Two months ago, I posted my way-too-early "power rankings" for all 32 NFL teams in regards to the upcoming season. Now that preseason camps are about to fully begin and a few trades have been made, it's time to update the rankings and get excited about football season again.
I'll put the original rankings in parentheses after the team name.
1. New England (1)
2. Indianapolis (2)
3. San Diego (5)
4. New Orleans (7)
5. Chicago (4)
6. Baltimore (6)
7. Denver (3)
8. Seattle (9)
9. Philadelphia (12)
10. Dallas (10)
11. Pittsburgh (13)
12. Carolina (11)
13. Cincinnati (8)
14. New York Jets (14)
15. Jacksonville (17)
16. St. Louis (19)
17. San Francisco (15)
18. Tennessee (21)
19. Miami (28)
20. Detroit (29)
21. New York Giants (16)
22. Arizona (18)
23. Buffalo (23)
24. Washington (26)
25. Kansas City (20)
26. Atlanta (22)
27. Houston (27)
28. Minnesota (24)
29. Green Bay (25)
30. Tampa Bay (31)
31. Cleveland (30)
32. Oakland (32)
Biggest risers: Miami (28 to 19) and Detroit (29 to 20)
Miami's trade for Trent Green at the very least brings the Dolphins close to respectability. Green is aging, but has been one of the most successful quarterbacks in the league the last few years. This could be a breakout year for Ronnie Brown, and Chris Chambers, Marty Booker and Ten Ginn Jr. (in the slot) could be a fast-paced offense. The aging defense must hold up, and the secondary must improve to compete for a wildcard spot.
I moved the Lions way up, mainly because of more analysis. It's just so easy to plug Detroit in at the bottom of any rankings and be pretty accurate. But this may be the year they compete for a playoff spot - or at least for .500. Quarterback Jon Kitna loves Calvin Johnson, and Johnson and Roy Williams create a receiver tandem few defenses can match. Mike Martz will get the most out of the offense, which needs to play much more consistently to keep pace with the underrated defense.
Biggest fallers: Cincinnati (8 to 13) and Kansas City (20 to 25)
The Bengals have a lot of talent, but failed to get better in the offseason. That's a big mistake, in my view. Team's that don't upgrade talent, mix it up with new signings or have a rock-solid draft class typically seem to slip a bit, and that could be the case for the Bengals.
As for the Chiefs, they have quarterback concerns, slow wide receivers, a rebuilt offensive line and an underachieving defense (again). It could be a long year in Kansas City.
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4 comments:
What about the Broncos dropping from 3 to 7? That is going from one of the NFL's best to fighting for a wild card in the loaded AFC
True, but I still wouldn't say they were "fighting" for a wild card. Looking back, I gave the Travis Henry signing way too much credit. I still think it was a great signing - I'd compare it to the jolt the Panthers got when they signed Stephen Davis.
San Diego is definitely the team to beat in that division, and the only other AFC team I moved above the Broncos is Baltimore, the favorite in the AFC North.
The biggest thing for the Broncos is the defensive line play, and how the team overcomes the untimely death of Darrent Williams.
Just curious as to why you are so down on Tampa. They still have Kiffin and Gruden, and now they actually have a quarterback who knows what he's doing. I don't expect them to run away with the division or anything, but I think they could be in for a bounce-back season.
How could you put the Panthers at 12? Did Jerry Richardson deny a press pass to your newspaper
J Peppers
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