FanNation - The Republic of Sport

How much better is the AFC than the NFC right now? About as large as the gap between the NBA's Western Conference to the Atlantic 10. If they NFL took the six best teams, regardless of conference, for the playoffs at the end of each year, there's a good chance all six teams would come from the AFC. There's still 16 weeks to play this season, but if week 1 is any indication, it's going to be a long year in the NFC. On to the rankings...

1. Indianapolis Colts (1-0)
They don't get this spot just based on being the defending Super Bowl champs. They get it because of the way their offense, and more importantly, their defense, looked in their week 1 win over New Orleans
 
2. New England Patriots (1-0)
Brady to Welker, Brady to Moss, Brady to Stallworth. The new targets, particularly Moss, made their presence felt in the Meadowlands. I'd like to see the running game open up a bit more, and it should if the passing game continues to soar.
 
3. San Diego Chargers (1-0)
Tomlinson has one of his worst rushing days as a pro, but still finds ways to take over the game - what more can you say about him. The defense was stout, but they'll face much better offenses than the Bears. Rivers will have to improve, and he will.
 
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
Dominated the Browns from start to finish, but what can you really tell from a win against Cleveland? Roethlisberger was excellent and had at least four passes dropped. The defense blitzed until Dick LeBeau's heart was content and Willie Parker got 100 yards.
 
5. Carolina Panthers (1-0)
Jake Delhomme looked like the quarterback that led the Panthers to the Super Bowl four years ago on Sunday and Steve Smith ran wild in the Rams' secondary. The defense made Bulger work for everything. Foster and Williams ran well but need to hold onto the football.
 
6. Seattle Seahawks (1-0)
Typical Seahawks win - Alexander got 100 yards and Hasselbeck took care of the football. There's not really a lot of flash to this team but they have a solid defense and an effective running game. That may be enough to win the NFC.
 
7. Cincinnati Bengals (1-0)
On the plus side, they came out and beat Baltimore. On the downside, they were held to 55 yards rushing, and despite forcing a ridiculous six turnovers, needed a bogus pass interference call to walk away winners. An impressive effort by a very maligned defense puts them this high.
 
8. Baltimore Ravens (0-1)
Six turnovers? Steve McNair looked like Rex Grossman on Monday night, fumbling three times and throwing an interception. Ray Lewis may have a torn triceps muscle, Jonathan Ogden may be out for a while and McNair himself got hurt late. Willis McGahee looked good in his Ravens' debut.
 
9. Denver Broncos (1-0)
Despite dominating Buffalo yardage-wise, it took a frantic Jason Elam field goal at the horn to win in Buffalo. But a win's a win. Jay Cutler looked solid and threw for 300 yards, Travis Henry was very impressive, and the Broncos' defense held Lee Evans to two catches for just five yards.
 
10. New Orleans Saints (0-1)
The fact that the Saints' defense was torched by Peyton Manning wasn't all that disheartening - that could happen to anyone. But the offense looked awful, they seemed almost afraid to take shots downfield, and Reggie Bush looked like a timid rookie dancing around instead of running with authority.
 
11. Chicago Bears (0-1)
Really could have won that game in San Diego had a few things gone their way, but the fumbles hurt and the defense tired from spending too much time on the field. With Mike Brown and Dusty Dvoracek out for the season, the defense will have to look to its depth. But the offense, as usual, is the concern.
 
12. Dallas Cowboys (1-0)
Well, Tony Romo doesn't seem like he still has that fumbled snap hanging over his head, does he? Romo looked very sharp and T.O. was huge in the second half. The defense was absolutely terrible though, most notably Roy Williams and the secondary.
 
13. Tennessee Titans (1-0)
Vince Young really does just win football games. He was awful throwing the ball and had only 22 yards rushing on 11 carries. But Chris Brown and LenDale White had no problem running against the vaunted Jags' defense, while the Titans' D stuffed Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor.
 
14. Green Bay Packers (1-0)
Brett Favre wasn't very good and the running game wasn't good at all. But two big special teams plays got it done and the defense made a notably gimpy McNabb look far from his typical self. May have found themselves a kicker for the next decade or more with rookie Mason Crosby.
 
15. Minnesota Vikings (1-0)
The Vikings played things perfectly on Sunday against Atlanta. They put Tarvaris Jackson in a position where he didn't have to win the game, just make sure he didn't lose it. They got a big play from Adrian Peterson and the defense scored twice thanks to Joey Harrington's (and Michael Jenkins') charity.
 
16. Philadelphia Eagles (0-1)
They can't be that bad, right? The Eagles may have been a bit overrated coming into the season, but the NFC East should still be theirs for the taking considering Dallas' shortcomings. But if your special teams are that bad, you're not going to win anything. They need McNabb healthy.
 
17. Detroit Lions (1-0)
Calvin Johnson showed Sunday that he could make this offense infinitely more dangerous right away. The defense made things interesting by letting a 20-0 lead slip away, but they came through when it mattered. Tatum Bell ran well, and if Kitna could ever cut down the turnovers, they might really have something.
 
18. San Francisco 49ers (1-0)
It was as if the 49ers offense was on a Mormon mission for the first 55 minutes of their win against the Cardinals, but Alex Smith finally came through on that last drive. Frank Gore looked good, but they need more on offense than just him. The defense looked excellent and Patrick Willis is an instant difference-maker.
 
19. Houston Texans (1-0)
Matt Schaub had a nice debut stats-wise, but most importantly, he won. Mario Williams, as has been pointed out by everyone short of the Pope, has one more touchdown than Reggie Bush after week 1. They'll need to find a consistent running game, but Andre Johnson confirmed he can be a true No. 1 receiver.
 
20. Buffalo Bills (0-1)
This may not be a good team this year, but they will certainly make strides. The defense is young and lost its three best players, but they have some nice players including rookie Paul Posluszny. Their top pick, Marshawn Lynch, looked great in his debut, but they need more from J.P. Losman and the receiving corps.
 
21. St. Louis Rams (0-1)
Steven Jackson had a rough first week, losing two fumbles, which equaled his total last year. Marc Bulger threw 42 passes but for just 167 yards. The offense will definitely see better days. It's just a matter of whether they can shore up a defense that gave up nearly 400 yards to what had been a shaky Carolina offense.
 
22. Washington Redskins (1-0)
Jason Campbell wasn't great in his first start as the Redskins' unquestioned leader, but Clinton Portis looked very good. If he can stay healthy and Campbell progresses, they'll at least be an average offense. They need to involve Chris Cooley more. The defense was good, but let's see what happens against someone other than Miami.
 
23. New York Jets (0-1)
Ugh...not a whole lot of positives to take from that game, but I suppose you could say that for every team from here on out. At least they know they were beaten soundly in every aspect of the game by a great team. Both their offensive and defensive lines were dominated by New England. If that doesn't improve, there will be no repeat playoff appearance.
 
24. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)
That was a must-win game for the Jaguars, and they lost it. People expected stats like 282 yards rushing for one team and 72 for the other in this game, but just the opposite of the way it went down. David Garrard was all right, but this is a team built to win on the ground, and the defense was on the field too much to establish consistency.
 
25. Arizona Cardinals (0-1)
Speaking of must-wins, the Cardinals had to have that game considering how well their defense played. Then again, when it came down to having to get one more stop, they couldn't get off the field. Edgerrin James ran very well, but Matt Leinart looked shaky. The receivers were held in check by the San Francisco secondary.
 
26. Miami Dolphins (0-1)
It would have been awfully nice to walk out of D.C. with a road win in Cam Cameron's debut, but once they lost the OT coin toss, this one was over. Trent Green looked solid in his first game as a Dolphin, but the running game was nonexistent. It would help to find more ways to get Ted Ginn involved considering the high pick they spent on him.
 
27. Oakland Raiders (0-1)
The offense looked much better than last year, and that's really all that needs to be said so far about the Raiders. Yeah, the defense struggled, but Detroit's a difficult offense to face early and there will be better days ahead for the silver-and-black D. They'll need a big year from LaMont Jordan to keep the pressure off of whoever's under center.
 
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)
They hung in for three-plus quarters in Seattle, and that's really more than I expected. There's just not much to like here though, and if Cadillac Williams is out for any length of time, there's nothing to like. Jeff Garcia should be keeping the seat warm for somebody, but there's no good, young QB prospect on the roster (sorry, Bruce Gradkowsi).
 
29. New York Giants (0-1)
Eli Manning might have played his best game as a pro at Dallas the other night. But he separated his shoulder, Brandon Jacobs is hurt, and the Giants' secondary is still chasing the Cowboys' receivers. If this offense was completely healthy, this team might win six games, but in its current state, hello 3-13.
 
30. Atlanta Falcons (0-1)
If you take away the two pick-sixes that Joey Harrington threw (though one was not totally on him), this game could have gone either way. But if you have to use that rationalization (and here's guessing the Falcons will have to a few more times), you're just not a very good football team. And that's exactly what the Falcons are.
 
31. Kansas City Chiefs (0-1)
The Chiefs picked Damon Huard to lead the offense because they thought he gave them the best chance to win now. That may be true, but because of a lack of talent and experience across the board, Peyton Manning may not give them a chance to win now. Basically, expect Brodie Croyle to get the call sooner rather than later.
 
32. Cleveland Browns (0-1)
The first half of football the Browns played Sunday may be one of the worst halves I've ever watched. Any time you can commit four penalties on one play it's time to reassess things. Brady Quinn either must start this week or Romeo Crennel must wait until after the team's bye week to insert the rookie. But Crennel may not even have the power to make that decision by week 8...