Ron Glover’s NFL Power Rankings: Week 6
Roddy White is quietly becoming one of the best young receivers in the game. Matt Ryan’s primary target had 8 receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown as the Atlanta Falcons shocked the Green Bay Packers at home 27-24.
The Power Rankings this week find the Giants still at numero uno, while the Redskins and Bears continue to their steady climb.
1. New York Giants (4-0) Last Week #1: The G-Men, who scored on their first six possessions,have won 8 straight dating back to last year’s playoffs. They face the Browns and the Niners before a potential showdown with the Steelers.
2. Tennessee Titans (5-0) Last Week #2: Won a slug fest against the hated Ravens on Sunday. The defense rattled Joe Flacco to the tune of two sacks and two interceptions to remain undefeated.
3. Washington Redskins (4-1) Last Week #4: The Skins have won 8 of their last 9 regular season games. Could be 7-1 heading into Pittsburgh November 3rd.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) Last Week #5: No team is more deserving of the bye week.
5. Dallas Cowboys (4-1) Last Week #6: Chris Perry’s fumble led to a Tony Romo to Terrell Owens score that killed the Bengals’ comeback.
6. Carolina Panthers (4-1) Last Week #9: The past couple of weeks have been smooth sailing for the Panthers. Now they get to prove their ranking in the next three weeks with games against Tampa Bay, New Orleans, and Arizona.
7. Buffalo Bills (4-1) Last Week #3: After the bye week, three of the Bills next four games are against opponents in the suddenly competitive AFC East.
8. Chicago Bears (3-2) Last Week #14: I took some heat for ranking the Bears too low last week. Kyle Orton was off the charts last week.
9. Denver Broncos (4-1) Last Week #13: The Broncos defense emerged and put the clamps on a Buccaneer offense that looked like it had turned the corner.
10. New England Patriots (3-2) Last Week #16: The Pats pride kicked in last week out in Frisco. This week they face a bigger challenge in the reeling Chargers. Moss still runs the best fly route in the game.
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) Last Week #7: Ironically, Jon Gruden may need to call on Jeff Garcia to save the Bucs season and possibly his job.
12. Arizona Cardinals (3-2) Last Week #22: I don’t know if the weird feeling of me ranking them this high is because they’re the Cardinals or what. Their performance against Dallas on Sunday will determine that.
13. Indianapolis Colts (2-2) Last Week #12: Is the offense suffering from rust or corrosion?
14. San Diego Chargers (2-3) Last Week #8: The loss of Lorenzo Neal is effected the running game more than anticipated.
15. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3) Last Week #11: Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew (combined) against the Steelers; 9 carries 19 yards and a touchdown. That won’t get it done on MADDEN.
16. Atlanta Falcons (3-2) Last Week #26: I’ll be curious to see how the Falcons handle the Bears pass rush.
17. Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) Last Week #10: The only reason Philadelphia fans aren’t on their annual suicide watch is because the Phillies are a step away from the World Series.
18. New York Jets (2-3) Last Week #19: Face the Bengals on Sunday.
19. Miami Dolphins (2-3) Last Week #24: The Dolphins are going for three in a row on Sunday against the Texans. It should be fun watching it all play out in the AFC East.
20. Baltimore Ravens (2-3) Last Week #18: Joe Flacco was taken to school last week by the Titans. The Next two weeks will be tough against the Colts and Dolphins.
21. Green Bay Packers (2-3) Last Week #17: The Pack are too good to be ranked this low.
22. Minnesota Vikings (2-3) Last Week #25: Big win in the Bayou probably saved Brad Childress’ job.
23. New Orleans Saints: (2-3) Last Week #15: Wasted a dynamite game by Reggie Bush on Monday Night in a physical contest. Hope to get back on track against Oakland.
24. Cleveland Browns (1-3) Last Week #23: For the next month the Browns are either facing a division leader or a potential playoff team.
25. San Francisco 49′ers (2-3) Last Week #21: Just when I think they are about to break through, they break down. Face the Eagles and Giants the next two weeks.
26. Houston Texans (0-5) Last Week #29: If the Texans play as hard this week as they have in the past two games the ball may finally roll their way.
27. Oakland Raiders (1-3) Last Week #28: Raider head coach Tom Cable makes his debut in front of the Raider faithful.
28. Seattle Seahawks (1-4) Last Week #20: Green Bay, Tampa Bay and San Francisco await a defense giving up 31 ppg.
29. Cincinnati Bengals (0-5) Last Week #32: Put up a fight in Dallas, lack of focus was their downfall.
30. St Louis Rams (0-4) Last Week #31: The Redskins welcome Jim Haslett back to the NFL, followed by the Cowboys and the Patriots.
31. Kansas City Chiefs (1-4) Last Week #27: Last week’s loss was the low point of Herm Edwards’ coaching career.
32. Detroit Lions (0-4) Last Week #30: Now I see why the NFL wanted to give other cities the chance to host a Thanksgiving Day game.
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October 9th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
This month with be show and prove for the Brownies and Romeo. To borrow a phrase “he has run out of swords to fall on”. Ahm really gonna miss him. Anybody got Cowher’s phone numba?
October 9th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
You should feel funny about ranking Arizona that highly. You do realize that there are more Cowboy fans in Arizona than Cardinal fans? This is their home away from home. The only hope for the Cardinals is that Dallas takes them lightly. Otherwise, it’s going to be lights out.
Right now, Miami is looking like the “class” of that division. I know the Jets beat them in Week 1, but things have changed since then. The Dolphins running game is absolutely explosive. They’ll have this wildcat toy for a bit — but I wouldn’t be surprised to see AFC East teams struggle this week as they take time from their regular routines to sneak a few extra peaks at the Dolphins. I’m sure New England did after getting trounced.
Wow…Green Bay ranked #21. 13-3 last year. Brett! Where are you?
The teams from #22 through #32 have all played at least one absolutely horrid game - except for the Vikings. It’s going to be a long year for these squads.
Jacksonville is getting killed by injuries. If their line was healthy, they’d have done much better in that game. Of course, it was essentially equalized with Hampton and Keisel being injured for Pittsburgh. Depth and play calling were the keys. Mike Tomlin has my early vote for Coach of the Year. Since that Philly debacle, he’s got the line turned around against their 2 most physical rivals. Ben won AFC Offensive Player of the Week. Mewelde Moore ran for 99. Kudos to Tomlin and Bruce Arians.
The Giants are a well-oiled machine. They look great. They’re a legit 3-deep at running back. (Remember that Ryan Grant was a gift to the Packers from the Giants). The receiving corps is deep and dynamic. The defensive line is absolutely bruising. Can’t wait for the G-men to play the Steelers…should be a classic.
October 9th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
I’m with you on Tomlin, Can’t wait for that G-Men/Steelers matchup.
We can catch a pass or two in the Giants system.
October 10th, 2008 at 2:45 am
The Falcons have been a mild surprise this year, but it hasn’t been because of Matt Ryan. It has been because of the power running of Michael Turner and the re-emergence of John Abraham as a defensive force. Turner, the former San Diego reserve, has been the engine in the Falcon offense for this 2008 season. Some in the Atlanta media want to elevate Matt Ryan into Rookie of the Year status– I am not willing to do that yet. Many in the media had an existing contempt for Michael Vick and want to attempt to diminish is on-field accomplishments and say Ryan is better than Vick (at this stage). Ryan has a long ways to go. The Green Bay game was almost thrown away by Ryan with a 4th quarter INT in the end zone, but Turner was able to convert a few first downs in the 4th quarter and had a TD in the Packers’ upset. The other two wins for the Falcons came against Detroit and Kansas City, the NFL’s two worst teams.
This Chicago game is a test. Their defense is probably the best that young Matt Ryan has seen all year. Ryan is a rookie, but he has shown he is more like Joey Harrington than a young Ben Rothelisberger. More of a tease right now and at times hesitant to throw consistently downfield.
Roddy White is Jekyll and Hyde. Without Al Harris, the Green Bay defense let Roddy run wild for a half and had 132 yards by halftime, but Roddy disappeared in the second half and nowhere to be found in the second half as the Packers’ defense was able to locate him and contain him.
White is a talent, but in his four years, he hasn’t taken his game to the NEXT level. I would like to see him show up LATE IN GAMES and in pressure situations with the game on the line.
ESPN and some of the national outlets have circled this game as on the must-see games of the weekend.
Has Matt Ryan arrived? Well, not yet. Plus he and the Falcons are 0-2 in the NFC South. First win a divisional game, but this Chicago Bears defense with a healthy Mike Brown, Urlacher, Tommy Harris and Lance Briggs is very formidable and if the Falcons are able to win this game at home, then its a step in the right direction.
P.S. John Abraham has stayed off the injury list and has seven sacks in 2008.
October 10th, 2008 at 2:55 am
A few more comments:
Why doesn’t Matt Hasselback get grief for his mediocre play? McNabb, Vince Young and Tarvaris Jackson are constantly harassed by the media for one or two bad games, and Seattle has struggled this year, and has been mediocre in a very weak NFC West for a few years.
Even Jason Campbell after the first game of the season vs. the Giants was being heavily criticized and people were pushing for Colt Brennan to play… the contempt for the black QB has been very evident in the media. I am happy Campbell was able to quickly turn things around, and the ‘haters’ have shut up after two convincing road victories against Dallas and Philly.
How will the Raiders do and will Jamarcus Russell’s development be affected by Lane Kiffin’s firing. The Raiders had the Chargers on the ropes until the middle part of the 4th quarter. Raiders aren’t as bad as some try to make them out to be. The AFC West is up for grabs, and Denver is vulnerable with their bad defense.
October 10th, 2008 at 3:26 am
Couldn’t agree more Patrick. I cosign on everything you said.
Also add Carson Palmer to the free pass list.
A black QB can’t burp without being called out in the media.
I was think the other day how Herman Edwards gets called out for his bad play calling. Yet Andy Reid has been just as bad of a play called the last 3 years and no one says crap (70% passing is insane).
October 10th, 2008 at 4:26 am
Carson Palmer along with Matt Leinart were billed as REAL NFL QBs, but their teams have struggled.
Palmer and the 0-5 Bengals are rarely talked about on ESPN and gets a free pass in the national media and also in the local media. Nobody is questioning Leinart’s or Palmer’s intelligence, leadership skills or football IQ…
The media in Cincy is more apt to blame Marvin Lewis and it is likely it is Lewis’ last season. However, Palmer escapes any type of scrutiny–apparently. Leinart was billed as the perfect QB coming from USC, but he lost his starting job to Warner. It was like a one-day story from ESPN and off the front page and nobody on sports talk radio considered it a story, but questioning Tarvaris or Vince Young was viewed as a more palatable topic for a national audience. All the ‘experts’ such as Merrill Hoge, Jaworski and Schelerth who had been ‘haters’ of the mobile QB were SILENT in regards to Carr, Boller, Leinart and Carson…What a surprise.. however they were very VOCAL when it comes to Tarvaris, Vince, Jason Campbell and other QBs who aren’t franchise or traditional QBs in their style of play REGARDLESS IF THEY WON OR NOT…
Maybe Carson isn’t all that..maybe he isn’t a leader and can’t handle NFL pressure..Same thing for Matt Leinart..
Remember Alex Smith? Remember David Carr? Very little public attention from ESPN or even the local media in most cases, but they were #1 picks, but were given a pass for their erratic, inconsistent play …
I hate to see what happened to Tarvaris Jackson in Minnesota. He was a target BEFORE the season started–despite having a 8-4 record as a starter in his FIRST FULL SEASON in 2007. Tarvaris felt the intense pressure from the media, but the internal pressure from his traitor QB coach who wanted Favre (called Favre on phone) and Brad Childress who pulled the proverbial rug from under Jackson…Tarvaris was going through growing pains, but he isn’t allowed to go through it…Now I wish Tarvaris would use his legs and get first downs because he is capable of doing it, but I think he is torn between proving he is a ‘Manning’ and stays in the pocket too much instead of ‘making plays’ for his team… When Vick played, he did whatever it took to win or keep his team competitive..I wish Vick had an Adrian Peterson as a RB rather than Warrick Dunn, but Vick was able to overcome subpar personnel and succeed as evidenced by his 38-28-1 record as a NFL starter and took his team to the playoffs a few times, made it to the NFC Championship game, beat Favre in Green Bay in 2002 and made the Pro Bowl three times.
…And the media is salivating for Vince to come back to Tennessee and play, so they can ask him ‘do you want to kill yourself’ fifty times a day… and then ESPN will have cameras in his face to see how he reacts … and run it on Sportscenter..
October 10th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Good job TBR. I agree with most of what you’ve put down.
A few quick notes………
I think Carolina should be ranked ahead of Dallas. They remind of that team that went to the Super Bowl a few years ago.
Eventhough they played good “D” against Tampa, I don’t think Denver should be in the top 10. Maybe on the bubble (#11 or #12).
I’m still not “sold” on the Patriots but let’s see what they do against LT & the Chargers.
The Colts SHOULD be 0-4 and still can’t stop the run. I don’t think they should be in the top 15 until they win a few convincing games.
The Jags are not as good as advertised. If you stop the run (like the Steelers did), they’re gonna lose….it’s that simple.
I must admit that the Falcons have exceeded my expectations of them this early in the season, but the Bears will stop the run and force Matt Ryan to beat them.
I would rank the Dolphins ahead of the Falcons, Colts and the Jags.
@Patrick & O-dog
I agree with everything you’ve stated.
October 10th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Patrick:
I agree with most of what you’ve said — however, we need to remember that no one, absolutely no one, thought Leinart was perfect coming out of USC. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was concerned about his obvious lack of arm strength. He was a first round draft pick, but he didn’t go first, second, third, or fourth. He was drafted 10th — after Vince Young, and by a team that is NOTORIOUS for failing to draft talent. Cutler was much higher rated on draft boards. He was selected 11th by a team that is equally notorious for drafting very good players.
The Cardinals may have drafted Leinart in part because they felt an SC QB could put fannies in seats.
On a final note: I was surprised to see how many sub-par seasons Matt Hasselbeck has had as a QB. In a word, he “sucks.” He’s had 2 seasons worthy of props. The rest has been a mess of mediocrity. He is a very accurate passer, but he doesn’t have a strong arm; he’s not a great playmaker (or innovator); he’s not strong with the ball — and he talks too damn much (Green Bay playoff win guarantee — ON THE FIELD).
He’s really the poster boy for this entire issue of QB coverage. If Vick had done the same thing in GB and lost, the film would still be looped. As it is, he went to GB and won - something not even Roger Staubach or Troy Aikman could do - and folks tried to act like it never happened.
Bottom line is — that’s not your media unless you own it. It’s all enemy propaganda. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s not actually “news.” It just looks like the “news.”
Ditto GN.
October 10th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
A few notes.
I don’t think Matt Hasslebeck is a bum. I do feel what the The Tuna says applies here, “you are what your record says you are” and deservedly deserves more heat. I think Seattle is missing Shaun Alexander more than anyone cares to admit as well as getting hoodwinked in that trade for Deion Branch. Most of the Seattle receivers couldn’t catch a ball if it had handles. Finally, it doesn’t help that they have a lame duck coach who, while he won’t admit has a left eye on the San Francisco general manager/coach spot should Nolan falter.
If I’m Philly, I would call Shaun and see if he’s be interested in being my bruiser back a la LeRon McClain in B-More.
Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart are proving more everyday that they were just overhyped system QBs from USC. In Palmers case he’s got a built in fall guy in Marvin Lewis who will take the fall when the Bengals go 1-15. Can we offically put party boy Leinart in the “first round bust” list?
I think the AFC West is Denver’s to lose and San Diego’s to take. Too bad LT has bad toes right now. I bet San Diego wished they had paid Mike Turner now, huh?
Origin,
I feel what you saying about Big Red and 70% passing but I don’t have a problem with that. “He’s been doing that forever and you ask since when?” I got a problem with the lack of creativity in the playcalling. I forgot who said it but the excuse that “that loss was on me” isn’t gonna fly much longer.
October 10th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
I thought the Broncos were 4-1 ?
October 10th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
They are, my mistake. Thanks.
October 10th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Temple,
You’re right about Leinart. (My bad.) Leinart did dropped a few spots (almost out of the Top 10) and other QBs such as Aaron Rodgers and Brady Quinn had precipitous drops in the NFL draft. However, many in the media– the old school media– still would attempt to rate Rodgers, Quinn and even Leinart as a better prospect coming into the NFL than Vince, Russell or even Vick…
In Baltimore, Joe Flacco had received some buzz prior to the NFL draft, but I thought Troy Smith was going to take that QB job, but unfortunately Troy had a severe bout of tonsillitis which was border line life threatening. Flacco has the protypical size that old school media ‘experts’ like, but Flacco had trouble holding onto the ball in the preseason. However, I have to admit, he has done alright, but I feel it is still Troy’s team when he gets 100%. Flacco and the Ravens have lost two in the row and the coaching staff gave the dreaded ‘vote of confidence’ that Flacco is their starter for the remainder of the season. However, I do recall Kyle Boller having some short-term success early and his play had steadily faded once the one-dimensional, error-prone Boller got more and more time as a starter. It happened to Alex Smith. It happened to David Carr. And I think it will happen to Flacco–eventually. Strong personalities such as the 34 year old Ray Lewis and Ed Reed want to win now, and if Flacco fades in 2008, that earlier proclamation about Flacco being the starter will be in definitely jeopardy by Week 10. And there may be a push inside the locker room to give Troy Smith his QB job back. However, the local media will fight against Troy Smith getting back on the field…maybe try to suggest he should become a WR or Slash-type.
** In regards to Hasselback and Seattle, I don’t think he is a bum. However, he has escaped the scrutiny of him being mediocre by the national media. I honestly believe that this is Hasselback’s last year in Seattle and that he will follow him to SAN FRANCISCO when Holmgren ‘retires’ from Seattle. Jim Mora will become the new Seattle coach in 2009 and I see him changing things in Seattle–especially on offense. I expect Maurice Morris to be sent packing along with Bobby Engram, and T.J. Duckett may receive his first real opportunity at 28 to win a starting job or at the very least receive considerably more playing time. The GM is former Falcon Asst. GM Tim Ruskell who was in Atlanta when Duckett was there, and possibly and you heard it here first… if Michael Vick gets out of jail earlier than expected, SEATTLE may be a possible destination reuniting Coach Mora and the former three time Pro Bowler.
October 10th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Broncos will fade because the bad defense will eventually catch up with them and Cutler’s luck will run out (i.e. fumbling against San Diego late in the game, but caught a lucky break).. 7-9, 8-8 out of the playoffs..
October 10th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80b7f7d9
Check out the hit on Manning at :59. Ouch!!
October 10th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80b75f37
Check out the Commentary by Faulk and Zorn on Portis.
October 10th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
The chiefs are 1-4 not 0-5. They beat the Broncos 31-19.
October 10th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Sorry people, it’s been a long week.
October 11th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
co-sign with what Patrick said.