tjsunstein's Week 3 Power Rankings.

tjsunstein · 09-29-2009, 11:19 AM

I figured I would put this out there a little earlier than I did last week.

Link to week one power rankings:
http://draftcountdown.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35406
Link to week two power rankings:
http://draftcountdown.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35558

1. New York Giants (1) – Held the Bucs to just 86 total yards and rushed for 226. The best overall team in the NFL in my opinion followed very closely by the Ravens and Jets.
ESPN Ranking: 3
CBS Ranking: 1

2. Baltimore Ravens (3) – Willis McGahee is this year’s LenDale White. One of the most physical teams in the NFL and Joe Flacco seems to be coming into his own.
ESPN Ranking: 1
CBS Ranking: 4

3. New York Jets (9) – Mark Sanchez became the first rookie QB since 1970 to win his first three games. On a lesser note, the Jets finally allowed a TD on the year bringing the total up to a total of 2 which is matches the total of the Browns offense through 3 games.
ESPN Ranking: 6
CBS Ranking: 5

4. Indianapolis Colts (5) – Peyton Manning looking sharp without Anthony Gonzalez. He’s making Pierre Garcon into a stud. Freeney recorded two sacks before leaving the game with an injury. The Colts defense can’t afford to have him and Sanders miss time.
ESPN Ranking: 2
CBS Ranking: 2

5. New Orleans Saints (7) – Drew Brees didn’t throw for a touchdown pass. Zomgz. Well, he didn’t need to as Thomas and Bush owned the ground game working the Bills front until the final whistle.
ESPN Ranking: 4
CBS Ranking: 3

6. New England Patriots (8) – They haven’t lost back to back games since weeks 9 and 10 of 2006. They handled the Falcons in Foxboro with a little help from the Fred Taylor of old.
ESPN Ranking: 7
CBS Ranking: 7

7. Minnesota Vikings (6) – The Vikings should have put the 49ers out of the game much earlier, in my opinion. A miracle catch and throw with less than 10 seconds was the go ahead for Favre in his home debut. How will he handle the Packers on MNF?
ESPN Ranking: 5
CBS Ranking: 6

8. San Diego Chargers (10) – Phillip Rivers continues to climb the ranks of quarterbacks in my opinion. He’s recognizing mismatches and getting the ball downfield for big plays. Vincent Jackson is the beneficiary of a nonexistent run game but a game in the Steel City will determine how far this team can push their limits with a one dimensional offense.
ESPN Ranking: 12
CBS Ranking: 10

9. Atlanta Falcons (4) – I didn’t expect the Falcons to go in to Foxboro and beat the Patriots a week after New England fell to the Jets. I don’t think many people did. But the Falcons were outplayed as the Patriots scored just one touchdown in the red zone in 5 tries after out gaining the Falcons but nearly 200 yards and having the ball for almost double the time Atlanta did.
ESPN Ranking: 8
CBS Ranking: 8

10. Philadelphia Eagles (11) – Desean Jackson and Brent Celek both went for over 100 yards in the absence of Westbrook and McNabb. But if this team is going to beat a contender, then they will need both of their offensive stars.
ESPN Ranking: 9
CBS Ranking: 9

11. Dallas Cowboys (16) – The only team that has beaten them so far has been the Dallas Cowboys.
ESPN Ranking: 17
CBS Ranking: 11

12. Chicago Bears (12) – I wish I could say something bad about Jay Cutler here but aside from his 3 fumbles (1 lost) and interception that bounced off his receiver’s hands, Cutler has been damn near perfect completing over 70 percent of his passes along with 5 touchdowns the last two games. Oh, and they won their last two.
ESPN Ranking: 14
CBS Ranking: 16

13. San Francisco 49ers (17) – Frank Gore going down in the first quarter was the worst thing that could have happened to this team. Even though they got by without him until the fourth, they were unable to put the Vikings away due to lack of a running game.
ESPN Ranking: 15
CBS Ranking: 17

14. Pittsburgh Steelers (2) – They have lost their last three road games dating back to last season. They found some sort of comfort with their running game but they faltered down the stretch leaving the door wide open for Palmer. It’s the first time the Steelers lost to the Bengals in the last 3 seasons, however, and I still believe they are the better team despite the loss but they are having an incredibly hard time replacing Troy Polamalu.
ESPN Ranking: 16
CBS Ranking: 13

15. Cincinnati Bengals (23) – They played a tough game against a very good Steelers football team. They started off shaky but went after the Steelers in the second half scoring two touchdowns in their final two drives. I still have my questions about this team but they’re definitely in the upper half of the league.
ESPN Ranking: 11
CBS Ranking: 12

16. Green Bay Packers (14) – No turnovers in the game but the offensive line didn’t do any favors for Rodgers. Charles Woodson with 3 interceptions and 1 defensive touchdown heading into the circus on MNF.
ESPN Ranking: 10
CBS Ranking: 14

17. Arizona Cardinals (15) – Costly mistakes inside the red zone and lack of pass protection did the Cardinals in.
ESPN Ranking: 19
CBS Ranking: 18

18. Denver Broncos (28) – They started 3-0 last year as well
but with a tough schedule coming up, I honestly think the next “winnable” game for this team is week 10 against the Redskins.
ESPN Ranking: 13
CBS Ranking: 16

19. Miami Dolphins (19) – With Chad Pennington out for the season it’s hard to imagine a turnaround for them.
ESPN Ranking: 24
CBS Ranking: 21

20. Tennessee Titans (13) – This pass defense has to be the number one concern. I wouldn’t be surprised if they addressed the QB situation with their first rounder this upcoming draft if things don’t start to look up.
ESPN Ranking: 18
CBS Ranking: 20

21. Jacksonville Jaguars (26) – Maybe Maurice Jones-Drew can carry this team after all? Who am I kidding? He can’t play all 11 positions on both sides of the ball? Wait, can he?
ESPN Ranking: 22
CBS Ranking: 24

22. Houston Texans (18) – The Texans had two touchdowns reversed one the same drive and came out of it with no points giving the Jaguars the ball and ultimately the game.
ESPN Ranking: 20
CBS Ranking: 25

23. Buffalo Bills (20) – Like T.O. said, the focus has to be on the running game but they have to complement it by going downfield every once in a while. Lynch returns this week. Maybe that will be the spark they need.
ESPN Ranking: 21
CBS Ranking: 23

24. Carolina Panthers (24) – Good thing they have Jake Delhomme playing quarterback when they abandon the strongest point of their offense after down only 3.
ESPN Ranking: 25
CBS Ranking: 27

25. Oakland Raiders (21) – I think it’s about time we label Russell a bust for good.
ESPN Ranking: 27
CBS Ranking: 26

26. Seattle Seahawks (22) – The Seahawks played the Bears fairly tough but missing Hasselbeck seems to equal to losses.
ESPN Ranking: 23
CBS Ranking: 19

27. Kansas City Chiefs (29) – Even Kolb put up numbers against this defense that made him looks good thanks to the lack of tackling abilty. No one wins a game when they don’t convert any third downs (0-11).
ESPN Ranking: 30
CBS Ranking: 31

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (27) – Josh Johnson named starting quarterback and Josh Freeman was moved to backup. Never a good sign to move the starter for the season opener to 3rd string especially after only 3 weeks.
ESPN Ranking: 31
CBS Ranking: 29

29. Detroit Lions (32) – They won. Hopefully Brett Favre won’t play for 3 more teams and retire two more times before they win again.
ESPN Ranking: 28
CBS Ranking: 28

30. Washington Redskins (25) – If there’s one positive that could be taken from the loss to the Lions it would be Orakpo’s first career sack. Congrats.
ESPN Ranking: 26
CBS Ranking: 22

31. Cleveland Browns (30) – Brady Quinn benched at halftime and now it’s back to an open competition. I don’t think it matters who is behind center, there is no hope in salvaging this season.
ESPN Ranking: 29
CBS Ranking: 31

32. St. Louis Rams (31) – Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, Marc Bulger goes down.
ESPN Ranking: 32
CBS Ranking: 30

Week 4 What to watch for:

Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football. I won't hype this game up. Though if you need it to be hyped up, tune in to ESPN.

New York Jets @ New Orleans Saints
Rex Ryan brings his smashmouth football into New Orleans against Sean Payton's high flying attack. The Jets have allowed just two touchdowns on the season and the Saints have managed to score 15. Conflicting styles could make for an interesting game.

Upset Alert:

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots
Not many would consider Baltimore beating anyone at this point an upset unless they went into Foxboro and took down the Patriots. Of all the games that have an early (very early) playoff feel to them, I feel Baltimore has the best chance to upset the Patriots much similar to the way the Jets did.

Saints 4 Lyfe · 09-29-2009, 11:23 AM

i still feel we're still better than the NYJ and I really feel top to bottom Baltimore is the best team all around.

not really enough to dispute your assessment though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjsunstein

Week 4 What to watch for:

Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football. I won't hype this game up. Though if you need it to be hyped up, tune in to ESPN.

if you need to hype this game up, stop watching football imo.

Saints 4 Lyfe · 09-29-2009, 11:41 AM

just to compare, these are CBS' power rankings.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/powerrankings

tjsunstein · 09-29-2009, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saints 4 Lyfe

i still feel we're still better than the NYJ and I really feel top to bottom Baltimore is the best team all around.

not really enough to dispute your assessment though.

if you need to hype this game up, stop watching football imo.

The Saints will have a chance to prove it on their home turf this weekend. I think the Jets will come away with the win. Leon Washington and Thomas Jones are going to run, run, and run. As long as the Jets keep the Saints offense off the field then I like their chances. So far with how the Jets have been playing, they're capable of it.

CC.SD · 09-29-2009, 11:42 AM

Hi, I'm CC.SD and I approve these rankings.

That CBS sporst ranking has some truly terrible descriptions...between them and Peter King suddenly 'realizing' that the Chargers are Rivers' team, it really makes me wonder why they're getting paid. The Bolts have been hucking it around for a few years now, fellas. There's only 32 teams, it can't be that hard to pay attention.

Saints 4 Lyfe · 09-29-2009, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjsunstein

The Saints will have a chance to prove it on their home turf this weekend. I think the Jets will come away with the win. Leon Washington and Thomas Jones are going to run, run, and run. As long as the Jets keep the Saints offense off the field then I like their chances. So far with how the Jets have been playing, they're capable of it.

they will run run run. but even so last year we kept All Day to just 38 yards with an even worse D-Line and even worse DC. i think we showed our defense can win a game when they need to. i still feel the Saints come away with a 10 point win. Sanchez is bound to hit a rookie bump and im hoping it's against the saints.

Jughead10 · 09-29-2009, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CC.SD

Hi, I'm CC.SD and I approve these rankings.

That CBS sporst ranking has some truly terrible descriptions...between them and Peter King suddenly 'realizing' that the Chargers are Rivers' team, it really makes me wonder why they're getting paid. The Bolts have been hucking it around for a few years now, fellas. There's only 32 teams, it can't be that hard to pay attention.

Agreed on the CBS descriptions. Said about the Gianys "They are running it as well as anybody, which has been the offensive key. ". Until Sunday they hadn't run well. Do I think they can run it as well as anyone? Yes. But they didn't do it well at all against the Skins or Boys.

tjsunstein · 09-29-2009, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saints 4 Lyfe

they will run run run. but even so last year we kept All Day to just 38 yards with an even worse D-Line and even worse DC. i think we showed our defense can win a game when they need to. i still feel the Saints come away with a 10 point win. Sanchez is bound to hit a rookie bump and im hoping it's against the saints.

You guys are much improved on run defense and defense as a whole only allowing 67 rushing yards per game so far this season. But, I feel like the Jets offensive line is much better than any one you've faced this year and the back combination is much more effective than the likes of Kevin Smith, a banged up Westbrook, and Fred Jackson.

It's hard to see Sanchez single handedly lose the Jets any games with the way Rex Ryan and crew are approaching each week. They're taking a similar yet slightly more aggressive approach than the Ravens took with Flacco a year ago. The way the Jets are running the ball (130 yards per game) and playing defense, there is a lot less pressure on Sanchez to do much of anything aside from manage the game. His downfall has been his fumbling but he has been a winner so far against some stiff NFL competition.

Giantsfan1080 · 09-29-2009, 12:06 PM

In the CBS rankings the Redskins moved up a spot after losing to the Lions how?

P-L · 09-29-2009, 12:53 PM

Maybe I'm being a bit of a homer, but I don't see how we deserve to be ranked lower than the Buccaneers or Chiefs. Those teams don't look good in any facet of the game, we are at least competent on offense.

YAYareaRB · 09-29-2009, 12:55 PM

**** CBS this is much better

tjsunstein · 09-29-2009, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P-L

Maybe I'm being a bit of a homer, but I don't see how we deserve to be ranked lower than the Buccaneers or Chiefs. Those teams don't look good in any facet of the game, we are at least competent on offense.

I could see those three teams interchangeable. Not many have been impressive it's more of who has been the least bad.

Quote:

Originally Posted by YAYareaRB

**** CBS this is much better

Those mainstream websites, if that's what you wanna call them, like ESPN, CBS, and the like are the reason I started to do these. I got tired of strongly disagreeing with them everytime I looked at them so I figured I thought I would put my thoughts on 'paper' for you guys to share your thoughts on.

tjsunstein · 09-29-2009, 04:20 PM

http://espn.go.com/nfl/powerrankings?year=2009&week=4

ESPN has their power rankings out. I'm going to edit my original post and label where ESPN/CBS have the teams compared to where I do.

RaiderNation · 09-29-2009, 04:44 PM

I hate Russell so much....

Bengalsrocket · 09-29-2009, 11:39 PM

Bengals are sandwiched in between our two wins, I kind of like that. We're playing well, but every game has been down to the wire so far (even our loss to the Broncos). It's clear we're not "dominating" anyone, which leads me to believe we're just 1 more mistake away from a win to Denver or a loss to either GB or Pitt.

Week 4 is a bad week for us, if we win it won't prove much and if we lose we'll drop a lot in the power rankings. Hopefully we can put up 7 or more points on Cleveland early and then dominate through out the game so that maybe we prove a little bit.

Other than that I guess I can hope for another loss for the Steelers and maybe the 49ers so that we can move ahead of them.

Anyways, good rankings, I don't "disagree" with any of them. The only changes I would make if it were my power rankings is 6-7-8 would be Vikings > Chargers > Patriots, instead of the current Patriots > Vikings > Chargers.

vikes_28 · 09-29-2009, 11:44 PM

I still think the Vikings should be 10. I just hate how they sucked in the beginning of the games vs. Detroit and Cleveland, and then they let the 9ers come back and almost win the game. The vikings are ahead in the division by a half a game...

Timbathia · 09-30-2009, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vikes_29

I still think the Vikings should be 10. I just hate how they sucked in the beginning of the games vs. Detroit and Cleveland, and then they let the 9ers come back and almost win the game. The vikings are ahead in the division by a half a game...

There is a bit too much love for the vikings IMO as well. They beat two incredibly sh*t teams and then should have lost to a Gore-less 49ers. The defense seems a touch shakier than I would have expected.

yo123 · 09-30-2009, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vikes_29

I still think the Vikings should be 10. I just hate how they sucked in the beginning of the games vs. Detroit and Cleveland, and then they let the 9ers come back and almost win the game. The vikings are ahead in the division by a half a game...

We're ahead by a whole game actually. But yeah, this is nothing surprising to me. We ALWAYS play to the level of our competition.

AntoinCD · 09-30-2009, 06:54 AM

Agree with pretty much everything except I would switch 1 and 2. Baltimore are turning into the scariest team I can remember. Their defense hasn't been quite as dominant as in recent years but I expect it to be back soon and their offense is real good now.

PalmerToCJ · 09-30-2009, 02:08 PM

There are a lot of teams that I'm really not sure about at this point.

Patriots, Steelers, Bengals, 49ers, Saints, Cowboys and Packers. I think their seasons could go in either direction.

I'm not completely sure of what to expect out of Baltimore either. The offense looks good but it's hard to get a good read after playing the Browns. Plus I'm pretty shaky on the Chargers at this point. The next two weeks for Baltimore will tell a lot IMO. They're definitely the class of the AFCN at this point.

yodapoop · 09-30-2009, 05:24 PM

Losing Bulger is a good thing.

CC.SD · 09-30-2009, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PalmerToCJ

There are a lot of teams that I'm really not sure about at this point.

Patriots, Steelers, Bengals, 49ers, Saints, Cowboys and Packers. I think their seasons could go in either direction.

I'm not completely sure of what to expect out of Baltimore either. The offense looks good but it's hard to get a good read after playing the Browns. Plus I'm pretty shaky on the Chargers at this point. The next two weeks for Baltimore will tell a lot IMO. They're definitely the class of the AFCN at this point.

If the Chargers get a win against the Steelers, they get a bye week to rest their army of injured players and then go sequentially down the rest of the AFC west. 5-2 or 6-1 at the midway point is not exactly impossible.