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teams are measured from a top rating of 25.
Home field advantage is worth 3 points. To calculate
the approximate pointspread, simply add home
field advantage to the power rating of the team
playing at home and then subtract the visiting
teams power rating from this total.
1. Indianapolis Colts (6-0)
- Well, the Colts finally gave up some points
last Monday night, but in perspective, the Rams
were the best offensive team Indy has faced
all year. Even without Mark Bulger for more
than half the game. But the Colts ended up getting
it done (overcoming a 17 point deficit in the
1st quarter) the way they have in the past,
simply outscoring them. Edgerrin James had an
outstanding game, but I can't help but see that
there is still something not right with the
Colts' passing game. Still, the Colts remain
the team to beat in the entire NFL. This week:
@ Houston. PR = 23
2. Denver Broncos (5-1) - The
Broncos have now rattled off 5 consecutive wins
after the season opening egg they layed in Miami.
All 5 wins have came against teams that should
be in the playoff race come January, but their
most impressive victory came against the 2-time
defending champion Patriots. Mike Shanahan and
crew have done an incredible job with a defense
that wasn't supposed to be this good and Denver
seems to have found their 17th running back
in the last 8 or so years in Tatum Bell. QB
Jake Plummer has been efficient and isn't making
"Plummeresque" mistakes this year. This week:
@ New York Giants. PR = 21
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) -
Remember, this poll is based on the strength
of the team and not their record, so we aren't
going to bounce the Steelers down too far despite
their overtime loss to Jacksonville. QB Roethlisberger
didn't play in that game due to a knee and Tommy
Maddox was simply awful, eventually throwing
the game-losing interception for a Jacksonville
score. Big Ben will be back but the bigger concern
is the dissapearance of RB Willie Parker the
last few weeks. It may, indeed, be time to go
back to Jerome Bettis who has looked very fresh
and strong in the little time he has played.
This week is a MUST win for Pittsburgh. This
week: @ Cincinatti. PR = 20
4. Cincinnati Bengals (5-1) -
Head Coach Marvin Lewis has done an absolutely
incredible job with this team. Last Sunday,
the Bengals were able to pull themselves off
the mat and rebound with a nice road win against
an improving Titans squad. Carson Palmer continues
to look like the next great quarterback in the
league and the underrated Rudi Johnson looks
to be the perfect compliment to the Bengals'
offense. Cinci ranks 4th in the NFL in points
allowed and this formula should leave nobody
surprised that this team is sitting at 5-1.
Big test for the Bengals this week facing a
bitter Steelers squad. This week: vs Pittsburgh.
PR = 19
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) -
Is this the team to beat in the NFC? It really
is starting to look that way after the Bucs'
anhililation of the Miami Dolphins last week.
Michael Pittman filled in nicely for Cadillac
Williams, rushing for 127 yards, and the Bucs'
defense is #2 in the NFL in points allowed.
However, Tampa suffered a big loss in that game
when QB Brian Griese went down with a season
ending knee injury. I have never been a big
fan of Griese and my feeling is that Chris Simms
may even be a better fit for this team. Time
will tell, but this is exactly what Tampa drafted
him for. This week: Bye. PR = 19
6. Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) -
A bye week couldn't have come at a better time
for the Eagles. They were simply ambushed in
their last game against the Cowboys and were
down 17-0 in a blink of an eye. They came out
flat and were never able to execute their gameplan.
I believe that Donovan McNabb's injury was bothering
him a little more than he cared to admit and
this week's bye probably couldn't come at a
better time. Brian Westbrook is now pleading
for more playing time and Philly would probably
be wise to listen to him. Balance doesn't hurt.
This week: vs San Diego. PR = 19
7. New England Patriots (3-3) -
Is the dynasty over? I can't really answer that
question at this point but it seems like the
Pats are up one week and down the next. Last
week, they were manhandled by Denver in a game
that wasn't as close as the 28-20 final score
indicated. Tom Brady had probably the worst
game I've personally witnessed him having and
the defense was inexpicably awful. Have all
the injuries and attrition finally caught up
to this team? Still, the Pats have yet to lose
2 games in a row in about 3 years and if anybody
can get this team back on track it's Bill Belichick.
This week: Bye. PR = 18
8. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2) -
The Jags have now pulled off 2 very impressive
wins in a row against division rivals, but these
were both ideal situations for Jacksonville,
defeating a Cincinatti squad due for a letdown
and Pittsburgh without Ben Roethlisberger. Last
week, "Fragile" Fred Taylor missed yet another
game and Byron Leftwich didn't exactly put up
Hall of Fame numbers. This team will only go
as far as the quality of their defense and thus
far they have been outstanding. I'm not entirely
sold on the Jaguars squad just yet. This week:
Bye. PR = 18
9. Atlanta Falcons (4-2) -
The Falcons nearly let one slip away last Sunday
agasint the Saints, but this team remains one
of the major players in the NFC. The loss of
LB Ed Hartwell seemed to show, but Atlanta can
also run the football, leading the NFL in that
catagory averaging 185 yards a game. Still,
the Falcons need to show improvement in the
passing game to complement their running attack
and their aggresive defense. This week: vs New
York Jets. PR = 17
10. Dallas Cowboys (4-2) -
The Cowboys followed their dismantling of the
Philadelphia Eagles with a hard-fought win against
the New York Giants last Sunday, pulling out
a squeaker in overtime. Drew Bledsoe has certainly
been reborn again in Bill Parcell's system,
throwing for 312 yards in that contest. The
Cowboys would rank higher in our Power Poll,
but RB Julius Jones isn't having the breakout
year that many folks anticipated. Still, the
'Boys are getting things done with a surprising
arial attack and solid defense. This week: @
Seattle. PR = 16
11. San Diego Chargers (3-3) -
This team could easily be 6-0 right now, suffering
3 close losses in which they led in the 4th
quarter. As predicted, the Chargers had an easy
time of things against a bad Oakland squad last
Sunday and LT is finally being recognized as
the best (and most valuable) running back in
the league. All he did last week is rush, pass,
and throw for a touchdown in the first half.
Drew Brees looks like he is continuing what
he did last season and proving that it wasn't
a fluke. Although they did a decent job last
Sunday, the Chargers' secondary is still a cause
of concern. This week: @ Philadelphia. PR =
16
12. Seattle Seahawks (4-2) -
I would love to rank this team a bit higher,
but the fact remains that Seattle's only quality
win has came at home against Atlanta. The Seahawks
looked mighty impressive last Sunday but, seriously,
how bad are the Houston Texans? Still, Matt
Hasselbeck is a top ten quarterback in this
league and Shaun Alexander remains one of the
best running backs you don't hear much about.
The questions surrounding Seattle are the same
as they have been for years. Can they play defense
and can they win consistantly on the road. I'm
going to wait a little while longer before I
bump this team up any further. This week: vs
Dallas. PR = 15
13. Buffalo Bills (3-3) - Switching
quarterbacks from JP Losman to Kelly Holcomb
has made a world of difference for this team
and their offense. If Buffalo is going to be
a playoff contender they are going to do it
behind their defense, the running of Willis
McGahee, and a quarterback who doesn't turn
the ball over. That formula worked perfectly
in last Sunday's victory over the NY Jets. This
is another team that deserves to be ranked higher
in our Poll, but is currently on a "wait and
see" pedestal. The next few weeks will decide
if this team is playoff caliber or not. My best
guess right now is that they are. This week:
@ Oakland. PR = 15
14. Kansas City Chiefs (3-2) -
We mentioned last week that Priest Holmes was
looking a tad old and slow. Check these stats
against Washington: 14 rushes for 18 yards.
Yuck. Still, the Chiefs managed a win against
a decent Redskins team although the difference
was due to a 80 yard fumble return. The Chiefs
passing offense isn't what it was in years'
past and Tony Gonzalez has been all but invisible
this year. Their defense seems to have been
improved a bit but not enough to make the Chiefs
more than a .500 team this season. This week:
@ Miami. PR = 15
15. Carolina Panthers (4-2) -
Second straight, nail-biting, come-from-behind
win for the Panthers last week against a below
average Detroit Lions squad. Jake Delhomme doesn't
look like the same quarterback and, in fact,
Chris Weinke led the Panthers on their winning
drive when Delhomme went down with an injury.
Carolina's pass defense looked light years better
last Sunday than it has all season so maybe
that's a sign of things to come for this squad.
This week: Bye. PR = 15
16. New York Giants (3-2) - This week: vs Denver.
PR = 15
17. Washington Redskins (3-2) - This week: vs
San Francisco. PR = 14
18. Miami Dolphins (2-3) - This week: vs Kansas
City. PR = 13
19. Chicago Bears (2-3) - This week: vs Baltimore.
PR = 12
20. St Louis Rams (2-4) - This week: vs New
Orleans. PR = 12
21. Detroit Lions (2-4) - This week: @ Cleveland.
PR = 12
22. Baltimore Ravens (2-3) - This week: @ Chicago.
PR = 11
23. Tennessee Titans (2-4) - This week: @ Arizona.
PR = 11
24. New Orleans Saints (2-4) - This week: @
St Louis. PR = 10
25. New York Jets (2-4) - This week: @ Atl
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