NFL Power Rankings
By Scott Allen
Its that time again! Time for my NFL Power Rankings for week 1.
I rank from 32-1.
The Matt Leinart “I’m just glad I have an NFL Job” division:
32. Cleveland Browns – it’s hard to imagine the Browns getting worse, until you sign Jake Delhomme as your QB, lose your top running back to a season-ending injury, and Browns legend Jim Brown so despising what is happening he isn’t even going attend his own ring of honor ceremony. Sad. Just sad.
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – they did nothing to improve. At least they should beat Cleveland this week.
30. Buffalo Bills – when rookie CJ Spiller is the ONLY reason to watch, you have issues.
29. St. Louis Rams – Sam Bradford might be able to move this team up this season. Too bad the supporting cast still is awful.
28. Detroit Lions – they have too much talent to suck much longer.
27. Kansas City Chiefs – when Matt Cassel is a better option than Matt Leinart, the guy who started ahead of him at USC, that says volumes.
26. Jacksonville Jaguars – coach Jack Del Rio hanging on by a thread. So is the team in Jacksonville.
25. Oakland Raiders – They probably pick up a couple more wins this season thanks to the addition of Jason Campbell.
24. Seattle Seahawks – Could be dangerous only carrying two QB’s with Matt Hasselbeck being prone to injury.
23. Washington Redskins – they have a team loaded with players that should consider themselves lucky to still be playing.
The don’t forget about us division:
22. Denver Broncos – might be calling for Tim Tebow before the season ends
21. Chicago Bears – they had all off-season to replace Jay Cutler. They didn’t. All off-season to get a WR. They didn’t.
20. Carolina Panthers – could be John Fox’s last season in Carolina.
19. Miami Dolphins – on the border of good and mediocre.
18. Houston Texans – how many more seasons should we pick them to make the playoffs yet miss barely?
The Pretenders division:
17. New York Giants – Giants may return to form. They need to resolve RB issues.
16. Tennessee Titans – Vince Young is on his way to returning the Titans to the playoffs. Maybe not this year though.
The Wild Card division:
15. Atlanta Falcons – Would the real Matt Ryan please stand up?
14. Philadephia Eagles – Eagles have a great shot at being a wild-card. How will Kevin Kolb fare?
13. San Francisco 49’ers – the Niners will challenge Arizona for NFC West title, but may have to settle for Wild Card.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers – QB position all muttled up, but they have all the other positions pretty well shored up for a divisional run
The Contenders division:
11. New England Patriots – Patriots look to make another run. Had better hope to keep Randy Moss happy though.
10. Cincinnati Bengals – can the double headed monster of Ohcocinco and T.O. bring happiness to Cincy?
9. Arizona Cardinals – Most likely wins NFC West. Who will QB the playoffs though. Derek Anderson or Max Hall?
8. Baltimore Ravens – I love the new weapons on offense. Look forward to seeing some Ravens offensive points this season.
7. Minnesota Vikings – Never know how far Brett Favre can take you. Don’t bet against him.
6. New York Jets – TGFDR. That’s Thank God For Darrelle Revis. Jets are.
The Elite
5. Dallas Cowboys – No how much we hate, we have to respect
4. San Diego Chargers – Ryan Matthews is the real deal.
3. Green Bay Packers – Packers are going to score A LOT of points. I hope you have some fantasy teams with their players.
2. Indianapolis Colts – Preseason defense was lacking. This is the regular season. Peyton Manning and Co. will be just fine.
1. New Orleans Saints – Until someone proves otherwise. Super Bowl champs are #1.