NFL Power Rankings

When I posted my Week 3 picks (which, thanks to the Steelers, Saints, 49ers and replacement refs, were crap), I mentioned my NFL power rankings.  After I posted the link to that post on Facebook, I was asked where I have the Giants in the power rankings.  It's still kind of early in the NFL season, but the first round of byes (the Colts and Steelers) are coming up this week, so figured now might be as good a time as any to rank everybody from 1-32.  (If they can rank the college teams every week, why not rank the NFL teams?)

1. Falcons (3-0): Atlanta's really good.  I don't even wanna throw a MIGHT be the best team in the NFL out there.  In my opinion, there's no question who the best team in the league after three weeks is.  That Falcon offense is ridiculous.  And the defense is just as good.

2. Texans (3-0): I wasn't completely sold on Houston as the best team in the AFC until last week, when they went into Denver and beat the Broncos.  We all knew that the Texans were good.  But I now find myself in a position of looking at them as a Super Bowl contender.

3. Ravens (2-1): If not for that one-point loss to the Eagles, the Ravens would be No. 1 on this list.  That was a huge win over the Patriots on Sunday night.  Not just because they beat New England.  Because Joe Flacco won them that game and proved he's an elite NFL quarterback.

4. Cardinals (3-0): OK, I give.  The Arizona Cardinals actually are good.  First that crazy upset of the Patriots in New England.  Then they slaughter the Eagles at home.  Maybe the 49ers won't run away with the NFC West.

5. 49ers (2-1): This might be a little high considering what happened in Minnesota, but I'm choosing to look at the loss to the Vikings as nothing more than a bad day.  I think the 49ers team that beat the Packers in Green Bay is the real 49ers team.  They'll bounce back and should be back in the Top 3 soon enough.

6. Chargers (2-1): Getting slaughtered by the Falcons aside, I've been impressed by the Chargers so far this season.  Will this be the year they finally actually play for an entire season?

7. Eagles (2-1): Very little separates that triumverate at the top of the NFC East.  But I give Philly the nod because they found a way to win those first two games despite not playing well at all.  Sure they got slaughtered by the Cardinals, but the Eagles haven't really played that well yet, are 2-1, and have a win over the Ravens.

8. Bears (2-1): Call me crazy, but I think Chicago's a legitimate contender in the NFC.  Sure, they have what could be considered two "soft" home wins over Indianapolis and St. Louis, but their only loss came at Lambeau Field, which can't be considered a "bad" loss.

9. Cowboys (2-1): If not for the loss in Seattle, the Cowboys would rank higher.  As it is, Dallas continues to be an enigma.  Really good one week, really bad the next.  Which Cowboys team shows up for that terrific Monday night matchup with Chicago?

10. Giants (2-1): The Giants stunk up the joint in the season opener against the Cowboys, and they didn't look much better for three quarters against Tampa Bay.  But after that incredible fourth-quarter comeback in the Bucs game, followed by that total dismantling of the Panthers, the Giants seem to be back on track.

11. Bengals (2-1): Prior to the season, I pegged Cincinnati as the 2011 playoff team least likely to return to the postseason.  However, my opinion has changed.  The Bengals have done what they need to do to win in their last two games, and with a soft schedule, they could easily stockpile some wins before a Week 7 matchup with the Steelers.

12. Jets (2-1): Despite all this ridiculous obsession with how they do or don't use Tebow, the Jets have played three very distinct games this season.  They looked great against Buffalo, horrible against Pittsburgh and OK against Miami.  I still don't know what to make of the Jets, which is why they aren't ranked higher.

13. Broncos (1-2): This may seem high for a 1-2 team, especially considering they're ranked above a couple 2-1 squads, but Denver's had an incredibly tough schedule so far and was competitive in both of the losses, which happened to come against Atlanta and Houston.  Nothing to be ashamed of there.  The Broncos are legit.

14. Patriots (1-2): New England's not as good as they've been in years past.  But I still expect them to win the AFC East.  That home loss to Arizona was certainly a surprise, and they probably should've beaten Baltimore.

15. Packers (1-2): That 1-2 record should either be in quotes or have an asterisk after it.  Monday night's game was an embarrassment for the NFL.  That loss to the 49ers was acceptable, and the comeback against Seattle was impressive.  It's just a shame the refs took the win away from them.

16. Seahawks (2-1): If there's one team that likes having replacement officials, it's probably the Seahawks.  First, they get an extra timeout in Week 1, then they get a "win" in Week 3.  Combine that with their actual win over Dallas and you've got a 2-1 team.

17. Vikings (2-1): Minnesota's still got a lot of problems, but maybe they turned a corner with that unexpected win over the 49ers.  If they win in Detroit this week, then they'll really have shown me something.

18. Bills (2-1): The Bills are the lowest ranked of the 2-1 teams simply because the two teams they've beaten aren't very good.  And they were completely embarrassed in that Week 1 loss to the Jets.

19. Steelers (1-2): I'm not really sure what happened in Oakland.  The Steelers have been hit hard by injuries, especially on defense.  They'll be fine, though.  Having an early bye this weekend could end up helping them in the long run.

20. Titans (1-2): Tennessee scored 44 points and beat the Lions last week.  That was impressive.  And with that, the Titans might've turned a corner.  Their two losses were to New England and San Diego, neither of which could really be considered "bad."

21. Buccaneers (1-2): Greg Schiano's going to turn the Bucs into a contender quickly.  They pulled off an upset against the Panthers, then almost beat both the Giants and Cowboys.  Sure, that stunt Schiano pulled at the end of the Giant game didn't make him any friends, but this team's on the way up.

22. Lions (1-2): This is more a ranking based on how I feel about Tampa Bay than how I feel about Detroit.  Although, it's hard to ignore the fact that the Lions barely beat the Rams and lost to the Titans.  They kept it close with the 49ers in San Francisco, though.

23. Panthers (1-2): Carolina's another team where I have no idea what to make of them.  They lose to the Bucs, score 35 points in a win over the Saints, then get blown out by the Giants.  I can easily see the Panthers doing that all season.  Their defense is going to give up a lot of points, but Cam Newton and Co. are going to score a bunch, too.

24. Dolphins (1-2): I still don't know what to make of Miami.  I think Ryan Tannehill actually has the potential to be a good NFL quarterback, and they looked pretty good against the Jets last week.  But their only win came against the Raiders, which makes it hard for me to rank them any higher.

25. Jaguars (1-2): Jacksonville isn't good.  In fact, the Jaguars are pretty bad.  But they have a win over the Colts, which is enough to give them a slight nod over Indy.

26. Colts (1-2): I'll say this about the Colts.  They aren't the worst team in the NFL anymore.  But they're still pretty bad.  They went 3-13 in Peyton's rookie year.  The first year of the Andrew Luck Era might be similar.

27. Raiders (1-2): The only reason the Raiders get the nod here is because their win came against the Steelers.  Pittsburgh had a bad game and Oakland had a good game at the same time, and look what happened.

28. Chiefs (1-2): They moved up from No. 32 by getting their first win last week.  Sure it was against the Saints and their offense is still anemic, but you can't tell me Kansas City's any worse than the four teams I rank below them.

29. Redskins (1-2): When they beat the Saints in Week 1, it gave Redskins fans hope.  Turns out that's all it was, seeing as they immediately followed it with a loss to the Rams.  And it turns out the Saints aren't as good as anybody thought, either.

30. Rams (1-2): Yes they have a win.  By three points over the Redskins.  And sure, they almost beat the Lions.  But against the Bears, they looked like the same old Rams.

31. Saints (0-3): Raise your hand if you saw this coming in New Orleans.  Nobody?  I'm the only one?  Hate to say, "I told you so," but I had a feeling this season would be a mess for the Saints.  They could easily be 0-6 when Joe Vitt is allowed to start coaching them.  That home Super Bowl Saints fans couldn't shut up about ain't happening.

32. Browns (0-3): Sorry, Cleveland.  I don't see things getting any better for the Browns any time soon.  At least they have Trent Richardson.  He's fun to watch.