Code: NFL Power Rankings Week 3 Rk Team Last Wk Rise/Fall High/Low Comment 1 Colts 1 - 1/1 The champs are still tops in my book. With Sunday's victory in Tennessee, the Colts have now won 36 of their last 43 games. Indianapolis hasn't lost in September since 2004. Though the Titans gave Indy a legitimate fight, the Colts defense came up huge on a fourth quarter drive to put an end to any thoughts of an upset. With 1:08 left and the length of the field to go, the D kept Vince Young in check, sacking him, forcing an incomplete pass, and ultimately putting the game on ice with some 4th-and-4 QB pressure. The Colts gave up more rushing yards than they would have liked (141), but did just enough to get the win. Clear your calendars for November 4th. New England takes on Indianapolis at 4:30 p.m. ET. It's the game of the year. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 2 Patriots 2 - 2/2 Talk about a dominating performance. With talk of "distractions" from a week filled with controversy and chaos, the Patriots flat-out manhandled the Chargers in New England on Sunday night. Tom Brady was unconscious in the effort, going 25-31 for 279 yards and three TDs. The defense confused and flustered Philip Rivers, forcing two interceptions and returning one for a TD. It was never a contest. The Patriots look incredible. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 3 Chargers 3 - 3/3 The Chargers entered Sunday night's battle with the Patriots looking for revenge from last January's AFC Divisional Round loss in San Diego. They left Sunday night's battle with the Patriots looking bruised, battered, and leaps and bounds behind New England. The Pats routed the Chargers 38-14, as both the San Diego offense and defense struggled throughout. LaDainian Tomlinson followed up a 25-yard rushing effort in Week 1 with a paltry 43-yard effort in Week 2. He only caught four balls for 15 yards. Everyone's MVP, cover boy, and commercial spokesperson hasn't had a great start to the season. Look for both he and the Chargers to rebound Sunday against the 2-0 Packers. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 4 Bears 4 - 4/6 The Bears rebounded from a 14-3 Week 1 loss in San Diego with a 20-10 victory over Kansas City on Sunday. It was Devin Hester's day. Hester recorded the seventh touchdown return of his career in the first half, going 73 yards on a punt return for the score. Hester also had a 95-yard touchdown return negated by a holding penalty in the third quarter. After the game, Hester, who is now only one touchdown return shy of Gale Sayers' team record, told reporters, "If there's not one returner who every time he touches the ball feels he can take it the distance, he doesn't need to be out there. I feel every time I get my hands on the ball, it's a touchdown." The Bears D was suffocating as always and Cedric Benson gained 101 yards on 24 carries. Though Rex Grossman struggled mightily, Chicago looked strong. They're my top team in the NFC heading into Sunday night's heavyweight bout with the Cowboys. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 5 Steelers 9 (+4) 5/14 The Steelers absolutely dominated their opponents for the second straight week on Sunday. Wearing their throwback uniforms from the 1950's for the home opener, Pittsburgh outgained Buffalo 421-223 in the 26-3 win. Kicker Jeff Reed nailed four field goals and running back Willie Parker put together his third consecutive 100-yard game (dating back to last season), as the Steelers manhandled the Bills on both sides of the ball from start to finish. The Mike Tomlin era starts off with a win in the home opener, just as the Bill Cowher era did in 1992 and the Chuck Noll era did in 1969. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 6 Cowboys 11 (+5) 6/12 The Cowboys improved to 2-0 with a 37-20 win over the Dolphins on Sunday. Though Tony Romo didn't put up the gaudy numbers he did in Dallas' Week 1 victory over the Giants, the Dallas quarterback played smart football, going 14-29 for 186 yards and two TDs in the win. The real story, though, was the Dallas defense. After being torched by Eli Manning on national TV in Week 1, the Cowboys picked Trent Green off four times and held running back Miami Ronnie Brown to 33 yards on Sunday. Dallas looks good. They take on Chicago Sunday night in what could very well be a battle between the NFC's two top teams. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 7 Broncos 8 (+1) 7/8 The Broncos are now 2-0, with both wins coming on Jason Elam game-winning boots on the final play of the game. Though the ending wasn't as dramatic as Week 1 at Buffalo, Sunday's win didn't come without its own share of suspense. Denver called a timeout with 11:13 left in overtime, just seconds before Oakland kicker Sebastian Janikowski nailed a 52-yard field goal that appeared to be the game-winner for the Raiders. The timeout was granted, Janikowski had to kick again, then banged the attempt off the left upright. Denver responded with an impressive game-winning drive, capped off by a Jason Elam 20-yard boot. Travis Henry surpassed the 100-yard mark for the second straight week and Jay Cutler was cool down the stretch. Cutler's not John Elway. But at 2-0, Broncos fans are more than happy with their current quarterback situation. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 8 Ravens 10 (+2) 5/10 It was a Pac-10 QB showdown in Baltimore on Sunday, with former Cal star Kyle Boller getting the best of former Oregon gunslinger Kellen Clemens. The Ravens bounced back from a tough loss in Cincinnati by holding on to a 20-13 victory over the Jets. Boller played efficiently, going 25-35 for 185 yards and two TDs. Willis McGahee rushed for 97 yards, the banged up offensive line held its own, and the turnover-plagued offense from Week 1 responded by recording zero turnovers in Week 2. Baltimore could very well be 2-0 had it not been for a controversial call on an apparent Todd Heap touchdown against the Bengals. Instead, they're 1-1, with the Arizona Cardinals visiting on Sunday. They're undoubtedly a top 10 team in the NFL. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 9 49ers 15 (+6) 9/16 The 49ers offense didn't dazzle, but did just enough to escape St. Louis with a 17-16 victory on Sunday. Playing with a heavy heart, Frank Gore managed the load, carrying the ball 20 times for 81 yards and scoring two touchdowns. Immediately following the game, he flew to Miami for his mother's wake. Liz Gore died Wednesday from a kidney ailment. San Francisco's currently 2-0 in the ultra-competitive NFC West, with wins over two division foes. They travel to Pittsburgh for a battle between two undefeated teams on Sunday. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 10 Packers 19 (+9) 10/22 The Packers improved to 2-0 with a 35-13 blowout over the Giants in New York on Sunday. Brett Favre was magnificent, completing his first 14 second-half passes and hitting 8 different receivers in the victory, surpassing John Elway on the career win list with 149. Green Bay got a lot out of rookie Deshawn Wynn, as the former Florida Gator ran 10 times for 50 yards, caught 2 balls for 18, and scored 2 touchdowns. The Packers are on top of the NFC North with the Lions, and face a real test in San Diego coming up on Sunday. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 11 Bengals 7 (-4) 7/11 A week after forcing six turnovers and holding the Baltimore Ravens to 20 points, the Bengals gave up 554 yards in a demoralizing 51-45 loss to the Browns on Sunday. Carson Palmer was brilliant as always tossing for 401 yards and 6 touchdowns but came up short in the end, throwing a game-sealing interception on the Bengals' last drive. Palmer summed up the wild game to reporters, "I don't think anybody expected this game to shake out like this. If anything, it's a good reminder for us that it doesn't matter who you play. This is one of the tougher losses. I thought we had this win. I feel like I'm mourning over a loss. I'm just going to try and shake it off." Cincinnati will try to get back on track Sunday in Seattle. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 12 Texans 17 (+5) 12/25 The Matt Schaub era is off to a wonderful start in Houston. As former Texans quarterback David Carr watched from the Carolina sidelines Sunday, Schaub the current Texans gunslinger played a near perfect game. The ex-Falcon went 20-of-28 for 227 yards and tossed two touchdowns in Houston's 34-21 win. The most telling stat? Schaub wasn't sacked once. Houston's 2-0 with the defending Super Bowl champion Colts on the slate for Sunday. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 13 Titans 14 (+1) 13/26 The Titans played valiantly against the Colts on Sunday, coming up just short in a tough 22-20 loss. The Tennessee rushing game continued right where it left off in Week 1, gashing the Colts defense for 141 yards. So much for missing Travis Henry. In two weeks, the Titans have put up 423 total yards on the ground. Vince Young worked miracles in an upset of the Colts in December last season. He had his chances Sunday but was bottled up and stopped on a 4th-and-4 attempt in a final minute drive. The Titans have looked solid thus far, and they take on the struggling Saints in New Orleans next weekend. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 14 Seahawks 6 (-8) 6/14 Trailing 17-0 Sunday against the Cardinals, the Seahawks scored 20 consecutive points to take a 20-17 lead with less than ten minutes to play. Alas, a costly turnover and two Neil Rackers field goals led to a tough 23-20 Week 2 loss. Matt Hasselbeck played well, going 22-36 for 281 yards and a touchdown. But the defense was obliterated by the Cardinals offense, giving up 431 yards of offense in the loss. Seattle, the consensus preseason favorite to win the NFC West, is now 1-1 with the high-flying Bengals coming to town on Sunday. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 15 Redskins 24 (+9) 15/24 Who would have thought that after two weeks, the Washington Redskins would not only be undefeated but be one of the best teams in the NFC? And its been done with defense, special teams and heady play, no less? Washington stomped into Philly on Monday and flat-out beat up on the favored Eagles. Rocky McIntosh and London Fletcher led the way on defense, and Jason Campbell, Santana Moss, and the two-headed monster of Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts did enough on offense to earn the win. The Redskins are 2-0, and can very easily improve to 3-0 with a win over the lowly Giants this weekend. Nobody saw that happening back in August. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 16 Panthers 13 (-3) 13/16 Steve Smith's stat line of eight receptions for 153 yards and three touchdowns had fantasy league owners salivating with joy. But Panthers fans couldn't have been as pleased with Carolina's 34-21 loss to the Texans at home. A week after putting up 186 rushing yards on the Rams, the Panthers only totaled 76 yards on the ground on Sunday. A crucial delay of game penalty on a 4th-and-1 late in the game was the proverbial "nail in the coffin" for the Panthers. Carolina hasn't won a home opener in four years. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 17 Saints 5 (-12) 4/17 One-year wonders? They might just be. With ten days to prepare for their Week 2 battle, the Saints got absolutely waxed by NFC South rival Tampa on Sunday. With the hideous performance, New Orleans has now been outscored 72-24 through two weeks of the NFL season. Reggie Bush was bottled up for the second consecutive week, totaling only 70 yards of offense in the loss. It doesn't get much easier for the Saints. They play the up-and-coming Titans on Monday night. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 18 Jaguars 16 (-2) 10/18 The Jaguars defense redeemed themselves on Sunday. After giving up a jaw-dropping 282 rushing yards to the Titans in Week 1, Jacksonville held the Falcons to only 82 yards on the ground in Week 2. The 13-7 victory wasn't a pretty one and the offense continued to sputter, but the Jags will take the W. David Garrard came up big when it mattered most, going 7-of-8 for 122 yards on two fourth-quarter scoring drives. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 19 Lions 26 (+7) 19/26 Jon Kitna predicted a 10-win season back in July. America responded with laughter and ridicule. Well, two weeks into the 2007 season, Kitna and the Lions are 20 percent of the way there. The Lions won their second straight thriller on Sunday, with Kitna returning from a second quarter injury to lead Detroit to a gutsy 20-17 overtime win. The passing game exploded, going for 359 yards, including 245 of them from Kitna. Mike Martz's offense is clicking and the defense is holding its own. Maybe 10 wins wasn't so absurd after all. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 20 Jets 12 (-8) 12/20 Kellen Clemens looked shaky in the first half of Sunday's game with Baltimore, but he responded with a solid third- and fourth- quarter performance in a 20-13 loss. Clemens went 19-37 for 260 yards, with 176 of them coming in the fourth quarter. A heroic comeback attempt came up just short, as Ray Lewis intercepted a potential game-tying touchdown pass in the end zone on the final Jets offensive play of the game. The Jets, 0-2, will look to get their first win when they play Miami this weekend. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 21 Cardinals 23 (+2) 20/23 Sunday's W wasn't the kind of game Cardinals fans are used to. After giving away a 17-0 lead and trailing 20-17 with less than ten minutes to go, the Cards rallied behind two Neil Rackers field goals to win 23-20. Ken Whisenhunt's offense put up numbers, with Matt Leinart putting up 299 yards and a touchdown and Edgerrin James running the ball 22 times for 128 yards and a score. With only six days to prepare, the Cardinals managed to stay out of the NFC West cellar with the victory. They travel to Baltimore for a battle with the Ravens on Sunday. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 22 Vikings 20 (-2) 20/27 Tarvaris Jackson he of much pre-season literature on this very site struggled mightily in a 20-17 overtime loss to Detroit on Sunday. Jackson, a second-year man out of Alabama State, tied a team record for futility with four interceptions in the loss. Jackson completed just 17-of-33 passes for 166 yards without any touchdown tosses. With no passing threat, running back Adrian Peterson was bottled up for only 66 yards on 20 carries. Through it all, Ryan Longwell had a chance to win the game on a 52-yard field goal attempt with two seconds remaining in regulation. The kick hit the left upright, and Detroit won the game on a Jason Hanson field goal in OT. Minnesota will have the chance to rebound against another offensively challenged team Kansas City this weekend. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 23 Eagles 21 (-2) 11/23 Donovan McNabb was solid, Bryan Westbrook was dynamic and the Eagles didnt muff any punts. And yet, they were outdone at home Monday night by the Redskins, falling 20-12 in what was a truly disappointing performance. Philly had its chances throughout the game, but could never put the ball in the end zone. The Eagles are now 0-2 with losses against NFC teams that missed the playoffs in 06. In a game that the bookmakers will have a bit of trouble with, the undefeated Lions take on the winless Eagles in Philly this weekend. Winless Philly and undefeated Detroit? Parity's alive and well in the NFL. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 24 Buccaneers 30 (+6) 24/30 Though some might insist that he's been in the league since the AFL-NFL merger, Joey Galloway's really only 35. He looked like he had a rookie's legs in Sunday's upset of the Saints. Galloway caught four balls for 135 yards and two touchdowns in the 31-14 Tampa win. It's not the first time the old man has killed New Orleans. In six games as a Buc against the Saints, Galloway has 10 touchdowns. Jeff Garcia got his first win with Tampa and the defense put the clamps on the NFL's top offense from '06. The Bucs looked like a different team from the one that got manhandled in Seattle last weekend. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 25 Browns 32 (+7) 25/32 What a difference a week makes. Seven days after looking absolutely inept on the offensive side of the ball against the Steelers, the Browns put up a mind-boggling 554 yards of offense and scored 51 points in a monumental upset of the inter-state rival Bengals. Though Browns fans spent the past week longing for Brady Quinn, the answer to the team's quarterback woes may just come in the form of Week 2 starter Derek Anderson. The third-year man out of Oregon State went 20-33 for 328 yards and five touchdowns on Sunday. Running back Jamal Lewis, considered past his prime by most fans and critics entering the season, looked like the Jamal Lewis of 2003, tearing off 215 rushing yards in the victory. The Browns defense was yet again horrendous, but the unit came up when it mattered most stopping the Bengals with a Leigh Bodden interception on Cincinnati's final drive of the game. Brady Quinn may very well be the future. But for now, it's Mr. Anderson's team in Cleveland. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 26 Rams 22 (-4) 17/26 Tough loss for the Rams on Sunday. Despite outgaining the 49ers in yards 392-186 and converting 12 more first downs, St. Louis found themselves on the losing end of a 17-16 battle. Two-time Pro Bowl return man Dante Hall had a rough day. Mid-way through the fourth quarter with a 16-14 lead, Hall muffed a punt, leading to Joe Nedney's game-winning field goal with 3:28 left to play. St. Louis, despite a solid offensive and defensive effort on Sunday, is now 0-2 and at the bottom of the NFC West standings. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 27 Bills 18 (-9) 18/27 The Bills lost their fourth game in a row dating back to last season on Sunday. The Steelers wrapped up the game in the first two quarters, outgaining the Bills 239-50 in the first half. J.P. Losman struggled mightily. With a few minutes left in the third quarter, Losman's stat line read as follows: two completions, five yards. He'd finish the day 15-of-25 for 154 yards, but it wasn't enough. Buffalo's now 0-2 with a trip to New England on tap for Week 3. With one of the tougher schedules in the league, it's been a rough start to the season for the Bills. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 28 Raiders 29 (+1) 28/32 Difficult defeat for Oakland on Sunday in Denver. The 23-20 overtime loss marked the Raiders 11th straight defeat, dating back to last season. But don't be fooled. This is not the same Raiders team from 2006. Oakland looked great at times on Sunday, overcoming a two-TD deficit to take a 20-17 lead with less than nine minutes remaining in regulation. The defense was solid, both recording a safety and a defensive score. Oakland has improved but still has a long ways to go. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 29 Giants 25 (-4) 19/29 Is the Giants defense the worst unit in the entire league? After two disgusting performances in two weeks, you'd be hard-pressed to answer anything but "Yes." The Big Blue defense has now given up 80 points in two games, allowing both the Cowboys and Packers to pass, run, and catch all over them. Sunday's loss was a terrible one. Brett Favre opened the second half by completing 14 consecutive passes, as the Packers outscored the Giants 28-3 in quarters three and four. Eli Manning, Jared Lorenzen, and Anthony Wright all got snaps on Sunday. None looked good. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 30 Chiefs 27 (-3) 18/30 Both the Kansas City offense and special teams units struggled in Sunday's 20-10 loss in Chicago. All-pro running back Larry Johnson couldn't get going, running for only 55 yards on 16 carries. Backup Michael Bennett fared no better, compiling 14 yards on seven rushes. Johnson told reporters after the game, "We have to look at the tape and see what we have to do better in the mistakes that I made or the mistakes that anybody made." Devin Hester dominated Kansas City, taking back a punt for 73 yards and a score in the second quarter, and then returning a kick 95 yards for a score in the third. The latter was negated by a holding penalty, but still stung. The Chiefs are 0-2 and do not look good. They take on the 1-1 Vikings on Sunday. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 31 Dolphins 28 (-3) 28/31 The Dolphins fell to their second NFC East opponent on Sunday, with a 37-20 loss to Dallas. For the second straight week, the running game struggled, putting up only 61 total yards. Miami's starting the season 0-2 for the third time in four years, and Cam Cameron's offense is sputtering. Debatable clock management at the end of the first half plagued the 'Fins for the second straight week as well. There are plenty of question marks these days down in South Beach. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy 32 Falcons 31 (-1) 28/32 Rough times for Falcons fans. Rough times, indeed. In a tough 13-7 loss to Jacksonville on Sunday, kicker Matt Prater missed two field goals one from 43, one from 26. The latter came in the third quarter with the Falcons leading 7-3. Joey Harrington was sacked seven times and veteran lineman Wayne Gandy was lost to a hamstring injury. The defense did its part, keeping the Jaguars running backs under wraps, but it wasn't enough. Atlanta's 0-2 with the Panthers coming to town on Sunday. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy Source: FOXSports.com
Jets #20. That heckin blows, but they earned it, especially in the Pats lost. The Ravens game showed me some good things though. Miami is a must win.
I just can't believe they are ranked above the cardinals..makes no sense...considering the Cards beat the scrubhawks who are ranked 14th and lost to the niners (ranked 9th) by 3 points on the road...
True, but if you put it that way the Saints are ranked way to high, too... They got their asses kicked in both of their games.
Yeah. He was probably just looking at McNabb's decent numbers in the 4th quarter without taking into account how he missed Curtis for the TD.
