Following Week 4 in the NFL, I figured it’s high time to compile Penguin Pride’s power rankings.
1. New York Giants (4-0)
The Giants are such a powerhouse team. Eli Manning is the #6 quarterback in the NFL, have a 5-star offensive line, and a terrific defense. If the Giants don’t make the playoffs, it will be because their entire starting lineup gets injured. They play in a division that isn’t particularly easy, unless you’re the Giants. Six automatic wins (division games) is great to have no matter who you are. And they’re already 4-0, and only one of those games was an easy division game.
2. Indianapolis Colts (4-0)
This team has proven that YES THEY CAN survive without Marvin Harrison. Peyton Manning is the #1 quarterback in the league for a reason. He makes average wide recievers look good. He makes good wide receivers look like Hall of Famers. Their defense is actually pretty mediocre, but this team can be carried by a powerful offense.
3. New Orleans Saints (4-0)
Drew Brees is a monster when it comes to passing. Back in 2005/2006 I felt the same way about him that I now do about JaMarcus Russell: all cannon, no precision. But then he developed accuracy; the only thing missing was a defense. But now they have a killer defensive line, led by Will Smith, and new acquisition from the Vikings: safety Darren Sharper. The Saints are dangerous and have a chance at the NFC Championship.
4. Minnesota Vikings (4-0)
Who says that Brett Favre can’t throw anymore? Who says he doesn’t make a difference? Who says all he does is hand it off to Adrian Peterson? Whoever that is, eat your foot right now because all these things are proven wrong, if not in Week 3 vs. the 49ers (last second touchdown magic) then certainly in the epic Monday Night game against the Packers. The Williams brothers are still playing, and their defense is solid. Are the Vikings Super Bowl material? It looks that way… at Week 4.
5. Denver Broncos (4-0)
Originally, I saw a team with no defense whatsoever, a joke quarterback who played like shit with the Bears a year previously, and a rookie head coach whose bumbling ways cost his team their franchise QB. But in a perfect case of the value of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts, all those horrible parts have worked to create an almost scary fraternal bond (players love a young head coach!!) and a top five defense. I had completely forgot that Champ Bailey was on their team until the Cowboys game. This is a surprise, but the Broncos look unstoppable.
6. New York Jets (3-1)
Mark Sanchez has Rookie of the Year written all over him. Everyone makes mistakes, and the fact that Sanchez can admit that he cost his team 14 points in their loss to New Orleans means that his personality is the stuff of the Hall of Fame. The Jets defense is top 5 this year with Rex Ryan heading the team, and Bart Scott at MLB. And we haven’t even seen Braylon Edwards play at WR yet. I smell a Super Bowl … in the next few years.
7. Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
You know who the 2009 Ravens remind me of? The 2005 Steelers. Here we have a team, renowned for its defense, suddenly get a quarterback last year (Roethlisberger for the Steelers in 2004, Flacco for the Ravens in 2008). And now an insane running game with a sick tandem (Jerome Bettis, Willie Parker, Duce Staley for the Steelers and Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, Le’ron McClain for the Ravens) makes these teams very tough. For some reason in their loss to the Patriots, the Ravens decided not to use the ground game much and passed nearly every play. This likely led to their defeat in that game. However they have no doubt learned from their mistakes and are a force to be reckoned with in the AFC.
8. San Francisco 49ers (3-1)
First off let me point out that I laid out a plan for the 49ers last year. First year focused on offense. What has rocketed the 49ers to what would have been a 4-0 start had it not been for Brett Favre being Brett Favre? THE OFFENSE. Shaun Hill has decided not to play like Alex Smith and more like Steve Young. Can Hill lead the 49ers to another Super Bowl dynasty? Probably not, but I do believe he can lead his team to at least one. He’s got some time left in his career; he’s really not all that old yet. And the 49ers are in the weakest division in the entire league, with the Cardinals playing weak and the Seahawks and Rams playing … predictably. These guys are division champ material, mark my words.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)
The Steelers may be 2-2, but one of those losses was due to a bad kicker. Still, a loss is a loss, and the Steelers need to work on 4th quarter defense. During the first half of any Steelers game, Pittsburgh dominates. However, the final half is where the defense starts to falter then tends to fail completely. The return of Troy Polamalu will surely help, but the defense needs to work on this huge problem area. However, the Steelers seem to have finally solved their problem of a lack of a running game. Willie Parker is fast, but all you have to do as a defense is run flats and have your MLB wait in the middle. There needs to be a complement: a power back. Jerome Bettis was such a runner, but he is with the Steelers no more. Rashard Mendenhall was drafted in the first round of 2008 in hopes that he could fill those shoes, but he has failed to deliver until Week 4 against the Chargers. The Steelers are definitely repeat material. They just need to fight for division supremacy in the surprisingly competitive AFC North.
10. Chicago Bears (3-1)
Even taking into account the early success of the Denver Broncos, you cannot say that Chicago got the worse end of the deal. Jay Cutler was Denver’s star quarterback, and now he’s starting to shine in Chicago, despite sloppy play in Week 1 vs. Green Bay. He is still getting used to the Bears receivers, but once the offense develops, they will be an insane force in the NFC North. In addition, they also have a top 10 defense.
11. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)
Last year, two rookie quarterbacks made a big splash in the NFL: Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan. We figured one would take a step back this year. I predicted Flacco. Instead, it was Ryan. Ryan isn’t playing poorly, but he’s not playing at his 2008 levels. I’m sure he’ll come through, but this is just a reflection of how he’s played in the first four weeks. Tony Gonzales is a great addition to this team that was already pretty good to begin with. The only downfall for the Falcons this year is the fact that they’re in a division with the Saints. This will hold them to a position where they have to fight for a wild card spot, likely against the Bears and Packers.
12. New England Patriots (3-1)
The Patriots defense went from great to mediocre with retirements and injuries. They still have great receivers, but unfortunately Tom Brady IS NOT what he was last year. He throws horribly off-target passes most of the game. Remember that if it had not been for a clumsy special-teams mistake, the Pats would have lost to the Bills in Week 1, and they were one complete pass away from losing to the Ravens in Week 4. Remember the Jets handed their asses to them in Week 2. So New England is lucky to be at 3-1 and not 1-3. Will they win their division? Not against the Jets. Do they have wild card potential? Yes, but only if they hold their own division, plus the super-competitive AFC North at bay.
13. Cincinnati Bengals (3-1)
This is one of the top 3 biggest surprises this year. Who would have expected the Bengals to be first place in the AFC North? This is a division usually dominated by the Steelers and Ravens, with the Bengals and Browns performing like trash. The Bengals have talent, though, and having the 7th best quarterback in the league, Carson Palmer, definitely helps, especially when you have receivers like Laverneus Coles and Chad Ochocinco. I don’t see the Bengals winning this division, but if they manage to beat the Ravens this week they may have a chance at the wild card.
14. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)
The Eagles are looking like the Saints a few years ago: strong offense, pathetic defense. But the Saints were still quite good. The Eagles’ biggest strength is definitely at the QB position. And no I don’t mean Michael Vick, who is playing wildcat and failing. McNabb, for all his faults, can move the ball both through the air and on the ground. Kevin Kolb has shown that he can have Drew Brees-esque games. However, the Saints could never get to the playoffs or win a game once they got there, and I think that’ll be a problem shared by the Eagles. Their two wins so far have been the horrible Panthers and the roster-rape known as the Chiefs. Division champs? No, there’s something known the Giants in the way. Wild card? Probably not. While the Eagles could likely take second in the division, the NFC is just too competitive this year.
15. Dallas Cowboys (2-2)
The Cowboys’ offense looked like an early 2000′s Patriots offense, but Tony Romo is showing these past couple of weeks just how unlike Tom Brady he is. The Cowboys have a great defense, but this won’t help you is your quarterback sucks. Romo has talent, but he must be choosing not to use it when he makes throws at either the first or second best cornerback in the league, Champ Bailey. However, it is too early to tell much about the Cowboys, as their only wins have come against bad teams (Tampa Bay and Carolina) and their losses to powerhouses (NY Giants and Denver). If they pick up their game, they could take second in their division behind the Giants and possibly have a shot at the wild card.
16. San Diego Chargers (2-2)
Like the Patriots, the Chargers are lucky to not be 1-3, as they nearly lost to Oakland in Week 1. Philip Rivers has been underperforming this year, and the formerly dominant Chargers ground attack has been nonexistant. Fortunately for San Diego, they are in a historically easy division. Unfortunately, the Denver Broncos have decided to make it a bit more challenging by being amazing. Rivers’ play isn’t helping at all.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2)
The Chargers may have turned their running game off, but the Jaguars have turned it on. Maurice Jones-Drew alone has 296 yards this season. David Garrard passed for 323 yards last week. It seems Garrard is finally playing well, and it’s about time for Jacksonville. However, I don’t see them keeping this up. I believe the Texans will start playing better and overtake the Jags in a division which will be won, as usual, by the Colts.
18. Green Bay Packers (2-2)
For the level of talent that is on the Packers, they have been playing terribly. They edged out the Bears in a defensive battle, lost to the Bengals, then beat the pathetic Rams and were smothered by the Vikings. If Aaron Rodgers is one of the up-and-coming “elite” quarterbacks, he needs to start playing as though that were true. Green Bay has a top 10 defense, but they’re still 2-2. And they can’t blame their tough division for being the problem, as they’ve only played two division games and one of them they won.
19. Miami Dolphins (1-3)
So far, the wildcat is working great for Miami. As long as you don’t use it too much and run traditional plays, it can be a very effective offensive weapon. There is no doubt that Ronnie Brown is a beast, as is Joey Porter. And to whoever thought the Dolphins would tank after losing Chad Pennington for the season, well arguably this last game against Buffalo was their best, seeing as how it has been their only win. Miami has the talent to build a winning team, so why haven’t they been winning games? The caliber of their opponents isn’t really a factor, as they lost to one elite team (Indianapolis) and two mediocre teams (Atlanta and San Diego). If they don’t figure a way to put all their parts together, the Dolphins will fall a long way by the time Week 8 rolls around and I do power rankings again.
20. Houston Texans (2-2)
The Houston Texans are a team that has two modes: on and off. When off, they look like the Texans of old: failing on both sides of the ball in hilarious fashion; pretty much what everyone expected from the Denver
Broncos this season. When on, QB Matt Schaub can pass for 250+ yards and HB Steve Slaton can own the field like Adrian Peterson.
21. Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
The Cardinals’ explosive offense from last year collapsed in on itself like an imploding star. Kurt Warner is playing like Chad Pennington. They need a real jolt to their game if they hope to be playoff contenders.
22. Tennessee Titans (0-4)
What happened to these guys??? The team that started 10-0 last year are now 0-4, and their next two games are against the Colts and Patriots, both teams with excellent passing games. The Titans’ worst point? Pass defense. Their greatest strength? The ground attack. They should give Vince Young a couple chances to start; the Titans could use any boost they can get.
23. Washington Redskins (2-2)
This team has the talent, but with Jason Campbell playing like a backup and getting worse by the week, one has to blame the coaching staff. The Redskins have a pretty easy schedule coming up: they take on the winless Panthers in week 5, then the winless Chiefs in week 6. If they fail to win before their bye week in week 7, you can expect Coach Jim Zorn to be unemployed.
24. Buffalo Bills (1-3)
The poor Bills, they just can never seem to get anything going. For every good game that Trent Edwards has, he has three bad ones. And WR Terrell Owens hasn’t been a factor yet this year. If they drop many more games, they’ll be out of playoff contention early.
25. Detroit Lions (1-3)
O the Lions. They need a lot of work after that 0-16 season. But see, they’ve already improved on last year’s performance; they already have one whole win. They’re going to need a lot more work, too, if they want to be competitive in the NFC North. They’ll take last place in the division again, but not as miserable as last season.
26. Seattle Seahawks (1-3)
Worse than the Lions?? In fact, there’s seven teams worse than the Lions; the most in a long long time to be so bad. The Seahawks are the best of these teams. When Matt Hasselbeck isn’t injured, which is never, they do alright. They have wildcat potential in QB Seneca Wallace. But Wallace has proven that when he starts, it’s a disaster. The whole team seems to fall apart. Silly me, I picked them to win the division when I did predictions last year. I also picked the Broncos to be last place in the AFC West.
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4)
Last year, the Bucs were playoff contenders until the last week of the regular season, when they were knocked out by the Oakland Raiders. Since then, they haven’t been able to get anything together. Here is a case wher the biggest failures can be blamed on the ownership. They fired Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden in favor of a young guy who so far hasn’t been able to tap into the immense talent on that team. QB Byron Leftwich underperformed, so they replaced him with… Josh Johnson? This is the same ownership group that fired Tony Dungy a decade ago, and look where he ended up. Until they make major changes at the top, no success is going to trickle down.
28. Oakland Raiders (1-3)
The other team that needs a major ownership overhaul is the Oakland Raiders. When the Raiders were successful, it was in spite of Al Davis’ micromanagement, not because of it. He spends draft picks picking fast running backs and receivers, then throws the most inaccurate starting QB (JaMarcus Russell) in the NFL into the field and hopes he can cannon it to them somehow. The real mystery is how the Raiders managed to not be last in the division (yet). They beat the Chiefs in a horrible game by a field goal, but almost beat the Chargers in week 1 by playing basic, hard football. I actually thought Tom Cable was leading them in the right direction. Turns out I just overestimated them.
29. Kansas City Chiefs (0-4)
It is a mystery why the Chiefs decided to release Bernard Pollard and strip down their defense. Well I guess that’s what you get when you sign another team’s backup QB to a huge deal and entrust your season in his hands. Matt Cassel is a very talented quarterback, but his offensive line isn’t giving him any time. But rather than give up sacks, Cassel seems to be more inclined to just throw it somewhere. This results in scores of incompletions, and an interception or two (per game). This reminds me of Matt Stafford, but he has an excuse… he’s a rookie. Unless the line gets stronger and the team decides to give Cassel another receiver to complement Dwayne Bowe, the Chiefs are going to fail week after week.
30. Carolina Panthers (0-3)
Division dominators for a long time, this year the Panthers can’t seem to find a rhythm. More specifically, QB Jake Delhomme can’t seem to find receivers who are on his team. Although he still excels at the two-minute drill, as evidenced in the Cowboys game (EDIT: and the Redskins game!), Jake Delhomme is far too inconsistent to be a starting quarterback. My advice to the Panthers is to sign Jeff Garcia and make Delhomme a backup. That 2MD skill can come is really handy from time to time; Delhomme may be in the top five in the league when it comes to that aspect. That seems to be the one time he doesn’t turn over the ball. However, they have no running game, old receivers, and an unimposing defense.
31. St. Louis Rams (0-4)
The Rams really need an overhaul everywhere on the field, except perhaps running back. Nobody on their defense stands out, their offensive line is 2-star at best, and QB Marc Bulger just doesn’t seem to have it anymore. And we know Kyle Boller certainly doesn’t. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Rams go 1-15 this season.
32. Cleveland Browns (0-4)
Talent-wise, the Browns look a bit better off than the #31 Rams. Jamal Lewis is still a talented running back, and Derek Anderson is certainly a better QB than Marc Bulger (and Brady Quinn). What puts them a notch lower is the colossal amount of fail located in their ownership and coaching staff. Eric Mangini was fired for a reason: he can’t coach. The Jets weren’t 9-7 last season because of him, it was their team talent. Now Mangini doesn’t have team talent to hide behind and so his job should be on the line… but it doesn’t seem to be, because the owners don’t seem to care. First they traded WAY down in the first round of the draft, allowing the Jets to get Mark Sanchez, then they trade away their best receiver, Braylon Edwards. Is there light at the end of the tunnel? No. EDIT: In one of the worst games I’ve ever seen, the Browns managed to get one win in Week 5 by defeating the bills two field goals to one. Derek Anderson had two completions for 23 yards. Pathetic.
