DenBronx
10-20-2009, 01:45 PM
ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/nfl/powerrankings
The Week 7 edition of ESPN.com's 2009 NFL Power Rankings reveals a shakeup near the top.
The Indianapolis Colts, enjoying a Week 6 bye, remain atop the rankings. They have a new close neighbor in the second-ranked New Orleans Saints, who moved up two places thanks to a throttling of the New York Giants. The escape-artist Minnesota Vikings hold tight at No. 3, followed by the upstart Denver Broncos. The Giants round out the latest top 5.
Week 7 action should provide more intrigue as the Vikings visit the No. 8 Pittsburgh Steelers, who vaulted five spots this week. The Saints visit the No. 20 Miami Dolphins in another matchup that could affect the future elite hierarchy.
The New York Jets suffered this week's biggest fall, tumbling nine spots to No. 18. The winless Tennessee Titans continued their stumble, now ranked 30th overall.
This week's poll of our experts features Scouts Inc.'s Matt Williamson filling in for regular Paul Kuharsky, who welcomed his new son on Oct. 16.
RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT
1 (1) Colts 5-0-0 Looking at the Colts' schedule, it is difficult to come up with many real tough games the rest of the year. A 14-2 record looks very attainable. (M. Williamson)
2 (4) Saints 5-0-0 Drew Brees has 13 TD passes despite a bye week. The rest of the division has 20 combined. (Sando)
3 (3) Vikings 6-0-0 They seem stronger and stronger with each passing week. (Chadiha)
4 (5) Broncos 6-0-0 This is a very well-balanced team that doesn't beat itself and has maximized its personnel. That is awfully good coaching. (M. Williamson)
5 (2) Giants 5-1-0 The "Big Easy" in New Orleans was how Drew Brees rolled through the Giants' defense. (Clayton)
6 (10) Patriots 4-2-0 How many points can Tom Brady put up on Tampa Bay after putting up 59 on Tennessee? (Clayton)
7 (8) Falcons 4-1-0 Matt Ryan seems to be hitting stride for the Falcons, a good thing while the run game finds its way. (Sando)
8 (13) Steelers 4-2-0 Big Ben had a big game against Cleveland, but four turnovers are a concern. (Chadiha)
9 (6) Bengals 4-2-0 Matt Schaub shredded them in their loss to Houston. (Chadiha)
10 (12) Bears 3-2-0 Red zone problems killed them in a loss to Atlanta. (Chadiha)
11 (11) Ravens 3-3-0 Three straight tough losses have brought the Ravens back to earth. (Chadiha)
12 (7) Eagles 3-2-0 Andy Reid has to live with Sunday's reality: He was outcoached by Tom Cable. (Clayton)
13 (14) Packers 3-2-0 They still haven't found a way to protect QB Aaron Rodgers. (Chadiha)
14 (16) Chargers 2-3-0 The Chargers' passing game is amongst the best in the league. But the line play is extremely suspect -- particularly on the defensive side of the ball. (M. Williamson)
15 (15) 49ers 3-2-0 Desperate for offense, the 49ers are moving rookie WR Michael Crabtree into the starting lineup against Houston. (Sando)
16 (19) Cardinals 3-2-0 Billy Davis' defense validated its No. 1 ranking in rushing yards allowed, but a bigger test awaits at Giants Stadium. (Sando)
17 (22) Texans 3-3-0 This was an impressive win in Cincinnati. They took away the Bengals' run game and Matt Schaub was nearly flawless. Can the defense keep it up? (M. Williamson)
18 (9) Jets 3-3-0 All of a sudden, Mark Sanchez is starting to play like a rookie. (Clayton)
19 (17) Cowboys 3-2-0 The Cowboys had a quiet bye week to reflect upon where they are as a team. (Clayton)
20 (18) Dolphins 2-3-0 You wonder how many more new Wildcat plays the Dolphins invented during a bye week. (Clayton)
21 (21) Jaguars 3-3-0 The offense shows promise and can cause problems with its balanced attack. The defense is amongst the worst in the league. Add it all up and you get a team near the bottom of the middle-of-the-roaders. (M. Williamson)
22 (23) Panthers 2-3-0 Nothing comes easy for the Panthers even in victory. Four touchdowns and 10 picks for Jake Delhomme so far. (Sando)
23 (20) Seahawks 2-4-0 This team could use a bye month to sort through the infirmary and find some healthy offensive linemen. (Sando)
24 (25) Bills 2-4-0 Dick Jauron finally let the Bills' offense huddle, but now they have to see if Trent Edwards (concussion) can be in one. (Clayton)
25 (29) Raiders 2-4-0 To say the Raiders' victory (without Nnamdi Asomugha for much of the game) over the Eagles was a shocker would be a massive understatement. But, Oakland still has plenty of problems. (M. Williamson)
26 (26) Lions 1-5-0 They need to find some defense in Motown. (Chadiha)
27 (24) Redskins 2-4-0 Now that he's no longer the playcaller, Jim Zorn is vulnerable to being fired midseason. (Clayton)
28 (30) Chiefs 1-5-0 At Washington, Kansas City got its first victory of the season. Let's see if the Chiefs can get two. (M. Williamson)
29 (28) Browns 1-5-0 If Brady Quinn weren't so bad, the Browns would've benched Derek Anderson by now. (Chadiha)
30 (27) Titans 0-6-0 How do you rank this team? After coming off the most embarrassing loss in recent memory, this is now the lowest of lows for Jeff Fisher's club. (M. Williamson)
31 (31) Buccaneers 0-6-0 More than 36 points separate the Bucs' passer rating (64.9) from their opponents' passer rating against them (101.0). Not good. (Sando)
32 (32) Rams 0-6-0 Another injury has hit Donnie Avery just as the Rams' top and perhaps only receiving threat was gaining momentum. (Sando)
http://espn.go.com/nfl/powerrankings
The Week 7 edition of ESPN.com's 2009 NFL Power Rankings reveals a shakeup near the top.
The Indianapolis Colts, enjoying a Week 6 bye, remain atop the rankings. They have a new close neighbor in the second-ranked New Orleans Saints, who moved up two places thanks to a throttling of the New York Giants. The escape-artist Minnesota Vikings hold tight at No. 3, followed by the upstart Denver Broncos. The Giants round out the latest top 5.
Week 7 action should provide more intrigue as the Vikings visit the No. 8 Pittsburgh Steelers, who vaulted five spots this week. The Saints visit the No. 20 Miami Dolphins in another matchup that could affect the future elite hierarchy.
The New York Jets suffered this week's biggest fall, tumbling nine spots to No. 18. The winless Tennessee Titans continued their stumble, now ranked 30th overall.
This week's poll of our experts features Scouts Inc.'s Matt Williamson filling in for regular Paul Kuharsky, who welcomed his new son on Oct. 16.
RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT
1 (1) Colts 5-0-0 Looking at the Colts' schedule, it is difficult to come up with many real tough games the rest of the year. A 14-2 record looks very attainable. (M. Williamson)
2 (4) Saints 5-0-0 Drew Brees has 13 TD passes despite a bye week. The rest of the division has 20 combined. (Sando)
3 (3) Vikings 6-0-0 They seem stronger and stronger with each passing week. (Chadiha)
4 (5) Broncos 6-0-0 This is a very well-balanced team that doesn't beat itself and has maximized its personnel. That is awfully good coaching. (M. Williamson)
5 (2) Giants 5-1-0 The "Big Easy" in New Orleans was how Drew Brees rolled through the Giants' defense. (Clayton)
6 (10) Patriots 4-2-0 How many points can Tom Brady put up on Tampa Bay after putting up 59 on Tennessee? (Clayton)
7 (8) Falcons 4-1-0 Matt Ryan seems to be hitting stride for the Falcons, a good thing while the run game finds its way. (Sando)
8 (13) Steelers 4-2-0 Big Ben had a big game against Cleveland, but four turnovers are a concern. (Chadiha)
9 (6) Bengals 4-2-0 Matt Schaub shredded them in their loss to Houston. (Chadiha)
10 (12) Bears 3-2-0 Red zone problems killed them in a loss to Atlanta. (Chadiha)
11 (11) Ravens 3-3-0 Three straight tough losses have brought the Ravens back to earth. (Chadiha)
12 (7) Eagles 3-2-0 Andy Reid has to live with Sunday's reality: He was outcoached by Tom Cable. (Clayton)
13 (14) Packers 3-2-0 They still haven't found a way to protect QB Aaron Rodgers. (Chadiha)
14 (16) Chargers 2-3-0 The Chargers' passing game is amongst the best in the league. But the line play is extremely suspect -- particularly on the defensive side of the ball. (M. Williamson)
15 (15) 49ers 3-2-0 Desperate for offense, the 49ers are moving rookie WR Michael Crabtree into the starting lineup against Houston. (Sando)
16 (19) Cardinals 3-2-0 Billy Davis' defense validated its No. 1 ranking in rushing yards allowed, but a bigger test awaits at Giants Stadium. (Sando)
17 (22) Texans 3-3-0 This was an impressive win in Cincinnati. They took away the Bengals' run game and Matt Schaub was nearly flawless. Can the defense keep it up? (M. Williamson)
18 (9) Jets 3-3-0 All of a sudden, Mark Sanchez is starting to play like a rookie. (Clayton)
19 (17) Cowboys 3-2-0 The Cowboys had a quiet bye week to reflect upon where they are as a team. (Clayton)
20 (18) Dolphins 2-3-0 You wonder how many more new Wildcat plays the Dolphins invented during a bye week. (Clayton)
21 (21) Jaguars 3-3-0 The offense shows promise and can cause problems with its balanced attack. The defense is amongst the worst in the league. Add it all up and you get a team near the bottom of the middle-of-the-roaders. (M. Williamson)
22 (23) Panthers 2-3-0 Nothing comes easy for the Panthers even in victory. Four touchdowns and 10 picks for Jake Delhomme so far. (Sando)
23 (20) Seahawks 2-4-0 This team could use a bye month to sort through the infirmary and find some healthy offensive linemen. (Sando)
24 (25) Bills 2-4-0 Dick Jauron finally let the Bills' offense huddle, but now they have to see if Trent Edwards (concussion) can be in one. (Clayton)
25 (29) Raiders 2-4-0 To say the Raiders' victory (without Nnamdi Asomugha for much of the game) over the Eagles was a shocker would be a massive understatement. But, Oakland still has plenty of problems. (M. Williamson)
26 (26) Lions 1-5-0 They need to find some defense in Motown. (Chadiha)
27 (24) Redskins 2-4-0 Now that he's no longer the playcaller, Jim Zorn is vulnerable to being fired midseason. (Clayton)
28 (30) Chiefs 1-5-0 At Washington, Kansas City got its first victory of the season. Let's see if the Chiefs can get two. (M. Williamson)
29 (28) Browns 1-5-0 If Brady Quinn weren't so bad, the Browns would've benched Derek Anderson by now. (Chadiha)
30 (27) Titans 0-6-0 How do you rank this team? After coming off the most embarrassing loss in recent memory, this is now the lowest of lows for Jeff Fisher's club. (M. Williamson)
31 (31) Buccaneers 0-6-0 More than 36 points separate the Bucs' passer rating (64.9) from their opponents' passer rating against them (101.0). Not good. (Sando)
32 (32) Rams 0-6-0 Another injury has hit Donnie Avery just as the Rams' top and perhaps only receiving threat was gaining momentum. (Sando)