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.

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.