Week #3 Power Rankings 1-16

In the Red Zone 

Slot 

Team 

Three easy steps/slides to get there

1 

(3-0)

1. With one last throw on his home debut, Brett Favre justified to everybody in Minnesota why he’s wearing a purple uniform; and that’s because he’s worth the drama.
   
2. The Vikings have the offense, the defense and the special teams to bail them out of any ballgame. It’s their game to lose.
   
3. PRAISING ZONE. It’s been said before: Special people make special plays on special days. This weekend, Greg Lewis was included in that sentence.
   

Move made:

(LW: 1)

2

(3-0)

1. Inspired by Mariano Rivera (or K-Rod for that matter), the Jets’ D closed out the game by making Kerry Collins miss on his last 13 throws.
   
2. Let’s give Mark Sanchez a break. The offensive star in New York’s victory was Jerricho Cotchery (8 rec. for 108 yds.)
   
3. PRAISING ZONE. There’s a reason why Rex Ryan pushed so hard to get Bart Scott to lead his defense; he wanted an extension of himself on the field.

Move made:

(LW: 2)

3

(3-0)

1. Is there anything Reggie Wayne can’t catch? Few have mastered the art of the off-balance sideline reception the way he has.
   
2. The Colts’ defense deserved a bone and the unit got one on Sunday Night. Tired of waiting and reacting, they switched to full-attack mode to make life miserable for Kurt Warner.
   
3. PRAISING ZONE. Quality of competition propels them into the top three. Big Brother (Peyton) still holds the upper hand.
   

   
    

Move made:

(LW: 5)

4

(3-0)

1. Brandon Jacobs (92 yds.) and Ahmad Bradshaw (104 yds.) ran the extra mile to prove New York’s running game is just fine.
   
2. The defense allowed 58 yards passing, 28 rushing and zero points. The odd number in the box score? Not a single sack registered.
   
3. PRAISING ZONE. The N.Y. Giants are flat-out ruthless. They have no regard for the word “new”. Last week they put their mark on a new stadium, and this week took care of a new coach.

Move made:

(LW: 4)

5

(3-0)

1. Pierre Thomas took the baton from Mike Bell, and without skipping a beat, ran to the finish line to the tune of 126 yards on 14 carries.
   
2. Trent Edwards was a non-factor thanks to yet another encouraging showing by the Saints’ revamped defense.
   
3. In a classic sign of a trap game, Drew Brees (16-of-20 for 172 yards) seemed to be saving his best for the Jets. The scary part: His team still won by 20.
   

Move made:

(LW: 6)

6

(3-0)

1. The Ravens, and Joe Flacco in particular, are thankful that Derrick Mason did not stand pat on his plan to retire.
   
2. The good teams keep the losing ones losing, and Baltimore did a terrific job of breaking Cleveland’s back from the get-go. All because…
   
3. Reportedly, head coach John Harbaugh convinced his players that the Browns could actually sneak up on them. And you wonder why he’s a good coach. He has a sense of humor.
   

Move made:

(LW: 7)

7

(2-1)

1. For a team that relies heavily on the running game to set up its passing attack, Sunday’s game at Foxboro proved to be a frustrating session (45 yds. on the ground).
   
2. Accordingly, the Falcons had the ball for 20:11. The only team capable of winning with that much time is Indy.
   
3. Bittersweet homecoming for Matt Ryan; he returned to the Boston area as one of the League’s top arms, but failed to deliver winning performance.
   

Move made:

(LW: 3)

8

(3-0)

1. Correll Buckhalter (271 total yards) and Knowshon Moreno (206 total yards) have combined to put Denver in sole possession –rightfully– of their division.
   
2. There are players that fill stats and there are players that change cultures. Safety Brian Dawkins was a marvelous acquisition
   for the Broncos.
   
3. Raise your hand if you thought that Denver would be undefeated at this point. If you did, you’re lying.
   

Move made:

(LW: 10)

Inside Enemy Territory

Slot 

Team 

Three easy steps/slides to get there

9

(2-1)

1. Vernon Davis is officially out of Mike Singletary’s dog house. An all-around break through performance is all it took.
   
2. With Frank Gore out of the game, the doctor’s prescription to survive the Minnesota cold was some hot Coffee, and not a cold one (as in Glenn’s 25 carries for 54 yds.).
   
3. The Niners danced toe-to-toe with the Vikings and showed enough grit to hang on to their well-earned spot. You can bet this loss will drive them for the rest of the year.
   

Move made:

(LW: 9)

10

(2-1)

1. The Chargers beat Miami in the regular season for the first time since 1993. For the young fans, that’s when their current uniforms were called “throwbacks”.
   
2. This is the year Vincent Jackson jumps from fantasy standout to the Pro Bowl. His knack for big plays is growing by the week.
   
3. Shawne Merriman better get his act together; or else, the “Lights Out” celebration is going to be performed by San Diego’s general manager A.J. Smith.
   

Move made:

(LW: 11)

11

(2-1)

1. Jay Cutler built on last week’s comeback win to give Chicago a win in Seattle for the first time since 1976.
   
2. I believe the Bears should not mess with Devin Hester’s
   status as the best return man in the League by trying to make him a go-to receiver. Clutch plays like a game-winning touchdown reminds me to stay quiet.
   
3. One gets the impression that whoever mans the middle linebacker position for the Bears, instantly turns into a playmaker.
   

Move made:

(LW: 12)

12

(2-1)

1. The Bengals beat the Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium for the first time since 2001. The head coach back then? Dick LeBeau.
   
2. The gameball goes to Brian Leonard. His last-minute 11-yard catch on fourth-and-10 was the kind of play that makes believers out of your teammates.
   
3. Cincinnati lost the game it had on the bag (Denver), and won those where they were bagged for the most part (Green Bay and Pittsburgh). Really…Who Dey?
   

Move made:

(LW: 16)

13

(2-1)

1. Labeled as injury-prone, Fred Taylor has been amazingly productive. His first 100-yard game in exactly a year (105 yards and a TD) pushed his career total to 11,447 yds.
   
2. Bill Belichick’s game plans are rather basic. Just two verbs: Identify (Michael Turner and Tony Gonzalez) and Stop (56 yds. for Turner, 1 grab for Gonzalez). Simple as that.
   
3. To me, Randy Moss looked more alive against Atlanta than in the last 5 years combined.
   

Move made:

(LW: 17)

14

(2-1)

1. The team missed Marion Barber, but Felix Jones (8 car. for 94 yds.) and Tashard Choice (18 car. for 82 yds.) more than made up for his absence.
   
2. Tony Romo wasn’t good; but he wasn’t bad either. Let’s just say he managed the game.
   
3. A lethargic defense woke up on time (3 sacks, 3 takeaways) to preserve Dallas’ first win at The House Jerry Built.
   

   
    

Move made:

(LW: 14)

15

(1-2)

1. Back-to-back losses in which they blew a 4th-quarter lead, with a chance to put the game on ice each time, have caused the Men of Steel to lose the mastery of their domain, a.k.a. the AFC North.
   
2. While we’re there… Limas Sweed: No soup for you!
   
3. Mike Tomlin has to be kicking himself. The Steelers should be 3-0, but in what must be a long flight back to Pittsburgh, he stares at a 1-2 record.
   

    

    

Move made:

(LW:

16

(1-2)

1. Arizona would have loved to engage Indianapolis in a shootout; but the lack of running offense on their part (24 yards) made this an uneven battle.
   
2. And evidently, they were using their few bullets to shoot themselves in the foot. Two costly turnovers deep in Colts’ territory gave Peyton Manning valuable breathing room.
   
3. Highlight of the weekend: the bird that stood alone in the back of the end zone. And just like Larry Fitzgerald, it couldn’t score.
   

Move made:

(LW: 13)