‘05 Power Rankings: Week 2

By Dave Shepherd  |   Wednesday, September 21, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

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Week one and two's performances combined dictate this week's rankings, so it's hard to forecast how a team will do in the long run. Because of this, some teams may seem a lot higher or lower then they deserve to be. Based on the last two week's performances, these are the NFL Power Rankings:(Last week's rankings listed in parenthesis)

1 (3) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0)
Willie Parker had a second straight 100 yard game, and Ben Roethlisberger played fantastic, going 14-21 for 254 yards. It doesn't look like there's going to be any sophomore slump. If anything, Roethlisberger looks even better than last year, and that's got to be scary for the rest of the AFC and the NFL in general.

2 (8) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0)
Two games down and they have yet to concede and offensive touchdown. It looks like the Super Bowl defense is back, and with rushing leader Carnell 'Cadillac' Williams, this team has the capability to make a lot of noise this year. Next up, the abysmal Green Bay Packers.

3 (7) Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)
The Eagles we were expecting to see showed up on Sunday, annihilating the 49ers 42-3. Owens and McNabb didn't seem to have any problems, connecting for two touchdowns. Next on the serving plate: Oakland Raiders.

4 (12) Cincinnati Bengals (2-0)
Carson Palmer has looked extremely sharp this year, the Bengals rolling up 30+ points in both of the games they've played. They'll face their toughest defense yet in the Chicago Bears.

5 (5) Indianapolis Colts (2-0)
Peyton Manning and company had a tough time against the Jaguars, but like the Chiefs, they've developed a defense. That's not good news if you're a Patriots fan. The Colts finally seem to be good enough to take the next step.

6 (4) Kansas City Chiefs (2-0)
It wasn't a fluke. Kansas does have a defense. With their defense, they have a very good shot at becoming this year's AFC champions. However, there are a few other teams who would like to have a say in that.

7 (1) New England Patriots (1-1)
Who was that in New England's uniforms on Sunday? It didn't look like the Patriots. No disrespect to Carolina, but neither team played like a Super Bowl-caliber team. Now they have a huge challenge: trying to beat the Steelers at Heinz Field for the second time in a row.

8 (2) Atlanta Falcons (1-1)
Vick has to be able to throw for more than 120 yards for this team to win. They showed heart at the end, making the game look a lot better than it was. If they would've played a full 60 minutes, they could've beaten Seattle.

9 (6) Buffalo Bills (1-1)
J.P. Losman and the rest of the Bills offense has to step up or it's going to be a long year for the Bills. They have the defense, but they need some offensive support to avoid being NFL "also-rans".

10 (17) New York Giants (2-0)
They beat up an inspired Saints team, but they still have a lot to prove. Destroying the Cardinals and victims of a hurricane isn't really awe-inspiring. They'll have their hands full with a Chargers team that needs to dig themselves out of a hole.

11 (9) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1)
They showed tremendous heart on defense, hanging in there with the Manning and the Colts. They're very similar to the Bills, in that they both have a fantastic defenses and both need their offense to step up and win some games.

12 (16) Washington Redskins (2-0)
They still have a lot to prove before they'll move much higher. Still, beating Dallas after all that was going on around them was rather impressive.

13 (15) Dallas Cowboys (1-1)
A tough loss against Washington, but things are looking up for the Cowboys. They should be able to destroy the 49ers.

14 (14) Carolina Panthers (1-1)
They didn't beat the Patriots, they beat the shadow of the Patriots. New England can be much, much better than that. That being said, the Panthers should be able to chalk up a victory against the Dolphins.

15 (11) San Diego Chargers (0-2)
The best 0-2 team in the NFL. They played hard against Denver, but couldn't pull out with the win. It'll be interesting to see how they do against an over-achieving Giants team.

16 (19) Miami Dolphins (1-1)
The defense only allowed 17 points, but the offense didn't do its job. They're going to have to step up if they want to be taken seriously in the AFC, and they'll have a perfect opportunity to do that, going against the Carolina Panthers.

17 (20) Seattle Seahawks (1-1)
I'll give them credit against Atlanta for the second quarter. A more consistent effort would be nice, though.

18 (29) Chicago Bears (1-1)
Absolutely destroyed the Detroit Lions, racking up 38 points. Now the question is can the defense slow down Cincinnati enough for the Bears to win? Doubtful at best. Although the Bears do seem to have one of the best defenses in the NFL.

19 (21) St. Louis Rams (1-1)
A defensive stop late in the game (or is that a Cardinals misfire?). Either way, the Rams escaped Arizona with a victory. Don't count on every team getting a penalty on the last play of the game to lose it.

20 (13) Detroit Lions (1-1)
An abysmal performance against the Bears, the vaunted offense only putting up a measly six points. They have a bye-week to recover, and then they have to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

21 (18) New York Jets (1-1)
Pennington looked shaky against Miami until that final drive, and continues to have troubles hanging on to the football. They won this week, but I don't see them doing the same against the Jaguars.

22 (10) Baltimore Ravens (0-2)
It's a good thing they have a bye week, because they have looked horrendous so far. Losing to Indianapolis wasn't THAT bad, but scoring only seven points? Getting hammered by Tennessee? Someone, anyone needs to step up and play quarterback. Someone should also figure out what's wrong with Jamal Lewis.

23 (22) New Orleans Saints (1-1)
Couldn't keep up with the Giants "at home". However, they have a shot at defeating the Vikings, which would be a great morale booster.

24 (23) Arizona Cardinals (0-2)
A rough opening for Kurt Warner, losing to both of his old teams. The Giants beat them on special teams, the Rams beat them because of a stupid mistake on the final drive. Only the Cards.

25 (25) Denver Broncos (1-1)
In theory, Denver should move up after beating the Chargers, but all the bottom teams are very close together. If they can beat KC next week, well? we probably won't need to worry about that.

26 (28) Oakland Raiders (0-2)
You know the teams below you are bad when you can lose and move up. Oakland hasn't played badly, they just haven't done enough to win. Playing the Patriots and the Chiefs, two of the top teams in the AFC, hasn't helped them either. Can they hold their own against the Eagles? Moss vs. Owens, round two!

27 (26) Green Bay Packers (0-2)
Why did Brett Favre come back this year? Walker's out for the season, they've lost games to the Browns and the Lions, and now they have to go against the Bucs. It's going to be a long season for the cheeseheads.

28 (32) Tennessee Titans (1-1)
Who knew they had it in them? They played much better than I thought they were capable of in a 25-10 win over the Ravens.

29 (30) Cleveland Browns (1-1)
Romeo Crennel gets his first NFL win on an emotional day, with the Packers retiring Reggie White's number. Can Crennel work his old magic against the Colts and stop Manning?

30 (27) San Francisco 49ers (1-1)
Pretty much what everyone expected. They have a chance against Dallas, but they still have a long way to go before they're considered an NFL playoff contender.

31 (24) Minnesota Vikings (0-2)
Culpepper has looked horrible now that he doesn't have Randy Moss to throw it to. They've got to figure out what has gone wrong quickly, while they still have a shot at the division title and the NFL playoffs.

32 (31) Houston Texans (0-2)
To be honest, this spot is between the Houston Texans and the USC Trojans. Carr has not done anywhere near as well as he should with an offense as good as the one the Texans have.
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