Week three was a wild one, with each of the top three teams in last week’s rankings losing. Without further adieu, here are this week’s Beantown Banter Power Rankings.
Rank. Team (Previous Rank)
1. Indianapolis Colts (4) After their opening week loss against the Texans, Peyton and company have looked dominant.
2. New York Jets (5) The Jets have now defeated both the Pats and ‘Fins, their top competition in the AFC East.
3. Baltimore Ravens (6) Although it was against the Browns, the Ravens offense proved they could score, racking up 24 points this week.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (8) If the Steelers can knock off the Ravens in Week Four without Big Ben, they’ll have to be considered the favorite in the AFC.
5. New Orleans Saints (1) That loss to the Falcons will be tough to swallow. Hartley should not be an NFL kicker…
6. New England Patriots (7) The Bills put up more of a fight than most expected, but not quite enough to steal a victory.
7. Chicago Bears (15) In one of the ugliest endings of a game I have ever seen, Chicago upset the Packers and established themselves as a legitimate contender in the NFC.
8. Green Bay Packers (2) Why Green Bay didn’t let the Bears score in the last minute or two of the game is beyond me. That last kick return was embarrassing as well.
9. Atlanta Falcons (12) Their huge, albeit somewhat lucky win against the Saints earned the Falcons a spot in the top ten.
10. Houston Texans (3) A rough loss to their in-state rivals has set the Texans back. I believe it the Dallas victory had more to do with their successes than Houston’s shortcomings.
11. Kansas City Chiefs (11) Another win for the Chiefs, this one by 21 points over the 49ers. Their next game against the Colts in Week Five will show what KC really has.
12. Cincinnati Bengals (10) Another win for Cincy, and another dismal performance from their outgoing WR duo.
13. Tennessee Titans (14) Vince Young bounced back against the G-Men and led Tennessee to a winning record.
14. Miami Dolphins (9) They couldn’t pull out the win against the Jets, but still have the potential to knock off big teams and sneak into the postseason.
15. Philadelphia Eagles (18) Michael Vick is back. Sit back, relax, and enjoy.
16. Dallas Cowboys (20) In what was a must-win game, Romo and the Boys showed what the world knew they were capable of and trampled the Texans.
17. Minnesota Vikings (21) The Vikes picked up their first, much needed, win of the year against Detroit.
18. Seattle Seahawks (24) Now 2-1 after upsetting the Chargers, Seattle has emerged as the clear favorite in the dismal NFC West.
19. San Diego Chargers (13) The team is in shambles. If they don’t turn things around now, they’ll get buried in the deep AFC.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (16) A semi-disheartening loss to Pittsburgh has put the Bucs back into their place. I am firm in my belief that this team will not finish above .500. They are improved, but their defense is weak. Giving up 38 points to a team without their starting QB is downright awful.
21. New York Giants (17) It’s funny how quickly a team can turn from contender to pretender.
22. San Francisco 49ers (22) After a solid performance against NO in week two, the Niners looked pitiful against the Chiefs.
23. Washington Redskins (19) A loss to the Rams? This team has no consistency.
24. Arizona Cardinals (21) The Cards showed some life in their win against Oakland, but still haven’t displayed even half the firepower they showed last year.
25. Denver Broncos (23) It’s only a matter of time before the team becomes the Tim Tebow show.
26. Oakland Raiders (26) The Raiders flushed away their only chance at having a winning record this season when they lost to Arizona.
27. Detroit Lions (27) Losing Stafford was really tough for Detroit. They’re a team worth rooting for this year. They really have some talented players. Hopefully they get some victories along the way.
28. St. Louis Rams (32) At least the Rams don’t have to worry about going winless anymore.
29. Buffalo Bills (30) Even though they lost to New England, they showed that they can score the football and play tough late in games. They’ll win a few this year.
30. Jacksonville Jaguars (28) Scoring 3 points isn’t gonna cut it in an NFL game.
31. Cleveland Browns (29) Speaking of winless seasons, I think we have a contender.
32. Carolina Panthers (31) New 32nd team in the rankings. Congrats?
