NFL Power Rankings – Week 1

The NFL season finally kicks off on Wednesday night with the Cowboys taking on the Giants in New York. And then the rest of the league follows suit on Sunday and Monday with a full slate of games. Crazed, football-starved fans have been getting by on projections and analysis and fantasy drafts, but now the real thing begins.

Here’s an update to my pre-season rankings for Week 1.

1. Green Bay – Top to bottom, still the best talent.
2. New England – Brady and Gronk will be hard to stop.
3. NY Giants – Defending champs have to be near the top.
4. Baltimore – Always play tough defense. Can Flacco and the O deliver?
5. Pittsburgh – Big Ben has Haley’s new offense and Wallace finally.
6. San Francisco – Not sure they can repeat 13-3 with Alex Smith.
7. Houston – Texans lost key pieces, but play in a weak division.
8. New Orleans – Despite everything, they’re still dangerous.
9. Detroit – Lots of firepower and off-field issues.
10.  Atlanta – Good team still trying to prove it is great.
11.  Philadelphia – Vick says dynasty. Let’s see it on the field.
12.  Chicago – Cutler. Forte. Marshall. And a good D.
13.  Dallas – Sooner or later, they have to live up to the hype … right?
14.  Kansas City – The ACL trio returns. Solid D. It’s all on Cassel.
15.  Buffalo – Great offseason, but can they compete in AFC East?
16.  Denver – Everybody love Peyton, but the team needs more tools.
17.  Cincinnati – Great young core. Insanely tough division.
18. San Diego – Promise big every year. It’s do-or-die time for the bosses.
19. Carolina – Big dreams in PantherLand after Cam’s rookie year.
20.  NY Jets – Rex’s weight loss and the team’s loss of wins will mirror.
21.  Tennessee – Steady team. Big decision on the QB.
22.  Seattle – Pete believes. No one else is sure. Pick a QB, please.
23.  Washington – RGIII has the town by the tail. But can he win?
24.  Arizona – Solid by not spectacular anywhere. Iffy at QB.
25.  Tampa Bay – Lots of moves to improve the roster. And a new coach.
26.  St. Louis – Fisher is the new sheriff in town. Sam has to rebound.
27.  Oakland – Reggie has some work to do in the post-Al era.
28.  Miami – Philbin takes over. Tannehill at QB. Long season ahead.
29.  Jacksonville – MJD finally reported. Gabbert has looked much improved.
30.  Cleveland – New owner. New QB. New RB. Big hill to climb.
31.  Indianapolis – His name is Luck, and he’ll need it this season.
32.  Minnesota – AP is still recovering. Is Ponder the guy?

Welcome back, football. We’ve missed you terribly.

As always, thanks for reading.

Steve

Ending the Drought … with NFL Power Rankings

It’s been a very long, extremely dry summer for lots of folks all across the Midwest and much of the United States. And much like that moisture drought, it’s been a long time since this blog has seen any kind of significant activity. That’s my fault. We’re here to fix that.

I’m cranking it back up starting today as the NFL season is close enough that us diehard fans can begin to taste it. All team training camps are in full swing, and the annual Hall of Fame game in Canton takes place this Sunday. That’s right football junkies … the best time of the year is almost here.

With that, I thought I’d kick it all off with a pre-season ranking of all 32 NFL teams. Some of this is based on other experts so-called opinion, some research and some gut. Let me know where you think I’ve got it right but especially where you think I really dropped the ball (pun intended).

1. Green Bay – Top to bottom, still the best talent.
2. New England – Brady and Gronk hard to stop.
3. NY Giants – Defending champs have to be near the top.
4. Baltimore – Always play tough defense. Can Flacco and the O deliver?
5. Pittsburgh – Big Ben is hurt. Wallace holding out. Haley’s a wild card.
6. San Francisco – Not sure they can repeat 13-3 with Alex Smith.
7. Houston – Texans lost key pieces, but play in a weak division.
8. New Orleans – Despite everything, they’re still dangerous.
9. Detroit – Lots of firepower and off-field issues.
10.  Atlanta – Good team still trying to prove it is great.
11.  Philadelphia – Vick says dynasty. Let’s see it on the field.
12.  Chicago – Cutler. Forte. Marshall. And a good D.
13.  Dallas – Sooner or later, they have to live up to the hype … right?
14.  Kansas City – The ACL trio returns. Solid D. It’s all on Cassel.
15.  Buffalo – Great offseason, but can they compete in AFC East.
16.  Denver – Everybody love Peyton, but he needs more tools.
17.  Cincinnati – Great young core. Insanely tough division.
18. San Diego – Promise big every year. It’s do-or-get-fired time.
19. Carolina – Big dreams in PantherLand after Cam’s rookie year.
20.  NY Jets – Their mouths outpace their talent this year.
21.  Tennessee – Steady team. Big decision on the QB.
22.  Seattle – Pete believes. No one else is sure. Pick a QB, please.
23.  Washington – RGIII has the town by the tail. But can he win?
24.  Arizona – Solid by not spectacular anywhere.
25.  Tampa Bay – Lots of moves to improve the roster. And a new coach.
26.  St. Louis – Fisher is the new sheriff in town. Sam has to rebound.
27.  Oakland – Reggie has some work to do in the post-Al era.
28.  Miami – Philbin takes over. Still need a QB.
29.  Jacksonville – MJD and Blackmon holding out. Khan can’t like that.
30.  Cleveland – New owner. New QB. New RB. Big hill to climb.
31.  Indianapolis – His name is Luck, and he’ll need it this season.
32.  Minnesota – AP is still recovering. Is Ponder the guy?

With the NFL, that’s the end of the dry spell. Poet and didn’t know it. Let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading.

Steve

NFL Week 5: Games to Watch

This week seems a little down in terms of big games on the schedule. I’ve selected four of the best ones to preview. Last week I went 2-2 on these preview games; overall I'm 12-4.

Here’s a quick look at a few of the big games on tap this weekend.

TITANS (3-1) @ STEELERS (2-2)

Tennessee is one of the surprise teams of the first quarter of the NFL season. If you asked somebody to predict the Titans’ record with Kenny Britt out for the season and Chris Johnson not contributing much, not many would have said anything above .500. And the Steelers are on the opposite side; they are struggling mightily with injuries and poor play. I still give the nod to the ‘burgh on this one.

Pittsburgh 20, Tennessee 19

EAGLES (1-3) @ BILLS (3-1)

This game featuring two teams doing the opposite of what they were expected to do. Many people though Philly was going to light the world on fire with all its talent, and the Bills were supposed to be … well, the Bills. Their records are flip-flopped from what the experts thought would happen. But even with the Eagles struggling, they will win this one with their backs firmly against the wall.

Philadelphia 27, Buffalo 24

 PACKERS (4-0) @ FALCONS (2-2)

This rematch of last year’s Divisional Playoffs pits two teams seemingly headed in opposite directions. The Packers are flying high and blowing out everybody they play, despite playing less-than-stellar defense. The Falcons are schizophrenic, playing great one week and mailing it in the next. The offense was expected to be explosive with the addition of Julio Jones. Another loss for Atlanta this week.

Green Bay 35, Atlanta 27

BEARS (2-2) @ LIONS (4-0)

The only O-line in football more offensive than the one in Pittsburgh is this unit in Chicago. Cutler is getting killed. If not for their special teams, the Bears would be in a world of hurt. Combine a bad offensive line with one of the best defensive lines in football (Detroit), and it may be a long day for the midgets of the Midway. No come-from-behind dash this time as the Lions go crazy at home, and it isn’t as close as the score indicates.

Detroit 31, Chicago 21

Missouri Round-up

This weekend should be a good one for Missouri’s football teams. Mizzou travels to Manhattan to take on Kansas State, and based on how the team looked two weeks ago in Norman against OU, I say they come out with a win. And it looks like the best case scenario for both the state’s NFL teams. The Chiefs head to Indianapolis to take on the winless Colts. Indy looked better on Monday Night against Tampa Bay, but I think KC gets win No. 2 in Indiana. And the hapless Rams are on their BYE week, so at least they won’t lose.

As always, thanks for reading.

Steve

NFL Power Rankings: Week 5

The NFL regular season has passed the quarter pole, and we are beginning to see which teams are for real (Packers, Patriots, Lions), which ones are still pretending (Dolphins, Vikings, Rams) and which ones we aren’t sure about just yet (Bears, Raiders, Cowboys). 

The NFL Power Rankings are published bi-weekly here on MTSS, being updated every odd-numbered week based on team results to date. Our rankings are our best (kind-of) educated guess at which team would beat the ones listed below it in the rankings. You get the idea. The biggest movers were Tennessee (+12) and Philadelphia (-14). If you have been paying attention, those should make sense.

(Week 3 rankings are in parenthesis.)

1.  (1) Green Bay (4-0) – Aaron Rodgers is the early season MVP. Brett who?
2.  (7) Baltimore (3-1) – Dominating defense; struggling offense.
3.  (2) New England (3-1) – Tom Terrific breaking records every week.
4.  (8) Detroit (4-0) – Unbelievable back-to-back comebacks in Weeks 3-4.
5.  (3) New Orleans (3-1) – Hitting on all cylinders since the Week 1 loss to Packers.
6.  (11) Houston (3-1) – The new 3-4 defense is definitely improved.
7.  (16) Buffalo (3-1) – A great start, then the trap game against the Bungles.
8.  (9) San Diego (3-1) – Chargers haven’t beaten anybody good as of yet.
9.  (15) New York Giants (3-1) – The G-Men not expected to be 3-1 at this point.
10. (22) Tennessee (3-1) – One of the few teams playing solid D this year.
11. (20) Washington (3-1) – Still not sure how good they are or aren’t.
12. (21) San Francisco (3-1) – One of this season’s early season surprises.
13. (14) Tampa Bay (3-1) – Haven’t really beat anybody yet, but appear strong.
14. (4) New York Jets (2-2) – Offense is struggling mightily. Sanchize stinks.
15. (13) Chicago (2-2) – Devin Hester is great. The O line is another story. Porous.
16. (10) Pittsburgh (2-2) – Ben is hurt. The defense is getting old. Struggling.
17. (17) Oakland (2-2) – Hue says they will win the division. Maybe.
18. (5) Atlanta (2-2) – Not as good as expected. Offensive identity is unclear.
19. (12) Dallas (2-2) – Who really knows what this team is. Rough so far.
20. (6) Philadelphia (1-3) – The Dream Team is having a nightmare season.
21. (25) Cincinnati (2-2) – They lose easy ones and win tough ones.
22. (24) Cleveland (2-2) – One of the least threatening offenses in the league.
23. (27) Carolina (1-3) – Cam continues to light it up. Team is competitive now.
24. (19) Arizona (1-3) – Kolb struggling. Defense improving. Cards have hope.
25. (26) Jacksonville (1-3) – Gabbert at the controls now; needs WR help badly.
26. (31) Kansas City (1-3) – Finally in the win column. Now beat somebody with a win.
27. (23) Denver (1-3) – John Fox still figuring out what he has. Should use Tebow more.
28. (32) Seattle (1-3) – The Hawks are actually improving, but headed for division cellar.
29. (28) Indianapolis (0-4) – Reggie Wayne was right. Painter should be starting.
30. (18) St. Louis (0-4) – The Rams get worse every week. Spags may be in trouble.
31. (29) Minnesota (0-4) – Donovan is terrible. Time to see what Ponder can do.
32. (30) Miami (0-4) – Too many holes to plug in this sinking ship.

So what do you think? Sound off. Let us know where you think we’ve got it right, and for sure where you know we have it wrong. Join the conversation.

As always, thanks for reading.

Steve

NFL Power Rankings: Week 3

We have had two full weeks of NFL action since our initial regular season Power Rankings were released on Sept. 9. We certainly have learned a lot since then. So let’s take a look at the teams’ pecking order as things stand right now as we head into Week 3.

The NFL Power Rankings will be a standing MTSS feature during the season, being updated every other week based on team results to date. Our rankings are our best (kind-of) educated guess at which team would beat the ones listed below it in the rankings. You get the idea.

The biggest movers were Buffalo and Washington on the positive side and Kansas City on the negative. If you have been paying attention, those should make sense.

(Week 1 rankings are in parenthesis.)

1.  (1) Green Bay (2-0) – Undefeated champions will stay No. 1 until they lose.

2.  (2) New England (2-0) – Brady and the offense have been impressive.
3.  (6) New Orleans (1-1) – Great bounce-back game against Chicago.
4.  (4) New York Jets (2-0) – Team has looked rough but continues winning.
5.  (9) Atlanta (1-1) – Statement game pounding Philly and beating Vick.
6.  (3) Philadelphia (1-1) – One rough win, one rough loss. Now Vick is hurt.
7.  (7) Baltimore (1-1) – The Ravens finally whip the Steelers, and then fall flat.
8.  (12) Detroit (2-0) – This team looks dangerous on so many levels.
9.  (8) San Diego (1-1) – Not really sure yet what this year’s Chargers are.
10. (5) Pittsburgh (1-1) – Questions about the age of the defense surfacing.
11. (10) Houston (2-0) – Undefeated, but the Texans haven’t been tested yet.
12. (11) Dallas (1-1) – Romo’s courageous comeback saved the season.
13. (14) Chicago (1-1) – The Bears are a mystery. Which team shows up?
14. (16) Tampa Bay (1-1) – The young Bucs are struggling.
15. (17) New York Giants – Two very rough games. Probably ranked too high.
16. (25) Buffalo (2-0) – Are they for real? New England will tell us this week.
17. (20) Oakland (1-1) – Hue has the fellas fighting hard. Unusual for this team.
18. (13) St. Louis (0-2) – A pretty good winless team. How will they respond?
19. (21) Arizona (1-1) – Kolb has looked good, but the defense if getting gashed.
20. (29) Washington (2-0) – Rex has performed so far. Weak opponents have helped.
21. (28) San Francisco (1-1) – Harbaugh and Alex Smith both shaky so far.
22. (24) Tennessee (1-1) – Surprising victory over the Ravens last week.
23. (26) Denver (1-1) – Tied for AFC West lead. Enjoy it now.
24. (19) Cleveland (1-1) – Loss to Bengals at home hurts.
25. (30) Cincinnati (1-1) – Impressive start by Andy Dalton. Better than advertised.
26. (31) Jacksonville (1-1) – Garrard and McNown out; it’s now Gabbert’s show.
27. (32) Carolina (0-2) – Cam Newton looks like the real deal.
28. (18) Indianapolis (0-2) – It’s going to be a very long year in Indy.
29. (22) Minnesota (0-2) – So much for that “one last run at the playoffs.”
30. (27) Miami (0-2) – Sparano: “I have no idea …” Us, either, Tony.
31. (15) Kansas City (0-2) – Massive fall from division title in a hurry. Ugly.
32. (23) Seattle (0-2) – Not sure what the heck Pete Carroll is doing.

So what do you think? Sound off. Let us know where you think we’ve got it right, and for sure where you know we have it wrong. Join the conversation. 

Thanks for reading.

Steve

NFL Power Rankings: Pre-Season Edition

The NFL Regular Season starts this Thursday with the Kick-off game in Green Bay featuring the Saints and the Packers. It’s a tough test right out of the gate for the reigning Super Bowl champions as New Orleans has reloaded on defense and their high-powered offense will be as good as ever. It’s a marquee match-up featuring two of the NFC’s power teams and two of the league’s best quarterbacks.

With the season starting this week, I wanted to go on record with a power ranking list of all 32 NFL teams. This list is put together based on who I think could beat the teams listed below them on a regular basis … not on star power, not on past results. Who could beat who, in my opinion. Here goes …

NFL POWER RANKINGS (as of Sept. 4)

1.       Green Bay – The Super Bowl champs are No. 1 until somebody beats them.

2.       New England – The Hoodie adds Ocho and Albert. AFC Superpower remains strong.

3.       Philadelphia – The Dream Team needs solid line play and linebackers to step up.

4.       New Orleans – Brees is still one of the best, and the D has been addressed.

5.       Pittsburgh – Big Ben, Troy and James are back. Watch out AFC.

6.       New York Jets – Rex’s mouth never stops. The O is key to repeating.

7.       Atlanta – Julio Jones adds to the Falcons’ offensive firepower.

8.       San Diego – If the Chargers get the special teams figured out, watch out.

9.       Baltimore – The defense is aging but still tough. Flacco continues to develop.

10.   Houston – If Wade fixes the defense, the Texans will finally make the playoffs.

11.   Indianapolis – Peyton’s neck issue pushes them down the list.

12.   Dallas – Romo is back; the offensive line and secondary will be key to improvement.

13.   Kansas City – Charles is ready to break out, and the D is improving.

14.   St. Louis – 4-0 pre-season has this team believing; Rams likely win the NFC West.

15.   Chicago – Cutler has to rebound in order to keep up with division foes.

16.   New York Giants – G-Men are battling the injury bug. Eli has to cut the interceptions.

17.   Detroit – If Stafford stays healthy and the D fulfills the hype, a wildcard is probable.

18.   Tampa Bay – A young, talented team takes a mini-step back in a tough division.

19.   Oakland – Raiders need to win games outside the division this year.

20.   Arizona – Kolb is a major upgrade, but the defense has big holes.

21.   Cleveland – Colt McCoy is the real deal and Hillis repeats, but weapons are needed.

22.   Tennessee – CJ2K returns to form after a holdout, but the defense continues to slip.

23.   Buffalo – Gailey gets the offense rolling, but a tough division keeps them down.

24.   Minnesota – McNabb is better, but he's not enough to overcome major defections.

25.   San Francisco – Love Harbaugh and Willis, but they may be in the Luck sweepstakes.

26.   Seattle – For the life of me, I cannot figure out the Tavaris Jackson signing.

27.   Miami – Henne gets one more chance. Brandon Marshall hopes he delivers.

28.   Jacksonville – Gabbert will be under center by Week 8. See ya, Jack Del Rio.

29.   Washington – Shanahan’s Last Stand in DC … Beck will not be enough to save him.

30.   Carolina – Cam struggles with big-league coverage; the D keeps them in games.

31.   Denver – Orton survives Tebow-mania, but the defense cannot improve fast enough.

32.   Cincinnati – Mike Brown strikes again. The Bungles return.

Here are ESPN's pre-season rankings, too.

I’d love to see your rankings. Tell me where and why my list is all messed up.

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Steve