NFL Week 1 Power Rankings

The first week of the season is in the books.  Some great games, wild endings, and very few surprises.

Tons of injuries though, especially on the defensive side.  A few of these injuries could be season-altering to more than a few teams.

But it’s still early (no shit…the first week is as early as it gets in the season.  God I’m a moron.)  Major changes are inevitable.

So here we go…

1. PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Nice win over a tough Titans team, but they desperately need to get Willie Parker and the running game going.  Ben Roethlisberger looked great.  Will be tough to overcome loss of Troy Polomalu though. (next game @ Chicago)

2. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Normally squeaking out a win against an average opponent would cause a slight drop in rank.  Tom Brady showed some early rust, but came through in the clutch…again.  Randy Moss had a nice game.  Buffalo exposed weaknesses in the defense though. (next game @ NY Jets)

3. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Whooped on the Panthers, but that cost them.  Donovan McNabb’s broken rib means Kevin Kolb is your starting QB, with newly signed Jeff Garcia (him again?) as your backup, Iggles fan.  Defense, especially the secondary, needs a big game this week against Drew Brees and the Saints. (next game vs. New Orleans)

4. NEW YORK GIANTS

Big time win against division rivals Washington, highlighted by Osi Umenyiora’s return.  Eli Manning spread the ball around nicely, but rookie WR Hakeem Nicks went down with an ankle injury and is doubtful this week.  Have to play this week in Jerry Jones’ new $100 billion trillion dollar stadium/shrine to excess. (next game @ Dallas)

5. ATLANTA FALCONS

Get used to hearing “Ryan to Gonzalez” quite a bit this year.  The second-year QB and all-pro TE seem to have a good rapport right from the get go.  Michael Turner had an off game…hopefully it’s just an aberration.  Defense shut down the Dolphins and their Wildcat offense nicely. (next game vs. Carolina)

6. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Squeaked out a victory against the Jags, but to be fair, the Jags always, always play the Colts tough.  Big question for the Colts…who will replace Anthony Gonzalez, who is out for at least a month with a knee injury.  The team went out and got Hank Baskett, cut loose by the Eagles to make room for Mike Vick.  The D came up big late against David Garrard and the Jags. (next game @ Miami)

7. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Don’t expect Drew Brees to put up 6 TD’s every week, but damn, he was on fire last week.  Granted, it was against the Lions.  Defense still the achilles heel for coach Sean Payton’s Saints, as they gave up 27 points to the Detroit Lions.  Reggie Bush is looking more and more like a major bust. (next game @ Philadelphia)

8. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

Philip Rivers lived up to his new contract, leading the Chargers to a Monday night win over the Raiders.  LaDainian Tomlinson is out this week after rolling his ankle.  Darren Sproles stepped in nicely, and should be a capable substitute for Tomlinson.  Shawne Merriman’s first game back was uneventful, but the all-pro LB should quickly step his game up.  (next game vs. Baltimore)

9. BALTIMORE RAVENS

Joe Flacco showed no signs of a sophomore slump, throwing for 307 yards and 3 TD’s against the Chiefs.  Fine two-headed running machine, with Willis McGahee and Ray Rice, and as always, the defense looks good.  Damn good.  Tough week this week on the road against the Chargers. (next game @ San Diego)

10. TENNESSEE TITANS

Lost a heartbreaker to the Steelers, but overall looked strong.  Kerry Collins picked up where he left off last year, and rookie WR Kenny Britt had a great game against a tough Pittsburgh secondary.  Smash and Dash, LenDale White and Chris Johnson never got going against the Steelers, but they won’t stay down long. (next game vs. Houston)

11. MINNESOTA VIKINGS

How awesome is Adrian Peterson?  He was able to overshadow, if only slightly, Brett Favre’s Vikings debut.  Peterson ran for 180 yards and 3 TD’s, while rookie WR Percy Harvin caught his first professional touchdown.  As long as the Williams Wall is able to keep playing, the defense is one of the best in the league.  (next game @ Detroit)

12. GREEN BAY PACKERS

Looks like Dom Capers 3-4 defense in Green Bay was a pretty good friggin’ idea.  Good for 4 picks against Jay Cutler and the Bears.  Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings is quickly becoming the next great QB/WR tandem.  Ryan Grant needs to get going though. (next game vs. Cincinnati)

13. DALLAS COWBOYS

Beating up on the rebuilding Tampa Bay Buccaneers is no big deal, but the Dallas offense looked good, and Tony Romo had a great day, finishing with a career high 353 yards and 3 TD’s.  Patrick Crayton had a huge day, and Roy Williams had a big day as well, helping to erase any lingering thoughts of T.O.  They get to show off their monstrosity of a new stadium in prime time Sunday.  (next game vs. NY Giants)

14. NY JETS

Mark Sanchez is the real deal.  Great debut, with a pregame chat with Jets legend Joe Namath.  Thomas Jones came up big, running for 107 yards and a pair of TD’s.  The Jets defense came up big, shutting down RB Steve Slaton, and more importantly, mercurial WR Andre Johnson.  Hopefully coach Rex Ryan didn’t give the Pats too much bulletin board material for their meeting this week. (next game vs. New England)

15. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Sure, they spanked the horrific Rams, but Matt Hasselbeck was firing on all cylinders, and RB Julius Jones looked like, well, a younger Shaun Alexander.  New addition T.J. Houshmandzadeh had a rather pedestrian first game, but should soon be an integral part of the offense.  LB Aaron Curry added some toughness to the defense, but losing LB Leroy Hill hurts. (next game @ San Francisco)

16. CHICAGO BEARS

Yikes…how bad was it for the Bears on Sunday night.  Let’s see, 4 INT’s by “franchise” QB Jay Cutler, and they lost their star defensive player, LB Brian Urlacher, for the year.  It will be hard for this team to rebound from the devastating loss of Urlacher. (next game vs. Pittsburgh)

17. ARIZONA CARDINALS

Talk about laying an egg…the Super Bowl losers looked out-of-sync and downright horrible against a Shaun Hill led 49ers team.  At home no less.  It probably is just a hiccup, and Kurt Warner should help turn this team around offensively, however, defensively this team is still weak.  Luckily they play in arguably the worst division in the NFL. (next game @ Jacksonville)

18. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Shaun Hill played surprisingly well on the road against Arizona, highlighted by a 15-play, 80-yard drive capped off by a 3-yard TD pass to Frank Gore.  Gore wasn’t able to get it going on the ground, but was able to add a rushing TD to go along with his receiving TD.  Isaac Bruce played well, despite being 53-years-old. 49ers defense could be one of the league’s best.  (next game vs. Seattle)

19. BUFFALO BILLS

After a disastrous season, and no Marshawn Lynch for the first three games, nobody, and I mean nobody, expected them to compete against the Pats.  But they had the game won, until Leodis McKelvin’s royal screwup.  Fred Jackson played well subbing in for Lynch.  T.O. was non-existent in the passing game.  Defense played well…the return of Aaron Schobel was a big boost. (next game vs. Tampa Bay)

20. MIAMI DOLPHINS

If the game against the Falcons was any indication, the success the Dolphins had with the Wildcat may be history.  QB Chad Pennington was sacked 4 times, and had an otherwise forgettable day.  The running back tandem of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown never got going.  The defense pressured Atlanta QB Matt Ryan all day, and was able to sack him twice. (next game vs. Indianapolis)

21. HOUSTON TEXANS

The Texans are always the “sexy” pick to win the AFC South and finally make the playoffs.  They looked anything but sexy against the Jets.  QB Matt Schaub struggled, RB Steve Slaton struggled, WR Andre Johnson…well, you get the picture.  Can’t see them turning things around this week against the Titans. (next game @ Tennessee)

22. WASHINGTON REDSKINS

The offense struggled against a tough Giants defense, and the defense was so-so against a good Giants offense.  With $100 million dollar man Albert Haynesworth the defense needs to be better.  RB Clinton Portis had a mediocre day, and QB Jason Campbell should play with a chip on his shoulder.  Both should get better as the season progresses, especially with the Rams coming to town. (next game vs. St. Louis)

23. DENVER BRONCOS

They were one freak play from losing to the crappy Bengals.  QB Kyle Orton actually played decent, however 87 of his 243 passing yards and his lone touchdown were on the game-ending, freak play.  WR Brandon Marshall is a game breaker, when he isn’t whining (or allegedly beating the shit out of his woman).  (next game vs. Cleveland)

24. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Hung tight with the Colts, as per usual.  Now that Fred Taylor is gone, Maurice Jones-Drew is the featured back, and he had a great day rushing against the Colts.  QB David Garrard needs to find his form of 2007 for this team to be successful.  Defense did a good job of holding Peyton Manning and the Colts offense in check.  (next game vs. Arizona)

25. CAROLINA PANTHERS

How long before QB Jake Delhomme is yanked?  His last 2 games have been absolutely dreadful.  Fortunately the offense still has WR Steve Smith, and RB’s DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.  Coach John Fox is on the hot seat…look for Delhomme to be on a short leash the rest of the season. (next game @ Atlanta)

26. CINCINNATI BENGALS

Is this team cursed?  Or is it just bad karma from having Chad Ochocinco on the roster.  Pity poor Carson Palmer…he’d be all-world if he were only on a good team.  Ochocinco needs to stop tweeting and start producing.  (next game @ Green Bay)

27. CLEVELAND BROWNS

After winning the QB battle over Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn struggled against the Vikes.  The Browns defense gave up 180 yards rushing to A.P., and their best offensive player of the day was an also-ran TE who couldn’t cut it with the Bills. (Robert Royal, 60-yards and a TD).  Coach Eric Mangini’s tenure in Cleveland may be short-lived. (next game @ Denver)

28. OAKLAND RAIDERS

As stupid as the Richard Seymour trade was (really, a 1st rounder for an aging DE in the final year of his contract…the league needs to look at this), it did pay dividends immediately, as Seymour got two sacks in his first game as a Raider.  QB JaMarcus Russell played poorly, again, and needs to turn his game around quickly.  (next game @ Kansas City)

29. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

The Chiefs had no chance against a superior opponent like the Ravens.  That being said, they did put up 24 points against a great Baltimore defense, with QB Brodie Croyle starting in place of injured Matt Cassel.  RB Larry Johnson looks done to me. (next game vs. Oakland)

30. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

This team is rebuilding…why else would you have Byron Leftwich as your starting QB?  Nice to see RB Cadillac Williams come back after his second ruptured patellar tendon.  Good running back duo with Williams and newly acquired Derrick Ward. (next game @ Buffalo)

31. DETROIT LIONS

This team will win a game this year…count on it.  QB Matthew Stafford was unimpressive in his first game, but hey, he’s a rookie QB on the Lions. Hopefully all the losing won’t damage the kid’s psyche. (next game vs. Minnesota)

32. ST. LOUIS RAMS

You know it’s bad when I’m ranking them lower than the Lions, who haven’t won a game since 2007.  QB Marc Bulger is on his last legs in St. Louis, but to be fair, he really has no weapons, other than RB Steven Jackson.  Another long, miserable season in St. Louis. (next game @ Washington)