NFL Week One Power Rankings
September 8, 2010 | Author Nick
(WECK 1230) — It’s the slowest-moving week in the every NFL fan’s year, the wait for the first game. We’ll try and make it all move a little faster with a different daily feature leading up to the Dolphins and Bills on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Wednesday — Week One NFL Power Rankings
Thursday — Bills rap
Friday — Bills predictions
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Forget statistics and records, this season’s power rankings begin with gut feeling. Where do the Bills fall in? Read on.
1. New Orleans Saints (Last season: 13-3, won Super Bowl ) – You have to start the champs off on top. I believe it’s very likely they’ll stay here deep into the winter.
2. Dallas Cowboys (Last season: 11-5, lost in NFC semis) – If you took Dez Bryant late in your fantasy draft, give yourself a low-five. Tony Romo takes the next step this year.
3. Green Bay Packers (Last season: 11-5, lost in first round of playoffs) — This defense could set NFL records.
4. Indianapolis Colts (Last season: 14-2, lost Super Bowl) – They lost two games last year, and not much in the offseason. Plus, there’s this guy named Peyton…
5. San Diego Chargers (Last season: 13-3, lost in NFC semis) — Vincent Jackson’s going to watch as Philip Rivers helps someone else look much better than they actually are.
6. Minnesota Vikings (Last season: 12-4, lost in NFC Championship) – Brett Favre can still throw a football, but will come back down to Earth… a little. Look for 27 TD and 15 INT.
7. Cincinnati Bengals (Last season: 10-6, lost in first round) – Here’s Carson Palmer’s next chance to take it to the next level, and I believe Terrell Owens is going to have a very nice year, even with Marvin Lewis’ run-first approach.
8. Tennessee Titans (Last season: 8-8) — I’ve officially stopped doubting Vince Young. He just wins. Jeff Fisher is the best coach in football, too, and they might be getting Albert Haynesworth back.
9. Baltimore Ravens (Last season: 9-7, lost in AFC semis) – And not just because Brad’s wife Carol is “Wacko for Flacco.”
10. Atlanta Falcons (Last season: 9-7) – They missed the playoffs by two games, one of them a three-point loss to the Saints. In both of those games, they were missing Matt Ryan. He’s really good at football.
11. Houston Texans (Last season: 9-7) – Love their defense even more than I love Schaub.
12. New England Patriots (Last season: 10-6, lost in first round) – Not sure I’d pick them to win the division, but Bill Belichick’s reputation overrides my fears about their defense… at least to start the year.
13. New York Jets (Last season: 9-7, lost in AFC Championship) – It’s not that I don’t believe the hype… it’s that Mark Sanchez had the same season as Matthew Stafford and the Lions made very good changes as well.
No, seriously…
Sanchez – 53.8 comp. pct, 2444 yards, 12 TD, 20 INT
Stafford – 53.3 comp. pct, 2267 yards, 13 TD, 20 INT
I can’t in good conscience buy the Jets hype, even after Sanchez’s solid-enough playoff.
14. Miami Dolphins (Last season: 7-9) – Though I’m fully-prepared to see them lose to the Bills in Week One, I was amazed at how much I liked their roster when I went through their line-up for yesterday’s All-AFC East team.
15. San Francisco 49ers (Last season: 8-8) – I like Mike Singletary to pace the 49ers past Derek Anderson and the Cards in a weak division. Michael Crabtree’s going to make his money this season, too.
16. Washington Redskins (Last season: 4-12) – Adding Donovan McNabb and Mike Shanahan is like picking up 4-5 wins, even though Jason Campbell wasn’t as bad as people think. Look for the Skins to pick up some of the wins the Eagles lose.
17. New York Giants (Last season: 8-8) – I don’t like the Giants, but I’ve learned not to bet against Mannings.
18. Arizona Cardinals (Last season: 10-6, lost in NFC semis) – I watched their starting quarterback complete two passes not in a drive, a quarter or a half… in an entire game against a woeful Bills team.
19. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last season: 9-7) – I like Dennis Dixon, just not enough to get them through Roethlisberger’s suspension.
20. Chicago Bears (Last season: 7-9) – Jay Cutler will have a markedly-better year.
21. Philadelphia Eagles (Last season: 11-5, lost in first round) – Kevin Kolb might be awesome, but he’ll still have his fair share of growing pains.
22. Detroit Lions (Last season: 2-14) – See the Stafford/Sanchez comparison above. The Lions made some very good signings, and I expect Ndamukong Suh to be defensive rookie of the year.
23. Oakland Raiders (Last season: 5-11) — I despise Tom Cable, but Jason Campbell will help this talented crew up a peg in the division.
24. Denver Broncos (Last season: 8-8) – I hope this season ends with the great Tim Tebow experiment starting, because I believe he will be a productive pro quarterback.
25. Carolina Panthers (Last season: 8-8) – This year will get John Fox fired, which will be good news for someone with a coaching vacancy in 2011.
In most photos I see of CJ Spiller in his helmet, I think he looks like Mos Def.
26. Buffalo Bills (Last season: 6-10) – I think they’ll go 6-10, and this is where a 6-10 team will finish. Any losses they suffered in personnel will be made up for in new game day boss Chan Gailey. Plus, C.J. Spiller is a freak of nature.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last season: 7-9) – See ya later, Jack Del Rio and David Garrard.
28. St. Louis Rams (Last season: 1-15) – Steven Jackson and Sam Bradford will be enough to move this team out of the dumpster.
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last season: 3-13) – Josh Freeman isn’t the joke you think he is.
30. Seattle Seahawks (Last season: 5-11) – Pete Carroll’s gotta do down to get back up.
31. Cleveland Browns (Last season: 5-11 ) – Mike Holmgren will work it out… without Eric Mangini after a miserable 2010.
32. KC Chiefs (Last season: 4-12 ) – Mallett Time.
Spew venom here: nickonweck@gmail.com
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Tags: 9 Responses to “NFL Week One Power Rankings”
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Why do you hate Tom Cable? I think he’s a great coach and leader, smart offensive mind. Yeah, he’s a bit raw in his practices, but it’s a definite strength of his.
I’m sorry, were you talking about Vince Young or Pat Kane?
I think the Ravens at 9 is a little low, have a soild receiving core, 2 rookie tight ends that are capable of taking the one spot from Heap. As always, a solid D that is capable of covering any mistakes made by the offence. They are certainly better than the Titans who choke late in the season.
Also, I think the Raiders will be the sleeper of the season, Mike Bush and Zach Miller will put up good numbers with a capable with QB, and Campbell is good (he should be a Bill, he would have been a great fit here.)
Just so you know, I’m a girl that loves sports. Im the commisioner of one fantasy league and am playing in another one.
Sorry, I went a little heavy on the “capable”…trying too hard to sound like Peter King I guess.
I was at that Bills/Browns game last year where Anderson completed only 2 passes, yet somehow the Browns still won. That game was quite possibly the worst NFL game played in decades.
For this season, while I dearly love the Bills, I think the Browns will be a much better team this year, and I would probably have the rankings of these two teams reversed in your list.
And speaking of Anderson, I’m surprised you have the Cardinals ranked so high. Not only do they have a huge downgrade at QB compared to last year, but they also lost some other significant players (Dansby, Boldin).
My Superbowl prediction for this year: Packers win over the Ravens.
As a former Bills fan (it feels so good to shed that virus from my soul) and a newly minted Rams fan (hey, I live here now plus there is no way I will subject my son and daughter to the nightmare that is Buffalo sports), I gotta say your ranking of the Rams below the Bills will be short lived. At the very least you could say there is a chance in hell (.00001%) they will tie or win the pitiful NFC west. The Bills however have zero chance of winning a division.
Plus the Rams are at least trying to win (Clayton signing, Spags, decent offensive line and a temporarily confident QB with a legit mentor). Buffalo seems like they are trying not to lose. If they win 4 games it will be a good year with that roster—especially when they start quitting after week 11.
Other than that—Vikings – way too high. Cowboys – way, way too high (seriously – you would bet on Tony Romo?) Bears – way too low.
Arian Foster will give the Texans a running game this year. That should make them one of the best offenses in the league should that happen. Addition of Kareem Jackson at corner helps them in a secondary that is still not great. Texans have a legit shot at the division this year I think. Drawing Peyton on week 1 is to their advantage as well I think.
This win was finally, finally, finally here. Rams fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Tebow moves out of the running in Denver and Bradford starts to come into his own. I had a feeling this was the week.
Pow! Chiefs 3-0. These are not the Chiefs of my childhood…or for that matter the SF either. I had a gut feeling they were going trounce the 49ers, but I took conventional wisdom & bet against them. That will learn me good. It’s about time that Sundays start ending in chest bumps in Kansas City.