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The Ultimate Source for your Ph.D. in Pigskin |
Week Three Power Rankings There were a few games in week three that really shook things up. First, Seattle and San Diego. The Chargers continuous drive to mediocrity has finally dropped them into the bottom half of the rankings, and the Seahawks became my favorite to win the NFC West (not that that's really saying too much). Second, Chicago really proved something to me in their win over Green Bay. While I think the Packers did more to lose it than the Bears win it, I really liked how the Chicago's offense is rallying around Jay Cutler and adapting to Mike Martz's system, which could not be more drastically different than that of Ron Turner. Lastly, Houston looked emotionally spent in their loss to Dallas, but I'm not sure they would have won that game anyway. Dallas looked very determined to win regardless of the opponent. They stopped trying to pound square pegs into round holes, and took what the defense gave them. Instead of continuing with five and seven step drops, Tony Romo had the ball out of his hands after one or three steps, and they ran the ball pretty well against a defense that was giving up around 2.5 yards per carry. This week, I'm looking at these three games that could really set things in motion again: New England/Miami, Chicago/New York Giants, and Pittsburgh/Baltimore. 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.
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| 1 |
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Pittsburgh |
3-0 |
I realize that Tampa Bay wasn't as good as their 2-0 record, but it makes me wonder how good this team will be when they get Big Ben back. |
| 2 |
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Indianapolis | 2-1 | Since losing to the Texans on opening weekend, they've looked like....well....the Colts. |
| 3 |
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New Orleans | 2-1 | OK, so maybe I still have them ranked a bit too high, but they're one bad kicker away from still being undefeated. |
| 4 |
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Green Bay | 2-1 | Sorry, but if you expected the Pack to go tumbling down the rankings, you're out of luck. With the penalties and bad clock management, they beat themselves. |
| 5 |
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New York Jets | 2-1 | Defensively, I was not impressed at all with the Jets against Miami. However, that offense is really starting to look good. |
| 6 |
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Houston | 2-1 | I'm not going to kill them too much for a loss in which they came out flat after two emotional wins. But, they better get that secondary issue fixed quickly. |
| 7 |
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Baltimore | 2-1 | I don't think Joe Flacco's gonna have many of 250 yard, three touchdown outings. With that defense, though, as long as he's not the problem, they'll be fine. |
| 8 |
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New England | 2-1 | I had a hard time moving them up at all after Barely beating the Bills. Five years ago, how many people would have believed that Belichick was winning with offense? |
| 9 |
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Miami | 2-1 | Even with the loss, the Dolphins impressed me. I had Chad Henne ranked ahead of Joe Flacco in the 2008 draft, and he's making me look pretty smart....for once. |
| 10 |
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Atlanta | 2-1 | Atlanta looked as balanced as any team I've seen this year, but the Garrett Hartley Experiment and Pierre Thomas injury certainly didn't hurt, either. |
| 11 |
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Philadelphia | 2-1 | Michael Vick is playing better than I'd ever thought I'd see him play, and he's not doing it as an athlete or Wildcat sideshow, but as a smart, well-rounded quarterback. |
| 12 |
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Cincinnati | 2-1 | What good is having the most overrated wide receiver tandem in the league if the quarterback can't even get it to them? |
| 13 |
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Tennessee | 2-1 | Sorry, but I'm not going to give them too much credit for beating a team that had a psychotic meltdown on the field. Besides, they still haven't really beaten anyone. |
| 14 |
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Chicago | 3-0 | Granted, it wasn't pretty, but they still beat one of the best teams in the league. Also, Jay Cutler deserves credit for his improved play behind an awful O-line. |
| 15 |
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Kansas City | 3-0 | I really, really want to believe in the Chiefs, but I just can't. Let's see what they look like after their next two (Colts and Texans), and maybe that'll change. |
| 16 |
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Dallas | 1-2 | I want to see how they play when they're backs aren't against the wall. The post bye week matchup with the Titans should be a good measuring stick. |
| 17 |
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Minnesota | 1-2 | OK mainstream media, let's not get too ridiculous with the "Brett's back" talk. Remember, it was Detroit, and he still looked horrible. |
| 18 |
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San Diego | 1-2 | I'm officially giving up on this team. Sure they're talented, but psychologically, they're as soft as marshmallow syrup on a hot summer day. Good job, A.J. Smith! |
| 19 |
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Seattle | 2-1 | Regardless of how Leon Washington plays the rest of the season, his name should be etched on the Comeback Player of the Year award immediately. |
| 20 |
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New York Giants | 1-2 | Well, it's a good thing Tom Coughlin is such a big disciplinarian. Can you image what the Giants would have done is they hadn't kept their composure? |
| 21 |
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Tampa Bay | 2-1 | The good news is, you don't have to play the Steelers again. The bad news, after the bye week, you have to play the Bengals and Saints in the next two. |
| 22 |
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Washington | 1-2 | Actually, I should have ranked them lower. There's just no excuse for losing to the Rams. |
| 23 |
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Denver | 1-2 | I thought the Broncos would be bad, but with the Titans, Ravens, and Jets in the next three games - it's 1-5 for you, Josh McDaniel. |
| 24 |
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Jacksonville | 1-2 | Hindsight being 20/20, I wonder if the Jags would take a quarterback after watching the devolution of David Garrard. No, not Tim Tebow, but Jimmy Clausen. |
| 25 |
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San Francisco | 0-3 | The 49ers are officially on my s#!+ list. This is pretty high for an 0-3 team, but I still believe in them. Lose to Atlanta this week, and it's bottom five for you. |
| 26 |
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Arizona | 2-1 | Before I hear a bunch of crap about the Cardinals being 2-1 and ranked at 26, let's remember that they've beaten the Rams and Raiders....barely. |
| 27 |
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Detroit | 0-3 | This statement may come back to bite me in the ass, but if Matt Stafford can stay healthy, the Lions will be a playoff team within the next three years. |
| 28 |
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Oakland | 1-2 | The knock on Sebastian Janikowski coming out of Florida State was that he was a goofball. It's too bad, he's got the best leg in NFL history, and nobody will ever know. |
| 29 |
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St. Louis | 1-2 | The season's young, but at this point, Steve Spagnuolo has my vote for Coach of the Year. This team should be 0-3 and thinking of next year. |
| 30 |
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Carolina | 0-3 | How can a team with DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, and Steve Smith have only 32 points after three games? |
| 31 |
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Cleveland | 0-3 | Jake Delhomme, Seneca Wallace - does it really matter? But, they've definitely found a player in Peyton Hillis. |
| 32 |
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Buffalo | 0-3 | That was a little too close there, fellas. Still, only 13 more to go for one of the greatest predictions of all time! |
