‘05 Power Rankings: Week 1

By Dave Shepherd | Tuesday, September 13, 2005 | ( 0 )

Got something to say?

The NFL Power Rankings are made using a combination of stats such as wins, passing offense, rushing offense, passing defense, rushing defense, coaching ability, and schedule strength.

Week one's performance dictates this week's rankings, and with only one week down, it's hard to forecast how a team will do. Because of this, some teams may seem a lot higher or lower then they deserve to be, but based on last week's performance these are the NFL rankings:

(Last week's ranking in parenthesis)
1 (1) New England Patriots (1-0)
They pulled away from the Raiders in the second half, not missing a beat despite the loss of their offensive and defensive coordinators. It looks like Tom Brady is calling his own plays now, and the Patriots will be better for it.

2 (6) Atlanta Falcons (1-0)
The Falcons defense looked fantastic against Philadelphia. How about DeAngelo Hall? He's going to be a great player for a long time. Michael Vick proved he is still dangerous, and the Falcons proved they can take a run at the NFC crown.

3 (9) Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
Absolutely dominated the Titans. Ben Roethlisberger looked great, as did the Steelers ground game. Are they the new Denver? It seems like anyone can run in that system.

4 (7) Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
Are the Chiefs that good, or are the Jets that bad? I'd say it's a combination. It's hard to stop an offense that good, but the real news here is Kansas's defense that held the Jets to an abysmal seven points.

5 (3) Indianapolis Colts (1-0)
It's near impossible to justify moving this team down two places after beating a tough Ravens team by 17, but the top five NFL teams are all bunched very close together. Every yard makes a difference, next week they could all be 2-0 and the rankings may flip between them.

6 (15) Buffalo Bills (1-0)
This team reminds me of the Steelers. A power running offense lead by young stud Willis McGahee, a dominating defense, and a quarterback who just has to play good enough not to lose.

7 (2) Philadelphia Eagles (0-1)
They lost a tough one against Atlanta. Had Jeremiah Trotter been in the whole game, they very well could've won the game. They also missed a couple of key field goals that could have changed their fortunes on Monday night.

8 (21) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0)
A huge jump in the rankings thanks to a great win over the Randy Moss-less Vikings. I doubt they will stay this high in the rankings for long, but it's nice to see a Bucs game with an offense. They'll be in tough against the Bills this week.

9 (11) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0)
A nice win over the Seahawks, which most didn't see coming. The Jags are looking like a playoff team this year. Interesting to note that 7 of the top 9 teams are known for their defense. Also interesting is that 8 of the top 9 didn't allow more than 15 points. Coincidence? Not a chance.

10 (4) Baltimore Ravens (0-1)
A tough loss against the Colts. The defense is very good, but if the offense can only put up 7 points a game, it's not going to matter.

11 (5) San Diego Chargers (0-1)
The Chargers defense is going to have to step up and play like they did last year for this team to prove they're not a flash in the pan.

12 (16) Cincinnati Bengals (1-0)
Dominated the Browns as expected. The Vikings will provide a more accurate indication of how good this team is, and whether the playoffs are a possibility or not.

13 (19) Detroit Lions (1-0)
Where was the amazing offense? In the end it didn't matter, as they beat a rebuilding Packer's team. The Lions have a great shot at getting off to a 2-0 start with their upcoming game against Chicago.

14 (8) Carolina Panthers (0-1)
It's going to be difficult for any team to beat the Saints when they're that inspired. Carolina had chances to win the game, they just didn't execute. Losing DT Kris Jenkins will hurt them badly, as it will allow teams to double team Julius Peppers.

15 (17) Dallas Cowboys (1-0)
They surprised a fairly good Charger's team, and Drew Bledsoe surprised everybody, playing much better than expected. Has he regained his old form? He doesn't have a major test until Philadelphia on October 9th.

16 (26) Washington Redskins (1-0)
Don't expect them to stay this high for long. They barely got past a bad Chicago team, and will have their hands full with Dallas on Monday Night Football.

17 (23) New York Giants (1-0)
Eli Manning wasn't great, but he didn't have to be. New York's special teams rolled over ex-Giant Warner and the rest of the Cardinals.

18 (10) New York Jets (0-1)
An abysmal performance from Chad Pennington and the gang, putting up only 7 points. The offense looked bad, the defense looked worse, getting run over by the one-two punch of Holmes and Johnson. They're going to need to do better as the Dolphins roll into town.

19 (31) Miami Dolphins (1-0)
Anyone who doubts how much coaching matters in the NFL just needs to look at what Nick Saban's Dolphins did to the Broncos on Sunday. Can we expect more of the same? It's too early to tell right now, but the eight-ball says "yes".

20 (14) Seattle Seahawks (0-1)
Things aren't looking good for Seattle. They just got beat by Jacksonville, and now they have to face the second best team in the league in the Atlanta Falcons. Expect a blow out.

21 (22) St. Louis Rams (0-1)
I know I know, upset by the 49ers and they move up a spot. What gives? Just like the NFL teams at the top of the rankings are all close together, so are the teams near the bottom.

22 (24) New Orleans Saints (1-0)
The Saints provided New Orleans with a glimmer of happiness, with a thrilling victory over the rival Panthers. Now they have a "home game" in New York against the Giants. Can they do it again?

23 (20) Arizona Cardinals (0-1)
They looked good in the first half, but were destroyed by poor special teams play. That was a game they could've (and maybe should've) won.

24 (13) Minnesota Vikings (0-1)
The loss of Randy Moss hurt the Vikings more than most thought it would. It's difficult to play a defense as good as Tampa Bay without at least one major threat. Culpepper can only do so much.

25 (12) Denver Broncos (0-1)
I don't expect them to stay down here long, but what an awful game against Miami. Jake Plummer was amazingly bad, taking nearly twenty minutes before he completed a pass. He's got to be better than that. Turns out taking the Browns old defensive line wasn't such a good idea.

26 (18) Green Bay Packers (0-1)
Why did Brett Favre agree to come back? I'm sure it wasn't for this. The loss of Javon Walker may be enough to knock the Pack out of playoff contention.

27 (32) San Francisco 49ers (1-0)
It's going to take more than one game before I'm a believer in this team. However, they're off to a nice start. Now they have to play an angry Eagles team. Good luck, you're going to need it.

28 (28) Oakland Raiders (0-1)
They put up a fight against the defending champs, but until that defense proves it can play, they're going to stay near the bottom. The Raiders should take a lesson from the top teams.

29 (29) Chicago Bears (0-1)
The offense did pretty much what we expected. The defense held them in the game, but it wasn't enough. That's going to be the story for most of the season.

30 (30) Cleveland Browns (0-1)
A rough debut for Romeo Crennel, getting hammered by the Bengals. Things get a bit easier next week against the fading Packers, but after that they're in for a whipping against Manning and the Colts.

31 (25) Houston Texans (0-1)
This offense is supposed to be good, but they only put up 7 points against the Bills. Now they have to play a mirror image of the Bills; the Steelers.

32 (27) Tennessee Titans (0-1)
Nothing good came out of that game against the Steelers. It's going to be another long season for the Titans. Playing a hungry Ravens team next week isn't helping their cause.

Got something to say?