NFL Power Groupings: Steelers Reign, but One-Man Armies Threaten Champs

(Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

The 2009 NFL season is officially upon us, and with it comes the first real opportunity for premature evaluations and knee-jerk reactions.

With the meaningless preseason out of the way, now is the appropriate time to cue every optimist offering their reminders that it’s only Week One. But with all positivity aside, the reality of the regular season is that a loss only serves as a step away from the ultimate goal.

Oddly enough, the ultimate goal is actually open to interpretation. Many would lead you to believe it’s all about the Super Bowl, except it’s really not in some cases.

If you’re Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre, the goal is to break Jim Marshall’s record for most consecutive starts and stick your tongue out at the Green Bay Packers.

If you’re the Detroit Lions, the goal is to not supplant the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the record books for the most consecutive losses.

If you’re Marvin Lewis, the goal is keep your job with the Cincinnati Bengals through the end of the season. Actually, that probably wouldn’t be in his best interest.

But that’s enough tone-setting rhetoric for right now.

Doing a little Nino Colla swagger-jack, I’ve decided to break the NFL down into my own four tiers of power, with an irrefutable leader sitting atop. How comfortable they are up there will be open to my interpretation, of course.

The categories will be subject to change as I settle into this new task, but you’re all thoroughly encouraged to rock with me in the meantime. Let the scorn begin.

Competition Is None

Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins, St. Louis Rams

The thrill of starting the NFL season may have dissipated very quickly if you pledge your allegiance to any of these teams.

While the Bengals, Lions, and Rams remain constant from 2008, the expectations for the others made their losses even more deflating than the final scores would indicate.

Browns coach Eric Mangini looked most ridiculous in his first outing with his new-ish team. His ridiculous handling of the quarterback situation backfired severely.

Someone should remind the Mangenius that the best competitive advantage comes from having better players—not castaways from the franchise that fired you.

But if there's a coach who’s in legitimate danger of not finishing the season, it has to be Marvin Lewis.

Sure, the Bengals were victims of circumstance, as their loss transpired in a scenario that no one could have foreseen. Somehow it feels like we’re always saying this about Cincinnati.

Without question, Carolina suffered the most disturbing defeat of all, receiving no return on their good faith investment in Jake Delhomme.

With each turnover more crippling than the previous, the Panthers are in a legitimate soul-searching situation. Was this an embarrassing setback for their freshly extended $42 million quarterback or a gross miscalculation of a 34-year-old’s ability?

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