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Week Two Power Rankings

I don't think it will come as much of a surprise that the biggest jump in this week's rankings goes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from 29th to 16th). They have looked very good on defense and Josh Freeman is proving to everyone that he was certainly worthy of the risk the Bucs took in taking him 17th overall in the 2009 draft. As a matter of fact, it may be safe to say that he has been better than the two quarterbacks taken ahead of him - Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez.

On the other end, the Minnesota Vikings slipping from 5th to 20th shouldn't surprise anyone, either. Their defense is nowhere near as dominating as in the past, specifically against the run. All you have to do is watch the film of the New Orleans Saints game to see the defensive line being severely pushed off the ball. Offensively, they look uninspired, and Adrian Peterson looks like he's playing by himself out there. I'm sure they'll turn it around, but it wouldn't surprise me if the up-and-coming Lions beat them this weekend first.

As always, feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions or comments by clicking on the "Ask the Doc" link above.
1 New Orleans

2-0

 Once again, they weren't very impressive (and that Minnesota win doesn't look that good), but they are still the defending champs.
2 Green Bay 2-0 Clay Matthews, Jr. is doing his best to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award.... after the first four games.
3 Houston 2-0 They've won one game with the run and the other the pass. Also, the 17-point road comeback win was impressive. A hungry Dallas team will provide a big test.
4 Indianapolis 1-1 Could the real Colts please stand up? The Jeckyll and Hyde run defense could be a huge problem for them to win the AFC South.
5 Pittsburgh 2-0 At this point, the Steelers could win a game without an offense.
6 San Diego 1-1 OK, OK, what can I say, I have a unwavering belief in the Chargers. They're too talented not to win that division.
7 Miami 2-0 I have my doubts about a few of the 2-0 teams, and the Fins are one of them. The matchup with the Jets this weekend will tell us if they're for real.
8 New York Jets 1-1 With their defense, if the Jets can play that well offensively on a consistent basis, this will be the lowest they're ranked for the rest of the year.
9 New England 1-1 The lowly Jets passing game looked extremely good against that young New England secondary. They need to get that resolved...quickly.
10 Baltimore 1-1 Saying that Joe Flacco looked clueless against the Bengals is an insult to clueless people. RUN THE BALL, Coach Harbaugh!
11 Cincinnati 1-1 I was very surprised, to say the least, that they beat the Ravens. I ranked them below Baltimore, because I think the the aforementioned Flacco gave it away.
12 Atlanta 1-1 Granted, it was against one of the worst teams in the NFL, but the Falcons beat the Cards in every way imaginable.
13 Tennessee 1-1 Stat of the Week - Vince Young went form being the top-rated passer last week to out of the top-32. Yep, there are backups ranked ahead of him.
14 Philadelphia 1-1 No doubt, Andy Reid should stick with Kevin Kolb. However, the versatility that Mike Vick gives you is awfully tempting.
15 New York Giants 1-1 The Colts winning that game was a foregone conclusion. They were just too embarrassed from week one. That's why i didn't ding the Giants that much.
16 Tampa Bay 2-0 I agree, the Bucs are probably not one of the top half of teams in the league. But, let's let them enjoy their time in the sun for one week, OK.
17 Kansas City 2-0 I pretty much feel the same way about the Chiefs, but they actually have a chance. Why? They play in the AFC West. That is all.
18 Washington 1-1 That's the kind of loss that can sting for a while. After adding Donovan McNabb, though, it won't take as long as it would have with previous Redskins' teams.
19 Chicago 2-0 I really don't know what to make of the Bears. They barely beat the Lions at home and then play one of their best games in years against the Cowboys. Go figure.
20 Minnesota 0-2 I never thought I'd say this, but Brett Favre does not look like he's having fun playing football.
21 Dallas 0-2 Simply put, if they don't win in Houston this week, they're officially done. They might make the playoffs, but they certainly will not be a serious threat.
22 Denver 1-1 After seeing Demaryius Thomas and his good rapport with Kyle Orton, I'm not sure they're going to really miss Brandon Marshall and all of his baggage.
23 San Francisco 0-2 I know I have them ranked above some decent 1-1 teams, but I still think they'll win that division and they should have beaten the Saints.
24 Jacksonville 1-1 In the past 16 games, they are 0-3 (Sand Diego, Seattle, and San Francisco) on the West Coast, and have been outscored 99-16.
25 Seattle 1-1 When you have a young team that leans on a veteran quarterback, he has to play better than 20-35 for 233 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.
26 Detroit 0-2 The Lions are two plays away from being 2-0 (one of them wasn't their fault). They are getting better, and I think they'll be climbing out of this spot very soon.
27 Oakland 1-1 How do you win and move down in the rankings? Barely beat the hapless Rams at home.
28 Carolina 0-2 They've been beaten soundly in two games and now they have to depend on a rookie quarterback. They may just challenge Buffalo for the number one pick.
29 Arizona 1-1 They may be on the brink of the most dramatic "first to worst" records in NFL history.
30 Cleveland 0-2 In my Season Predictions, I had the Browns at 2-0 after the first two games then dropping 13 of the next 14. Could I have overestimated them?
31 St. Louis 0-2 I'll give them this, while they may be one of the most untalented teams in the league, effort is certainly not going to be an issue in St. Louis.
32 Buffalo 0-2 Only 14 more to go for one of the greatest predictions of all time!

Make sure to catch Jimmy Neil  on 1560 The Game. Listen in at 1560thegame.com.