This weeks power rankings!!!

1 – Green Bay Packers (3-0)
Packers continue to roll and their defense hasn’t even kicked into full gear, yet. Aaron Rogers and company continue to make teams pay with the big play, and running back Ryan Grant had a huge game against he Bears this week.

2 – Detroit Lions (3-0)
The Lions move up a spot as they overcame a 20-0 hole at halftime to the Vikings to win 26-23 in overtime. This was the first time the Lions had won in the Superdome since 1997. The Earhole Bowl II takes place this Sunday at high noon when Smitty’s Lions square off against my Cowboys in Texas. I’m going with ‘Boys because of home field advantage.

3 – Buffalo Bills (3-0) I did not respect the Bills last week and they took 16 points away from me in my confidence pool. I also ignored them in the power rankings, which was stupid on my part. They make a high debut at #3 this week. They seem to be able to hang with anyone, but I’d like to see some better defense. That seems to be a problem with a lot of teams right now, defense.

4 – New England Patriots (2-1)
I’ll tell you why the Patriots are 2-1 instead of 3-0 right now, no running game. Not that they don’t have a running game, but the pass happy Patriots seem non-committed to running the ball consistently. This is part of their offense and it’s sad because they can run the ball they just choose not to. I’m going to sound redundant, but they do have some defensive problems.

5 – New Orleans Saints (2-1)
It took 40 points, but the Saints beat the Texans so they’ll move up a spot this week. Again, the whole game is on the shoulders of the New Orleans offense as they have very little defense. What I did not take into account when I left the Saints out of the playoffs is that defense would be at a premium this season. They might just be able to outscore everyone.

6 – Houston Texans (2-1)
Wade Philips may be back where he should be, a defensive coordinator, but his defense was not very good against the Saints. Still the Texans are good club and should win their division easily. They drop a two spots this week.

7 – Dallas Cowboys (2-1)
The Cowboys make their debut at #7 on the power rankings this week after their second consecutive win lead by a flak jacket wearing Tony Romo throwing to mostly rookie receivers. Romo has elevated his level of play this season and Rob Ryan’s defense is making huge plays in the clutch. This is a winning formula that has a big test this week against the Lions.

8 – San Diego Chargers (2-1)
The Chargers struggled this week against a 0-3, Kansas City Chiefs team. Their offense seemed to be lacking a bit with Antonio Gates out of the line-up and never really seemed in sync. They are notoriously slow starters so I’ll hold them at #8 this week.

9 – Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)
The Steelers were able to overcome a lackluster performance and survive the Colts, 23-20.  Peyton Manning may be out, but the Colts still have a solid defense and should be able to move the ball with the talented support staff that Manning had at his disposal in years past. That’s why the Steelers hold their spot this week in the Top 10.

10 – Carolina Panthers (1-2)
A lot of the Panthers game was played in a monsoon, but they overcome it and won the game under adversity. This was the type of the game this team needed to see if they could handle not scoring at will. They handled it better as they won for the first time this season. The Panthers should move to 2-2 after they beat the Bears. I would just let Cam Newton take control of the game.

Who left the Top 10?

Atlanta Falcons (1-2)
Not sure what’s going on with this team, but they need to work on some things in order to get the team on track.

New York Jets (2-1)
I said it last week, I don’t think the Jets’ defense is very good this season, and Mark Sanchez does not look like he’s matured at all at the QB position.

PV’s NFL POWER Rankings

1 – Green Bay Packers (2-0)
Packers continue to roll and their defense hasn’t even kicked into full gear, yet. Aaron Rogers and company continues to make teams pay with the big play, and running back Jason Starks is making some noise. They look destined for another solid playoff run.

2 – New England Patriots (2-0)
Tom Brady is putting on a passing clinic and he shows no signs of slowing down. Brady’s near a thousand yards passing after the first two games, which is unheard of. The Patriots defense looks suspect, which could lead to some issues with some teams later in the season.

3 – Detroit Lions (2-0)
This team can score and they can score in a hurry. A Matthew Stafford led offense backed by a defense that should rank in the top 10 by the end of the season this year makes the Lions look like contenders. They face Minnesota this week, which should push them to 3-0. They travel to Dallas for week 4 which should be an intriguing match-up for the Theisman’s Earhole crew.

4 – Houston Texans (2-0)
A great offense backed by a solid defense (Wade Philips back at the roll he should be in, defensive coordinator) could have the Texans working on an undefeated season. They have all the tools in place to make a solid run, especially with the Colts out of the picture.

5 – Atlanta Falcons (1-1)
The Falcons bounced back this week offensively with a solid performance from QB, Matt Ryan, and another 100-yard rushing day for Michael Turner. The Atlanta defense has played inconsistently thus far which leaves them a little suspect.

6 – New Orleans Saints (1-1)
Speaking of suspect defenses, the Saints will not be able to make up for their defensive inconsistencies this season, so eventually expect them to fall out of the top 10. For now I will put them at six because field general, Drew Brees, has delivered the first two weeks of this young season.

7 – New York Jets (2-0)
I like the Jets, but they haven’t been that impressive so far. Mark Sanchez still looks iffy at QB, and their defense has not displayed #1 type play in the first two weeks. They involved Plaxico Burress late in the game in week one, but he did not have any catches in week two, and he should be their big play threat along with Santonio Holmes. It might be a little harder season for the Jets, than I originally expected.

8 – San Diego Chargers (1-1)
I can’t figure these guys out, part of it might be that Norv Turner is not a good head coach, because it seems like they should have won a Superbowl already. The Patriots managed to completely shutdown Antonio Gates and control their running game. The Chargers have been inconsistent on both sides of the ball in the first two weeks of the season.

9 – Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1)
I gave the Steelers the Ravens spot after the Ravens played this week as poorly as the Steelers did in week one. Meanwhile, the Steelers put everything together in week two to look like contenders again. Weapons galore on both sides of the ball make them the favorites to win the AFC North.

10 – Carolina Panthers (0-2)
I know this seem ludicrous, putting an 0-2 team in the top 10, but with a little defense this team can go on a major run. Cam Newton has been let loose and he has delivered two straight games of over 400 yards passing. The only QB who has more impressive numbers is Tom Brady, especially since Brady is avoiding interceptions. Again, a little defense and some production out of D’Angelo Williams and the Panthers could be playoff bound.