1. New Orleans Saints (1-0)
I’m respecting the champs here. They kicked off 2010 by beating one of the best teams in the NFC. I’m not going to bump them down based solely on the fact that it’s tough to repeat.
2. Green Bay Packers (1-0)
Didn’t look overly impressive against the Eagles considering how many injuries the Birds had, but they’re going to be a very good and a Week 1 road win only helps.
3. Baltimore Ravens (1-0)
We already thought the Ravens would be one of the better teams in the AFC. A win over the Jets on the road and the addition of T.J. Houshmandzadeh proves they’re a force to be reckoned with.
4. Minnesota Vikings (0-1)
Had Brett Favre not missed the entire off-season, they probably would have taken down the defending champs to start their season off. Their defense is probably the NFC’s best and Favre should shake the rust off.
5. San Diego Chargers (0-1)
Tons of talent this season led by one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the game. However, the Chiefs defense held them in check and proved that winning the AFC West may not be as simple as San Diego thought.
6. Indianapolis Colts (0-1)
The Texans beat the Colts in convincing fashion Week 1 which should allow them to accept two things: they still have to try in the regular season and the Houston Texans are for real.
7. New England Patriots (1-0)
Still not sold on their defense after one game, but it was a great start. A final score of 38-24 doesn’t reflect how the Patriots-Bengals game played out. The Pats dominated from the opening snap in all three phases of the game.
8. Dallas Cowboys (0-1)
The Cowboys looked bad in a Week 1 loss to the Redskins. They need to beef up their offensive line and get more efficient in the red zone or they’ll fail to live up to the hype yet again.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
Found a way to get by the Falcons in OT without Ben Roethlisberger. They have the Titans and Buccaneers the next two weeks before facing the Ravens. Going 2-2 without Roethlisberger should be well in-reach.
10. New York Jets (0-1)
A loss to the Ravens in Week 1 after all that trash talk will put a lot of pressure on the Jets, whether they admit it or not. They still haven’t won anything yet they still haven’t stopped talking.
11. Houston Texans (1-0)
I know it was only Week 1, but their win over the Colts was huge. People forget this was a 9-7 team last year and Arian Foster looks as legit as they come. I almost ranked them even higher.
12. Atlanta Falcons (0-1)
Should have taken care of business against the Roethlisberger-less Steelers, even on the road. Ended up losing a tough one in OT but I don’t feel much differently about them after one game.
13. New York Giants (1-0)
Still not exactly sure what to make of them or their defense, but their offense looked good against the Panthers. Hakeem Nicks (3 TDs) looks like he could become a dangerous weapon for Eli Manning.
14. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)
Their passing game looked good at times and Ochocinco put up big numbers against the Patriots’ secondary, bur their defense looked over-matched Week 1. We thought their D was overrated to begin with.
15. Miami Dolphins (1-0)
We might be ranking them a little low, but their Week 1 performance against Buffalo was uninspiring. Chad Henne needs to get better so they don’t have to rely on their running back tandem.
16. Washington Redskins (1-0)
You might be inclined to rank them higher after beating Dallas, but the Cowboys beat themselves. Let’s just say Alex Barron is not the most popular man in Texas at the moment.
17. Tennessee Titans (1-0)
It was only the Raiders, but the Titans still stomped all over them. Chris Johnson looked as explosive as ever and Vince Young was extremely efficient in protecting the football.
18. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
The Chiefs secondary and defense led them to a win against one of the AFC’s best in the Chargers. They’ve drafted well and have plenty of play-makers. They could become a contender in the near future if their offense becomes more consistent.
19. Philadelphia Eagles (0-1)
No idea to what to make of this team with Vick at the helm. They made the Packers struggle and it’s unknown whether Kolb will have to miss significant time. Can the Michael Vick of old show up?
20. Arizona Cardinals (1-0)
Just barely got by the lowly Rams, but Week 1 is Week 1. For some reason I think Derek Anderson can string together some good games with Fitzgerald. We’ll see how much their defense hurts them.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0)
MJD will be MJD, but they need consistency from David Garrard. He looked good in the opener with 3 TD passes. They’ll go as far as their QB can take them
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22. Seattle Seahawks (1-0)
We know the Seahawks have a pretty good defense, but are they as good as they played Week 1 or were the 49ers asleep? Alex Smith was certainly sleeping like a baby the entire game.
23. San Francisco 49ers (0-1)
I’m not a believer in Alex Smith — at all. He proved me right against the Seahawks. His confidence has always seemed to be delicate and a Monday night showdown with the Saints next week may not help.
24. Denver Broncos (0-1)
Not sure what to make of Denver at this point. Eddie Royal had a big game and could emerge as the favorite target for Kyle Orton. Tim Tebow phase 1.0: two carries, two yards.
25. Detroit Lions (0-1)
The Lions lost and they should have won. It’s that simple. A good call on a bad rule prevented them from starting out on a high note with a road win in 2010.
26. Chicago Bears (1-0)
Mike Martz and Cutler don’t seem to be on the same page. The Bears should have lost to the Lions but got bailed out by a bad rule. Cutler needs to improve or the marriage will end terribly.
27. Oakland Raiders (0-1)
We want to assume Jason Campbell will lead to an improved Raiders squad. Their Week 1 blowout loss did nothing to support that theory, and Campbell was unimpressive in his debut.
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0)
The Bucs started off 2010 with a hard-earned victory. That victory just happened to be of the three-point variety over one of the NFL’s worst teams. Josh Freeman was poised in erasing an 11-point deficit.
29. Cleveland Browns (0-1)
Jake Delhomme could only muster up a passer rating of 59.2 against the lowly Bucs. If he continues to turn the ball over, the Browns will have a good shot at the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft.
30. Carolina Panthers (0-1)
It’s a little early to rag on them too hard because they played a good team in the Giants. But Matt Moore was absolutely horrendous, throwing 3 interceptions and finishing with a passer rating of 32.6.
31. Buffalo Bills (0-1)
They gave the Dolphins a scare, but I’m ranking them this low based on how horrendous C.J. Spiller was. The only potentially exciting player on the Bills roster managed 6 yards on seven carries. Trent Edwards was awful as expected.
32. St.Louis Rams (0-1)
The Rams are still bad. They threw the ball a ton, which could either be good or bad for Sam Bradford’s development. It was bad Week 1 as he threw three interceptions against a below-average Arizona secondary.
