NFL Power Rankings: Overrated Teams Who Will Fall After Week 1

Now that the NFL is officially back—how bout them Cowboys?—it is time to take a closer look at what the power rankings have to offer. 

Sure, these are mostly an opinionated snapshot of who we expect to contend, and who will be in over their heads, but a lot of them are based strictly on what we saw last season. 

As we know, when you base anything in sports on what happened the previous year, you are asking for trouble. It is easy to see the talent and assume that we have it all figured out, which is exactly when you get in trouble. 

Here are the most overrated teams in the NFL Power Rankings who will falter in Week 1. 

No. 2 New England Patriots

The first game of the season often strikes me as a trap game because some teams are still trying to find themselves and their rhythm after an offseason adding new players at various positions. 

The Patriots brought in a few key pieces—Brandon Lloyd chief among them—that they hope will pay big dividends right out of the gate, but don't underestimate the Titans in this matchup. 

I think the Titans have a very underrated defense, as well as solid weapons at wide receiver and running back. All they need to do is allow Jake Locker to get comfortable throwing in the pocket. 

I don't know what the Patriots' defense is going to look like in 2012. As great as the offense is, eventually you have to stop someone in order to win. 

No. 3 Pittsburgh Steelers

I keep going back and forth on how good I think the Steelers really are. At this particular moment, I think they are one of the best teams in the league and a legitimate Super Bowl contender. If you ask me tomorrow, that could change. 

A big reason for being skittish is age. This team, for all its talent on both sides of the ball, is getting a little long in the tooth. Ben Roethlisberger, Max Starks, Brett Keisel, Casey Hampton, Larry Foote, James Harrison, Ike Taylor, Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu are all on the wrong side of 30. 

They are not exactly past their prime, but when you get to a certain point you start breaking down easier. 

Going up against an improved Denver team without their starting free safety (Clark) is going to provide a good gauge on where the Steelers are right now. I think they are good, but I can easily be swayed the other way. 

No. 12 Atlanta Falcons

Every year it seems like we talk about the Falcons as a serious contender, and every year it seems they manage to find the banana peel. Already, people are talking about Julio Jones as a breakout candidate at wide receiver to go alongside the already electric Roddy White. 

Matt Ryan has been a very good quarterback since 2007, though he has yet to take the next step to reach the rarefied air we all expect him to hit. 

The Falcons get a tough game against Kansas City in Arrowhead to prove just how ready they are to become an elite team in the NFC. That is not an easy place to play, especially with the Chiefs getting their dynamic running game back in the form of Jamaal Charles. 

I am optimistic about the Falcons this season, but I don't feel confident about predicting them to do big things. It's a weird conflict, though not an entirely unearned one. 

2012 NFL POWER RANKINGS (WEEK OF SEP. 3)
1. Green Bay Packers
2. New England Patriots
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. San Francisco 49ers
5. Houston Texans
6. Baltimore Ravens
7. New York Giants
8. Chicago Bears
9. Philadelphia Eagles
10. New Orleans Saints
11. Detroit Lions
12. Atlanta Falcons
13. Dallas Cowboys
14. San Diego Chargers
15. Cincinnati Bengals
16. Denver Broncos
17. Tennessee Titans
18. Kansas City Chiefs
19. Seattle Seahawks
20. Buffalo Bills
21. Carolina Panthers
22. New York Jets
23. Washington Redskins
24. Arizona Cardinals
25. Oakland Raiders
26. Miami Dolphins
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
28. Minnesota Vikings
29. Cleveland Browns
30. St. Louis Rams
31. Indianapolis Colts
32. Jacksonville Jaguars

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