NFL Power Rankings Week 3: Buccaneers The Big Risers, Vikings in Major Freefall
With Week 3 of the NFL season still a few days away, it's time for some power rankings. There were plenty of surprises in the world of professional tackle football on Sunday, and because of that, the power ranking tree has gotten pretty darned scrambled.
Who's number one? Who's watching their season flush down the drain before their eyes? Let's take a look. Remember, the rankings are based off of a team's play to this point, not off of what they could do in the future.
The Saints were widely seen as the best team in football coming into the season, but have they done enough to keep that position? Let's take a look.
32. Buffalo Bills
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Where they Sit: The bottom of the heap, at 32.
How'd Last Week Go? Not so well. The Bills got smoked by the Packers 34-7 on Sunday.
Why They're Here: Because through two weeks, they are the NFL's worst team. Plus, Trent Edwards is their quarterback.
How They Can Rise: If they stay competitive against New England this week in Foxboro, they'll see their standing rise into the mid-20's.
How They Can Fall: They really can't. There's nowhere to go but up.
31. Cleveland Browns
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Where They Stand: The Browns aren't the worst team in the NFL, but you can see it from there. 31.
How'd Last Week Go: A close loss to the Chiefs, was marked by turnovers and Jake Delhomme getting hurt, which might actually make this team better.
Why They're Here: Two close losses to mid-level teams thus far makes the Browns not the worst team in the NFL.
How They Can Rise: An upset of Baltimore, or even a close loss, could keep the Browns in the running for a boost in the rankings.
How They Can Fall: Another loss, coupled with a Buffalo win/close loss would see the Brownies hit rock bottom.
30. Oakland Raiders
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Where They Stand: The Raiders actually jumped a spot in the polls with their win over St. Louis in Week 2.
How'd Last Week Go? The Raiders got their first win, 16-14, over the St. Louis Rams. It wasn't pretty, but a win's a win, and they'll take what they can get.
Why They're Here: Because I'm not convinced that the Raiders who beat the Rams are the real Oakland. Let's see them beat Arizona this week.
How They Can Rise: A win over the Cardinals would prove that their loss to Tennessee was a bit of a fluke, and would see them climb into the top 20.
How They Can Fall: A blowout loss. At least Buffalo can play mediocre teams close.
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29. St. Louis Rams
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Where They Stand: A couple of solid performances see the Rams climb out of the 30's and into the 20's.
How'd Last Week Go: A tough loss to Oakland on the road. \
Why They're Here: The Rams have proven better than I anticipated, nearly beating both the Raiders and the Cardinals. Why higher than Oakland? I think they're the better team right now.
How They Could Rise: A win this week would help a lot.
How They Could Fall: A bad loss would expose the Rams as pretenders.
28. Carolina Panthers
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Where They Stand: The Panthers have been tailspinning down the charts all season. Is this as low as they'll get?
How'd Last Week Go: A loss at home to division rival Tampa Bay, that really wasn't all that close. So, not so well.
Why They're Here: 0-2, and neither game has seen Carolina look anything but terrible.
How They Could Rise: If they beat the Bengals next week, or just don't get beaten by 14 or more.
How They Could Fall: Another bad loss means maybe it's not the quarterback that's the issue. It's the coach.
27. Dallas Cowboys
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Where They Stand: Another team who's in the midst of a nosedive early in the 2010 season.
How'd Last Week Go? Not so well. The Dallas defense looked shaky as the Bears threw all over the field, in a 27-20 loss that wasn't actually that close.
Why They're Here: So much for Super Bowl Contenders. The Cowboys offense can't score enough points, and the defense can't stop opposing offenses.
How They Could Rise: Win a game. Maybe two. Do something to convince us you aren't all hype.
How They Could Fall: Really, this is about as low as a team like Dallas can go, barring an injury to quarterback Tony Romo.
26. San Francisco 49ers
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Where They Stand: The Niners, much like some of our other high-20's teams, are trying to pull out of a dive in the rankings.
How'd Last Week Go? A 25-22 loss to New Orleans, much closer than most predicted for this team.
Why They're Here: I liked San Fran heading into the season, but at 0-2, they don't deserve to be any higher than this.
How They Could Rise: Beat Kansas City on the road next week.
How They Could Fall: Continue their downward spiral for the 2010 season with another loss to a mediocre team.
25. Detroit Lions
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Where They Stand: Detroit played a couple of close games, losing both of them. So mid-20's seems about right.
How'd Last Week Go: Thanks to Jahvid best going crazy, pretty well. Despite having Shaun Hill at quarterback, the Lions hung with the Eagles, falling 35-32.
Why They're Here: The Lions have hung tough in both of their games, but they haven't quite broken through yet with a win this year.
How They Can Rise: Get over that hump and win a game. With Shaun Hill as their quarterback. Then they'll rise.
How They Can Fall: Just keep on losing.
24. Minnesota Vikings
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Where They Stand: Another team locked in a tailspin, the Vikings come in at 24th this week.
How'd Last Week Go? Their allegedly high-powered offense couldn't muster more than 10 points against the Dolphins last week. It took them until Week 13 to lose their second game last year, they got there in Week 2 of this season.
Why They're Here: The Vikings have looked pretty ordinary thus far in both of their losses. If this team is as good as advertised, they should be at least 1-1.
How They Can Rise: Brett Favre needs to stop throwing picks and recapture his 2009 form. Then, they have to win next week and the week after.
How They Can Fall: It probably won't happen, but if the Vikings continue losing, they could see the bottom of these rankings.
23. Jacksonville Jaguars
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Where They Stand: The Jags can't make up their mind whether they're rising or falling in the rankings, so we put them here.
How'd Last Week Go? The Jacksonville secondary got torched, giving up over 300 yards to the Chargers in a blowout loss.
Why They're Here: They looked pretty good against Denver, and pretty terrible against San Diego.
How They Can Rise: David Garrard and the Jags' passing game needs to show that they can consistently produce. A win over the Eagles next week would help, too.
How They Can Fall: If their defense keeps getting torched by everyone, Jacksonville will stay this low or lower the rest of the year.
22. Seattle Seahawks
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Where They Stand: After their Week 1 win over San Francisco, the Seahawks returned to Earth against the Denver Broncos.
How'd Last Week Go? Compared to Week 1, pretty poorly. The Seahawks defense got torched by Kyle Orton, Knowshon Moreno and the Broncos offense in a 31-14 loss.
Why They're Here: Seattle looked good in Week 1, but bad in Week 2. So we split the difference and this is where they stand.
How They Can Rise: If they can beat San Diego this weekend, it'll prove that their win over the Niners was no fluke.
How They Can Fall: A blowout loss to the Chargers proves that the Seahawk team who showed up in Denver was the real deal, and they'll go skittering back down the rankings.
21. Arizona Cardinals
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Where They Stand: There are those who think this is low for the Cardinals, others who think this is high. Which tells me this is just about perfect.
How'd Last Week Go? Can you say beatdown? A 41-7 shellacking at the hands of the Falcons. Yeowch.
Why They're Here: They're 1-1, and they have too much offensive talent to stay this far down the charts forever, right? Unless, of course, Derek Anderson keeps throwing the football.
How They Can Rise: Beat the Raiders by more than 4. That will prove that the quarterback situation may have finally resolved itself enough to keep from being a massive detriment to the team.
How They Can Fall: If the offense sputters like they did against Atlanta, they'll keep sliding on down.
20. Denver Broncos
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Where They Stand: We're not quite sure what to make of the Broncos after two weeks, so they find themselves here.
How'd Last Week Go? Excellently. The Broncos were able to run their offense perfectly last week, while the defense held Seattle to 14 points.
Why They're Here: Because one week, they lose to the Jags, the next they crush the Seahawks. A little consistency would be great.
How They Can Rise: Hang tough with Indianapolis. They probably won't win, but if they keep it close, it'll look good at the end of the year.
How They Can Fall: Get run out of the stadium by the Colts. That means that the team who lost to Jacksonville is the real Denver Broncos.
19. Tennessee Titans
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Where They Stand: The Titans, much like most of the teams in the middle of the pack, have been good one week, and bad the next.
How'd Last Week Go? Not so well. The Titans benched quarterback Vince Young, all-world running back Chris Johnson couldn't get it going, and Tennessee fell 19-11.
Why They're Here: We know they're not awful, but we're not so sure they're all that great, either. Until we have more information, we'll stick them here.
How They Can Rise: Beat the Giants. A lengthy winning streak would silence most of their critics.
How They Can Fall: Play like they did against the Steelers. They might not win again this season if they do that again.
18. New York Giants
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Where They Stand: They beat a bad Carolina team, but got waxed by the Colts. So, who knows?
How'd Last Week Go? Not well. At all. Eli Manning played one of the worst games of his career, and the Giants were routed by the Colts.
Why They're Here: Their offense is good enough to keep them in most games, even if their defense can't be trusted to bring eggs home safely.
How They Can Rise: String together two or three wins over good teams, starting next week.
How They Can Fall: Keep losing like they did against Indianapolis. Trust me, they'll fall then.
17. San Diego Chargers
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Where They Stand: Their two-faced performance thus far has the Chargers squarely in the middle of the pack.
How'd Last Week Go? If it was any indication of their play the rest of the year, they'd be trendy Super Bowl picks right now.
Why They're Here: Good against Jacksonville, not so good against the Chiefs. So, we stick them in the middle.
How They Can Rise: Prove that last week was no fluke. Go on a tear in the early season.
How They Can Fall: Lose to another team like the Chiefs.
16. Atlanta Falcons
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Where They Stand: The Falcons, like so many other teams, looked good one week, and bad the other.
How'd Last Week Go? Perfectly. The Falcons tore the Cardinals apart, which, given the two birds' tendencies, shouldn't be all that surprising.
Why They're Here: Their offense looked bad against the Steelers, so I'm wont to put them higher than this. But they could start climbing next week.
How They Can Rise: Hang with or beat the Saints in Week 3, and come into their matchup with the Eagles sitting at either 4-1 or 3-2.
How They Can Fall: Lose badly to New Orleans, and lose to either San Fran or Cleveland.
15. Kansas City Chiefs
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Where They Stand: At 2-0, the Chiefs could be higher than this. But I'm not sold on them yet.
How'd Last Week Go? A little close for comfort against a terrible Browns team.
Why They're Here: Top 10 teams win by more than 2 at Cleveland. So don't go crowning the Chiefs AFC West champions yet.
How They Can Rise: Beat someone of consequence when there's not a hurricane going on.
How They Can Fall: A loss. Plain and simple.
14. Washington Redskins
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Where They Stand: One good week. One bad week. So stick the Redskins in the middle
How'd Last Week Go? Well, the 'Skins only lost by 3 in overtime. But their defense gave up almost 500 yards passing. So, let's call it mediocre.
Why They're Here: They've proven themselves as contenders in the NFC East. But the Redskins need to get their defense in order before they can go higher than this.
How They Could Rise: Shore up the defense and go on a win streak.
How They Can Fall: Lose more games while giving up 500 yards passing.
13. Philadelphia Eagles
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Where They Stand: One good week, one bad, and an unproven quarterback returns to the lineup.
How'd Last Week Go? Pretty well. The Eagles defense couldn't stop the Lions' offense, but they got the win.
Why They're Here: 1-1, and Kevin Kolb returns to the lineup. When he shows me what he can do, we'll place this team a little better or worse.
How They Can Rise: Kolb needs to impress, and the Eagles need a win.
How They Can Fall: If Kolb struggles, and Andy Reid doesn't go to Mike Vick in time. Also, if their defense continues to stink out loud.
12. New England Patriots
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Where They Stand: After Week 1, they looked like top-5 material. Now? Nobody really knows.
How'd Last Week Go? Blech. The Pats' defense looked overwhelmed by an underwhelming Jets offense, as they fell 28-14.
Why They're Here: Because their defense can't stop anything. Otherwise, they'd be higher
How They Can Rise: Win and don't stop. The defense needs to prove it can dominate consistently.
How they Can Fall: If the defense falters, the Pats could see the bottom half of the rankings.
11. New York Jets
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Where They Stand: A terrible performance followed by an excellent one, offensively. Who will they be? Who knows?
How'd Last Week Go? The Jets took it to the Pats early and often in their 28-14 win. The defense harassed Tom Brady, the offense finally clicked, and New York looked like AFC East contenders.
Why They're Here: Do I think New York is this good? No. But they beat New England last week, so they had to be higher on the list then they were.
How They Can Rise: Prove me wrong. Keep winning convincingly like you did against New England.
How They Can Fall: Stumble the rest of the way. Let the offense revert to the way it played in Baltimore.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Where They Stand: Two solid performances, including a strong road win last week. Don't underestimate this team.
How'd Last Week Go? The Bucs looked sharp dismantling a disoriented looking Carolina team.
Why They're Here: They've looked good through two weeks, and they're so young that they'll keep getting better as the year goes on.
How They Can Rise: Keep winning. Not every week, but more than you lose from here on out.
How They Can Fall: A return to the expectations coming into the season would be enough to drop the Bucs a good distance down the rankings.
9. Baltimore Ravens
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Where They Stand: The Ravens drop in the rankings after last week's ugly loss to Cincinnati.
How'd Last Week Go? The Ravens offense struggled, and Joe Flacco threw four interceptions as Baltimore fell to Cincinnati.
Why They're Here: Because they should be better than they were last week. And they will be.
How They Can Rise: A big bounce back performance against Cleveland.
How They Can Fall: Another close win, or a loss.
8. Cincinnati Bengals
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Where They Stand: The Bengals looked shaky in Week 1, and stifling in Week 2. So eighth is about right.
How'd Last Week Go? The Bengals bounced back from an early season loss to the Patriots with a strong win over Baltimore in Week 2.
Why They're Here: Because they can't be ranked lower than Baltimore this week. Their offense still needs to prove they can play.
How They Can Rise: Win some more outside the division, and the offense has to get going.
How They Can Fall: Struggle next week offensively.
7. Miami Dolphins
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Where They Stand: The Dolphins are one of the NFL's big surprises, and are rewarded with a high spot in these rankings.
How'd Last Week Go? A strong defensive showing against the Vikings led to an impressive win.
Why They're Here: They might be boring, but the 'Fins are 2-0 and leading the AFC East, which is enough to put them in the top 10.
How They Can Rise: Keep winning, and maybe get a bit more exciting.
How They Can Fall: Struggle once they play division rivals.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
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Where They Stand: Ben who? Despite missing their star quarterback, the Steelers are leading the AFC North.
How'd Last Week Go? The offense still struggled, but the defense looked dominant in a win over the Titans.
Why They're Here: Their defense. Until Ben Roethlisberger returns, the defense has to win them their games.
How They Can Rise: Keep winning. Doesn't have to be pretty, but they do need to keep it going.
How They Can Fall: A loss would hurt.
5. Chicago Bears
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Where They Stand: The Bears sit fifth, and are undefeated after two weeks of football.
How'd Last Week Go? The Bears offense made the Cowboys look silly in a 27-20 win that was nowhere near as close as the scoreboard showed.
Why They're Here: The Bears may have finally found their offensive system in Mike Martz's schemes.
How They Can Rise: Keep winning.
How They Can Fall: Cutler is fully capable of having a howler, and if it happens, they'll fall in the ranks.
4. Indianapolis Colts
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Where They Stand: The Colts looked unbeatable Sunday night against the Giants, and sit at 1-1.
How'd Last Week Go? Big win to prove they're not done just yet.
Why They're Here: There is no reason the Colts should not be a top 5 team. Even their run defense can't prevent that.
How They Can Rise: Shore up the run defense a bit more.
How They Can Fall: Lose to a lackluster team in the next couple of weeks.
3. Houston Texans
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Where They Stand: The Texans have looked as good as anyone the first two weeks, amassing a 2-0 record.
How'd Last Week Go? They won, and Matt Schaub threw for almost 500 yards against the Redskins.
Why They're Here: The offense finally has balance, and if the defense can stop someone, they'll be a real force.
How They Can Rise: Fix the defense
How They Can Fall: If they slump this season, they'll fall hard. A late season loss to the Colts would also hurt a bit.
2. Green Bay Packers
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Where They Stand: Another week, another good win.
How'd Last Week Go? The Packers dominated the Bills in week 2, to move to 2-0.
Why They're Here: The Packers are one of the most complete teams in football, and showed it on Sunday against the Bills.
How They Can Rise: The Packers have to keep pace with New Orleans to have a chance.
How They Can Fall: If their defense struggles against strong offenses, this team won't be ranked second for long.
1. New Orleans Saints
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Where They Stand: Top of the heap. The Saints are the best team in the NFL right now.
How'd Last Week Go? A little close for comfort, in a 25-22 win over San Francisco.
Why They're Here: We already knew their offense was good; now they're showing us how good their defense can be.
How They Can Rise: They can't, really.
How They Can Fall: A couple of losses would do the trick.
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