NFL Power Rankings: 4 Bottom Feeders That Will Make a Move in Week 2

The bottom of a set of NFL power rankings is not a good place for a team to be. Teams that find themselves down there are thus implied to be hopeless wrecks with no chance whatsoever of making the playoffs, much less doing anything entertaining for the fans.

Yup, it's a tough place to be. Luckily, there is a way out. All a team has to do is bribe the maker of said power rankings with a W or two.

At least, Ws are what I tend to go for. And in Week 2 of the NFL regular season, I have a feeling that the four hopeless wrecks listed below might be guilty of a little bribery when all is said and done.

4. Cincinnati Bengals (No. 30)

Should I have the Bengals higher than No. 30 after their opening win over the Cleveland Browns? Maybe. In fact, I probably should.

But hey, the way I see it is that the Bengals now have something to shoot for if they care what I think about them. They don't, of course, but my guess is that they're going to beat the Denver Broncos this weekend anyway.

The Bengals are not going to beat the Broncos because they're a good team and that's what good teams do. They're going to beat the Broncos because the Broncos are even worse than they are.

3. Minnesota Vikings (No. 29)

Donovan McNabb has had better games than the one he had in the Vikings' 24-17 loss to the San Diego Chargers. Shoot, it's hard to do any worse than 7-of-15 for 39 yards.

Either way, the Vikings have the look of a bad team, hence their No. 29 standing in my rankings. But they get to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this weekend, and they're a team that was oddly unimpressive in their opener against the Detroit Lions.

If the Vikings administer a healthy dose of Adrian Peterson, I think they can win this one.

2. Cleveland Browns (No. 26)

Speaking of the Browns, they deserve a Patton-esque slap to the face for losing to the Bengals. They're better than that. At least, they're supposed to be better than that.

For now, I have the Browns at No. 26, but I know for a fact that I'm going to have them higher this time next week.

This is because they're playing the Indianapolis Colts, otherwise known as the soulless specters of the NFL, on Sunday. Should be a cakewalk.

1. St. Louis Rams (No. 19)

In case you're wondering, the answer is yes. I am very much on the fence about calling the Rams, who I currently have at No. 19, a "bottom feeder."

But the way I see it, the amount of injuries this team suffered in their opener could force them into bottom feeder territory before long. To avoid that fate, they'll have to beat the New York Giants.

The Giants, for the record, are the most injured team in the NFL, and quite possibly the most injured team of all time in any sport.

Advantage: Rams.

2011 NFL Power Rankings
1. New England Patriots
2. Green Bay Packers
3.  Baltimore Ravens
4. Philadelphia Eagles
5. New Orleans Saints
6. Houston Texans
7. San Diego Chargers
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
9. Atlanta Falcons
10. Detroit Lions
11. Chicago Bears
12. New York Jets
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
14. Arizona Cardinals
15. Dallas Cowboys
16. Oakland Raiders
17. Kansas City Chiefs
18. New York Giants
19. St. Louis Rams
20. Jacksonville Jaguars
21.  Washington Redskins
22. Tennessee Titans
23. Indianapolis Colts
24.  Buffalo Bills
25. Miami Dolphins
26. Cleveland Browns
27. San Francisco 49ers
28.  Carolina Panthers
29. Minnesota Vikings
30. Cincinnati Bengals
31. Denver Broncos
32. Seattle Seahawks