Pre season team rankings.....

[buzzsaw]

Monday, September 5

Power Rankings: New England opens on top

ESPN.com's Power Rankings

This week's rankings were determined by a poll of ESPN.com's NFL staff -- writers John Clayton, Len Pasquarelli, Michael Smith, NFL Insider Jeremy Green, Scouts Inc., and ESPN.com NFL editors Peter Lawrence-Riddell and James C. Black.

The start of the 2005 season is just around the corner (Raiders at Patriots, Thursday, 9 p.m. ET, ABC) and it's time for our preseason Power Rankings. Who are the teams to beat heading into 2005?

There was actually very little change in the top 10 since our offseason rankings (middle of May). All 10 teams stayed the same, with the Colts and Eagles (No. 2 and No. 3), and Chargers and Ravens (No. 7 and No. 8) flipping spots.

Anyway, on to the rankings, which will certainly look a lot different a week from now with 16 games in the books and even more different after 17 weeks of football. To view our offseason rankings, click here.

2005 Power Rankings: Week 1

RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT

1 (1) Patriots 14-2-0 The Patriots are really going to miss Tedy Bruschi. He often is cited as the Pats' leader on defense, which is true. But what sometimes gets lost in that description is that he's also one of the best LBs in the NFL.

2 (3) Colts 12-4-0 It's unclear how quickly he'll be able to contribute, but Corey Simon could end up being a huge addition. As good as the Colts are on offense, they only need to get a little better on D to make a huge impact.

3 (2) Eagles 13-3-0 It's been a tumultuous offseason for the Eagles, but they still have to be considered the favorites in the NFC.

4 (4) Vikings 8-8-0 Daunte Culpepper is a stud, but it's still legitimate to wonder how big an impact Randy Moss' departure will have on him.

5 (5) Steelers 15-1-0 The Steelers and QB Ben Roethlisberger have struggled some on offense in the preseason. While it's just the preseason, some folks in Pittsburgh are starting to get a little edgy.

6 (6) Falcons 11-5-0 Opening against the Eagles on Monday night in prime time is great and all, but Falcons have lost 14 of their past 16 games on MNF.

7 (8) Chargers 12-4-0 The Chargers are a bit of a mystery, and most of it centers around Drew Brees. Is he the QB who threw 27 TDs and just seven INTs last season, or is he the guy the Chargers were ready to send packing before last year's campaign.

8 (7) Ravens 9-7-0 The Ravens have given Kyle Boller some weapons to work with (signing WR Derrick Mason, drafting WR Mark Clayton and naming Jim Fassel offensive coordinator). Now he needs to perform.

9 (9) Jets 10-6-0 The Jets need Chad Pennington at the top of his game if they're going to make a run at the Patriots this year.

10 (10) Panthers 7-9-0 The Panthers want to be a running team, but that doesn't mean you should overlook Jake Delhomme. Check out his numbers from last year: 3,886 yards and 29 TDs. That's pretty good.

11 (15) Broncos 10-6-0 Mike Shanahan doesn't care if fantasy owners don't know who is going to get the bulk of the yards rushing, He just cares if the Broncos are in the top 5 in rushing at the end of the season.

12 (21) Rams 8-8-0 Want a fantasy player to watch this year? Try Rams wide receiver Kevin Curtis. He had 25 catches in the second half last season and 11 more in two playoff games.

13 (11) Chiefs 7-9-0 Fantasy players who have Priest Holmes have to be getting a little nervous (even those who have Larry Johnson, too). Johnson won't get as many carries as Holmes, but it's pretty clear he is going to get some of them, even when Holmes is healthy.

14 (19) Bills 9-7-0 J.P. Losman has the talent, but there is going to be a lot of pressure on him to get the Bills off to a good start.

15 (13) Seahawks 9-7-0 Last year the Seahawks were the trendy pick to make a Super Bowl run. Maybe flying under the radar a little bit heading into this year will suit them better?

16 (14) Jaguars 9-7-0 The Jaguars need Reggie Williams to step up in his second season and be a legitimate No. 2 receiver.

17 (18) Packers 10-6-0 He might be getting a little gray around the temples, but you can pretty much pencil Brett Favre in for 30 TDs and 3,600 yards.

18 (16) Bengals 8-8-0 With Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson and Rudi Johnson, the Bengals should be a fun team to watch on offense. Now, if you could just say the same about the defense.

19 (12) Cowboys 6-10-0 The caveat (and isn't it true for everyone in the NFL?) is that he has to stay healthy, but Julius Jones sure looks like a fantasy stud in the making.

20 (20) Saints 8-8-0 It's hard to talk about football with the Saints. All we can really say is that our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the Gulf Coast, and please help them out in any way you can.

21 (22) Cardinals 6-10-0 The Cardinals are a popular pick to make a big jump forward. But that's not going to happen unless Kurt Warner is better than the guy we've seen over the past three seasons.

22 (24) Texans 7-9-0 Entering their fourth year, it's time for the Texans and David Carr to make a serious playoff run.

23 (23) Raiders 5-11-0 The defense needs to be better for the Raiders to be a playoff threat, but one things is certain -- the offense will be fun to watch. And isn't that's how it's supposed to be with the Raiders?

24 (17) Lions 6-10-0 Jeff Garcia's injury probably takes some pressure off Joey Harrington, but the fourth-year QB still has to perform.

25 (25) Giants 6-10-0 In Peyton Manning's second season, his QB rating jumped from 71.2 to 90.7. Can Eli make a similar improvement for the Giants? If so, they could make a surprise playoff run in the weak NFC.

26 (29) Redskins 6-10-0 The defense should be good again, but Joe Gibbs has to find a way to get more out of the offense, and that starts with the QB position.

27 (30) Titans 5-11-0 The schedule makers didn't do a young team any favors with a brutal opening stretch: at Pittsburgh, vs. Baltimore, at St. Louis, vs. Indy, at Houston.

28 (27) Buccaneers 5-11-0 Watch Cadillac Williams. The rookie is going to get the opportunity to do a lot of things in Jon Gruden's offense.

29 (26) Bears 5-11-0 This isn't necessarily a consensus opinion among our panel, but with a good defense and solid running game, the Bears might not be in as bad shape as people thought when Rex Grossman got hurt.

30 (28) Dolphins 4-12-0 So Gus Frerotte beat out A.J. Feeley. We're not exactly sure how Dolphins fans should feel about that.

31 (31) Browns 4-12-0 Romeo Crennel will make the Browns better. But the talent is just not there to expect much more than the four wins the Browns had in 2004.

32 (32) 49ers 2-14-0 Starting Tim Rattay is smart if Alex Smith isn't ready. But as soon as Smith is, it makes sense for the 49ers to get him on the field.

[SledNeck]

Bears 29th? That a little high considering they were horrid even before Train-Rex Grossman went out....what do these jokers know anyway?

[Down to Earth]

Obviously they haven't watched the Vikes during the preseason cause they haven't shown me anything of the #4 team in the NFL. I think that is high. I think you could put them somewhere a bit lower in the top 10.

And obviously they haven't been watching the Packers in preseason as well as #17 is a bit high for them as well. Probably should be somewhere in the lower to mid 20's. Can't wait until Thursday night. Let the season begin.

[Mudcutter]

Preseason rankings??? Who cares??? It comes down to execution in the clutch. Give me postseason rankings. Preseason rankings are like political speeches-- Hogwash!!!

Bottom line is that any team can beat anybody any day., Who can perform in the clutch and beat anybody any day more than anybody else????

I'd vote for New England. All the others are 2nd fiddle.

Muddy