16. Tennessee Titans (1-0): With Vince Young and Chris Brown as running threats, the Titans could see an explosive year. What's more, their defense actually played, well, good.
17. San Francisco (1-0): Their defense and their offense seemed to have swapped roles, with the defense actually playing great and the offense lacking. Still, Alex Smith won when he had to and Frank Gore, running back extraordinaire, will have a good season. This team will have a better than average year.
18. Minnesota Vikings (1-0): The Vikings were truly warriors against the Falcons on Sunday. While they looked great, keep in mind that Atlanta has had one heck of a bad offseason. Still, if the Vikings can do this to teams whose seasons haven't been folded by Fido, Minnesotans may find themselves making the NFC North rather competitive.
19. Washington Redskins (1-0): It wasn't pretty, but it was a win. Their offense got the job done when it needed to. An overtime win on opening day is always exciting. For now, the Redskins are sitting pretty.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1): The Chicago Bears of the AFC, Jacksonville is lost when opponents score: without their defense dominating, the Jaguars won't win. If their offense doesn't start to do…anything, this is going to be a long, long season.
21. Miami Dolphins (0-1): The loss in OT to the Washington Redskins hurt the Fins, both in the standings and emotionally. Still, there are signs of life: Trent Green did well in his debut (he would have done better if his receivers held onto the ball). If their defense can just stop the run, the Dolphins will bounce back.
22. New York Giants (0-1): The Giants and Cowboys game was getting exciting, and then the injuries came. The Giants aren't low in the power rankings because they played horribly, but because seemingly their entire team was injured. Brandon Jacobs is out a month, Osi Umenyiora is out for a few months, and Eli Manning is out for at least a game, maybe longer. The Giants will be glad when it's October.
23. Arizona Cardinals (0-1): Their defense actually played well against the 49ers. Too bad the same can't be said for their offense. If they are going to have even a mediocre season, the Arizona receivers are going to have to get open so Matt Leinart has somewhere to pass.
24. Detroit Lions (1-0): In what was the anti-Super Bowl preview, the Detroit Lions destroyed the Oakland Raiders. The Lions aren't going to be winning any championships, but their offense should see a productive year. This could be a turning point.
Article comments
1 - El Bicho
The Pats should be lower for getting caught cheating again, but why they thought they needed to against the Jets is beyond me. I don't understand how Green Bay beats Philly yet get ranked beneath them. Nice to see the Bills' Everett get a mention.
2 - RJ
Cool column. I hope we get to read a new one each week! :-)