How much do I dislike Favre: his overthrows disallowed me to go 11-3. That would have been my personal best, which would have been nice after my personal worst the week before, but alas, Brett Favre became Brett Favre a couple minutes too early. Anyway, I went 10-4. Not bad, I must say. I even got most of my upset picks right. Anyway, let's get to the power rankings.
32.) Buffalo Bills (0-5)
I thought that this would be the week they get off the schnied. The Bills had a 10 point lead against a team that usually quits on the road (more on that later). They were then outscored 36-16. What was good was that their red zone defense forced 5 field goals. What was bad was that they gave up that many touchdowns anyway. They stink. I don't even know who to blame. They were awful before Chan Gailey came on board.
31.) Carolina Panthers (0-5)
Usually teams don't lose when they hold the opposing QBs to 8-19, with 51 yards and four interceptions. Forget not losing, they lost by 17, at home. They lost to Todd Collins in a game where Todd Collins actually performed below his excruciatingly low expectations. Jimmy Clausen is awful. In his defense, he has played two tough defenses, but Clausen needs to play better.
30.) San Francisco 49ers (0-5)
They actually did a "We Want Carr" chant. Don't they know better. In Joe Montana first season as a starter, they nearly benched him for Steve DeBerg. Thankfully, Bill Walsh had some sense, and it seems that Mike Singletary has that sense. Sadly, Mike Singletary doesn't have anything else in common with Bill Walsh. The 49ers have probably been the first team to ever be amazingly disappointing when no one even thought they would win 11 games. The 49ers defense is not close to what it was a year ago. I don't think Aubrayo Franklin has done anything yet this year, except become a member of Wong's Buffet.
29.) St. Louis Rams (2-3)
The loss of Mark Clayton is huge. He was finally living up to his talent, and became the go-to-guy for Bradford, but now that is all gone. Bradford is now without his top two wide receivers. That is not the way for a rookie Quarterback to get acclimated for the dog days of his first NFL Season. Their defense was a mess on Sunday. They could do nothing to slow down the great Shaun Hill. I'm happy that they already beat last years win total, because there might not be a lot more of those coming their way.
28.) Cleveland Browns (1-4)
They played Atlanta, a real good football team, well. Their offense is not that great, but in a couple weeks, we will be longing for the Seneca Wallace, Jake Delhomme show. Colt McCoy is not ready for the NFL. The Browns get the Steelers, which should be a nice "Welcome to the NFL" for McCoy. Their defense is still playing well, but the talent is not there yet.
27.) Arizona Cardinals (3-2)
They have got to be one of the worst 3-2 teams that ever beat the defending Super Bowl Champions. Their offense was a lot better than I thought it would have been with Max Hall starting, but they barely scored. They can play at home, but that might not be good enough when better teams come into Arizona, as well as teams that don't fail to recover every fumble. The Cardinals defense can play very good if they want to, but the problem is that they don't want to all that often.
26.) Detroit Lions (1-4)
That was impressive, but the Rams seemed to have no intent on playing that game. The Calvin Johnson shoulder injury is depressing. That man is one of the best receivers in the league easily, but now his shoulder is acting up. He has not been the most healthy receiver over the years, so this might be reoccurring some more.
25.) Jacksonville Jaguars (3-2)
After Arizona, they are the worst 3-2 team in the league. However, I am happy they won. When they were down 10-0, I was seriously having a breakdown. If they lost to the Bills, the fact that they played the Colts tough but played like dogshit against everyone else might have been one of the more reprehensible acts in the NFL in years. Thankfully, they won, but still. They obviously don't give the same effort against teams that are not the Indianapolis Colts. Fuck them.
24.) Denver Broncos (2-3)
The Broncos have played two good teams this year, and lost to both by 14. The Broncos are not a very good football team. They are not as bad as I thought they would be, because Orton is playing about as well as he can, and McDaniels can call offense, but their defense is horrible. Their ability to make big plays on defense is next to nothing.
23.) Seattle Seahawks (2-2)
They need to prove that their flat loss in St. Louis was a mirage. They are in the most winnable division in the league, and have the best home-field advantage in the division. They need to put the hammer down, win eight games, and win that division (I legitimately think that 8-8 will win the NFC West). The Seahawks trading Branch was interesting. He was definitely not worth a 4th round pick, so it was a good deal in that respect, but it forces Golden Tate and Mike Williams to big the top receivers.
22.) Oakland Raiders (2-3)
I really have my pulse on this team. Their defense needs to be more consistent. Luckily for the Raiders, the Chargers are the best passing offense they will play other than the Colts. The Raiders have the ability to pressure the quarterback at any times. Michael Bush looked solid, and their 1-2 punch should be dynamite once McFadden comes back. Jason Campbell looked like a whole new player. I am guessing they will continue to start Campbell. They have winnable games coming up, so if they are really true about their division aspirations, they should win them.
21.) Miami Dolphins (2-2)
It is time for Chad Henne to show who he really is. They can't drop too many more games. They have quite a few tough games coming up, which will allow for a good barometer as to just how good they are really. Their defense should be better. Their two young corners haven't really progressed that much from last year, which is a concern.
20.) Dallas Cowboys (1-3)
That was an abhorrently bad loss. They were probably looking ahead of the Titans, but what was strange is that they lost that game twice. They lost it the first time after Romo was continually sacked and they were down 17-3. That might have been due to them overlooking the Titans. However, they seemed to then stop doing that, coming back to 17-17, only to "overlook" them once again. They just cannot close games, and they cannot consistently make any plays on offense or defense. They are a team who is a 7/10 on both offense on defense, but you need to be an 8 on something.
19.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1)
All credit to them. The Bengals let them back in the game, and they took that opportunity and rode with it. The Buccaneers are probably not legitimate playoff fodder, but they have made the NFC that much more interesting. The Buccaneers defense is still not where it needs to be, but that NFC is more wide open than everyone thought. Why not the Bucs? Freeman is blossoming right under our eyes.
18.) Cincinnati Bengals (2-3)
The Bengals cannot give games like that away. They play up or down to their competition, so it wouldn't shock me if they beat Pittsburgh once or twice, but they cannot lose these games. My man crush on them has finally ended, as I will for once NOT project them to make the playoffs, but I am open to them surprising me again. The Bengals are not good enough to blow these winnable games. It isn't all on Palmer, since that last interception was not his fault, but he's nowhere near where he was even last year.
17.) Kansas City Chiefs (3-1)
They impressed me in losing to the Colts. Romeo Crennel is coaching that defense excellently. Their defense will be able to hold almost every team in check. The Chiefs offense, however, is not that good. Dwayne Bowe seemed to have peaked four years ago. Matt Cassel is just not good enough to make the playoffs in the NFL. Their running game couldn't explode the way it did against the other teams, but that was a really hard game for them to win.
16.) Philadelphia Eagles (3-2)
Their defense has to close games better. They let the 49ers stick around in that game, when they never should have come close. The Eagles offense finally clicked under Kolb, which makes for some interesting decisions come when Mike Vick is healthy. What I really like is that Kolb's starting has allowed Brent Celek to actually do something. He was a dimension missing in that offense, and missing from my fantasy team.
15.) New Orleans Saints (3-2)
That was despicable. I thought this team would have a Super Bowl hangover, since they seemed too proud and happy of their achievement, but even that was too much. Their offense is just not clicking. The biggest difference I have noticed is that the protection is now just average, instead of great, and that their wide receivers just aren't getting separation, and not getting nearly as open as they did last year. Everything seems forced now, which is the total opposite of last year, when their offense looked so, so easy.
14.) Tennessee Titans (3-2)
That was a nice win. Their d-line is absolutely dominant right now. They allow yards on the ground, but they can pressure the QB as good as any other team in the NFL. Chris Johnson finally had another big game, which was nice to see. Stephen Tulloch was a monster yesterday as well. They have a good, solid team, which might be enough to compete for that last playoff spot in the AFC.
13.) San Diego Chargers (2-3)
The Chargers always start like this, but the difference this year is that all their losses can be explained one way: Special Teams. Their special teams is just awful, but the good thing is that they cannot get too much worse (any worse, really) on special team. Philip Rivers seems to not miss Vincent Jackson at all, and Antonio Gates is a fucking God. Their defense, when the opposition actually decides to pass-block, can be handled, but it is not easy.
12.) Minnesota Vikings (1-3)
They'll be fine. They have a tough schedule coming up, but none of their upcoming games is against a team better than them. The Jets had a short field all day, so the fact that the Vikings held the Jets to five field goals and one touchdown is actually a good thing. I am worried about their pass rush, but the Jets o-line is just that good. We'll see if their d-line struggles to put pressure against the Packers in two weeks. Peterson looks good, and Randy Moss looks good. That was a real tough game for them.
11.) New England Patriots (3-1)
They dropped a spot during the bye, and that is almost exclusively because of their trade, essentially, of Randy Moss for Deion Branch. I'm sorry, that is a gigantic step down. Randy Moss may take plays off, but at least he has plays to take off. Branch is a far-past-the-hill, injury-prone receiver. I worry about their offense, especially against a team like the Ravens. The Patriots are not that good at defense, lest not we forget. Their next three games will tell us a lot about this team.
10.) Green Bay Packers (3-2)
I am assuming that Rodgers misses max one game, but I fear it might be more. Their team is battered, but as long as Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson and Nick Collins are healthy, they have the defense to limit almost every team to less than 24. Their offense is struggling. More than that, Aaron Rodgers is throwing too many dangerous passes, too many interceptions. Green Bay needs to win more close games. Aaron Rodgers has only two 4th-quarter comebacks in his career, which is not the track-record you want.
9.) Houston Texans (3-2)
That was really, really bad. They have now lost their last two home games, but they still have an easy enough schedule to make salad with the rest of this season. The Texans have to get Andre Johnson back healthy soon. Despite 5 catches and 95 yards, he was noticeably not 100%. I am also wondering if Owen Daniels is really healed from that ACL to anything near 100%. Matt Schaub was throwing to him all the time, and now it seems like he is barely anywhere near Reliant Stadium come Sunday.
8.) Washington Redskins (3-2)
They might have barely beaten any team they have beaten, but there is something special to what they are doing. Donovan McNabb plays like shit for 45 minutes, but comes alive late. Their defense is able to force turnovers, and get enough pressure to force punts. Their team is not really playing in the image of Mike Shanahan, but, oddly, more in the image of Wade Phillips. Shanahan and Phillips should trade spots, as each others team represents their type of team more.
7.) New York Giants (3-2)
Looks like they were fine after all. Going 1-2 is not the end of the world. They have been dominant for two straight weeks, limiting each of their last two opponents to under 200 total yards. Limiting the Bears is not that hard considering the second half was played with Todd Collins and Caleb Hannie. Limiting the Texans to 195 yards? That is quite amazing. The Giants defense has been great since the waxing the Colts handed them. Hakeem Nicks is a future all-pro.
6.) Chicago Bears (4-1)
I still believe that this is a team that could end up either 12-4 or 13-3. They have an easy enough schedule going forward. Cutler is supposedly coming back this week, which will help this come true. The Bears defense is great. Isreal Idonije is benefitting tremendously with Julius Peppers on the other side, and he abused Travelle Wharton, a quality player. The Bears are really good, as well as criminally underrated.
5.) Baltimore Ravens (4-1)
They are good. Scary thing is that Ed Reed is coming back in two weeks, and Ray Rice is finally starting to get it going again. Willis McGahee is still chugging along. He's seemingly been washed up about 20 times, but he's still there, gutting out yards. Joe Flacco is still not playing at a high level, but he should have a fun game against that great New England defense. The Ravens are getting good pressure on the QB, and absolutely destroying teams running games, which allows them to hide a still green secondary.
4.) Indianapolis Colts (3-2)
What other team has to live up to the standards that the Colts do? The Colts played a 3-0 team with an extra week to prepare, and beat them by 10 and held them out of the endzone. For any other team, that would have been enough. For the Colts, people ask all over the league "What's wrong with the Colts?" They had an off day on offense, but their defense was great. The Colts will be fine. The best news is that Anthony Gonzalez is practicing again, made even better because I am sick of his Pierre Garcon and his chronic drops.
3.) Atlanta Falcons (4-1)
They went on the road, brought out their 'B' game against a team that is tough to blow out when not playing your 'A' game, and they won by ten. That was a very impressive performance. Kroy Biermann is turning out to be one hell of a player. Matt Ryan-to-Roddy White is starting to really heat up, and even Michael Turner had a great game. The Falcons defense is also playing a lot better than either of the last two years.
2.) New York Jets (4-1)
Their offense is really coming together. They drop way too many balls, as I counted at least five drops by Jets' receivers that would have ended up as 1st downs. Tomlinson is seriously good right now. I thought his newfound energy would last about three weeks, but this is getting serious. Antonio Cromartie has been really good so far, but Revis should not have been out there.
1.) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1)
They should not drop any after not playing. With Ben Roethlisberger coming back, their offense should get better. The Steelers defense is as good as ever. They are actually a bit underreported due to all this Jet-gasming, Brett Favre and his dong-ing, and Ravens-ing that the media is doing right now. The Steelers are going to get on a run most likely, and there are not too many games on that schedule that look like potential losses.
Absurdly, Wickedly Early 2010 Playoff Projections
AFC
1.) Pittsburgh Steelers 13-3
2.) Indianapolis Colts 13-3
3.) New York Jets 12-4
4.) San Diego Chargers 10-6
5.) Baltimore Ravens 11-5
6.) Houston Texans 10-6
NFC
1.) Atlanta Falcons 13-3
2.) Chicago Bears 12-4
3.) New York Giants 11-5
4.) Seattle Seahawks 8-8
5.) Minnesota Vikings (that's right) 10-6
6.) New Orleans Saints 10-6
