High Five
Here are my top 5 teams in the league following the action in Week 1. These don’t necessarily represent my top picks to win the super bowl, but who I think leads the pack after each week.
Was there a more impressive team in week 1 than the Bills? The boys from Buffalo dismantled the Seahawks, my super bowl representative from the NFC, 34-10. The Bills were solid in all facets of the game, even getting a punt return for a TD from the special teams. The scary part is Marshawn Lynch only had 76 yards rushing. We should get a great indication of the true ability of this team this weekend, as they travel to Jacksonville.
Last year, the Giants lost Tiki Barber to retirement and went on to win the super bowl. This year, they’ve lost their starting defensive ends (one to retirement, one to injury). So, what will they do for an encore after last year’s championship run? Whatever it is, it started well with a dominating performance over the Redskins on opening night. My only concern is that I would have liked to see the offense finish them off in the first half, but it was only week 1.
The Saints have been much more efficient on offense in the past couple years than they were on Sunday, but when you get a season-opening win against your only legitimate competition within the division, you can’t complain. The loss of Colston will hurt, but that just means Bush and Shockey will finally have to live up to the expectations they had coming out of college. It was nice to see the Saints make a defensive stand near the end of the game.
Dallas beats out the Steelers because their impressive win came on the road. “America’s team” made the media’s AFC North darlings look like the Browns of old. Yes, the Browns were without Josh Cribbs, and Derek Anderson was just coming back from a concussion, but this was an embarrassing showing from a supposedly up-and-coming team. However, no matter what Dallas does this year, they will be judged by what they do in the playoffs.
The Steelers were the most impressive of the AFC contenders this week. Houston never had a chance as the Steelers won primarily with the running game. The offense was amazingly efficient, and the Steelers hardly employed Mendenhall or even a 3-WR set when the game was still “close.” Pittsburgh gets an angry Browns team next week, so the competition will be stiffer.
Just Missed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dive Five
Here are my 5 teams that took the biggest dives for the worse after Week 1.
It’s really no surprise that the Rams lost to the Eagles, especially on the road against a healthy Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook. The surprise was their anemic offense, which hasn’t looked that bad since the pre-Kurt Warner/Marshall Faulk days. Things don’t get any better with the Giants, Seattle, and Buffalo up next.
My NFC sleeper team forgot it was the start of the regular season until the second quarter last week at Atlanta. By the time they realized what was going on, their deficit was unsurmountable, while Matt Ryan and Michael Turner looked like pro-bowlers. Expect a much better performance against the Packers this week.
On the heels of the Lions is my AFC sleeper team. The Raiders were embarrassed by the rival Broncos Monday night, but a surprisingly disappointing defense is more to blame than an unknown offense. Oakland actually showed a strong running game that they had to abandon due to an early deficit. I think the offense will be fine, starting with an easier task against K.C. this weekend.
I don’t think this ranking will reflect the true team that we should see by the end of this season. Therefore, this position is attributable to rust, as Peyton Manning was seeing his first action of the year, while Harrison and Freeney were experiencing their first regular season action since before the playoffs. The Colts will rebound, although, if they couldn’t stop Matt Forte, how are they going to contain Adrian Peterson on Sunday?
Let’s face it – the Steelers should be mentioned with the AFC’s elite. However, Houston came out uninspired, and their supposedly vaunted front-7 was carved up by Willie Parker. Their offense also better get it together, because Baltimore, Tennessee, and Jacksonville, all arguably with top 5 defenses, are up next.
Just Missed: Seattle
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