NFL Power Rankings following week #2 games
About the Rankings:
Raider Ryan began ranking the 32 NFL teams before the first regular season games began. Teams receive credit for winning in general, and winning against tough opponents in particular. Teams are also credited for playing tough on the road, especially against strong opponents. Teams also receive credit for beating strong opponents at home.
Results and Moves:
The #1 Colts (2-0) narrowly defeated the #16 Titans (1-1) 22-20 in Tennessee, and the #2 Patriots (2-0) destroyed the #3 Chargers in (1-1) New England 38-14, raising the Patriots to the #1 position and dropping the Colts to #2. The Chargers moved to #7 with the loss and the Titans moved to #17.
The #4 Cowboys (2-0) beat the #29 Dolphins (0-2) 37-20 in Miami, moving the Cowboys to #3 and dropping the Dolphins to #30.
The #5 Bears (1-1) defeated the #27 Chiefs (0-2) 20-10 in Chicago, keeping the Bears at #5 and dropping the Chiefs to #31.
The #6 Bengals (1-1) were embarrassed by the #31 Browns (1-1) 51-45 in Cleveland, dropping the Bengals to #12 and raising the Browns to #25.
The #7 Steelers (2-0) won easily for over the #18 Bills (0-2) in Pittsburgh 26-3. The win boosted the Steelers to #4 and the Bills dropped to #27 with the loss.
The #8 Ravens (1-1) bested the #24 Jets (0-2) 20-13 in Baltimore, keeping the Ravens at #8 and sinking the Jets to #29.
The #9 Seahawks (1-1) lost to the #20 Cardinals (1-1) 23-20 in Phoenix, moving the Seahawks to #14 and the Cardinals to #13.
The #10 Broncos (2-0) narrowly escaped the #30 Raiders (0-2), winning 23-20 in OT in Denver. The win lifted the Broncos to #6 and the Raiders moved up to #28 with a strong showing in the loss.
The #11 Panthers (1-1) lost to the #17 Texans (2-0) 34-21 in Charlotte. The Panthers dropped to #15 and the Texans rose to #9.
The surprisingly lowly #12 Saints (0-2) were destroyed by the #28 Buccaneers (1-1) 31-14 in Tampa Bay. The loss dropped the Saints all the way to #20 and the win elevated the Buccaneers to #19.
The #13 Packers are now 2-0 after their 35-13 win over the #19 Giants (0-2) at Giants stadium. The Giants dropped to #24 and the Packers moved to #10.
The #14 Eagles are 0-2 after Monday night’s loss to the #22 Redskins (2-0) 20-12 in Philadelphia. The Redskins move to #18 and the Eagles fall to #23.
The #15 49ers (2-0) beat the #23 Rams (0-2) 17-16 in St. Louis. The 49ers stand at #11 and the Rams at #26.
The #21 Vikings (1-1) lost to the #25 Lions (2-0) 20-17 in Detroit. The win moved the Lions to #16 and the Vikings dropped to #22 with the loss.
The #26 Jaguars (1-1) defeated the #32 Falcons (0-2) 13-7 in Jacksonville. The Jaguars moved up to #21 and the Falcons remained at #32.
Current Rankings:
1 Patriots (2-0)
2 Colts (2-0)
3 Cowboys (2-0)
4 Steelers (2-0)
5 Bears (1-1)
6 Broncos (2-0)
7 Chargers (1-1)
8 Ravens (1-1)
9 Texans (2-0)
10 Packers (2-0)
11 49ers (2-0)
12 Bengals (1-1)
13 Cardinals (1-1)
14 Seahawks (1-1)
15 Panthers (1-1)
16 Lions (2-0)
17 Titans (1-1)
18 Redskins (2-0)
19 Buccaneers (1-1)
20 Saints (0-2)
21 Jaguars (1-1)
22 Vikings (1-1)
23 Eagles (0-2)
24 Giants (0-2)
25 Browns (1-1)
26 Rams (0-2)
27 Bills (0-2)
28 Raiders (0-2)
29 Jets (0-2)
30 Dolphins (0-2)
31 Chiefs (0-2)
32 Falcons (0-2)
Past week’s rankings:
1 Colts
2 Patriots
3 Chargers
4 Cowboys
5 Bears
6 Bengals
7 Steelers
8 Ravens
9 Seahawks
10 Broncos
11 Panthers
12 Saints
13 Packers
14 Eagles
15 49ers
16 Titans
17 Texans
18 Bills
19 Giants
20 Cardinals
21 Vikings
22 Redskins
23 Rams
24 Jets
25 Lions
26 Jaguars
27 Chiefs
28 Buccaneers
29 Dolphins
30 Raiders
31 Browns
32 Falcons
JaMarcus Russell to get $29.2 million guaranteed
But, is he really the guy who can save the once mighty Oakland Raiders from impending disaster?
JaMarcus Russell stayed out of camp and did nothing for the team up to this point, but he got his money anyway. It is yet another example of a highly-touted college QB with unproven skills hitting the jackpot, and I’m not confident that he’s worth the money. I hope he makes me eat my words.
If I was the head coach of the Raiders, Daunte Culpepper would be the starter right now, and if I was charged with making a decision about JaMarcus Russell, I would not have signed him at all.
NFL Power Rankings for 9/11/2007
NFL Power Ranking after Week 1 games:
The power rankings that were posted before the week #1 NFL games held up pretty well during the first week, even though week #1 was extremely disappointing for me personally. What happened to the #28 Raiders defense against the Lions and John Kitna? After all, the Raider’s defense was ranked #1 against the pass last season.
By losing at home to the #32 Lions, the Raiders dropped to #30. The win also raised the Lions from the cellar of the power rankings to #25. On paper, this looked like a very winnable game for the Raiders. The loss to Detroit foretells bad things for the 2007 season, but I’m not giving up hope after one game.
Starting at the top, the Colts proved their worth as the #1 pick by handily beating the #4 Saints in Indianapolis and the #2 Patriots looked very strong on the road against the #14 Jets. Due to those outcomes, the Saints dropped to #14 and the Jets dropped to #24.
The #3 Chargers defeated the #7 Bears in San Diego but I gave the Bears a lot of credit for virtually shutting down LaDainian Tomlinson and a potentially explosive Chargers offense. If not for a couple of costly turnovers, the Bears could easily have won this game. The Chargers stayed at #3 and the Bears were elevated to #5 based on this game.
The Bears are now the second highest ranked team in the NFC. The #8 Cowboys moved to #4 by defeating the #17 Giants, who dropped to #19.
The #12 Seahawks defeated the #26 Buccaneers in Seattle, moving the Seahawks to #9 and the Buccaneers to #28 and the #24 Chiefs looked terrible losing to the #23 Texans on the road, boosting the Texans to #17 and dropping the Chiefs to #27.
After all the Sunday action was over, there were still two games to play on Monday, and they both turned out to be very good contests. The #16 49ers defeated the #19 Cardinals and the #11 Bengals defeated the #5 Ravens stirring up the order a bit. The 49ers moved to #15, the Cardinals dropped to #20, and the Ravens and Bengals are now at #8 and #6 respectively.
At the bottom, Adrian Peterson was impressive as the #30 Falcons lost to the #27 Vikings in Minnesota. By virtue of the win, the Vikings moved to #21 and the Falcons dropped to #32.
Current Rankings:
1 Colts 2 Patriots 3 Chargers 4 Cowboys 5 Bears 6 Bengals 7 Steelers 8 Ravens 9 Seahawks 10 Broncos 11 Panthers 12 Saints 13 Packers 14 Eagles 15 49ers 16 Titans 17 Texans 18 Bills 19 Giants 20 Cardinals 21 Vikings 22 Redskins 23 Rams 24 Jets 25 Lions 26 Jaguars 27 Chiefs 28 Buccaneers 29 Dolphins 30 Raiders 31 Browns 32 Falcons
Rankings Before Week 1 Games:
1 Colts 2 Patriots 3 Chargers 4 Saints 5 Ravens 6 Broncos 7 Bears 8 Cowboys 9 Eagles 10 Steelers 11 Bengals 12 Seahawks 13 Panthers 14 Jets 15 Bills 16 49ers 17 Giants 18 Rams 19 Cardinals 20 Packers 21 Jaguars 22 Titans 23 Texans 24 Chiefs 25 Redskins 26 Buccaneers 27 Vikings 28 Raiders 29 Dolphins 30 Falcons 31 Browns 32 Lions
