 yards? It may not be what you expected when Rex Ryan and Brian Billick were around, but it seems to be just as effective. - Cooper
  • 7. Chargers (1-0)
    The Raiders may not have been able to beat the Bolts, but they succeeded in beating them up. Several injuries, including one to LaDainian Tomlinson, raise the question of if the Chargers are strong enough to make the Super Bowl run many have predicted. - Josh Alper
  • 8. Saints (1-0)
    I know it was against the Lions, but the Saints offense looked unstoppable in Week 1. Drew Brees threw twice as many touchdown passes than the other three quarterbacks in the NFC South division combined. - Knox Bardeen
  • 9. Colts (1-0)
    Hard to ever bet against Peyton Manning, even when you see weaknesses with the offensive line and defense (and now wide receiver?). Is the Peyton finally going to have a mortal season? Nope, dude is a witch. - Stephanie Stradley
  • 10. Cowboys (1-0)
    Impressive season-opening air show against the Bucs, but it's dangerous. Boys will still be at their best if they lean toward the run. - Graziano
  • 11. Falcons (1-0)
    Surprise, surprise. The Falcons defense looked awesome against the Dolphins. If that trend continues, Atlanta will make a deep playoff run. Matt Ryan and Michael Turner weren't as sharp as they are going to be in the weeks to come. - Bardeen
  • 12. Packers (1-0)
    Many of the problems Sunday night can be blamed on the offensive line. Until the Packers find a way to run-block and pass-protect better, it's going to be hard for them to move the ball consistently, no matter how much skill-position talent they may have. - Ciskie
  • 13. 49ers (1-0)
    Someone may have called their defense a "sleeper" this year, and at first glance, that's the right call -- they dominated the high-octane Cardinals in a win that shouldn't have been as surprising as it was. Bonus: winning the first week seems to have yanked all of Michael Crabtree's leverage off the table. - Will Brinson
  • 14. Jets (1-0)
    Mark Sanchez got a pep talk from Joe Namath. Then he went out and played so well, hysterical Jet fans have forgotten who Namath was. - Graziano
  • 15. Seahawks (1-0)
    Sure, it was the Rams, but Matt Hasselbeck looked back, John Carlson is going to be a STAR this year (what? Tila Tequila's single ...), and Nate Burleson appears poised to take some pressure off of Housh. Don't give too much credit to the running game, but those receivers are red zone-effective enough to score anywhere. - Brinson
  • 16. Titans (0-1)
    Too bad losses don't have style points. In Tennessee, the Titans look to put the stomp on the Texans with a decisive win. They allowed Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson 207 yards in their last meeting, but that was in Houston. - Stradley
  • 17. Bears (0-1)
    Don't read too much into Jay Cutler's poor performance. It will get better from here. Be more worried about Brian Urlacher's absence from a defense that was already looking a bit low on playmakers. - Ciskie
  • 18. Bills (0-1)
    Crazy Bills fans vandalize Leodis McKelvin's lawn after his dumb fumble costs them a sure win in Foxborough. Most amazing: There are still Bills fans who don't expect to lose? - Graziano
  • 19. Broncos (1-0)
    If it's possible, forget about the miracle catch for a moment. The biggest thing to come out of Sunday's game was the emergence of a Broncos defense. It's been years since we've seen one and things can change, but the shift to a 3-4 may have paid off. - Alper
  • 20. Redskins (0-1)
    The Jason Campbell watch is on -- again, and already -- in D.C. After an offseason spent trying to find Campbell's replacement, it still doesn't look as if head coach Jim Zorn trusts him in a big spot. - Graziano
  • 21. Cardinals (0-1)
    It just doesn't seem possible that this team can repeat last year's success. Also, there's absolutely nothing good about Tim Hightower being the leading receiver on a team that features Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. - Brinson
  • 22. Dolphins (0-1)
    The Dolphins lost a total of six fumbles in 2008. They lost three on Sunday. Unless they have another league-altering gimmick in their offensive bag of tricks, last year's magic is going to be tough to repeat. - Graziano
  • 23. Panthers (0-1)
    If you count their final playoff game from last season, Jake Delhomme has thrown nine interceptions and only one touchdown in his last two games. The Panthers cannot begin to flourish unless Delhomme fixes whatever his problems may be. - Bardeen
  • 24. Jaguars (0-1)
    With 122 yards passing and a 50% completion rate, David Garrard managed to have worse first week numbers than Schaub's 166/54.5%. Losing DE Reggie Hayward for the season doesn't help an already depleted defensive line. - Stradley
  • 25. Buccaneers (0-1)
    On one side of the coin you have the fact that the Bucs gained 450 total yards against the Cowboys in week 1. The other side shows Tampa being outscored by almost two touchdowns and giving up 462 total yards themselves on defense. When flipped, the Buccaneers coin will land on the bad side more than the good this season. - Bardeen
  • 26. Chiefs (0-1)
    By playing better than expected against the Ravens, Brodie Croyle may have given the Chiefs exactly what they needed least in the world. If Matt Cassel doesn't play well upon his return to health, the Chiefs could have themselves a quarterback issue.
  • 27. Texans (0-1)
    The Texans offense typically struggles against physical 3-4 teams but their showing against the Jets is among the worst in the Gary Kubiak era. Defense allowing 55% on third downs isn't going to work either. The Titans game plan is all about abusing quarterback Matt Schaub. Again. And again. - Stradley
  • 28. Raiders (0-1)
    The good news is that the trade for Richard Seymour looks like a masterstroke after his two sacks fueled a strong defensive performance in Monday night's opener. The bad news is that JaMarcus Russell's accuracy still wouldn't let him hit the ocean if he fell out of a boat. - Alper
  • 29. Bengals (0-1)
    If one play could sum up the life of a Bengals fan it's Brandon Stokley's immaculate deflection. It's not the fact that the Bengals lost on a fluke play, it's the fact that Stokley was able to run an extra five seconds off the clock because no Bengals could be bothered to run downfield to try to tackle him. - Cooper
  • 30. Browns (0-1)
    Eric Mangini's decision to keep Brady Quinn's start a secret really paid off. I'm guessing that the Vikings hadn't prepared the defense to handle Quinn's "let the ball slip out when no one's hitting me" play. But when you have Adrian Peterson running through the Browns' still leaky run defense it doesn't matter. - Cooper
  • 31. Rams (0-1)
    Rams -- Stevie Spags might be a good coach, but there's probably not a whole lot he can do to keep the Rams from finishing out of the cellar this year. Of course, what does it say about the team that they're forced to play Marc Bulger when he's got a broken pinkie. Long year for Spags coming. - Brinson
  • 32. Lions (0-1)
    Midseason form on defense, as Drew Brees carved them up for six TD passes. Stafford was shaky most of the afternoon, but the offense made some plays, and there is at least a basis for hope. - Ciskie

Tags: NFL+Power+Rankings, NFL+Power+Rankings+2009, NFL+Power+Rankings+Week+1

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