MJ's NFL Power Poll and Predictions, Week Two

MJ KasprzakSep 20, 2009

First, I will start with the power poll. For a view of how these picks changed, see last week's article...

Pittsburgh Steelers—the Patriots' close call against a bad team made the Steelers' close call against a good one seem inconsequential.
New York Giants—because I do not believe in picking repeats, I am riding this team all the way through Miami.
New England Patriots—their lackluster performance and Tom Brady's inability to step properly into throws makes me see them as questionable.
Tennessee Titans—looked good in defeat, and those ahead of them looked worse in victory.
Atlanta Falcons—the defense was supposed to be questionable at best, but was dominant in week one.
Baltimore Ravens—here by default since a 14-point win over the Chiefs at home is not impressive.
Philadelphia Eagles—losing Donovan McNabb is an Eagles fan's worst nightmare, whether they realize it or not: Kevin Kolb is not ready, and this just adds fuel to the Michael Vick vs. McNabb controversy.
San Diego Chargers—a narrow victory in Oakland may not be as alarming as it would seem, since the Raiders play tough there, especially against division rivals.
Green Bay Packers—getting the close and comeback win gets the monkey off Aaron Rodgers' back, but the Bears exposed many holes.
Minnesota Vikings—still have major special teams problems, and there is nothing impressive about beating the Browns, even by that margin.
Seattle Seahawks—looked like the best team in week one until you consider they were playing the worst.
Dallas Cowboys—a solid road win but against a weak team.
Chicago Bears—may have better receivers than thought, and Jay Cutler will not play that badly again...the loss of Brian Urlacher means little, as it is a regular occurrence and he is overrated.
Indianapolis Colts—barely beating a bad team at home makes placing them this high questionable.
New Orleans Saints—I know that was the Lions, but Drew Brees looks ready to follow last season with another big one.
Washington Offensively Named Ones—were competitive on the road against one of the game's best teams.
New York Jets—Mark Sanchez is better than the quarterback he was in the preseason, and with this defense, this team's a contender.
San Francisco Forty-Niners—this team will play a lot of ugly games, but can win them, in part because no-one's linebackers tackle better.
Arizona Cardinals—too much talent to drop out of the top 20, but they haven't looked good this summer.
Carolina Panthers—I saw this team as a darkhorse, but then listened to everyone else...last week made me look right in the first place.
Miami Dolphins—still a solid team, but they cannot rely on the surprise factor of the horribly over-hyped "wildcat offense."
Buffalo Bills—moved up only one space despite a near victory in Foxboro because they proved the adage that bad teams find a way to lose.
Jacksonville Jaguars—their close loss may be as much because of the Colts' shortcomings as the Jags being better than expected.
Houston Texans—like I said, until they can play a full season, I will not jump on this bandwagon...last week may have been a sign they are not ready to take the next step.
Oakland Raiders—another example of bad teams finding a way to lose, but they still played well against an ostensibly elite team.
Kansas City Chiefs—tough first-week gig, but week two should show if they are as bad as advertised.
Denver Broncos—pulled out a road win, albeit with a little luck and against the lowly Bengals, but the defense may not be as bad as projected.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers—kept it close against a solid team.
Cincinnati Bengals—that loss has to make you feel you are cursed.
Cleveland Browns—played a close first half, but wore down quickly.
Detroit Lions—gave up that many yards and still looked better than last year!
St. Louis Rams—could they threaten the Lions' place in history as the only 16-loss team ever?