What a mess. Teams we thought looked bad last week looked good this week. Teams we thought looked good last week didn't look so hot this week. A lot of my predictions from earlier this year may not be true any more. I think this is going to continue to be tough to sort out for at least a few more weeks. Then things should settle into place.
1: Baltimore Ravens - Got a great road victory against what is supposed to be a very good Chargers team. The defense is dominant, and the offense has really come alive this year.
2: New York Jets - That was impressive. I think their defense is for real, and Mark Sanchez has proven to be effective. They are also running the ball well. Remember when we were all saying the Jets were going to go to the Super Bowl at the beginning of last year? This year's unit looks much improved.
3: New Orleans Saints - I don't care how many yards their defense gives up, they are still able to force turnovers. Besides, Brees and co. can keep pace with any team in the NFL.
4: New York Giants - Mario Manningham may be the missing piece to this team. There is a lot of talent and a great coaching staff. Eli Manning has already shown he has what it takes to win.
5: Atlanta Falcons - Another team I'm very impressed with. Matt Ryan looks like he's been doing this for years, Michael Turner is a constant threat, and the defense is playing well.
6: Indianapolis Colts - They gave up a ton of passing yards, but Peyton Manning will continue to be among the best in the business for a long time. The guy just wins.
7: Minnesota Vikings - They started out sluggish, but picked it up. They definitely have the talent to push for a Super Bowl, and have been doing everything right so far...
8: Pittsburgh Steelers - They still haven't found a way to run the ball, which is really holding them back. Something has to be done about that offensive line.
9: New England Patriots - Tom Brady doesn't look quite the same, and the losses of Jerod Mayo and Richard Seymour are showing more than we thought they would. Nevertheless, they still have Brady and Belichick. I'll bet money they get it figured out in a hurry. Next week we'll find out just how good both they and Atlanta are when they duke it out.
10: Dallas Cowboys - Not a bad showing against the Giants. Romo is looking fine without TO. The defense may be a concern, however. They aren't getting enough pressure and forcing mistakes.
11: Houston Texans - I wrote them off as losers last week. But now I'm thinking maybe the Jets were just that good. They certainly looked much better against the Titans. They need to find a way to cut down on the big plays on defense though. Chris Johnson destroyed them.
12: Tennessee Titans - What happened to that pass defense? They aren't generating enough pressure up front, and it's hurting. Maybe they do miss Jim Schwartz and Albert Haynesworth. At least they know they can run the ball well.
13: Denver Broncos - Here is another team that just may be for real. For all the bad Josh McDaniels did in the offseason, he's got his team playing pretty well right now. I don't think the Browns were much of an opponent, but maybe the Bengals were for real. Orton is doing what he does best: controlling the ball.
14: San Francisco 49ers - Michael who? They don't appear to be missing Crabtree right now, which sucks for him and his leveraging of the offer. The defense is playing well and Frank Gore is back to his 2006 form. Mike Singletary has really toughened these guys up.
15: Philadelphia Eagles - Injuries are killing this talented team. The defense didn't offer any resistance to the Saints' high-powered offense. Vick comes back soon, so we should see some better offense. Until McNabb comes back, though, this team is just average.
16: Chicago Bears - They knocked off the defending champs, which says something. I still don't trust Jay Cutler to protect the football. Especially when they are struggling so much in the running game.
17: Green Bay Packers - That didn't look good at all. The offensive line had a lot of trouble keeping the Bengals off of Aaron Rodgers. They looked almost the complete opposite of last week. They need to be more consistent.
18: Arizona Cardinals - Kurt Warner looked good, setting a single-game completion percentage record, going 24-26. That's reassuring. But last week's loss looms large in my mind still. I'm going to wait a couple more weeks to see which is the true Arizona Cardinals.
19: San Diego Chargers - Injuries are plaguing this team too. They just haven't looked that impressive yet, barely beating the Raiders, then losing to a good Ravens team. Rivers threw for over 400 yards, and they still lost. That isn't good.
20: Miami Dolphins - They aren't looking bad by any means, but they are still 0-2. They ran the ball well, and controlled the clock, which will normally win you games. You just can't give the ball to Peyton Manning with 3:00 left when you are only up by a field goal. Late-game drives are what he does best.
21: Cincinnati Bengals - I can't tell if this team is for real or not. Cedric Benson has looked good, and the defense was able to get a lot of pressure on Aaron Rodgers. But, then again, these are the Bungles we're talking about.
22: Buffalo Bills - They haven't been playing bad by any means. Injuries have hurt them, and I simply don't like that TO is on their team. I have a feeling he's going to ruin both Dick Jauron and Trent Edwards. Fred Jackson looks good, though, doesn't he?
23: Carolina Panthers - They shaped it up a lot better after last week (particularly Jake Delhomme's play) but they are still 0-2. Something about this team doesn't look right to me, and I think they will continue to hover near the bottom of the NFC.
24: Washington Redskins - Ugh. This is a team with plenty of talent that just can't seem to get off the ground. Their offense is stagnant.
25: Seattle Seahawks - I've been saying it all along. Hasselbeck would get hurt early again this year...and here he is with a broken rib. Seneca Wallace just doesn't have the skills to carry this team, as we saw last year, and he will have no shot if the defense doesn't tighten things up. They couldn't tackle my 2-year old sister.
26: Jacksonville Jaguars - This team looks a lot like it did last year. That isn't a good thing. Garrard isn't making plays, and neither is the defense. Who does that leave? Tiny, fragile little Maurice Jones-Drew. The guy is talented, but he needs help.
27: Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Losing Monte Kiffin hurts bad. The defense can't stop anyone. On the plus side, I think the offense can have a very nice year. They're going to have to if they want to make up for all the points the defense is going to hemorrhage.
28: Oakland Raiders - They won, but they didn't deserve to. They have a lot of individual talents, but they all don't add up to a whole. JaMarcus Russell just isn't very good.
29: Kansas City Chiefs - This team has played pretty well in both of their first two weeks, but they just can't seem to finish it off. Matt Cassel looked just okay in his first game. They'll get better as they mature.
30: Detroit Lions - They started off the game well, but let it go. I think this team is going to win a few games this year. They drew the long stick having to face the Saints and the Vikings in their first two weeks. Stafford will improve.
31: Cleveland Browns - This team is u-g-l-y. They have the exact same problem as last year: no offense.
32: St. Louis Rams - A little better, but still leprosy team.
