Just for Sport

Power Rankings

Record and last week’s rank are in parentheses.

1. Dallas (3-0, 1) - This isn’t a mystery.  There are few elite teams this year, and Dallas is one of them.
2. Philadelphia (2-1, 4) - They can be competitive in any kind of game against any team.
3. Tennessee (3-0, - Are they for real?  As long as Young stays on the sideline, apparently.
4. Denver (3-0, 5) - Jay Cutler continues to impress.
5. New York Giants (3-0, 6) - Good teams survive scares from less talented teams.  The Giants are a good team.
6. Buffalo (3-0, 10) - Ditto for the Bills.  And look who they get to play this week.  A hint: They’re at #32 on this list.
7. Pittsburgh (2-1, 3) - Plenty of injuries to go around, but they are deep enough - and well-coached enough - to overcome it.
8. New England (2-1, 2) - They got killed.  They have a bye week this week and play San Francisco next.  Think it’ll happen twice in a row?
9. Green Bay (2-1, 7) - There’s no shame in losing to the best team in the league, especially when you play in the NFC North.
10. Baltimore (2-0, 16) - Big test this week against the Steelers.  Winner gets control of the division.
11. San Diego (1-2, 12) - The absence of Shawn Merriman still worries me.
12. Washington (2-1, 14) - Jason Campbell is beginning to look like a legitimate quarterback.
13. San Francisco (2-1, 19) - Who saw this coming?
14. Tampa Bay (2-1, 17) - They were saved by a bad penalty.  Still, look at what division they play in. 
15. Arizona (2-1, 9) - Ken Whisenhunt is the man.
16. Atlanta (2-1, 23) - Look, it’s not hard.  Give Michael Turner the ball and keep your defense off the field.
17. Minnesota (1-2, 21) - Adrian Peterson was limited and they actually won.  I have a bad feeling about my fantasy team now.
18. Jacksonville (1-2, 24) - They’re mediocre.  What else can you say?
19. Chicago (1-2, 15) - I know I’m beating a dead horse, but…they’re horribly inconsistent.
20. Indianapolis (1-2, 11) - Man, their run defense looks horrible. 
21. Miami (1-2, 28) - They know they won’t be able to get away with the Single Wing again next week, right?  What’s that, they’re playing the Merriman-less Chargers?  Yeah, they’ve got a shot.
22. Carolina (2-1, 13) - Look, I know they have a good record, but I just don’t believe.
23. Seattle (1-2, 29) - Signs of life?  No, just playing against the Rams.  Show me something against a team that plays in the NFL.
24. Oakland (1-2, 28) - They move up because other teams are bad, not because they’re good.
25. New Orleans (1-2, 20) - So I guess the Saints reaching the NFC Championship a couple of years ago really was an anomaly.
26. New York Jets (1-2, 26) - Wait, so Brett Favre throws a lot of interceptions?
27. Houston (0-2, 22) - Turns out it wasn’t David Carr’s fault after all.  Oops.
28. Detroit (0-3, 25) - But hey, Matt Millen is gone!
29. Cleveland (0-3, 18) - The Browns (26) have somehow scored less points than the Rams (29).
30. Cincinnati (0-3, 30) - On further review, I was way too optimistic about this team’s chances.
31. Kansas City (0-3, 32) - Name one positive thing about their season so far.  Yeah, I can’t do it either.
32. St. Louis (0-3, 31) - They already have a point spread of -87.

Predictions

Picks are winners only - no spread.  Home teams are in all caps.

Last Week: 11-5(.688),  Season: 26-21 (.553)

Atlanta over CAROLINA - Michael Turner and the Falcons will make a statement this week by beating Carolina in their house with a dominant running game.

CINCINNATI over Cleveland - Both teams are terrible, but they play in Cincinnati, so…

JACKSONVILLE over Houston - A team that pressures the quarterback well against a team that can’t protect theirs.  Advantage: Jaguars.

Denver over KANSAS CITY - This division matchup is usually pretty competitive, and I don’t think the Chiefs are going to roll over, but they still don’t have the personnel to pull this off.

San Francisco over NEW ORLEANS - I would likely pick the Saints if Colston and Shockey were healthy.  But they’re not, so I won’t.

Arizona over NEW YORK JETS - This week features two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks (Brett Favre & Kurt Warner) facing off against each other.  Don’t be fooled: This game will be more about who has the better weapons.  Kurt Warner wins.

TAMPA BAY over Green Bay - Call me crazy, but I think Aaron Rodgers will struggle this week against Gruden’s defense.

TENNESSEE over Minnesota - These teams are pretty similar - both teams like to run and both have great defenses. Tennessee is slightly more balanced, however.  Minnesota wants to throw, but doesn’t have quite the weapons that the Titans do.

San Diego over OAKLAND - On the surface, this game looks like a sure blowout, but let’s not forget that LDT is still not 100% and the Chargers had a short week.  Good thing for them they’re playing the Raiders.

Buffalo over ST LOUIS - The Bills are on the way up and the Rams are on the way down.  Easy money.

DALLAS over Washington - The Redskins need to run the ball if they’re going to have a chance.  Too bad the Cowboys have an excellent run defense.

Philadelphia over CHICAGO - The Eagles put pressure on the quarterback better than anybody.  Poor Kyle Orton.

PITTSBURGH over Baltimore - This game will be more competitive than you think, but I like the Steelers at home on Monday night.

From now on, power rankings will appear on Tuesday and predictions on Thursday, when possible.  Team Record and Last Week’s Ranking appear in parentheses.

1. Dallas (2-0, 3) - Beat a very good Philadelphia team.  The offense looks unstoppable, as long as they don’t stop themselves.
2. New England (2-0, 6) - No Brady?  Who cares?  He was just a game manager anyway.
3. Pittsburgh (2-0, 1) - They barely hung on against a team they should have trashed.  Oh, and there was the weather and something about a bum shoulder?  If Roethlisberger heals up, they stay close to the top all season.  If not…look at the division they play in.  They’ll still be here.
4. Philadelphia (1-1, 2) - Lost a heartbreaker to a division rival.  They’re still one of the teams to beat.
5. Denver (2-0, 4) - So the refs gave them the game.  Did you see Brandon Marshall?
6. New York Giants (2-0, 9) - They seem to have a never-ending supply of defensive linemen.
7. Green Bay (2-0, 11) - People are starting to believe.  So am I.
8. Tennessee (2-0, 14) - That defense is awesome.  Imagine if they still had Pacman Adam Jones.
9. Arizona (2-0, 10) - They haven’t been tested yet.  That’s not their fault, but let’s see where they stand in a few weeks.
10. Buffalo (2-0, 8.) - Looking good, so far.  Haven’t played anybody, so far.
11. Indianapolis (1-1, 20) - In the second half on Sunday they showed signs of life for the first time since they won the Super Bowl.  Sure, their offensive line has been torn to shreds and their bread-and-butter play has been shelved for now, but look at the schedule: Jacksonville comes to town next week followed by a much-needed bye.
12. San Diego (0-2, 18) - By far the best 0-2 team.  They’ve been robbed twice, but they still go in the right column in the standings.
13. Carolina (2-0, 15) - And they get Steve Smith back next week.
14. Washington (1-1, 25) - The 4th best team in the best division in the NFL.  Still not that bad.
15. Chicago (1-1, 5) - The good Bears and the bad Bears showed up on Sunday.  So which one will show up this week?
16. Baltimore (1-0, 16) - They stay in the same spot, as do the Texans.
17. Tampa Bay (1-1, 27) - Playing Cincinnati makes any team look good.
18. Cleveland (0-2, 26) - If they want to repeat last year’s success, they’ll need to start winning this week.
19. San Francisco (1-1, 23) - They showed some guts this week.
20. New Orleans (1-1, 12) - New Orleans needs to find someone who can run up the middle.
21. Minnesota (0-2, 17) - Learn how to finish drives and teams won’t come back on you.
22. Houston (0-1, 22) - At least they didn’t have to play in Milwaukee.
23. Atlanta (1-1, 7) - Quick, name more than 3 players on their defense.
24. Jacksonville (0-2, 19) - This was supposed to be their year?
25. Detroit (0-2, 21) - Calvin Johnson is a beast.  He’s on a bad team.
26. New York Jets (1-1, 13) - Mangini ran up the middle three straight times on the goal line?  He is Mangenius no more.
27. Miami (0-2, 24) - They’re not any better than last year.
28. Oakland (1-1, 31) - Poor Darren McFadden is stuck.
29. Seattle (0-2, 29) - J.T. O’Sullivan passed for 321 yards on this defense.
30. Cincinnati (0-2, 28) - Bad news: You have to play another elite defense this week.
31. St. Louis (0-2, 32) - Embarassing, but at least it was against a good team this time. 
32. Kansas City (0-2, 30) - When you lose to the #31 team by 15 points, you automatically get last place.

For one week only, the power rankings are based on record; that is to say that the Top 16 are all 1-0.

1. Pittsburgh - Looks great on both sides of the ball.  Roethlisberger is growing into a truly great quarterback.
2. Philadelphia - They looked dominant last week.  It’s hard to conceive a team that wouldn’t look dominant against the Rams.
3. Dallas - The offense was incredibly efficient - then again, since when has Cleveland had a defense?
4. Denver - Imagine how much better they’ll be with Brandon Marshall.
5. Chicago - The Bears of ‘06 are back - with a better running back.
6. New England - Matt Cassel is the new Tom Brady - overratedness to follow?
7. Atlanta - Not every week will be this easy for Matt Ryan.
8. Buffalo - Can Trent Edwards keep it up?
9. New York Giants - They are still the champs, just without the D-Line that won it for them.
10. Arizona - Better than you think.
11. Green Bay - Rodgers was moderately impressive against a good team.
12. New Orleans - Reggie Bush is finally starting to live up to a portion of his billing.  Can he keep it up?
13. New York Jets - They got lucky against the Dolphins and now we’re supposed to believe?
14. Tennessee - Did somebody say, "QB issues?"
15. Carolina - Got lucky on the final play.  They won’t be this high on the rankings next week.
16. Baltimore - There’s room for Joe Flacco to grow.
17. Minnesota - I still believe in the Vikes, but Tarvaris needs to step up.
18. San Diego - They can overcome the Merriman injury, but only if the offense is much better.
19. Jacksonville - Another team hurting from injuries.
20. Indianapolis - And another.
21. Detroit - They still need a defense.
22. Houston - Offensive line issues - still.
23. San Francisco - The Mike Martz era gets off to a rocky start…it’s the personnel, stupid.
24. Miami - They look better with Chad Pennington, but they’re not there yet.
25. Washington - Coach Zorn didn’t even have a 2-minute drill in place last week.  Um, this is the NFL?
26. Cleveland - They need to be more competitive against the league’s top teams if they’re going to prove that last season wasn’t a fluke.
27. Tampa Bay - This week’s benching of Jeff Garcia proves that Jon Gruden is evil.
28. Cincinnati - Carson Palmer is off to a terrible start.
29. Seattle - Lost to Buffalo by 24 points.  Need I say more?
30. Kansas City - Am I the only one that remembers how bad Brodie Croyle was at Alabama?
31. Oakland - I feel bad for Lane Kiffin.  Then again, who in their right mind takes this job?
32. St. Louis - Just. Bad.  The worst part is, they have the talent to be much better.

Predictions: CIN over TEN, GB over DET, NO over WAS, KC over OAK, CHI over CAR, NYG over STL, JAX over BUF, MIN over IND, SF over SEA, ATL over TB, ARI over MIA, SD over DEN, NE over NYJ, ARI over MIA, PIT over CLE, PHI over DAL

I had an NFL preview written here, but I lost it.  So frustrating.  I’m not rewriting it.  Instead, have a shortened version.  Perhaps I’ll elaborate a little more later on, but not tonight.

Week 1 Predictions: NYG over WAS, CIN over BAL, JAX over TEN, NYJ over MIA, NE over KC, NO over TB, PHI over STL, PIT over HOU, DET over ATL, SEA over BUF, ARI over SF, DAL over CLE, SD over CAR, IND over CHI, MIN over GB, DEN over OAK

Predicted Standings

The first time I did this, I included win-loss records and even had them all added up so that there was an even number of wins and losses.  Not this time.  Wild card teams get a nice little *.

AFC East

1. New England
2. New York Jets
3. Buffalo
4. Miami

AFC North

1. Pittsburgh
2. Cincinnati
3. Cleveland
4. Baltimore

AFC South

1. Indianapolis
2. Jacksonville*
3. Houston
4. Tennessee

AFC West

1. San Diego
2. Denver*
3. Oakland
4. Kansas City

NFC East

1. Dallas
2. Philadelphia*
3. New York Giants
4. Washington

NFC North

1. Minnesota
2. Green Bay*
3. Chicago
4. Detroit

NFC South

1. New Orleans
2. Tampa Bay
3. Carolina
4. Atlanta

NFC West

1. Arizona
2. Seattle
3. San Francisco
4. St. Louis

Wild Card: IND over DEN, JAX over PIT, PHI over ARI, GB over NO

Divisional Round: NE over JAX, IND over SD, MIN over PHI, DAL over GB

Championships: NE over IND, DAL over MIN

Super Bowl: DAL over NE