BigServer1
Legend
Okay, an interesting week in the NFL. Here we go with the power rankings...
#1: Colts- Great win in New England. To win on the road in Denver and New England back to back weeks is about as impressive as it gets. They have beaten the two teams above, as well as the Giants, Jaguars and the Jets. Peyton Manning is the MVP, Harrison is the best reciever in the game, and Joseph Addai is a great rookie running back. The Defense could be better, especially against the run, but with Manning giving you 28+ points per game, their defense can be an afterthought.
#2: Patriots- Played well last night, Brady's 4 picks hurt them pretty bad, but they still have a great running game with Dillion and Maroney, a great defense and a great coach. Oh yeah, they also have Brady, who has been known to win in January.
#3: Broncos- Going into Pittsburg and winning is tough, even if the Steelers are struggling. Plummer looks pretty good, and thier rush offense is always good. They have a very strong defense and being 6-2 through the first half of the season is impressive considering their schedule.
#4: Giants- Eli Manning and the offense looks good, Tiki Barber is a great back and their defense is improving every week. They have played a tough schedule and after starting 1-2, being 6-2 is impressive.
#5: Chargers- Prolific offense, good (not great) defense, best young QB in the game, but they just haven't put it all together yet. Why are they #5? because they are 6-2 and they haven't put it all together yet. If they do, look out...
#6: Bears- Being 7-1 is great, no matter who you play to get there. However, Grossman hasn't played well from behind and he doens't throw all that well under pressure (and we have seen that in two of their last three games). Their defense is really good, but they have played a stupidly easy schedule, and I think that their trips to New York twice (Giants then Jets) and then to New England in the next three weeks could see the bears fall to 8-3. Oh yeah, and losing to the 1-6 (now 2-6) Dolphins by 18 AT HOME isn't going to win a lot of respect. I doubted them before, imagine how I feel now.
#7: Ravens- Probably the best defense in the NFL. McNair worries me a little bit with his health, but the running game is solid enough to carry a large part of the offensive load. 6-2 considering their schedule is impressive, and I like the Ravens to win their division.
#8: Saints- They are still America's team, Drew Brees is having an MVP caliber season and Marcus Colston is easily the rookie of the year. Reggie Bush will come around, the defense has been good and they rebounded from a tough loss to Baltimore last week and beat the Bucs for a second time this year.
#9: Jaguars- If David Garrard stays the starting QB, the Jags should stay in the top ten. Good defense, and Garrard is 6-1 as a starter for the Jags.
#10: Cheifs- Look out for the Cheifs. Larry Johnson looks great and the defense is playing good football. Damon Huard is playing as well as you could ever hope a backup to play, and he has led them to some hard fought wins. If Huard stays the starter, the Cheifs should stick around.
#11: Falcons- A loss to the LIONS??? That's almost as bad as losing to the Dolphins at home...oh wait, no it's not. Seriously, Vick once again looked human. But chin up Falcon fans, Brady looked human this week too.
#12: Bengals- They should be 6-2, they're 4-4. Kinda disappointing. Considering that they have played the toughest schedule thus far, the season should go up from here, but the Bengals have to want it. We'll find out soon if they do.
#13: Seahawks- Even with the win tonight, until Hasselback and Alexander are back they have to play lights out to keep their divsion lead. Not a good sign considering they play in the NFC west.
#14: Eagles- McNabb is a stud, but their lack of rushing offense and soft defense hold them back. Riding a three game losing streak into their bye week doesn't help. If they pull it together they are dangerous, but McNabb can't win everything for them.
#15: Panthers- It's been an interesting year for Carolina. 0-2, 4-2 and then 4-4. They seem to go in waves on offense and defense, and in that division, they better shape up quick before they get left behind.
#16: Dallas- Yet another team who has managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. They have the weapons to go deep in the playoffs, and Tony Romo looks like a stud in the making, but losing games like they did in week 9 doesn't bode well for the playoffs (if they get that far).
#17: Vikings- They have played some good teams tough, but two straight losses (including an embarrasing 9-3 loss to the 49ers) leave something to be desired.
#18: Jets- Chad Pennington has been impressive this year. At 4-4 they have exceeded expectations. The loss of Curtis Martin hurts, but it seems like a .500 season is well in reach.
#19: Rams- Bulger is a great QB, but forcing him to throw 50 times a game means one thing: The Rams can't establish the run, which means they can't win games.
#20-24: Packers, Redskins, Bills, Buccaneers and Dolphins (I only put them up here for going into Chicago and winning). The bottom third of the league sure goes from okay to real bad pretty quickly...
#25-30: 49ers, Browns, Lions, Texans, Titans and Raiders. It's just getting worse... and Vince Young sure had a rough week for the Titans.
#31: Steelers- They deserve to be higher, but this season has just been so pitiful, and Small Ben has thrown for 7 TDs and 14 INTs. They are out of the playoffs, and on their way to a dismal season. But, they are not the worst team in the league. That honor is reserved for...
#32: THE CARDINALS! The masters of losing games that they should win. A 1-7 record considering their huge weapons with NOTHING to show for all of that money that they spent. Their season would have been turned around (maybe finishing 7-9) with a week 7 win against the Bears, but that loss devastated this team, and their attitudes are showing it. To be very honest, I don't see them doing much better than 3-13, maybe 2-14. The good news? Another high draft pick (which will of course go to waste).
Well there you have it. Half a season gone...Questions, Comments, Complaints? Let's do it...
#1: Colts- Great win in New England. To win on the road in Denver and New England back to back weeks is about as impressive as it gets. They have beaten the two teams above, as well as the Giants, Jaguars and the Jets. Peyton Manning is the MVP, Harrison is the best reciever in the game, and Joseph Addai is a great rookie running back. The Defense could be better, especially against the run, but with Manning giving you 28+ points per game, their defense can be an afterthought.
#2: Patriots- Played well last night, Brady's 4 picks hurt them pretty bad, but they still have a great running game with Dillion and Maroney, a great defense and a great coach. Oh yeah, they also have Brady, who has been known to win in January.
#3: Broncos- Going into Pittsburg and winning is tough, even if the Steelers are struggling. Plummer looks pretty good, and thier rush offense is always good. They have a very strong defense and being 6-2 through the first half of the season is impressive considering their schedule.
#4: Giants- Eli Manning and the offense looks good, Tiki Barber is a great back and their defense is improving every week. They have played a tough schedule and after starting 1-2, being 6-2 is impressive.
#5: Chargers- Prolific offense, good (not great) defense, best young QB in the game, but they just haven't put it all together yet. Why are they #5? because they are 6-2 and they haven't put it all together yet. If they do, look out...
#6: Bears- Being 7-1 is great, no matter who you play to get there. However, Grossman hasn't played well from behind and he doens't throw all that well under pressure (and we have seen that in two of their last three games). Their defense is really good, but they have played a stupidly easy schedule, and I think that their trips to New York twice (Giants then Jets) and then to New England in the next three weeks could see the bears fall to 8-3. Oh yeah, and losing to the 1-6 (now 2-6) Dolphins by 18 AT HOME isn't going to win a lot of respect. I doubted them before, imagine how I feel now.
#7: Ravens- Probably the best defense in the NFL. McNair worries me a little bit with his health, but the running game is solid enough to carry a large part of the offensive load. 6-2 considering their schedule is impressive, and I like the Ravens to win their division.
#8: Saints- They are still America's team, Drew Brees is having an MVP caliber season and Marcus Colston is easily the rookie of the year. Reggie Bush will come around, the defense has been good and they rebounded from a tough loss to Baltimore last week and beat the Bucs for a second time this year.
#9: Jaguars- If David Garrard stays the starting QB, the Jags should stay in the top ten. Good defense, and Garrard is 6-1 as a starter for the Jags.
#10: Cheifs- Look out for the Cheifs. Larry Johnson looks great and the defense is playing good football. Damon Huard is playing as well as you could ever hope a backup to play, and he has led them to some hard fought wins. If Huard stays the starter, the Cheifs should stick around.
#11: Falcons- A loss to the LIONS??? That's almost as bad as losing to the Dolphins at home...oh wait, no it's not. Seriously, Vick once again looked human. But chin up Falcon fans, Brady looked human this week too.
#12: Bengals- They should be 6-2, they're 4-4. Kinda disappointing. Considering that they have played the toughest schedule thus far, the season should go up from here, but the Bengals have to want it. We'll find out soon if they do.
#13: Seahawks- Even with the win tonight, until Hasselback and Alexander are back they have to play lights out to keep their divsion lead. Not a good sign considering they play in the NFC west.
#14: Eagles- McNabb is a stud, but their lack of rushing offense and soft defense hold them back. Riding a three game losing streak into their bye week doesn't help. If they pull it together they are dangerous, but McNabb can't win everything for them.
#15: Panthers- It's been an interesting year for Carolina. 0-2, 4-2 and then 4-4. They seem to go in waves on offense and defense, and in that division, they better shape up quick before they get left behind.
#16: Dallas- Yet another team who has managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. They have the weapons to go deep in the playoffs, and Tony Romo looks like a stud in the making, but losing games like they did in week 9 doesn't bode well for the playoffs (if they get that far).
#17: Vikings- They have played some good teams tough, but two straight losses (including an embarrasing 9-3 loss to the 49ers) leave something to be desired.
#18: Jets- Chad Pennington has been impressive this year. At 4-4 they have exceeded expectations. The loss of Curtis Martin hurts, but it seems like a .500 season is well in reach.
#19: Rams- Bulger is a great QB, but forcing him to throw 50 times a game means one thing: The Rams can't establish the run, which means they can't win games.
#20-24: Packers, Redskins, Bills, Buccaneers and Dolphins (I only put them up here for going into Chicago and winning). The bottom third of the league sure goes from okay to real bad pretty quickly...
#25-30: 49ers, Browns, Lions, Texans, Titans and Raiders. It's just getting worse... and Vince Young sure had a rough week for the Titans.
#31: Steelers- They deserve to be higher, but this season has just been so pitiful, and Small Ben has thrown for 7 TDs and 14 INTs. They are out of the playoffs, and on their way to a dismal season. But, they are not the worst team in the league. That honor is reserved for...
#32: THE CARDINALS! The masters of losing games that they should win. A 1-7 record considering their huge weapons with NOTHING to show for all of that money that they spent. Their season would have been turned around (maybe finishing 7-9) with a week 7 win against the Bears, but that loss devastated this team, and their attitudes are showing it. To be very honest, I don't see them doing much better than 3-13, maybe 2-14. The good news? Another high draft pick (which will of course go to waste).
Well there you have it. Half a season gone...Questions, Comments, Complaints? Let's do it...
