Bullz-Eye's NFL Power Rankings: Q1
10/04/2006
NFL Home / Sports Channel / Bullz-Eye Home
ALSO: Check out Anthony's NFL Preview. Got your own take on the season's first four weeks? Be heard at The Scores Report, the National Sports Blog.
With four weeks in the books, it’s time to rank the NFL, top to bottom. Check back after weeks 8, 12 and 17 for another set of rankings.
Now, before we get to the list, let’s go over some ground rules that were used during the ranking process:
1. Try not to focus solely on who has beaten who thus far. However, bringing up who teams have faced on their schedule is going to come up a few times while ranking these squads – it’s inevitable.
2. Defense rules, unless you’re the Indianapolis Colts and can guarantee 75 points a game with your offense.
3. Injuries are hard to predict, but if a team has had a history of key players missing games, I will not ignore it.
4. Finally, we’re only four weeks into the season; so don’t be afraid to take a chance and go out on a limb with some of these teams.
1-32 in the NFL at the quarter pole:
players benefitting from Rex Grossman's
fast start.
1. Chicago Bears (4-0)
At this point in the season, I’d have to say that the Bears have the most complete team in football. They’ve had their struggles running the ball, but Rex Grossman is running a vertical passing game the likes of which the city of Chicago hasn’t seen in a very long time. The defense can do it all and Devin Hester is explosive on special teams – if he hangs on to the ball, that is.
2. Indianapolis Colts (4-0)
The Colts won’t survive if they can’t run the ball, but maybe last weekend’s win over the Jets (160 rushing yards) was the beginning of something good for the ground game. It hasn’t hurt much yet because Peyton Manning is putting so many points on the scoreboard that he alone is masking some glaring weaknesses on both sides of the ball.
3. Baltimore Ravens (4-0)
I still think San Diego is the better team, but when Marty Schottenheimer is the coach of said team, they’ll lose tight games against a defense like Baltimore every time. Steve McNair has looked terrible in the past two games…up until the Ravens need a win, of course. Then the defense throws a stranglehold on the opposing offense and McNair turns into Tom Brady and sneaks out a win.
4. Cincinnati Bengals (3-1)
I know the Bengals just got shellacked by the Patriots, but so did 500 other teams in the wake of a New England loss the past couple of years. This is a good team, but at the moment, Cincy is not healthy on defense and off the field issues are clouding Carson Palmer’s remarkable comeback.
5. Atlanta Falcons (3-1)
This team should scare opponents as much as they should scare themselves. The Falcons house the best running game in football, but have shown that if teams can force Michael Vick to pass the entire game (ala New Orleans on MNF), Atlanta is in trouble. However, nobody is talking about how well this defense is playing – only the Bears and Falcons have given up just one touchdown this season. And this is all without arguably their best player in DE John Abraham (out the past three weeks with a groin injury).
6. San Diego Chargers (2-1)
The Chargers should be where the Ravens are ranked, but thanks to “Marty Ball” they’ll always play second fiddle to teams that are more aggressive in tight situations. This team is way too good to lose games like the one in Baltimore in week four.
7. Philadelphia Eagles (3-1)
I first was going to drop this team down further and even put division rival Dallas ahead of them. But watching Donovan McNabb play Monday night against the Packers made me realize how good he makes this squad. I’m not 100% sold on Philly yet, but I have to admit that McNabb is playing at his highest level right now.
Alexander and the Seahawks were having a tough
season.
8. Seattle Seahawks (3-1)
Boy, did the Bears ever wax this team last Sunday night. Forget Shaun Alexander’s foot injury for the moment – what happened to Seattle’s defense the past two weeks?
9. Denver Broncos (2-1)
Denver is probably the least impressive one-loss team out there right now, but that win over the Patriots in Foxboro two weeks ago was impressive. I think Mike Shanahan has these guys back on track.
10. New England Patriots (3-1)
Where the hell do you put the Pats? They look lethargic against the Broncos, only to come back last week and hammer a good Bengals team on the road. I know where this is going so I’ll just say it so nobody else has to: Mark me down for Tom Brady hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the year, because this team is flying way too far below the Super Bowl radar…AGAIN.
11. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2)
I was really high on the Jags until I saw firsthand how their defense got lit up like a Christmas tree in Washington last week. Now they’re just an average team again.
12. Dallas Cowboys (2-1)
We’ll see how good this team really is when they play Philadelphia this weekend. Part of me believes that Dallas is the better football team, but give me McNabb over Bledsoe any day of the week.
13. Carolina Panthers (2-2)
I give it T-minus five and a half days before everybody is breaking his or her other ankle trying to climb back up on the Panthers bandwagon. I say “other ankle” because those same people suffered their first ankle injury jumping off the Carolina bandwagon when the team sat at 0-2.
14. New Orleans Saints (3-1)
I can’t see anybody beating the Saints at home this year after what I witnessed last Monday night in New Orleans. Sign me up as one of few people who don’t think the Saints will come down to earth anytime soon. I really think they have a decent football team – overachieving yes, but decent nonetheless.
'Skins offense is rolling. The D, however,
is a big cause for concern.
15. Washington Redskins (2-2)
That offense is starting to come alive in a hurry thanks to an apparently healthy Clinton Portis, but now where is the defense?
16. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2)
If Ben Roethlisberger can’t find his mojo any time soon, I can’t see the Steelers defense playing the role of Baltimore’s D and winning games on its own.
17. St. Louis Rams (3-1)
The Rams are a surprising and tricky team all rolled into one. They look good against the Broncos, get booted by the 49ers, get a gift-wrapped win thanks to the Cardinals, and then put 41 points on the board against Detroit. This has 8-8 written all over it.
18. New York Giants (1-2)
Hi Giants! This is your first quarter wake-up call. Listen, I know you’ve had to play tough opponents so far this season, but you better get over that real quick if you think you have any shot at the playoffs.
19. New York Jets (2-2)
I have half the mind to put the Jets above the Rams and Giants, but I just don’t know if the little-engine-that-could is really as good as it has been playing. Great four-game effort, for sure, but will it last? Their chances improve if they ever figure out how to run the ball.
20. Kansas City Chiefs (1-2)
Now that’s the Larry Johnson that fantasy football owners everywhere have been dying to see! How about Herm Edwards turning around KC’s defense? They gave up six points to the Broncos on the road and then shutout San Francisco last week. If this team had anything that resembled an offensive line, I’d have them up higher.
21. Buffalo Bills (2-2)
Check out Buffalo’s schedule over the next couple of weeks. It’s like a freaking yo-yo with a mixture of good and bad teams every week: at Chicago, at Detroit, vs. New England, BYE, vs. Green Bay, at Indianapolis, at Houston, vs. Jacksonville.
22. Minnesota Vikings (2-2)
That 2-0 start is only a distant dream now, huh Brad Childress?
23. Cleveland Browns (1-3)
The injury bug hasn’t just bitten this team – it has devoured it. The offense isn’t that bad and is full of talent, but duct tape is holding up the defense right now.
be catching passes from Matt Leinart.
24. Arizona Cardinals (1-3)
The Cardinals’ key players wish they were somewhere else right now – Edgerrin James wishes he was back in Indy, Kurt Warner in St. Louis, Matt Leinart, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin back in college. Hell, even Dennis Green would take the mess he left in Minnesota right now over being trapped in the desert.
25. Green Bay Packers (1-3)
My nominee for “Coach Who’s In Way Over His Head” is Mike McCarthy. I almost feel bad for the little bugger on the sidelines – he almost looks like he’s just praying things will work on the field.
26. San Francisco 49ers (1-3)
Don’t look now, but the 49ers are building a nice group of young talent – Alex Smith, Frank Gore, Antonio Bryant (although nuts), Manny Lawson, and Vernon Davis (although injured).
27. Houston Texans (1-3)
Congratulations, Mario Williams, on your first one and a half sacks. Well done, my friend! Now you’re only one galaxy away from what Reggie Bush is giving the Saints, as opposed to the two you were chasing before.
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3)
I actually heard a commentator on the radio the other day say that the Bucs should start Tim Rattay at quarterback over rookie Bruce Gradkowski, because Rattay has more game experience. Rattay is inexplicably horrible, I don’t care how much game experience he has over Gradkowski. You might as well find out what the kid can do.
29. Detroit Lions (0-4)
Like most years, the Lions have one thing working (the offense) only to be dragged down by something else (the defense).
30. Miami Dolphins (1-3)
Okay, so even if some people didn’t have the Dolphins as their chic pick this year for the playoffs – did they see them being this bad?
31. Tennessee Titans (0-4)
PacMan Jones said after the Titans’ 45-14 debacle against the Cowboys last week that the team needed more “thugs”. Really? More thugs on a team that already has yourself and a guy that just got done tap dancing on an opponent’s head? Sure, that’s your problem.
32. Oakland Raiders (0-3)
Way to go, Oakland. You blew your only chance at a victory this year when you let Cleveland come back on you after being up 21-3. How in the world did this team get not one, but TWO Monday Night Football games this year? What?
Questions or comments on the upcoming season? Send them to astalter@bullz-eye.com.