FanNation - The Republic of Sport

September has to be greatest month of the year! It marks the beginnings of the college and professional football seasons. And with that come the fantasy football leagues and the power rankings. The opening weekend welcomed back Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers. Several coaches also had their regular season debuts. There were a few thrillers, including a lucky game winner in Cincinnati, and several blowouts. Then there is the one constant; the Lions lose another game. Now on with the ranks!

High Riser: New York Jets (8 spots)

Lower Faller: Carolina Panthers (14 spots)

1. Pittsburgh Steelers- (rank last week (1): defeated Titans, 13-10 OT)

The Steelers' defense looked as dominate as ever, especially safety Troy Polamalu before he was sideline with an injury. The Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes connection will be something to continue watching.

2. New England Patriots- (rank last week (2): defeated Bills, 25-24)

Tom Brady looked average at best for the better part of the game, but shined when the game was on the line. It is scary when a quarterback is rusty from not playing a live regular season game in nearly a year, and still throws for 378 yards. 

3. Philadelphia Eagles- (rank last week (3): defeated Panthers, 38-10)

The Eagles dominated a respectable team without a lot of help from McNabb. On the other hand, they DID receive a lot of help from Jake Delhomme.

4. Indianapolis Colts- (rank last week (5): defeated Jaguars, 14-12)

In a game that came down to fourth quarter stops, the Colts' defense delivered. Now about that #2 receiving spot...

5. Atlanta Falcons- (rank last week (7): defeated Dolphins, 19-7)

Matt Ryan quickly discovered new tight end Tony Gonzalez, and the defense shut out the Dolphins until the game was already decided.

6. New Orleans Saints- (rank last week (8): defeated Lions, 45-27)

Drew Brees had a career game in the Saints' home opener, but that defense is still a concern.

7. New York Giants- (rank last week (11): defeated Redskins, 23-17)

Apparently it does not matter who the defensive coordinator is when there is this much talent in the front seven. They still do not have a #1 receiver, but the group of pass-catchers they do have could work out for them.

8. Dallas Cowboys- (rank last week (13): defeated Bucs, 34-21)

Good warm-up game heading into next Sunday's primetime match-up against the Giants.

9. San Diego Chargers- (rank last week (10): defeated Raiders, 24-20)

Phillip Rivers calmly led the offense down the field in the hostile ???Black Hole' in the final minute. What a way to end the first weekend of the regular season (unless you are a Raiders' fan, of course)!

10. Green Bay Packers- (rank last week (17): defeated Bears, 21-15)

And to think I believed the hype about how ???difficult' the switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 base defense would be for them. They look like they have been running the system for years, especially against the run.

11. Minnesota Vikings- (rank last week (15): defeated Browns, 34-20)

As long as Adrian Peterson runs for 180 yards and 3 touchdowns, does it REALLY matter who's at quarterback???

12. Baltimore Ravens- (rank last week (16): defeated Chiefs, 38-24)

For a team that led the league in rushing attempts in 2008, Joe Flacco attempting 43 passes Sunday was certainly unexpected. It'll be interesting if they'll use a similar game plan against the Chargers.

13. San Francisco 49ers- (rank last week (20): defeated Cardinals, 20-16)

I was able to watch most of the fourth quarter (due to bonus coverage), and the eventual game-winner drive by Shaun Hill against the defending NFC Champions was impressive. Their next game against the Seahawks will be most interesting.

14. Arizona Cardinals- (rank last week (4): lost to 49ers, 16-20)

Dropping them 10 spots may be harsh, but losing the opening divisional game at home with an uninspiring offensive effort after winning the conference the previous year does not sit well with me.

15. Chicago Bears- (rank last week (9): lost to Packers, 15-21)

Well, Cutler DID throw 18 interceptions last season with the likes of Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal as his main receivers, so maybe his Sunday night's performance should not be a total surprise.

16. Seattle Seahawks- (rank last week (23): defeated Rams, 28-0)

It is always good for team morale to open the season with a shut-out victory.

17. New York Jets- (rank last week (25): defeated Texans, 24-7)

Rookie Mark Sanchez had a pretty good opening game, beating what I thought was the Colts' main divisional challenge this season. Now we will see what they can do against the Patriots.

18. Miami Dolphins- (rank last week (14): lost to Falcons, 7-19)

They really need to do something with that offense. No further comment.

19. Tennessee Titans- (rank last week (19): lost to Steelers, 10-13 OT)

To those that felt I had the Titans too low, now they are where they should be. They did give the Steelers a good game, though...

20. Carolina Panthers- (rank last week (6): lost to Eagles, 10-38)

... unlike THIS team, who I severely over-rated. I'm not sure what John Fox still sees in his turnover machine, but at this rate their new coach will have his pick from some pretty good college quarterback prospects.

21. Houston Texans- (rank last week (12): lost to Jets, 7-24)

They rushed for 38 yards. Their lone touchdown came on defense (which they almost screwed up). Not a good way to start what is probably a make or break year.

22. Washington Redskins- (rank last week (21): lost to Giants, 17-23)

Clinton Portis started out hot, and then faded away. The defense did a decent job against Brandon Jacobs, but struggled against the Giants' other offensive options.

23. Denver Broncos- (rank last week (27): defeated Bengals, 12-7)

You have no idea how much it pains me to put the Broncos this high after their lucky win. Yeah, I said it; you may call it a ???heads up play', I call it pure LUCK.

24. Cincinnati Bengals- (rank last week (18): lost to Broncos, 7-12)

Of course, that is what the ???Bongels' deserve after some of the most boring football seen in Cincinnati since, well, probably last season. Oh well.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars- (rank last week (24): lost to Colts, 12-14)

They put up a good fight on the road against a superior opponent. That's all you can ask...

26. Buffalo Bills- (rank last week (26): lost to Patriots, 24-25)

...so did this team, for the first three quarters anyways.

27. Oakland Raiders- (rank last week (22): lost to Chargers, 20-24)

Looks like possibly another long season for the Raider Nation.

28. Kansas City Chiefs- (rank last week (28): lost to Ravens, 24-38)

When you lose through the air against the Ravens, you know your defense has problems.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- (rank last week (29): lost to Cowboys, 21-34)

Despite losing, the offense looked promising; especially the two-headed running game led by possible comeback player of the year Cadillac Williams.

30. Cleveland Browns- (rank last week (31): lost to Vikings, 20-34)

Brady Quinn had an interesting opening game, while the defense (like so many others) had no answer for Adrian Peterson.

31. Detroit Lions- (rank last week (32): lost to Saints, 27-45)

I decided to grant the Lions a temporary rest from the bottom slot because unlike the new occupant, the Rams, at least they can put up points.

32. St. Louis Rams- (rank last week (30): lost to Seahawks, 0-28)

See above: 

Five Notes From Week One:

1. It will be interesting to see how the Eagles will address the Donavan McNabb injury. Rumor is that they will sign Jeff Garcia, which is the obvious smart move since he has played with them before. Vick will not be eligible to play until week 3. Interesting problem to have.

2. Congratulations go out to the most under-rated franchise quarterback in the league, Drew Brees, who threw a career high six touchdown passes against the Lions. If the defense can play even average, the Saints will be a dangerous team.

3. During Week One, there was no sophomore slumps among last years' two rookie star quarterbacks. Both quarterbacks played well in their wins, with Joe Flacco arguably having the better statistical performance.

4. The 49ers took an important step forward in trying to prove that they are for real, with their 20-16 defeat of last year's divisional champion Cardinals. Their next challenge will be against the resurgent Seahawks.

5. The Bills could have made a similar statement in New England but once again, much like last season, they found a way to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. And with it the countdown to Dick Jauron's coaching demise begins...