I’ve refrained from doing Power Rankings until this, the halfway point in the NFL season, because of games like Week 8’s tilt between the Cardinals and Panthers and the Eagles matchup with the Raiders from Week 6.
Simply put, it takes about half a season before you really know what a team is made of.
And now that I feel I’ve got a fairly solid grasp of the contenders, the pretenders and the Jacksonville Jaguars, here is the very first GASB NFL Power Rankings:
32) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-7): There aren’t many bright spots this season for the once-proud swashbucklers. There’s Aqib Talib’s four interceptions and.. well, I guess that’s about it. Tampa Bay hopes to salvage the rest of the season by seeing how rookie quarterback Josh Freeman handles the speed and pressure of an NFL game.
31) St. Louis Rams (1-7): The NFL’s most offensively inept squad is on pace for just 148 points this season. Nineteen of the NFL’s other 31 teams have more points already.
30) Cleveland Browns (1-7): You’ve got to wonder if Eric Mangini’s woefully premature benching of Brady Quinn didn’t affect the confidence of the entire team. If so, Derek Anderson’s historically atrocious 36.2 passer rating isn‘t helping to raise that.
29) Kansas City Chiefs (1-6): Before the season kicked off, I said Matt Cassel is 2009’s version of 2008 Derek Anderson. A 54% completion rate and a meager 5.34 yards per throw is confirming my suspicions.
28) Detroit Lions (1-6): Injuries to rookie Matthew Stafford and receiver Calvin Johnson have certainly hurt the Lions’ chances to win games, but defensive lapses in the second half of games have hurt them more.
27) Washington Redskins (2-5): Two teams — Kansas City and Detroit — got their only wins against the Redskins. Vote of confidence from Dan Snyder or not, Jim Zorn can’t be comfortable in the NFC East’s basement.
26) Tennessee Titans (1-6): Chris Johnson single-handedly beat the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, but that defense is still leaking badly — just ask Maurice Jones-Drew’s 177 yards on only eight carries last week — and the schedule gets no easier with San Francisco, Houston, Arizona and Indianapolis coming up within the next five games.
Vince Young looked efficient in last week’s win, but the team cannot score enough points to keep up with all its allowing.
25) Oakland Raiders (2-6): Save a how-the-hell-did-this-happen win over the Philadelphia Eagles, the silver-and-black have been putrid on both sides of the ball and much if it stems from the lack of a run game.
Oakland has yet to field a 100-yard rusher, which puts all the pressure on an overwhelmed Jamarcus Russell and two rookie wideouts in Louis Murphy and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
24) Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4): The most mercurial team in the NFL to the season’s halfway point, Jacksonville comes out and beats Houston on the road one week and loses 41-0 to Seattle the next.
It’s in the interest of all parties involved to refrain from betting for, or against the Jaguars.
23) Seattle Seahawks (2-5): While the Jaguars are the league’s most mercurial team, the Seahawks are its most injured.
Seneca Wallace has filled in nicely for Matt Hasselbeck when asked, and Nate Burelson is quietly having an outstanding season, but season-ending injuries to linebacker Lofa Tatupu among others have created voids in the defense that backups have struggled to fill.
22) Carolina Panthers (3-4): It shouldn’t be a difficult formula.
DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are each averaging almost five yards per carry with a combined 950 yards and nine touchdowns, but for reasons unbeknownst to anyone with common sense, Panthers coach John Fox is letting Jake Delhomme throw the ball. The result? A league-high 13 interceptions.
21) Buffalo Bills (3-5): The trainwreck of a no-huddle experiment was scrapped, but backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is still having myriad issues getting the offense moving. Lee Evans isn’t getting the ball and neither is Terrell Owens, leading to lots of three-and-outs.
Those three-and-outs have put a lot of strain on a defense struggling to hold it together with the season-ending injuries to Kawika Mitchell and Leodis McKelvin. Strong safety Jairus Byrd has emerged as a bonafide star — seven interceptions in his last four games — but it’s not enough as the Bills rank dead last in rushing defense.
20) Miami Dolphins (3-4): The Jets completely stifled the wildcat in Week 8. Unfortunately for New York, and its playoff chances, it did not stifle Ted Ginn Jr. and his two 100-yard touchdown returns.
The Dolphins will need more out of first-year starter Chad Henne and the receiving corps, though, now that the blueprint for stopping Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams has been laid down.
19) New York Jets (4-4): If mouth-running counted in the win column, the Saints and Colts would have more company at the top of the NFL right now.
The reality is though, that (Oakland game not withstanding) the Jets are not playing good football. Mark Sanchez hasn’t looked as crisp as he did in the first three weeks and the once-vaunted defense is down to eleventh in total defense.
18) San Diego Chargers (4-3): The Chargers sit just two games back of the Denver Broncos for the lead in the AFC West, but San Diego’s record seems all smoke and mirrors.
Two wins over the Raiders, one over the Chiefs and one over the Dolphins is hardly anything to boast about, and with the Giants, Eagles and Broncos dotting the schedule over the next three weeks, we’re going to find out everything we need to know about the San Diego (not so super) Chargers.
17) San Francisco 49ers (3-4): It’s hard to get too down on Mike Singletary’s bunch with the schedule they’ve faced thus far. The 49ers losses are to the Vikings, Falcons, Texans and Colts — all teams with winning records and three out of the four were playoff teams last year.
Michael Crabtree has played well since joining the team, but it’s hard to ignore San Francisco losing both game he’s played in.
16) Chicago Bears (4-3): Jay Cutler’s play — 11 touchdowns and as many interceptions — has left a lot to be desired for the Bears, but it’s Matt Forte who most needs to step his game up.
The workhorse tailback has just one 100-yard game so far this season and his meager 3.5 yards per carry ranks in the bottom third of starters in the NFL. As Forte goes, so go the Bears and that could be trouble because there’s only three losing teams remaining on the schedule, and one of them is the always-stingy 49ers.
15) New York Giants (5-3): It seems like 5-0 was four seasons ago, doesn’t it?
The Giants should be very troubled by a few things: only one victory in four games against teams with winning records, Eli Manning has only one 300-yard game this season and the interceptions are piling up, and the rush defense is 19th in the league.
The G-Men need to correct those issues, and fast, if they want to stay afloat in a tight NFC East.
14) Arizona Cardinals (4-3): Before everyone jumps off the Cardinals bandwagon, remember that they play in the ultra-uncompetitive NFC West. They still get another game against the Seahawks and two against the Rams — that’s three wins there.
And I’d count last week’s loss to the Panthers as more of an aberration than a prelude of things to come. Arizona will be fine, especially once Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston return to full health.
13) Green Bay Packers (4-3): Aaron Rodgers deserves an award. Not for a good-but-not-great 4-3 record, but for withstanding the WWE-like punishment he takes every week in dropping back behind that sieve of an offensive line.
The Pack have more or less conceded the NFC North to the Vikings, but a Wild Card berth is still a definite possibility, especially if Rodgers can stay healthy.
The linebacking corps of A.J. Hawk, Nick Barnett and Aaron Kampmann will keep them in every game, but Green Bay has to get Ryan Grant going; his best three games were against the Rams, Lions and Browns.
12) Houston Texans (5-3): The Houston Texans are two games above .500 for the first time in franchise history.
Amazing what a healthy Matt Schaub can do, isn’t it? Schaub leads the league in passing yards and is in a three-way tie the lead in touchdowns, but the season-ending injury to tight end Owen Daniels is going to really test his mettle.
I’m far from the first to say it, but Sunday’s tilt with the Colts is the biggest in franchise history.
11) Atlanta Falcons (4-3): The Falcons are losers of two straight but will get a chance to right the ship at home against the Redskins. Matt Ryan has looked skittish in the past two weeks and the ‘Skins have a formidable pass rush, so they’ll need to get up early.
Michael Turner had his best game of the season thus far against the Saints last week, a repeat performance would go a long way for the overall confidence of this squad.
10) Dallas Cowboys (5-2): I’ll begrudgingly admit that Tony Romo and Co. have looked damn solid the past two weeks, especially with the running game so bogged down.
Back-to-back road games against the Eagles and Packers will make this teams’ capabilities crystal clear.
9) Philadelphia Eagles (5-2): After an atrocious home loss to the Raiders that no Princeton-educated brain trust could figure out, the Eagles have bounced back nicely with consecutive division wins.
As is the case with the Giants, though, it’s tough to really know what to make of this team. Those Giants are the only team with a winning record that Philly has beaten, and a hobbled Brian Westbrook is going to have trouble getting past a Cowboys defensive line that’s suddenly flying around.
8 ) Baltimore Ravens (4-3): The Ravens righted the ship and saved their playoff chances with a statement win over the previously undefeated Broncos on Sunday.
The 4-3 mark isn’t going to wow anyone, but lets not forget the circumstances of those losses. The Ravens are a Mark Clayton touchdown catch, Ray Lewis non-penalty and a Steven Hauschka field goal away from 7-0.
Good news is the Ravens can simultaneously avenge that 17-14 loss to the Bengals when they visit Paul Brown Stadium this Sunday and take their place atop the AFC North.
7) Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2): Four consecutive wins and the Steelers have regained their confidence. They may not be earning any style points a close call against the Lions and just a two-score win over the lowly Browns, but with Ben Roethlisberger completing 70% of his passes and the James’ (Harrison and Farrior) blowing up opposing offenses, there’s not much to worry about in the Steel City.
6) New England Patriots (5-2): Leadership was the big worry of the 2009 Patriots. Bruschi. Vrabel. Harrison. Seymour. Four of the main cogs of New England’s three championship teams aren’t on the roster this year, but don’t look now, as the Patriots own the third-best scoring defense is football.
Oh, and that Tom Brady guy? Turns out he’s doing just fine too. The Patriots are in familiar territory — atop the AFC East.
5) Cincinnati Bengals (5-2): No, no I didn’t see this coming either.
Not many prognosticators did have the Bengals in the drivers seat of the AFC North at the halfway point in the season, but with wins over the Steelers and Bengals so far this season, that’s just where they are.
This team will go as far as Carson Palmer, Cedric Benson and the revitalized offense will take them. And for once, that’s reason for the Bengals faithful to smile.
4) Denver Broncos (6-1): The Baltimore Ravens exposed exactly what I’ve said all season long is the Broncos’ weakness; their offense is not built to play from behind.
Their defense has made sure it wasn’t an issue so far this season, and don’t assume that many teams will be able to do to Denver what Joe Flacco and Ray Rice were able to, but it’s now known the Denver Broncos — though still a top-tier team — are plenty beatable.
3) Minnesota Vikings (7-1): Brett Favre has sixteen touchdowns so far this season. Normal enough, right? Brett Favre has three interceptions so far this season.
Wait, what?
I’m not quite sure how Brad Childress reined in the ‘ol gunslinger, but it’s working to perfection even in spite of a noticeably weaker Vikings defense.
2) Indianapolis Colts (7-0): The Colts had a bit of a scare last week in spite of Peyton Manning throwing for a typically Peyton Manning 350 yards, but that they gutted out a four-point win in which they trailed in the fourth quarter bodes well for the rest of the season.
If they hold off the surging Texans, they control their own destiny the rest of the way.
1) New Orleans Saints (7-0): The New Orleans Saints are the most complete team in football. Drew Brees has a litany of offensive weapons in both the run and pass game, Darren Sharper has more interceptions than most wide receivers have catches, and Will Smith is having a monster year at defensive end.
What’s most discouraging for the Saints’ opponents is that shutting down Drew Brees barely makes them less dangerous.
Mike Bell, Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush comprise the most dynamic backfield in football, and the defense leads the league in both takeaways and defensive touchdowns.
At this point, it looks like the only roadblock between the Saints and the Super Bowl is time.
– Jordan Rogowski
The Great American Sports Blog 