NFL Rankings : Week 1

The NFL season is officially underway, and we had some interesting games this past weekend!  As an East Coast resident, I don't think I like ESPN's "double header Monday Night opener" policy, but I guess that's what DVRs are for!

Anywhere, here's the initial ranking of teams, based upon performances this opening weekend:

1.  New York Jets (1-0) : Marc Sanchez was excellent in his opener.  Any team that can complete more than 50% of their third down conversions, and rack up nearly 500 yards of offense while holding their opponent to less than 200, is a stellar team.

2.  Seattle Seahawks (1-0) : Hmm, maybe this team is better than I thought.  Of course, playing St Louis is bound to make anybody look good!

3.  Baltimore Ravens (1-0) : Over 500 yards of offense while holding their opponents to less than 200.  Of course, they need better kick-off coverage, but that'll come in time.

4.  New England Patriots (1-0)  : So much for a balanced offense, as the passing game attributed most of the yardage.  They had to fight back a good Buffalo team, so the defense needs to look at themselves.

5.  New Orleans Saints (1-0) : Six touchdowns for Drew Brees?  That's outstanding!  This team would have been tops except for allowing Detroit to score 27 points.  Where the heck is the defense?!

6.  Indianapolis Colts (1-0) : Another hard-fought victory against the Jaguars.  Eventually the Jags will learn how to beat these guys.

7.  Minnesota Vikings (1-0) : Brett didn't need his stellar arm so much, with Adrian Petersen running grooves into the turf!

8.  Dallas Cowboys (1-0) : Nice job.  Who needs TO?

9.  New York Giants (1-0) : Respectable stats, especially for the highest paid QB in the league.

10. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) : The stats don't reflect the score - they were helped by a pathetic and error-filled performance by Carolina.  Credit the defense in snatching four interceptions and preventing a passing touchdown.

11. San Diego Chargers (1-0) : The Bolts were a bit shocked by the Raiders'  offense, but forcing some turnovers and bad decisions kept them in there.

12.  Atlanta Falcons (1-0) : Only a mediocre performance for Matt Ryan.  Sophomore blues, maybe?

13. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) : We expected a defensive showdown, and we got one.  Only Pittsburgh could prevail after giving up two interceptions.

14. Denver Broncos (1-0) : They prevailed against a pretty tough Bengals defense.

15. Tennessee Titans (0-1) : They forced Pittsburgh into overtime, and it even good weather!

16. Tampa Bay Bucs (0-1) : Great stats, they just couldn't keep up with Dallas.

17. San Francisco 49ers (1-0) : Not great stats, but a win is a win.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) : They're getting closer to beating the Colts.  Hey, they held them to two scores!

19. Oakland Raiders (0-1) : Geez, where did this offense come from?  If JaMarcus Russell was a bit more careful with the ball, the Raiders would have won this one.

20. Green Bay Packers (1-0) : Great final drive, but overall not an impressive performance.  If Jay Cutler hadn't been doing a Rex Grossman impression, the Pack would have lost this game by the third quarter.

21. Buffalo Bills (0-1) : Great offensive performance.  They need to work on their secondary.

22. Detroit Lions (0-1) : Whoa!  If Stafford reduces his interceptions, this team will definitely win some games this season!

23. Washington Redskins (0-1) : The running game evaporated.  Jason Campbell isn't good enough to carry this team.

24. Chicago Bears (0-1) : Jay Cutler stunk, but the rest of the team pulled together well, especially when Brian Urlacher went down with his third injury in as many years.

25. Arizona Cardinals (0-1) : Not the Arizona offense we've come to expect.

26. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) : Even healthy, Carson Palmer is proving that he can't carry this team.  Ochocinco was practically non-existent.  Without their defense, this would have been a wipeout.

27. Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) : It may be hard to move against Baltimore's defense, but this was a pretty poor showing.

28. Cleveland Browns (0-1) : Hmm, maybe we need that quarterback controversy back...

29. Miami Dolphins (0-1) : Not bad stats, and defense was okay, but they couldn't turn anything into points.

30. Houston Texans (0-1) : Eleven first downs?  183 total yards?  Blech!

31. Carolina Panthers (0-1) : Anybody remember the last time Jake Delhomme was intercepted four times in the same game?  My records don't go back that far.

32.  St Louis Rams (0-1) : Their stats weren't bad, but let's face it - the purpose of this game is to score points.  The Rams couldn't do that.