Official 2minutestomidnightgreen.com NFL Power Rankings: Week 1

Every week throughout the season, Derek Peiffer and I will be doing a run-down of the best and worst teams in the NFL in our power rankings. These are the official 2minutestomidnightgreen.com power rankings heading into Week 1 of the NFL season.


No. 1

Derek: Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Week: N/A)

Bob: New England Patriots (Last Week: N/A)

Derek's take: The defending Super Bowl champions. There's really no one else who deserves the No. 1 spot in the following season's opening power rankings. They bring back almost the exact same team as 2008. Look for the Steelers to fight hard to defend their title.

Bob's take: The Steelers may be the defending champs, but rankings shouldn't be given by default. If that were the case, everyone would be ranked in exactly the same order in which they finished last year, wouldn't they? The Patriots, with Tom Brady, are the most complete team in the entire league.


No. 2

Derek: New England Patriots (Last Week: N/A)

Bob: Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Week: N/A)

Derek's take: The Matt Cassell-led Patriots missed the playoffs, but that is a misleading statement. The Pats finished the season at 11-5, but still lost out on the playoffs. Tom Brady returns and the team brought in Fred Taylor and Joey Galloway to an already fantastic offense. Look for the Patriots to be back in the playoffs in 2009.

Bob's take: This is a difficult spot to peg because really after the Patriots, there's not much separation between the second-best team all the way down to around the eighth-ranked team. The Steelers are a solid team, no doubt, and if they get that offensive line in order, they'll be scary again in 2009.


No. 3

Derek: Indianapolis Colts (Last Week: N/A)

Bob: Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: N/A)

Derek's take: If you have Peyton Manning on your roster, you're in good shape. Even after a slow start to last season after missing majority of the off-season with a knee injury, Manning led the Colts on an eight-game win streak to end the season, and a trip to the playoffs. They would fall short to San Diego, but look for a full-season of Peyton to make it back.

Bob's take: If it all comes together for the Eagles, they can be one of the most explosive teams in the entire league. They're stacked on both sides of the ball and should certainly contend with the NFL's elite. Bringing in Vick gives them an extra weapon to add to an already impressive arsenal. Grab your coffee, defensive coordinators, it's going to be a long night.

No. 4

Derek: San Diego Chargers (Last Week: N/A)

Bob: San Diego Chargers (Last Week: N/A)

Derek's take: After a disappointing 8-8 season had the Chargers on the verge of missing the playoffs, the team was one game away from the AFC championship. Injuries being the story of the Chargers' 2008, they will look to stay healthy in 2009. Phillip Rivers got a new deal, and if they can stay healthy, the Chargers should be a top contender in the NFL.

Bob's take: Top to bottom, the Chargers might have the best stockpile of talent in the entire league. That being said, I'm not a believer in Norv Turner. He hasn't shown the capability to get a team where they need to be. His teams will never overachieve, but instead will win one or two games fewer than they should.

No. 5

Derek: Baltimore Ravens (Last Week: N/A)

Bob: New York Giants (Last Week: N/A)

Derek's take: The team that seemingly never ages. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed have been the staples of this team forever, it seems. Bart Scott and defensive coordinator Rex Ryan are now in New York, but I think they can hold up just fine.

Young DT Haloti Ngata will anchor the defensive line, while second-year quarterback Joe Flacco looks to repeat his rookie season and lead the Ravens back to the playoffs.

Bob's take: While I'm not a fan of this offense, the depth and talent of the defense is just too much to overlook. They're not only good at every position on defense, but they're deep as well, which is what a contending team needs.

If Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs can allow Manning to only throw 20-25 times a game, they're still scary for the rest of the league.

No. 6

Derek: Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: N/A)

Bob: Atlanta Falcons (Last Week: N/A)

Derek's take: The loss of Stewart Bradley will certainly hurt this defense a lot. Add in the loss of defensive leader Brian Dawkins and you would think the Eagles were doomed.

Not so fast. Second year linebacker Joe Mays should step in and help shore up the middle, while young safety Quentin Demps will provide some better coverage skills than our beloved Dawk.

Donovan McNabb will continue to be one of the better quarterbacks in this league and finally has some weapons in Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. Look for Westbrook to stay healthy with the opportunity to rest up and give way to rookie LeSean McCoy.

Bob's take: The Atlanta Falcons, though getting some respect, are extremely overlooked when it comes to talking about elite teams in not only the NFC, but the NFL.

Second-year quarterback Matt Ryan will be even better than last year, which is a scary prospect in itself. Give him an emerging Roddy White and the best tight end to ever play in Tony Gonzalez and you've got the makings of a championship team.

No. 7

Derek: New York Giants (Last Week: N/A)

Bob: Tennessee Titans (Last Week: N/A)

Derek's take: The Giants may have the best defense in the NFC East, and the defending NFC East champs will need that defense to carry them. The loss of Plaxico Burress is a huge one. There aren't many 6'6" wide receivers with that kind of talent running around.

Brandon Jacobs is still a force at running back, and is always tough to bring down. Kenny Britt, Domenik Hixon, and Steve Smith will all need to pick up the slack left behind by Plax. Combining all three, they might come close. Still, look for the Giants to compete with the elite of the NFL.

Bob's take: Personally, I don't think that the Titans will miss Albert Haynesworth as much as others may think. Let's not forget the thing that really carried this team was their running game.

Chris Johnson was phenomenal, and should only be better in his second year. LenDale White has trimmed down and will help Johnson create the best 1-2 punch in the NFL.

No. 8

Derek: Arizona Cardinals (Last Week: N/A)

Bob: Houston Texans (Last Week: N/A)

Derek's take: They fell just a few plays short of a Super Bowl trophy. The first 9-7 team to ever make the big game returns its starting quarterback, three 1,000 yard receivers and drafted stud running back out of Ohio State, Beanie Wells.

Larry Fitzgerald will be huge once again for the Cardinals and even after the debacle that was Anquan Boldin this off-season, he's still in Arizona. If the defense can play as well as they did last season, the offense will surely be better.

Bob's take: No seriously, I'm not crazy. Hear me out. The Texans offense has been one of the best in the league for the past two seasons, and the only thing that's kept them from being the best has been inopportune injuries to quarterback Matt Schaub. If he can finally stay healthy, they are the best offense in the league.

Defensively, they're nothing to scoff at, either. With star players such as Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, and Dunta Robinson, as well as an emerging star in Amobi Okoye, this Texans defense will surprise a lot of people.

Even though I believe the Titans win the South, I think the Texans are a Wild Card team that could surprise in the playoffs. Think 2008 Cardinals.

No. 9

Derek: Atlanta Falcons (Last Week: N/A)

Bob: Arizona Cardinals (Last Week: N/A)

Derek's take: A team that came from out of nowhere last season. Rookie Matt Ryan threw a touchdown on his first NFL pass, and you knew it was meant to be from then on.

First year starter Michael Turner proved that he is indeed worthy to return to that starting status, and Roddy White seemed to finally mature at WR and posted a break-out season.

John Abraham still anchors the defense and the Falcons are a very well-rounded team that could very well find themselves atop the entire NFC come January.

Bob's take: While expectations in Arizona, and around the country, for the Cardinals may be a bit high, that offense is far too good to ignore. Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston make up the very best wide receiver corps in the entire league.

Let's also not count out former third-round pick Early Doucet, who's looking to get in on the fun.

If Beanie Wells can supply the running game that they were missing last year, and if that defense can take another step forward, the Cardinals will be a very scary team.

They're going to score a lot of points and if that defense can hold teams under 30 points, that should be all it takes for them to win a lot of games.


No. 10

Derek: Tennessee Titans (Last Week: N/A)

Bob: Indianapolis Colts (Last Week: N/A)

Derek's take: A gaping hole is present in the Titans defensive line, but throughout the pre-season, they seemed fine. Keith Bulluck returns to a very stout defense along with the likes of Cortland Finnegan.

Speedster Chris Johnson will look to follow up a stellar rookie season while LenDale White looks to follow up on a stellar weight loss and turn that into something positive. Kerry Collins is still the starter at quarterback and can still get it done.

The Titans may be under the radar after the loss of Haynesworth, and the heavy media exposure of the Texans inside the division.

Bob's take: While having Peyton Manning still makes them a good team, I don't have any faith in the Colts defense.

Bob Sanders can't stay healthy, and the rest of the defense is very undersized and outside of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, aren't really anything special.

If the defense can prove me wrong and play well, the Colts may just reclaim their spot on top of the AFC South.

At this point, however, I see the Colts as the AFC version of the New Orleans Saints. A lot of offense, but little defensive help makes them a 9-7 team, and third in the South.


No. 11

Derek: Chicago Bears (Last Week: N/A): Jay Cutler gives the Bears a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback. Pair that with a strong defense and you've gotta take a second look at Chicago this season.

Bob: Minnesota Vikings (Last Week: N/A): Brett Favre will open it up for AP, and vice versa. That defense is still scary, but they may lack the firepower to contend with the elite teams.

No. 12

Derek: New Orleans Saints (Last Week: N/A): Over 5,000 yards last season for Drew Brees, and that high-powered offense should be back in 2009. A little shaky on the defensive side, but the offense should be able to handle.

Bob: Baltimore Ravens (Last Week: N/A): Losing Ryan and Scott will hurt more than they think, but they're still a playoff team as long as Ray Lewis anchors that defense.

No. 13

Derek: Carolina Panthers (Last Week: N/A): They have one of, if not the best running back tandem in the NFL. Delhomme is shaky, and they lost Ma'Ake Kemoeatu for the year.

Bob: Carolina Panthers (Last Week: N/A): The Panthers would be ranked higher than this, but I'm not a fan of Jake Delhomme as a quarterback. I think defenses adjust to him, but he won't adjust to them.

No. 14

Derek: Dallas Cowboys (Last Week: N/A): The cut of T.O. is what will hurt this team the most. Romo already couldn't win in December, now it becomes that much tougher.

Bob: Dallas Cowboys (Last Week: N/A): Trio of running backs should make for an explosive running game, but until Romo can win when it matters, it's tough to rank them any higher than this.

No. 15

Derek: Green Bay Packers (Last Week: N/A): I'm very high on Aaron Rodgers and his ability to lead this team. The transition to the 3-4 is going quite smoothly. Look out for B.J. Raji.

Bob: Green Bay Packers (Last Week: N/A): Aaron Rodgers isn't taking strides, he's taking leaps. He's quickly entering the "top 10 quarterbacks" discussion and with those receivers, they'll be tough.

No. 16

Derek: Minnesota Vikings (Last Week: N/A): They still got the Williams Wall. They still got the best running back in the NFL, Adrian Peterson. Add in sure Hall of Famer Brett Favre, and you got a heck of a football team.

Bob: New Orleans Saints (Last Week: N/A): No. 16 makes sense for the a team with one of the best offenses, one of the worst defenses, and an 8-8 record that reflects just that.

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