|
CNN/SI Power Rankings |
|---|
| Rank | LW | Team |
|---|
| 1 | 2 |  |
Miami Dolphins 2-0
|
|---|
|
And I can't see Buffalo knocking them off this perch Monday
night,
either.
|
| 2 | 5 |  |
Tennessee Titans 3-0
|
|---|
|
O.K., you're not wild about Neil O'Donnell. I'm not,
either, but when you beat the No. 1 team, you move up. That's the way it
works.
|
| 3 | 1 |  |
Jacksonville Jaguars 2-1
|
|---|
|
Remember, one test of a good team is the ability to come back when it's simply not its day.
|
| 4 | 7 |  |
Green Bay Packers 2-1
|
|---|
|
I think the only argument I'll get here is leap-frogging them
over New England, but right now, I simply believe they're the better
team.
|
| 5 | 3 |  |
New England Patriots 3-0
|
|---|
|
They've fallen into the bad habit of relaxing for the
first half, then turning it on. It'll do 'em in one of these days, but Sunday
against Cleveland won't be one of
them.
|
| 6 | 8 |  |
Oakland Raiders 2-1
|
|---|
|
Now it gets dicey. Does Dallas, one of only five unbeatens,
deserve to move up so high after a bye? Or Minnesota, after the tough loss to
the Pack? Or Oakland, after a so-so win over Chicago? The needle points to
Oakland.
|
| 7 | 10 |  |
Dallas Cowboys 2-0
|
|---|
|
Deion's coming back. So is the other corner, Kevin Smith --
maybe. And that changes
things.
|
| 8 | 9 |  |
Minnesota Vikings 1-2
|
|---|
|
Where's the sign that says I have to move a team down when
it's played a quality opponent dead
even?
|
| 9 | 11 |  |
San Francisco 49ers 2-1
|
|---|
|
I like the way their defense dug in and stopped the
Cardinals thrust after Steve Young went down Monday night. Their home contest,
with Jeff Garcia quarterbacking, against Tennessee, will be the most interesting
-- and difficult -- game on the board to
handicap.
|
| 10 | 15 |  |
Seattle Seahawks 2-1
|
|---|
|
Man, did they have Kordell Stewart's number. Let's see how
they do against Oakland's Rich
Gannon.
|
| 11 | 12 |  |
Washington Redskins 2-1
|
|---|
|
They have seen the waterfront dives of Liverpool, now
they're about to enter the jasmine-scented gardens of Cathay. Another rags-to-riches story on the old rankings
chart.
|
| 12 | 14 |  |
Buffalo Bills 2-1
|
|---|
|
Can they topple mighty Miami? At home, maybe, but it's
asking a lot in a Monday-nighter on the
road.
|
| 13 | 13 |  |
Indianapolis Colts 2-1
|
|---|
|
I'd love to climb aboard the Peyton Manning bandwagon,
but why does he throw to covered receivers so
much?
|
| 14 | 17 |  |
Kansas City Chiefs 2-1
|
|---|
|
O.K., they beat Detroit and sent Cinderella home from
the ball, so I had to take notice, but let's see what they do on the
road.
|
| 15 | 6 |  |
Detroit Lions 2-1
|
|---|
|
Maybe they were playing over their heads. Maybe they just
had an off day. But I kind of feel that the middle of the pack is where they
really
belong.
|
| 16 | 18 |  |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-1
|
|---|
|
They win with muscle and seldom fool people. Their QB has
me biting my nails. They have the running game to scare Minnesota, which --
O.K., everybody, repeat after me -- will put eight in the box to stop the run
and let Trent Dilfer try to beat
them.
|
| 17 | 4 |  |
Pittsburgh Steelers 2-1
|
|---|
|
It's all unraveling up there at Three Rivers, and what
bothers me most is a unit that's always seemed sound -- the
O-line.
|
| 18 | 26 |  |
St. Louis Rams 2-0
|
|---|
|
No screams, please, shouts, barks or other unseemly noises.
It's a long season, and, don't you fret none, honey, if the Rams continue their
magic march to glory, these rankings will reflect
same.
|
| 19 | 16 |  |
Chicago Bears 1-2
|
|---|
|
I think the Saints are the kind of roughneck team that will
give them terrible problems Sunday, even at
home.
|
| 20 | 19 |  |
Denver Broncos
0-3
|
|---|
|
A head-scratcher for sure. What do you do with a team that
has just about the same people that won two Super Bowls? (With one notable
exception, of
course.)
|
| 21 | 22 |  |
New Orleans Saints 1-1
|
|---|
|
I have a feeling they'll come back energized and robust
from the bye
week.
|
| 22 | 20 |  |
Atlanta Falcons 0-3
|
|---|
|
Hey, wait a minute. The offense is the unit that's banged
up. So the defense gives the Rams 432 yards, and where do we go from
here?
|
| 23 | 21 |  |
San Diego Chargers 1-1
|
|---|
|
Indy's Marvin Harrison would like to put those Chargers
corners in a suitcase and carry them around from game to
game.
|
| 24 | 23 |  |
New York Giants 1-2
|
|---|
|
Just enough to make a game close for a while, but zip on
the
finish.
|
| 25 | 24 |  |
Arizona Cardinals 1-2
|
|---|
|
I'll believe in this team when it looks like Jake Plummer
and his coordinator are on the same
page.
|
| 26 | 25 |  |
New York Jets 0-3
|
|---|
|
They're like a dike that keeps springing leaks in different
places every game. Why do I like them against the Broncos -- in Denver -- this
weekend? I guess it's blind faith in Bill Parcells' ability to get all the leaks
plugged up, at least for one week. Plus, Rick Mirer looked pretty good last
outing.
|
| 27 | 27 |  |
Baltimore Ravens 1-2
|
|---|
|
It's ho-hum time when the dregs beat up on each
other.
|
| 28 | 28 |  |
Carolina Panthers 1-2
|
|---|
|
More dreg
warfare.
|
| 29 | 31 |  |
Cleveland Browns 0-3
|
|---|
|
I could be making a serious mistake, moving them out of
the cellar. But what the heck, poor devils. I want to give them something to
live
for.
|
| 30 | 29 |  |
Cincinnati Bengals 0-3
|
|---|
|
The Bengals gave Tennessee all it could handle, and I
don't forget things like
that.
|
| 31 | 30 |  |
Philadelphia Eagles 0-3
|
|---|
|
Now if they were meeting Cincy this weekend, we'd
settle this thing here and
now.
|
