NFL Power Rankings: Which Low-Ranking Teams Really Aren't That Terrible?

The thing about NFL power rankings is that there are only 32 teams, so 10 of them must sit at the bottom whether they are fully deserving of the dishonor or not.

This is especially true after two weeks, when terrible teams end up with a 1-1 record, while teams with a far better future as the season wears on go into Week 3 at 0-2.

This is the case for the Minnesota Vikings, who came off of a very disappointing Week 1 loss to the San Diego Chargers in which Vikings quarterback Donovan McNabb threw for just 39 yards, to take their Week 2 contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the final seconds before coming away with their second loss of the season.

The struggle for the Vikings this season is to find a viable receiving option for McNabb.

Percy Harvin is their greatest passing threat, but he is inconsistent. He also lost a fumble for the team yesterday.

Running back Adrian Peterson continued to light up the scoreboard with 25 rushes for 120 yards and two touchdowns, but that's not a sustainable pace. By the end of the season, at this rate, he could have more than 400 touches, which will cut into his durability into the years that follow.

Minnesota's defense has yet to get on the same page, and that has hurt them in both losses. However, their play on both sides of the ball should improve enough to get them into the middle of the power-ranking pack as the season progresses.

The Carolina Panthers have seemingly everything going for them on offense but are dangerously lacking on defense, costing them two wins while their quarterback Cam Newton threw for a total of 854 yards and rushed for 71 more.

The loss of middle linebacker Jon Beason for the season has caused Carolina's defensive production to plummet, forcing Newton to play from behind and attempt risky passes that have left him with four interceptions to his five touchdowns.

Linebacker Thomas Davis has an ACL tear that will likely cost him his season, and that will make things significantly more difficult for the Panthers' defense.

Their offense could have propelled them into the top half of teams in the league, but because of poor play on defense, they are stuck languishing in the 20s with an 0-2 record.

Inconsistency has plagued two teams in my bottom 10, the Oakland Raiders and the Cleveland Browns. Both teams have a 1-1 record and haven't played as poorly as teams below them to be sure, but they have yet to exhibit the type of balance necessary for a team to really compete for a spot among the higher-ranked teams.

Yes, Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell and running back Darren McFadden had brilliant performances in Sunday's loss to the Buffalo Bills, with Campbell passing for 323 yards, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes, throwing for two touchdowns, rushing for one and tossing an interception.

While McFadden will continue to consistently produce for the Raider offense, it's a stretch to say that Campbell can sustain this performance throughout the season.

The Browns, on the other hand, gave up a fourth-quarter lead to the Bengals in Week 1, and then dispatched the lowly Colts this Sunday.

Quarterback Colt McCoy came off of a terrible first-week performance in which he completed only 47.5 percent of his passes to a performance similar to Campbell's—22-of-32 for 211 yards and a touchdown.

Just like with the Raiders, running back Peyton Hillis represents the most consistency the Browns have on offense. For the Browns to rise to where they should be at this point in the season, McCoy needs to step up, and the Cleveland defense needs to prove they can stop a more formidable foe than the weak Indianapolis offense.

I take into account many factors beyond just win-loss record in compiling my power rankings, and expectations and consistency are among them. I would love to raise these three teams higher going into Week 3, but I can't do that based on the play of one or two offensive players on each team alone.

Overall, however, I believe the Raiders, Browns and Panthers have the capability of improving areas where they are lacking currently, just by the very acts of playing games and practicing throughout the season.

The thing about power rankings is that they always come with the caveat of "for now."

NFL Power Rankings, Week 3*

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

*These rankings do not include the New York Giants and St. Louis Rams, who play tonight. Rankings, after that game, will be updated accordingly.