The NFL hasn’t
only been a headline on ESPN in the past weeks; it’s been on multiple news
channels due to off-the-field events. To mention a few of the wrongdoers I’m
thinking of Ray Rice, Ray McDonald, Greg Hardy, Aaron Hernandez, Wes Welker,
Josh Gordon, Le’Veon Bell and most recently Adrian Peterson. These guys have
made headlines for domestic violence, murder, the usage of marijuana and other
recreational drugs, performance-enhancing drugs, you name it. However, the NFL
season is well underway and we’re starting to see what teams are made of. With
that being said I’m going to put the off-field events aside for now and focus
on what’s happening on the field with this season’s first power rankings.
32) Jacksonville
Jaguars (0-2)
The Jaguars
shocked everybody by putting together a 4-12 record last year. They were
looking to improve on that this year and coming in to the season they had a small
chance. They added Toby Gerhart to the mix, and a few defensive pieces as well.
The Jags played well in week 1, as Allen Hurns burst on to the scene and they
found themselves up 17-0 at the half. It seems as if they were just as surprised
as we were, because nobody was prepared to be playing with a 3-score lead. They
lost the game 34-17, and took that bad momentum through this week. Kirk Cousins
steamrolled the Jaguars in a 41-10 beat down, which proved to me that they are
still the worst team in the NFL. Lastly I’ll add that Henne has been sacked thirteen
times so far, 9 of those coming from the Redskins this week.
31) Oakland
Raiders (0-2)
Is it just me or
does it seem as if the Raiders never get any better? They picked up Derek Carr,
which isn’t a bad move but it isn’t very beneficial. If anything, they just
stepped sideways. They picked up MJD who’s getting worse every year, and a
receiver whose only true value comes with the arm of Aaron Rodgers. (James
Jones). Their offense is as disheveled as it’s ever been, and for some untold
reason Darren McFadden hasn’t been booted yet. How much does this man need to fail
before Oakland realizes that he’s never going to amount to what he was supposed
to? Their defense is the only thing they have “going” for them and it’s still
not nearly enough to compete. They’ve given up the sixth most points in the AFC
despite having Justin Tuck, Carlos Rogers, Tarell Brown, Khalil Mack, LaMarr
Woodley and of course Charles Woodson. They can be considered bottom feeders
once again.
30) New York
Giants (0-2)
I don’t want to
do this but I have to. I honestly get sad when I watch the Giants, due to
piss-poor quality of play. The O-line is putrid, in both run and pass
protection. Each of their receivers drops more balls then Braylon Edwards…
Remember him? The guy that was good for at least 1 drop per game on a wide-open
over-the-middle crossing route? Imagine having four of him on the field at
once. In addition to their sub-par hands they all run routes like Randy Moss
and DeSean Jackson; the only difference is that they aren’t athletic or big
enough to get away with it, perhaps with the exception of Victor Cruz. Lastly
there’s Eli. Poor, poor Eli. Yeah I know he throws a lot of picks. At least
half of those are deflected balls from his receivers, and another quarter of
them are from his receivers running incorrect routes. I’m not trying to say Eli
is great, because he’s not. But don’t be fooled by thinking that the Giants horribleness
is a product of Eli. I say all these bad things about the G-men, and the
saddest part is that they actually have a chance to make playoffs. For now NYG
is going to remain in the bottom of my rankings.
29) Tampa Bay
Buccaneers (0-2)
Like last year,
the Bucs are barely losing. Also like last year, the Bucs haven’t shown signs
of being able to beat an NFL team. Bobby Rainey is doing a good job running the
ball, but that is it. That is literally it. The passing game is gross to watch,
and the defense is focusing on preventing big plays, so teams are getting
whatever they want underneath. They’ve
allowed 28 first downs through the air, which is a killer for the defense. They
also got out-possessed in both games, more so by the Panthers than the Rams. So
despite only losing by a combined 8 points, the Bucs are this low because they cannot
score enough, especially with Doug Martin hurt.
28) St. Louis
Rams (1-1)
The Rams beat
the Bucs this week so if you’re expecting me to be impressed, you got it all
wrong. As I just said the Bucs don’t pose much of a threat to anyone, so this
victory from the Rams was almost guaranteed. However I will say that if Zac
Stacy can continue to run effectively, and if the defense can continue to get
stops in the coming weeks, the Rams may surprise us with a handful of genuine
wins.
27) Minnesota
Vikings (1-1)
We all knew the
Pats were going to smack the Vikes, but i didn’t expect Cassel to toss 4 balls
their way. Okay I knew he would commit a few turnovers, cause there is no way
that Minnesota can go 2 straight weeks without a turnover. Anyways, Matt Asiata
supplied a respective outing in AP’s absence but it wasn’t enough. Minnesota could
scrape out a couple wins in the first half of the year, and if Peterson comes
back sooner rather than later, they have a chance to be a spoiler team in the
NFC. If Peterson gets permanently suspended though, they will continue the
sub-par showings.
26) Kansas City
Chiefs (0-2)
I really don’t
want to put the Chiefs this low, but I have no choice. Their defense is underperforming,
Jamaal Charles has 19 things wrong with him for the fourth straight season, and
Alex Smith is failing to run an aggressive offense. They don’t look like
themselves, and I don’t know why. Granted I’ve been saying the Chiefs were
overrated since they were 6-0 last year, but still. I know they’re better than
this. Until someone for KC steps up and makes a difference they’re going nowhere
but down.
25) Tennessee
Titans (1-1)
It was a
historic week for the Titans! Delanie Walker was their first player to catch 10
balls for 140 yards since Drew Bennett in 2004. They also have the best pass
defense in the league. I don’t know how that happened, but they’re bound to
come back down to Earth soon. I’m not convinced by the Titans win against the
Chiefs considering how awful KC looks. I’ll be keeping a close eye on Tennessee
in coming weeks.
24) Atlanta
Falcons (1-1)
ATL has the
second worst pass defense and the seventh worst run defense. They’re
twenty-first in rushing, but it’s okay cause they’re the “best” passing team in
the business (based on total yardage). They beat New Orleans in week 1 in OT on
a Matt Bryant field goal, but they looked out of sorts against the Bengals this
past week. I need to see some form of consistency before I put them any higher.
23) Pittsburgh
Steelers (1-1)
Sorry Pittsburgh
but you are not good and your beloved QB isn’t impressive to me. Maybe my bias
is kicking in but a win against the Browns on a game-winning field goal isn’t
something to be overly excited about, and getting beat down by the Ravens this
week only makes matters worse. If they can hold their own against Carolina in
week 3, I’ll reconsider their status.
22) Miami
Dolphins (1-1)
Well, they beat
New England! At least there’s that. After week 1 I had multiple people telling
that Miami is a legit playoff contender this year. I told them to not jump the
gun after 1 strong performance. Low and behold the Dolphins rolled into Buffalo
with confidence and left with nothing but sad defeat. Don’t worry Miami fans! You
have a chance to bounce back in the next couple weeks with the Chiefs and
Raiders, both of which are struggling 0-2 teams.
21) New York
Jets (1-1)
The Jets should
be 2-0. They really should, but Marty Mornhinwig didn’t trust his quarterback.
Instead he tried to play hero and it cost NYJ a big game. I want to give credit
where credit is due here: Geno has played well thus far and the rest of the
Jets roster is actively involved in the team’s early success. If they can keep
performing at this same level I think they can challenge teams like San Diego
for a wild card spot.
20) Washington
Redskins (1-1)
Washington would
be a lot lower had RG3 not gotten hurt. It sounds bad, but Kirk Cousins gives
them the bets chance to win. He deserves his time in the starting role, and I
hope he gets more than a few weeks in the number 1 spot. I honestly considered
ranking the ‘Skins higher, and for good reason. They’re tenth in passing, third
in rushing, third in opponent passing yardage, and they’re fourth in opponent
rushing yardage. They have a test coming up with Philly, but I think they can
handle it.
19) Dallas
Cowboys (1-1)
Per usual Dallas
has a chance to make a splash this year, but won’t amount to the hype. They’re
1-1 so far with a disgusting performance and a strong outing. The Dallas team
that we see wavers from week to week, so we’ll see how they handle St. Louis
this week. On a quick side note, I’d like to point out that DeMarco Murray has
started off the year with back-to-back 100-yard games. Also, Jason Garrett is
now 7-1 when his team runs more than passes. Take a hint Jason, and take
advantage of the ground game.
18) Baltimore
Ravens (1-1)
The old Ravens
with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed were exciting, and Bernard Pollard too. Now when I
see their logo or team name I immediately get bored. Joe Flacco is one of the
most boring athletes I’ve ever had the displeasure to watch, and their defense
has lost its pizazz. Even Terrell Suggs has lost his appeal. Their defense is
still solid but they don’t do anything exciting. Flacco meanwhile is still the
most overpaid guy in the league. The Ravens will do okay this year, they’ll win
when they’re supposed to win and they’ll lose when they’re supposed to lose. I
don’t sense any shocking performances so they’ll most likely be hovering around
the middle of the pack all year.
17) Cleveland
Browns (1-1)
I don’t expect
people to understand why I have the Browns this high. But I’ll tell you that
Brian Hoyer is good, they have a quality ground game (even with Ben Tate out),
and their defense is surprisingly not terrible. Cleveland is now 4-1 when Hoyer
has started at QB, and they should be 5-0 (defensive slip-up week 1
@Pittsburgh). Not to mention the Browns haven’t turned the ball over once this
year. Don’t look now but they may be in position to make a playoff run when
Josh Gordon returns in week 11.
16) Buffalo
Bills (2-0)
Forgive me if I
don’t put the undefeated Bills ahead of a few winless teams. They’ve earned 2
respectable wins; they’re sixth in rushing and fifth in run defense. They’re +4
in turnovers and their defense is solid. EJ Manuel is also playing well and
they have the outright lead in the AFC East. Nevertheless, facts are facts and
they are still the Bills. I doubt they’ll continue winning like this for long,
but I’ll give them credit for what they’ve accomplished thus far.
15) Detroit
Lions (1-1)
They should be
better than they are but for some reason they can’t stop beating themselves.
This past week Calvin Johnson only caught 6 balls for 83 yards. His numbers
should never be that low, I do not care who he plays. Stafford going 27/48 is
also inexcusable. Those two should light it up every game, so when they score a
mere 7 points it puts sincere doubt in my mind. I know we’re only 2 weeks in
and I’m being pretty harsh, but I’ll go crazy if I see Detroit underachieve for
the fourth straight year.
14) Chicago
Bears (1-1)
The Bears got a
lot of help from the zebras against the 49ers so don’t tell me how good they
are. I’ll give credit to Jay Cutler but I’m going to wait a little while longer
before I invest in the Bears. As we’ve seen in the past they’ve been injury
prone, and prone to under-performing.
13) New Orleans
Saints (0-2)
I have a feeling
that I overrated the Saints coming in to this year. Their defense has looked
terrible thus far and it’s not like they’re playing elite offenses either. They
rank dead last in pass defense and they’re in the bottom half of the league
defending the run. If they can’t get their act together on both sides of the
ball it’s going to be a long and painful year for them.
12) Indianapolis
Colts (0-2)
The Colts have
narrowly missed winning both games in this early season, and they played two of
the better teams in the league. I’m not going to drop them too far down because
I know they’ll pick it up soon. But Luck needs to get it together and do what
we all know he’s capable of. Don’t worry folks, Indy will climb into the single
digits soon enough.
11) San Diego
Chargers (1-1)
I’d like to put
my boys higher up after their win against Seattle but I can’t. They’re too
unpredictable and too unsteady to be trusted. Plus after their second
consecutive Monday night blow-up who knows how they’ll do this year. Rivers
looks great so far, and the defense is performing better than I expected. The
big question mark of this season will be the offensive line. With Nick Hardwick
out the line is crumbling. We saw 5 holding calls come in the red zone this
past week, including 3 by the backup center, and we can’t forget his 2 fumbled
snaps either. The Chargers have potential to fall to as low as twentieth and as
high as fifth. Until I see them more they’ll hover around this spot in the
rankings.
10) Houston
Texans (2-0)
The Texans have
gotten off to a hot start and for their sake I hope it continues. It will be
painful to watch them fall apart again like last year, but I don’t think JJ
Watt will let that happen. They’ve beaten 2 sub-par teams so we won’t know how
good they really are until about midseason when they get into the meat of their
schedule. For now I’ll let them keep climbing.
9) Green Bay
Packers (1-1)
The Packers
honestly haven’t looked very good so far. They got spanked by the Seahawks and
narrowly escaped the Jets. Their defense s getting torched by every running
back it sees, and it doesn’t bode well for their future. If they can’t pull it
together soon then they’ll find themselves behind in their division. To me, the
most worrisome thing about Green Bay is the tentativeness of Aaron Rodgers. The
fact that he didn’t throw Richard Sherman’s way is still unnerving. Whether
it’s a lack of trust in his receivers, or a lack of confidence in himself to
beat the fearsome cornerback, it doesn’t look good for anybody. The season is
early but I would keep on eye on this squad.
8) Arizona
Cardinals (2-0)
The Cardinals
might be overrated but it’s hard to overlook they’re victories. They didn’t
dominate the Giants or Chargers, and they don’t do anything in superb fashion.
In fact, as I’m writing this I’m already questioning my decision to put them at
the 8 spot. We’ll see how good they really are this week when they play the
49ers at home. As of right now I’ve bought the Cardinals due to their
all-around solid play.
7) Philadelphia
Eagles (2-0)
Nick Foles
hasn’t been his usual self yet this year and that’s the only reason why they
aren’t higher. They pulled off a huge win against Indy on Monday night. so
they’ve proven that they can win in tight situations against good teams.
Seventh is a fair spot for them but don’t be surprised if they move up a few
rungs on the ladder throughout the next month.
6) Carolina
Panthers (2-0)
I probably have
the Panthers lower than they deserve after 2 solid wins. Despite their stellar
defensive play and solid offensive production, I’m waiting for a collapse on
the offensive end. I’m ready for Carolina to prove me wrong but until they do
I’ll keep them out of the top 5.
5) New England
Patriots (1-1)
Like the Saints,
I’m worried I overrated the Patriots coming into the year. Despite putting up
50 points through the first 2 weeks, the Pats are twenty-seventh in passing and
sixteenth in rushing. They handled the Vikings with ease for obvious reasons but
I’m curious to see how they look against top tier teams. I want to wait until
they play the Bengals in week 5 before I put them any higher than fifth.
4) Cincinnati
Bengals (2-0)
I love Andy
Dalton, I really do. He’s ridiculously underrated and no matter what he does
people don’t seem to recognize him for it. He lost his go-to guy this past week
but still took care of the Falcons with relative ease. I love the combination
of Bernard and Hill in the backfield, and combined with their defense the
Bengals have turned into one of the best teams in the NFL for me. We’ll see in
the coming weeks if I’m right but I have confidence that the Bengals are on a
promising path.
3) San Francisco
49ers (1-1)
Here it is, my
surprise pick of the week! I have no issue with their loss to Chicago, because
as I was watching that game I knew that wasn’t the real 49er team. I think
they’ll bounce back this week and torch Arizona. Harbaugh will put them through
a week of torture at practice and whip them back into shape. I have no doubt in
my mind that San Francisco is still a top tier team in this league.
2) Denver
Broncos (2-0)
They’re Denver.
I don’t know what else to say. Peyton has looked nearly flawless as usual. They
haven’t turned the ball over yet, and the defense is clearly better than last
year. However they aren’t the best team in the NFL. They’re obviously Super
Bowl contenders and they are clearly the best team in the AFC, but they aren’t
my number 1 team.
1) Seattle
Seahawks (1-1)
Last year I
continuously held the Seahawks at the top of my power ranking, and people
wondered why. They proved to everybody why they were number one last year, and
they’ll do the same this year. I think they will adapt to whatever teams throw
at them from here on out, and next week they’ll look just as good as they did
in week 1. In no way am I saying Seattle is invincible, but I’m not worried
about Denver. Seattle is still the best for me, hands down.
Also, while I’m
writing about the Seahawks, I want to say that Richard Sherman is still the
best cornerback in the league. I do not care that he let up 4 catches this
week. If anybody is expecting him to not get thrown at all year than they don’t
know football. It’s impossible to stop everybody all the time, but Richard
Sherman does it more than anybody else. Philip Rivers knows how good he is
which is why he threw to receiver-linebacker and tight end-linebacker matchups
the majority of the game. People need to stop expecting perfection from
Sherman, that’s all I’m trying to say.
