[EmpireWF]

Here are my NFL Power Rankings after one week of play in the 2006 season.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers : They started the year right where they left off with a big win and Charlie Batch looked good to boot.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars : I may overhype the Cowboys but the Jaguars made them look sloppy. Fred Taylor is still going strong.

3. New England Patriots : They didn't play their best football and only snuck away from Buffalo but they're going to get better. Tom Brady doesn't know the meaning of mediocre play.

4. Indianapolis Colts : Peyton Manning led the Colts to a big road victory and yes, it was the Manning show. Without a running game and a worthy defense they won.

5. Philadelphia Eagles : With the TO show in the background, McNabb took the Texans to task. Granted, they were the Texans but McNabb has found a new friend in Stallworth.

6. Atlanta Falcons : This is what Jim Mora had in mind when coming to Atlanta. Michael Vick looked to be in exceptional control and got a huge early season division win against a potential top NFC team.

7. Seattle Seahawks : I'm sorry but barely beating the Lions, that's not good. They did not look like the defending NFC Champions and for their hope, that offensive line better improve soon.

8. Cincinnati Bengals : Even with the unfortunate hit on Trent Green, the Bengals defense looked to put the clamp on the Chiefs. Do we need to mention that other side of the ball?

9. San Diego Chargers : Could you be any more dominant in a football game? Offense, defense, it made no difference to them. The AFC West may not be such a race if they continue to play like the did on Monday night.

10. New York Giants : A questionable penalty and un-called flags on the Colts defensive line should not be used as a scape goat. The defense allowed Peyton Manning to do what he wanted. The run game was dominant.

11. Chicago Bears : They probably should be higher after handing the Packers such a beatdown, but hey, it was the Packers.

12. Baltimore Ravens : Steve McNair may have turned over a new page in the Ravens franchise. No longer are they the offensive-less team, with McNair's leadership, they should go far.

13. Carolina Panthers : Even though they played an awful game against the Falcons, what did you expect them to do without Steve Smith? When he's on the field, they're a completely different club.

14. Denver Broncos : One game and already people are calling for a QB change. They have too much talent to drift off into the sunset at this point in the season. Shanahan always has his pulse on things, so don't expect Plummer to last too long if he continues to do poorly.

15. Minnesota Vikings : There's no better way to start off the season than with a road win...well maybe a divisional road win, but hey. Brad Johnson looked like a capable veteran QB that everyone knows him to be. The Vikings could be a sleeper in the NFC North.

16. Dallas Cowboys : Boy is Drew Bledsoe's career winding down or what. You have to wonder about Parcells' loyalty to him. Somehow though, I'd expect Tony Romo to get some serious gametime over the next couple of weeks.

17. St. Louis Rams : The overall team looked great against the Broncos and the offense wasn't even the star of the game. Are they good enough to compete with Seattle? Only time will tell.

18. Arizona Cardinals : Denny Green must be having sweet dreams after an offensive performance like they had. Sadly, his defensive coordinator is probably having nightmares. Nevertheless, they should be an exciting team to watch.

19. Miami Dolphins : Daunte Culpepper didn't look to be in top shape but that should subside in the coming weeks. Ronnie Brown must become a bigger factor than he was in Pittsburgh. A HUGE game this coming weekend with Buffalo.

20. New Orleans Saints : Their defense may not be among the league's best but that's one offense that will give opposing coordinators nightmares trying to cover. Between all the guys, Drew Brees should be singing the praises of Rivers for forcing him out and to New Orleans. A road victory in week one is a great way to start off the Sean Payton era.

21. Washington Redskins : We were told Mark Brunell still had something left in the gas tank. All those missed scoring opportunities beg to differ. They still have way too much talent on offense and defense to be a terrible team though.

22. New York Jets : Who knew Chad Pennington had it in him? I knew I didn't. Perhaps the Jets have the means to surprise people throughout the league, but they still have a lack of skill position players.

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers : Cadillac Williams certainly had a terrible game but he's a much better back. What better way to get back into the thick of things than a match-up with Michael Vick and the Falcons on the road? For Simms sake, that o-line has got to improve (ie...block John Abraham).

24. Detroit Lions : The run game has to improve, it can't get any worse can it? Kevin Jones was barely an afterthought to the Seahawks. Then again, the Lions did hold them to less than 10 points.

25. Buffalo Bills : If anything, they pushed the New England Patriots to the brink. JP Losman looked pretty good and we all know their defense is as well. They should be a good team, nothing more, nothing less.

26. Kansas City Chiefs : Trent Green will miss at least a couple of weeks after suffering a concussion. Boy, Herm Edwards sure has some great luck at that position.

27. San Francisco 49ers : They have a couple of nice cornerstones on offense in Alex Smith and Frank Gore along with Vernon Davis but not much else. It should be fun watching Gore run the ball all year though.

28. Cleveland Browns : You have to have confidence in Romeo Crennel but the personnel is just not good. Is Frye capable of being more than just an average quarterback?

29. Tennesse Titans : I'm not privy to their practices but I could've sworn the purpose of a rebuilding franchise was to move forward. Kerry Collins was just named the starter for Week 2. It's going to be a long...long...long year.

30. Houston Texans : If you're the GM of the Texans, man I feel bad for you. If you think the Bush questions are just starting, wait until Wali Lundy turns into a second string back at best. And their defense was nearly non-existant as well.

31. Oakland Raiders : Could Aaron Brooks be any more of a mess? On the bright side, there's no place to go but up from here. Well, I guess not...

32. Green Bay Packers : If there's one way to not start off your head coaching career, it's to be the first to get shut out in your homefield in forever. They have Brett Favre, Ahman Green and Donald Driver on offense, but too bad it's not 2000.


Agree? Disagree? Have I greatly over-rated or under-rated a team after the opening week of the year? Sound off.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

I will give you the last two...but the first two?...no way Jags and Pitt are 2 and 1...Jags got off to a bad start...and Pitt trailed Miami and pulled it off mostly due to Daunte...

[Lefty Noob]

Not a power ranking, per se, but the teams whose week one performances most impressed me were the Bengals, Bears, Ravens and Colts. Still going to be a long season, but Cincy was my Super Bowl pick out of the AFC, and after seeing what they did to K.C. I'm more confident about that then ever. Three good teams laid major eggs in their first games, too, and that's Seattle, Dallas and Denver. Definitely stock down for those franchises right now.

[3829]

i dont really know to much about all of it but the i think the colts and rams should swithch spots.
the colts had a close game all game long
and werent the rams ahead the whole game????
also the rams beat the broncos and the giants are worse than the broncos and the colts are better than the rams. I think they should switch spots
but thats just my opinion.

[mervinout]

how are the patriots 3, they have lsot alot of players, and they just looked awfulls agains the Bills( Boy i love losing superbowls) and now they just perfer losing all the time. the bills are as competive as buffalo is in D-1A football