Mac's NFL Power Rankings - Week Two

Originally posted this over on http://www.drafttek.com/ and forgot to add it to my own blog on Monday night after the wild game between Dallas & Green Bay......so here it is.

Colts, Redskins, Panthers, Bills, 49ers & Packers all had thrilling comeback victories on Sunday. And the San Diego Chargers almost pulled off an incredible one as well. Then we were all treated to one of the most exciting and entertaining Monday Night Football games we've seen in awhile.

The season is off to a wild start, surely to get more wild yet. Here are my picks for the NFL Power Rankings at the end of Week Two.

1. (1) Pittsburgh - Not a pretty win, but any win is good and the Steelers did what they needed to do in blustery Cleveland Sunday night. Big Ben was supposed to be nursing a sore shoulder but came out firing early on, then Willie took over for most of the rest of the game. But the really awesome play was that 3rd and 4 from the Steeler 3 yard line when Big Ben zipped a pass out to Hines Ward near midfield to foil the Browns.
2.(4) Dallas - Not sure if any other team in the NFL can move the ball on the Cowboys like the Eagles, but the Cowboys didn't make the late, fatal mistake this time. It was probably the win the Cowboys needed to get the mental edge needed for the remainder of the season. Great offensive game but mistakes by Romo cost the Cowboys early. The defense stiffened in the second half, but if it wasn't for the McNabb fumble, this game may have gone to the Eagles.

3.(10) NY Giants - Eli Manning and the Giants looked the part of the better team in the middle of a true mismatch as they throttled the hapless Rams. St. Louis made it close at one point, for a few seconds... but the G-men are not off my radar as they look to repeat as Super Bowl champs.

4.(4) New England - The Patriots big goalline stand was the turning point of the game. And the effort by the defense helped Matt Cassel to keep his focus on sticking with the game plan and the clock running. The Patriots showed why they're a talented team that is still dangerous even without Brady. I stil think they're vulnerable against better teams, but
the playoffs are certainly probable. What a game it will be vs Buffalo.

5.(9) Tennessee - First time since 1999 ( just after the Oilers became the Titans - thanks Justin ! ) that Tennessee was 2-0 and in first place of their division. With a rugged defense and an offense that is functional with Collins in and Young out, the Titans are dangerous. Division game against Houston next, then we'll see how they handle the Vikings who choked away a victory to the Colts.

6.(11) Buffalo - The defense didn't have as great a game as last week, but were still tough. Meanwhile, the offense was clicking and has the chance to make this a special season. They cannot afford to look past Oakland this week and St. Louis the following week, and that mental discipline will be the test for this young up and coming team.

7.(3) Carolina - Down 17 with 8 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter, it looked like the Panthers were pretty much gone. But DelHomme and company rally to stun the Bears and find themselves all alone in first place of the NFC South. Not the greatest of performances for the Panthers, especially considering this was a home game. But a win is a win.

8.(5) Green Bay - Amazing performance by Aaron Rodgers as he continues to make Packer fans forget about the guy who used to run the offense. Three TD passes behind a great receiving effort by Greg Jennings. It's quite premature to begin carving out his bust for Canton, but props to him for rising to meet the challenge of following a legend and leading his team to win #2.

9.(19) Denver - When they hand out the "Big Brass Ones" award at the end of the year, you'll probably see Mike Shanahans name on the list - if not the actual award. (Ugh, no, I'm not sure if the award is a set of brass replicas - good question !) Down 1 with seconds left after scoring a TD, the Broncos opt to go for the 2 PAT and the win. Viola ! Two and oh, leading the AFC West with a wild win over their division foe. Donations to the Ed Hoculi Favorite Referee Fund should be pouring in from all over Bronco-land all week.

10.(8) Philadelphia - A great game by Brian Westbrook and Donovan McNabb, except for one single handoff that ended up on the carpet and ended a drive that could have broke it open for the Eagles. The rematch should be as good as this one. Meantime, the coaching staff probably is more than a little worried the secondary allowed so many big passing plays.

11.(7) San Diego - Ouch. Two questionable calls that should've been reversed led to Bronco touchdowns. Don't think they won't remember that on the Denver visit to San Diego. Meantime, the offense put up some big numbers with an ailing LT not at full-strength, and their defense clamped down on Denver much of the second half. Another come-from-behind masterpiece from the offense that came up just a little short.......well, actually, no it didn't if referee Ed Hochili hadn't made a seriously big goof. That said, refs aren't robots nor perfect...so every once in awhile it happens. Add this loss to the one last week vs Carolina and there is no reason for panic in San Diego as each game could've gone either way.

12.(12) Chicago - The Bears had Carolina dead to rights and nearly a first-place tie with the Packers in the NFC North. However, crucial turnovers and some questionable play-calling cost Chicago a game they should have won. If the Bears had a deep threat wideout they would have won.

13.(14) Indianapolis - It is nearly a replay of late last season for the Colts, with a team of walking wounded. Facing a 15-0 deficit in the 3rd quarter, all this team did was score 18 unanswered to stun the Vikings and the Metrodome crowd. It wasn't pretty, but any "W" is a good one. But the cupboards are really, really bare on the Indy depth charts, especially along the offensive line where three rookies tried to make the best of learning under fire. Though he's had bigger numbers in more important games, this might have been one of the most impressive games of Peyton Manning's career. And the Colt defense bent, bent, bent.... but never allowed a TD. Impressive.

14.(15) Jacksonville - This was a huge loss for the Jags. They had all the advantage one looks for in a big battle. The lead, playing at home and they had really started taking it to the Bills in the 2nd half. Suddenly, the roof caved in and the Jags walked away 0-2 while sliding to the cellar in the AFC South. Next week they can change all that when the travel to Indianapolis to play the banged up Colts.

15.(21) Arizona - Kurt Warner has the offense soaring, and this is in the midst of Anquan Bolin's continual demand for a trade. The defense is playing well and in the NFC West, the Cards have a chance to put some distance between themselves and the others early in the season. We'll see if they're for real as 'Zona has four tough games in a row coming up: At Washington, at the Jets, home to Buffalo and Dallas prior to a week 7 bye.

16.(18) Washington - This team will do their impression of a rollercoaster most of the year. Down 9 in the 4th quarter, young Jason Campbell and the Skins come back for a scintillating victory at home against the Saints. Next week they'll face another power offense when Arizona visits.

17.(6) New Orleans - This one hurt. Up by 9 in the 4th after Drew Brees engineered a scoring drive and Reggie Bush made a nifty punt return, the Saints were primed to go 2-0. But will someone tell Reggie Bush to keep his finger pointing to himself !? The last time he did that was in the NFC Championship - to Brian Ulracher. We all know how that game turned out. This Saints ballclub almost knocked off the Skins in their own building without one of the top wideouts in the game.

18.(22) NY Jets - This could get ugly real quick, as the Jets go from one powerhouse to another when they travel out west to face San Diego next Sunday. What happened to the rushing game that was supposed to have been much improved with the new adds to the offensive line? Three tries for a TD near the goalline and nada. For shame. Favre wasn't too bad, but did throw an ill-advised duck for an INT and the Jets opportunity to sit in a first place tie with Buffalo slips away.

19. (20) HOUSTON & 20.(23) BALTIMORE - I am freezing both ballclubs at #19 until after each team returns to action next week after HurricaneIke disrupted their schedules.

21.(26) San Francisco - Great job by the 49ers to never give up after being down 14 early and coming back for the win. And like Vinatieri with the Colts earlier in the day, Joe Nedney nailed the FG that gave his team the victory just a few minutes after missing one that could've given them a lead. Is there really a better linebacker in all of football that Patrick Willis? I mean RIGHT NOW, not in their prime in the past few years like Ray Lewis and Brian Ulracher. Willis is just pure joy to watch. Bravo to J.T. O'Sullivan for hanging in there and gutting out a win too.

22.(24) Atlanta - The early INT thrown by Matt Ryan probably rattled the rookie and threw him off his game the remainder of the first half. By that time, the Buc defense had control of the game. This young offense will ebb and flow all season. If Ryan can just stay mentally tough and ride out the rough patches this team has its franchise QB, a young and potent offense, and a budding defense.

23.(25) Tampa Bay - I still don't get the move to pull Jeff Garcia, but it turned out okay as Brian Griese managed the offense while Earnest Graham did the heavy lifting. And the Buc defense shut down the young, but soon-to-be potent Falcon offense. Tampa Bay will have to solve the simmering QB controversy in order to move on and battle in the AFC South.

24.(17) Cleveland - Poof. That was the sound of the talk about how the Browns would put an end to the dominance Pittsburgh has maintained over Cleveland for years now. I'll give them a slight mulligan (very, very slight) because of the nasty wind, but Pittsburgh played in it too. I did think the defense did better than expected, but the offense just stunk. Two home losses to the top two teams in the NFL. There's still time to re-group and strive for a playoff spot now that they have measured themselves against two top teams.

25.(16) Seattle - Great effort by the Hawks defense early while the offense tried to compensate for a loss of their top 4 wideouts. It almost worked, but too much J.T. O'Sullivan. I know - that sounds absurd doesn't it? Three turnovers made it all the more possible as Seattle is 0-2 for the first time in a long, long time.

26.(13) Minnesota - Not sure exactly what transpired in that game vs Indianapolis. All I know is that Minnesota was dominating on the ground and on defense, then started trying to make Tavaris Jackson imitiate Donovan McNabb. Why they didn't keep pounding the Colts with the combo of Peterson and Taylor is beyond me. All it did was spark the Colts and cause more problems for the Vikings. 0-2 and facing a must-win with an extremely tough Carolina Panther team coming to town, followed by a road game with a brutal Titan defense.

27.(28) Oakland - Wow. Take that Al Davis. Wanna get rid of the coach? Well, you can if you want...but after whipping a division foe on the road? Not likely. Lane Kiffin may not be the best at his craft, but who is at such a young age? The Raiders will continue to suffer until the old man is gone. Too bad the fans will have to shell out good money for naught until that time.

28.(31) Detroit - Down 20, up by 1, and then blown out of the building. I couldn't hit the buttons on my remote fast enough to keep up with that game so I had to switch to the Game Mix on DirecTV in order to try. Still couldn't do it. They looked like they were primed for a death clinch of Aaron Rodgers and the Pack, until Charles Woodsen made Jon Kitna look silly. One thing about the Lions, they don't go conservative when they grab the lead, so there's that to admire.

29.(32) St. Louis - Lots of work still to do, but at least the offense had a few moments and the defense made some plays. Congrats to Chris Long for his first sack as an NFL player. 0-2 and fighting for #1 draft position with the Chiefs, Dolphins and the Bengals. I'm keeping the two more potent offenses (or what used to be potent) out of the cellar for now.

30.(30) Cincy - Geez, can these guys even call themselves a professional football team any longer. I'm straining to justify not dumping them at the bottom...but Carson Palmer is better than that and so is the offense, but not much scoring again? Suggestion for next week fantasy players: Remove Carson Palmer from your lineup as he faces the New York Giants on the road.

31.(29) Miami - Well, the other Chad showed up for this game. He was the one the Jets released for Favre. He never really had a chance as the Cardinals jumped on Miami early and often. Chad Henne directed the lone Dolphin score who while the defense struggled through a penalty plagued effort.

32.(27) Kansas City - Back to the bottom for the Chiefs, who commited the ultimate cardinal sin of losing - at home - to a division foe. And the Raiders, no less. Huard was ineffective and Tyler Thigpen actually got the Chiefs to within 16-8. The Chiefs had an opportunity to force a tie after recovering an onside kick, but Thigpen tossed an INT and that basically sealed the fate of Kansas City. Look for Herm Edwards to get the pink slip sometime between now and the bye week.