PCP Sports

by Michael DeLuca

I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a better start to an NFL season.  Week four featured upsets galore, some key injuries, and much much more.  Without further ado, I present the week 5 NFL Power Rankings.

1.  New York Giants (3-0) - Sure they ascended to the top spot by virtue of a bye, but they are undefeated and are defending Super Bowl Champions.  They haven’t seemed to miss a beat on defense despite the losses of Michael Strahan to retirement and Osi Umenyiora to a season ending injury.  They coasted to wins in their first two games, but were just barely able to get past the lowly Cincinnati Bengals in week 3, winning by a field goal in overtime.  They’ll be without Plaxico Burress (suspended) in week 5 in what should be an interesting matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, who may have their top two receivers returning from injury.

2.  Tennessee Titans (4-0) – Best defense in the league thus far, hands down.  Albert Haynesworth is a beast and Cortland Finnegan is gaining prominence as one of the league’s top cover corners.  Chris Johnson is a lightning bolt.  Kerry “Cocktail” Collins makes this offense more stable, allowing the defense to do what it do.

3.  Dallas Cowboys (3-1) – Their dominating performance in Cleveland in week 1 was followed up by a week 2 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.  In week three they traveled to Green Bay, where they had never won a game, and took it to the Packers for an impressive victory.  Rookie Felix Jones has proven to be a dynamic playmaker, but inexplicably didn’t receive a single touch in the week 4 loss to the Washington Redskins.  Some knuckleheads will argue that the Redskins should be above the Cowboys since they have the same record and Washington beat Dallas, but you can’t forget that Dallas has scored victories over both Philadelphia and Green Bay.

4.  Buffalo Bills (4-0) - Solid all around squad.  Buffalo’s secret to success seems to be playing turnover free footall and waiting for the opponent to make a mistake.  In week 4, St. Louis did just that as Trent Green threw an intercetpion to Jabari Greer that was returned for a touchdown.  Buffalo never looked back.

5.  Washington Redskins (3-1) – They took it to the Cowboys, in their own house!  Jason Campbell is the only quarterback to start the season that has yet to throw an interception.  A nice victory over New Orleans in week 2 helped lick the wounds from a week 1 beatdown from the defending Super Bowl Champions, the New York Giants.  Week 3 featured an impressive victory over the upstart Arizona Cardinals.  After virtually dissappearing for 2 full seasons, Santana Moss seems to have returned to his 2005 form where he had  84 1483 yards and 9 touchdowns.  In fact, he’s surpassing those numbers as he’d currently project at  98 receptions for 1684 yards and 12 touchdowns.  Needless to say, he’s Campbell’s favorite target.

6.  San Diego Chargers (2-2) – This team started slow last year and rebounded to have one of the top records in the AFC.  They seemed to have pulled things together a bit earlier this year.  They were robbed week 2 in Denver, where two terrible officiating decisions directly affected the outcome of the game.  In week three they took it to the Jets, despite LaDainian Tomlinson still being hobbled by a toe injury.  In week 4, Oakland gave them a scare, but San Diego capitalized on two big turnovers and come out on top.

7.  Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) - Despite injuries to Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook, the Eagles held on for a hard fought victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 3 when Jim Johnson’s defense did what they do best, blitz.  Week 4 was a tough loss to the Chicago Bears on the road, where the game was within their grasp, but Andy Reid once again proved his inability to get his team to come from behind in the closing moments.

8.  Carolina Panthers (3-1) – This team went to San Diego and beat a good Chargers team and then followed up with a hard fought victory against the Chicago Bears.  In week 3, Minessota’s home field advantage was too much to overcome.  A week 4 victory over the Atlanta Falcons was expected, but nonetheless was an excellent display of football fundamentals.  They suffered some big injuries up front that will be worth keeping an eye on, but their backups filled in very well.

9.  Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) – Taking out the Ravens on Monday night was a big test for this squad.  Offensive line problems have just been compounded ten fold with the loss of guard Kendall Simmons to an Achilles injury, he’ll be placed on injured reserve today and is out for the season.  Rookie Rashard Mendenhall was lost for the season as well with a fractured left shoulder.  Look for Najeh Davenport to be brought back into the fold.  Shaun Alexander may even get a call.  Running behind this line would surely end his career in a hurry.

10.  Denver Broncos (3-1) – Kansas City has historically been a tough place to play, but Denver should have been able to take out the Chiefs if they truly want to be considered one of the league’s elite.  The offense continues to be explosive, while the defense is downright atrocious.  Brandon Marshall may have taken over as the premier wide receiver in the NFL.  Jay Cutler continues to show poise in the pocket, a rocket arm, and deadly accuracy.  The week 5 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be a big test of this team’s mettle.

11.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1) – There remains nothing to get too excited about on this team.  Brian Griese is 3-0 despite his quarterback rating being 29th in the NFL. 

12.  Chicago Bears (2-2) – This team went 13-3 and appeared in the Super Bowl just two years ago.  The defense is in tact and the running game seemed to be working well with rookie Matt Forte carrying the ball until they ran into the #1 ranked defense against the run, the Philadelphia Eagles.  Their two losses were late game nailbiters and this team could easily be 4-0.  Greg Olsen is emerging as a weapon in the passing game and his evolution could really help an offense that has been stagnant for over a decade.

13.  New England Patriots (2-1) – Brutal home loss to the Miami Dolphins in week 3, but don’t believe for a second that Bellichek will fold up the tent.  Tom Brady’s season ending injury obviously hurts this team, but they do still have a lot of playmakers on offense as well as a top 5 offensive line.  With the best head coach in the NFL leading the charge, the Patriots will find ways to win football games and keep themselves relevant.

14.  Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) – All three interior offensive linemen are out and that will continue to hurt.  Garrard shows flashes of being a playmaker and as I have stated for weeks, he needs to take off more often when the pocket collapses.  He did so against the Houston Texans in week 4 and it was the difference in the game.    

15.   New Orleans Saints (2-2) – The run defense is terrible, but Drew Brees is an elite quarterback that can keeep this team in any game.  With Colston and Shockey out, Lance Moore and Robert Meachem stepped up.  The offensive line performed admirably despite some injuries and the suspension of LG Jamar Nesbit. 

16.  Indianapolis Colts (1-2) – They did what they had to do to get out of Minnesota with a win in week 2 and managed to do just enough to lose in week 3.  Three starters are out on the offensive line and it’s showing big time!  Joseph Addai finally managed some positive yardage but Peyton Manning is still facing more pressure than he ever has in the past.  The Bob Sanders injury will continue to haunt this team.  Once again, the run defense fell apart without him.  The bye in week 4 couldn’t have come at a better time and with the week of rest the Colts should come out firing.

17.  New York Jets (2-2) - No team in the NFL is more difficult to get a read on right now.  Just as it seemed Brett Favre was going to be unable to gel with this team, he comes out and throws 6 touchdowns against a formidable Cardinals defense.  Even more promising, he’s hitting his primary receivers.  Leon Washington got the start over Thomas Jones, though Jones did get more carries.  Keep an eye on this situation as Washington could become the featured back if Jones continues to struggle.

18.   Minnesota Vikings (1-3) – Bryant McKinnie returns from his four game suspension this week and it will be a giant boost to this squad.  Sidney Rice was limited this week after missing week 3 due to injury.  I predicted this team would struggle to start the season but would come on late.  Week 5 features a tough Monday Night battle in New Orleans, which could be anyone’s game.  Week 6 will provide some relief with a home game against the Detroit Lions.

19.  Baltimore Ravens (2-1) – Despite the loss, it’s hard to come out with anything but positives from the Ravens’ overtime defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night.  The defense is playing fantastic football and the offense is showing improvement.  Joe Flacco continues to develop a nice rapport with Desmond Mason but will have to start finding some other receivers, starting with tight end Todd Heap.

20.  Green Bay Packers (2-2) – This is a young team that went 13-3 last year.  Tough week 3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys was followed by an ugly defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which Aaron Rodgers went down with a shoulder injury late in the fourth quarter.  If he can’t return, this team will go in the pooper pronto.  The injury to Al Harris could also really hurt this squad. 

21.  Arizona Cardinals (2-2) – After starting off 2-0, Arizona fell to the Washington Redskins and then the New York Jets.  Kurt Warner was responsible for six turnovers all on his own, 3 fumbles, 3 interceptions.  Anquan Boldin was whacked in a a helmet to helmet massacre and luckily he’s able to walk.  Whether he walks onto a football anytime soon is another story.

22.  Seattle Seahawks (1-2) - Deion Branch and Bobby Engram are both expected to return for week 5.  This team should start to show immediate improvement.  The defense is as good as ever.  If the offense can move the ball, these guys will be dangerous. 

23. San Francisco 49ers (2-2) – Mike Martz is a knucklehead.  The playcalling on both sides of the ball is atrocious.  J.T. O’Sullivan should be replaced in the red zone.  Frank Gore got only 2 carries in the fourth quarter against the Saints.  Not suprisingly, the fourth quarter is where they lost this game.

24.  Miami Dolphins (1-2) - I don’t care who you are, you’ve got to be excited about what the Dolphins were able to do in New England week 3.  Ronnie Brown scored five touchdowns, 1 passing and 4 rushing.  The playcalling was oustanding and this could really rally this Dolhins’ squad.  With a bye in week four, the Dolphins should come out energized for a week 5 showdown with the San Diego Chargers.

25.  Atlanta Falcons (2-2) – Young team will have it’s ups and downs all season long.  This team does have playmakers and will surprise any team that sleep on them.  Michael Turner is doing a fantastic job as the featured back.  Jerious Norwood, averagin 7.0 yards per carry, needs to become more involved in the offense.

26.  Oakland Raiders (1-3) - The defense seems to have gotten on track after a week 1 embarassment to the Denver Broncos.  The Raiders never trailed in Buffalo until Ryan Lindell’s game winning field goal while time expired.  This week’s loss to San Diego was theirs until JaMarcus Russell was responsible for two turnovers.  All in all, this team is better than they’re getting credit for and the front office soap opera is only causing distractions for what could be a decent footall team.  On another note, I have no idea what they were doing attempting a 76 yard field goal. 

27.  Cleveland Browns (1-3) - They beat the Bengals without Carson Palmer, that shouldn’t count.  Despite the win, Derek Anderson had another poor performance and should be replaced by Brady Quinn.  Crennell won’t do it. 

28.  Houston Texans (0-3) - Shame they couldn’t come out with the victory against Jacksonville as they played a very nice game and really seemed like a different team than we saw in their first two contests.  At least things finally seem to be going in the right direction.  Andre Johnson needs to get going, he’s been invisible thus far this season.   Steve Slaton continues to impress, this time in the passing game.  He’ll need to learn to block.

29.  Cincinatti Bengals (0-4) - Though they were  0-3, this team had to feel positive after a near road victory against the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.  They had a home game coming up against the 0-3 Cleveland Browns.  Things were looking up.  Then Carson Palmer came up with a gimpy elbow and was unable to play.  Maybe they’ve already got their eyes on who they’d like with the #1 overall pick in the upcoming draft.

30.  Kansas City Chiefs (1-3) – This team should win at home, so I won’t get overly excited with the victory over the Broncos.  Damon Huard is definately the best of their bunch, he should remain the starter.  You can’t really gain much from their offensive performance against Denver, since their defense is so atrocious.  You can, however, be excited about what the defense was able to do against a potent Broncos offense.

31.  Detroit Lions (0-3) - Dumping Matt Millen can’t help until the offseason!

32.  St. Louis Rams (0-4) – The worst coach currently in the NFL has been replaced with the worst coach in NFL history.  Good luck with that one.