NFL Week 2 Power Rankings

Five Quick Hits

* Three of the league's best coaches suffered losses in Week 1, and all of their teams bounced back on Sunday. I'm thinking of Bill Parcells (Cowboys), Brian Billick (Ravens), and John Fox (Panthers).

* "I don't understand why nobody in this country can pronounce my name. It's not that hard. Housh-mand-za-deh. Houshmandzadeh." Yeah, well at least your name isn't Michael Bolton.

* I have no idea -- none at all -- why Sean Salisbury still has a job.

* Over the last six months, no company's advertising has been more annoying than that beer company from Wisconsin. I won't promote their brand by mentioning its name, but let's just say I stick to Bud Light.

* The FOX pregame show is very good, but on Sunday, Terry Bradshaw said something totally untenable, calling Ken Stabler the only great left-handed QB. Maybe because Steve Young works for the competition.

There are times when it seems like the term "comedy of errors" must have been invented because of a football game. The term could be applied to Washington's seven-turnover debacle against the Giants, or it could refer to the end of the Browns game in Dallas, when the teams combined for four consecutive drives ending in interceptions. But most of all, it applies to Sunday night's Bengals/Dolphins matchup.

Both defenses played well, but they had a lot of help from the offenses. The only touchdowns came on an interception return and a pass tipped by a defender directly into the arms of a WR at the back of the end zone. The Dolphins rushed 20 times for 25 yards. Both teams punted 10 times. Eight drives lost yardage, including six in the second half.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Dolphin defense keyed on stopping the run, since forcing the Bengals to throw would stop the clock and perhaps lead to an interception, but it didn't work, because Cincinnati had no incentive to throw. As long as they didn't lose yardage, they knew Miami's offense couldn't drive down the field and score. All the Bengals had to do was run the clock and give their defense a rest.

Moving on to the power rankings, brackets indicate last week's rank.

1. Philadelphia Eagles [6] -- When he wears his new glasses, Andy Reid closely resembles Seattle coach Mike Holmgren. The Eagles have won their games by a combined 25 points, highest in the league, and the teams they have beaten are both 1-1. Philadelphia made it look effortless Monday night, on both sides of the ball. Halfway through the third quarter, it was apparent that the Eagles were in control of the game. The touchdown "caught" by Terrell Owens most certainly was not an actual reception, but Philly would have won without it. Darwin Walker is the underappreciated stud on the defense.

2. New England Patriots [2] -- Tom Brady had an ugly game, completing barely half of his passes and committing three turnovers. Corey Dillon rescued the offense, and the defense took care of the rest. Rodney Harrison and company held Emmitt Smith to 31 yards and a 2.4 average per carry. Arizona QB Josh McCown was sacked five times and intercepted twice. If the Pats can play that kind of defense every week, they'll be fine this season.

3. Seattle Seahawks [3] -- Clinton Portis, who plays for the team from the other Washington, ran for 148 yards against Tampa Bay in Week 1, so it's a bit alarming that Seattle's star RB, Shaun Alexander, only managed 45 yards and a 2.6 average against the Bucs on Sunday. A more convincing win probably would have vaulted Seattle into the top position in the Rankings. If Alexander is healthy for the rest of the season, Seattle should coast to a division title.

4. Indianapolis Colts [5] -- It's not surprising that the offense bounced back after a tough opener at New England, and Colts fans have to be pleased, especially with Edgerrin James playing like he did in 1999 and 2000. What's disappointing is that the Indianapolis defense had trouble stopping Chris Brown, and offense alone won't get you to the Super Bowl. They're allowing 5.8 yards per rush.

5. Denver Broncos [1] -- The Broncos looked like world-beaters in their opener. This week, that win over the sinking Chiefs looks much less impressive. The Broncos didn't score a touchdown and lost to a Jaguars team that barely won its opener against a mediocre Buffalo squad. The good news is that Denver had twice as many yards and first downs as Jacksonville; the defense held the Jags to seven points and a 10% third-down conversion rate. The bad news is that they still managed to lose. Denver should rebound next week when the Chargers travel to Mile High.

6. Tennessee Titans [4] -- Are the real Titans the ones who dominated Miami in Week 1, or the ones who lost at home to the Colts? My cop-out answer is that I think they're somewhere in between. If Nick Harper doesn't steal Derrick Mason's TD catch from out of his hands, Tennessee might have squeaked past the Colts. Brown's production in place of Eddie George is certainly encouraging, and the defense probably won't allow 31 points to teams who aren't Indianapolis. The consensus among people who actually saw the game (my evil CBS affiliate thought I might prefer Baltimore/Pittsburgh) is that the Colts were simply the better team.

7. Minnesota Vikings [7] -- Jim Johnson's defensive schemes kept the Vikings one-dimensional all night. They gave up on the run early in the game and Philadelphia's defense kept Daunte Culpepper on the move. Even though Culpepper usually avoided the sack, and scrambled several times for positive yardage, the pressure kept Minnesota's offense out of any kind of rhythm. Nate Burleson made some nice plays at wide receiver, and the defense has to play better.

8. New York Jets [10] -- Chad Pennington is 42-of-56 passing (75%) for 482 yards (8.6 yds/att) with 4 TDs and no interceptions. Curtis Martin has a league-high 315 rushing yards. It wouldn't be at all unreasonable to have the Jets higher than this. The teams they've beaten, Cincinnati and San Diego, have both won their other games. If New York can beat archrival Miami on the road next week -- which seems likely -- they could be undefeated going into a Week 7 matchup in New England that could determine the winner of the AFC East. The defense, though, allowed over 20 points to both Cincy and San Diego, which is cause for concern.

9. Green Bay Packers [8] -- When I break down upsets I didn't see, the first thing I do is check the team statistics. Did the favorite really get outplayed, or did they lose on freak plays, untimely turnovers, and bad luck? The statistics don't show Chicago outplaying Green Bay. The Packers won time of possession, had more first downs -- they converted fully half of their third downs -- and outgained the Bears by nearly 100 yards. Call it the Mike Brown factor. Green Bay had no turnovers in Week 1, and with Brett Favre and Ahman Green supplying the offense, that won't happen often. The Packers will be erratic all season; you'll probably see another game like their great opener at Carolina, but there will also be more head-scratchers like the loss against Chicago.

10. Carolina Panthers [11] -- DeShaun Foster can fill in for Stephen Davis and the Panthers won't miss a beat, but against better defenses than KC's, Carolina will really miss Steve Smith. On the other side of the ball, the Panthers contained Dick Vermeil's offense, which is encouraging after they struggled against Green Bay. Carolina has an important divisional matchup against 2-0 Atlanta next week.

11. Baltimore Ravens [13] -- Shutting down the Pittsburgh offense isn't a great challenge, but we'll get a real feel for Baltimore's defense when they face Kansas City in Week 4. Jamal Lewis continues to struggle, and unless Baltimore's offense improves radically -- and Todd Heap's injury is likely to have the opposite effect -- the Ravens will only win one of their next two games (at Cincinnati and at home against the Chiefs). The Cincy contest could be as ugly as the no-offense affair on Sunday night, while Kansas City's offense is explosive enough that they're bound to put up points, so Baltimore will be forced to actually produce some offense to win the game.

12. Detroit Lions [19] -- Rookie WR Roy Williams is paying early dividends, with a spectacular catch at Chicago last week and two TD receptions against Houston on Sunday. Special teams continues to be Detroit's meal ticket, though. Returner Eddie Drummond took a kickoff 99 yards for the Lions' third touchdown. Good teams find a way to win. The Lions aren't Super Bowl material, but they are playoff contenders, and right now they lead the NFC North.

13. Jacksonville Jaguars [23] -- Sometimes one big play is all it takes. Two weeks in a row, Jacksonville has been outplayed, and two weeks in a row, they've won anyway. It's reminiscent of the 2001 Bears and last year's Panthers, but I don't think the Jaguars will have any home games in January. Their schedule over the next month is brutal, and I don't think Jack Del Río's crew will be undefeated for long. Del Río doesn't seem to trust Byron Leftwich, and his team will need to average more than 10 points per game to compete with division foes Indianapolis and Tennessee.

14. Dallas Cowboys [16] -- At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the patron of interceptions smiled on this game. With 14:25 remaining, the Browns kicked off and a string of four consecutive drives with interceptions began. With 3:50 remaining, a drive finally ended with something other than an INT. Vinny Testaverde was picked off on three consecutive drives, including one that occurred in the third quarter and wasn't part of the other streak.

15. Atlanta Falcons [18] -- When NFL Primetime showed highlights of the Falcons/Rams game, I didn't see a single pass by Michael Vick. He's a terrific runner, and he clearly put St. Louis very off-balance, but if he takes off like that every game, he won't last the season. Vick is explosive, and he's a great talent, but I'd love to see him do more throwing the football. Oh, I know the stats show a pretty decent game throwing, too, but Atlanta should be using passes to setup Vick's occasional scrambling, rather than the other way around. You want your running back to rush for 100 yards in a game, not your QB. This is the lowest-ranked 2-0 team. I can't promise a big jump if the Falcons beat Arizona at home next week, but if they're 4-0 after they face Carolina in Week 4, they'll be top-10.

16. New Orleans Saints [20] -- Deuce McAllister left the game with an injury, and QB Aaron Brooks responded with one of the best performances of his career. McAllister's injury reportedly will keep him out of the lineup for at least a month, which puts a serious dent in the Saints' playoff hopes. For now, they rise four spots on the win, but if the offense drops off noticeably next week in St. Louis, the rankings will reflect that.

17. Cincinnati Bengals [17] -- Late in the game, Pat Summerall just about had a hernia because he got so excited about the prospect of an onside kick. Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire quite rightly told him that would be nuts. When the other team goes three-and-out every time, you kick it deep and wait for them to punt. Summerall isn't annoying in the same way other announcers are, but he struggles through sentences, gets names wrong (even the easy ones; did you catch "Lamar Brightful" and "Peter Warwick"?) -- and is just fundamentally a little out of it. Something I like about this crew as opposed to the MNF team is that they stayed focused on the game even when it was a little dull. Theismann and Maguire even seemed to feed on the futility and offensive misery.

18. St. Louis Rams [14] -- There are all sorts of things I could write about their loss to Atlanta, but what it comes down to is that Michael Vick ate the Rams' defense alive. It doesn't help that St. Louis couldn't get a running game going. They've got an interesting home matchup against New Orleans next week.

19. Kansas City Chiefs [9] -- Every year, at least one team inexplicably sinks far below expectations and previous achievement, and I think this year that team is the Kansas City Chiefs. Carolina's DeShaun Foster ran for even more yards against KC than Quentin Griffin did in Week 1, and the Chiefs lost by more points (11) at home against the Panthers than they did at Denver in their opener (10). Kansas City is still my highest-ranked 0-2 team, well ahead of the 49ers (24th).

20. Pittsburgh Steelers [12] -- Ben Roethlisberger is being thrown to the fire earlier than anyone expected, but having Hines Ward to throw to should ease his transition from Miami of Ohio to the NFL. The 30-13 final might lead you to think that Pittsburgh's defense played poorly, but the truth is that the majority of the burden falls on an offense that coughed the ball up three times and didn't move the ball much until the fourth quarter.

21. Washington Redskins [15] -- Mark Brunell's injury changes the way the offense works, but it also gives Washington a little more explosiveness with the ball. No matter how much Patrick Ramsey's inconsistency concerns him, Joe Gibbs is smart enough to know that he can't succeed -- especially against Bill Parcells -- with a one-dimensional, run-based attack. People remember Gibbs pounding teams with John Riggins in the playoffs, but they forget Charlie Brown, Art Monk, Gary Clark, and Ricky Sanders consistently putting up numbers under Gibbs. He succeeded with a balanced offense. Patrick Ramsey may not be able to channel Joe Theismann, but he should team with Laveranues Coles and Rod Gardner to create at least a fair approximation of Mark Rypien.

22. Oakland Raiders [22] -- The pass rush is there; the offensive rush isn't. Rich Gannon is used to that, and Norv Turner can make it work, but some degree of balance is necessary. The Raiders have no threat out of the backfield.

23. Chicago Bears [29] -- Ahman Green's goal-line fumble gave them a 14-point swing and an 11-point victory. Thomas Jones had a terrific game against a Green Bay defense that stifled the Panthers in Week 1, but Chicago will need to get something from the passing game to have a chance next week in Minnesota.

24. San Francisco 49ers [24] -- I wonder if the Niners are this year's version of the '01 Lions or '03 Jags, who lose most of their games, but by small margins. Teams like this fool some people into thinking they're not that bad because they're in every game, despite that they always lose. They fool other people into thinking they're truly awful, because they never win. Since San Francisco has moved up three places in the rankings since losing their first two games to open the season, I clearly fall into the first group.

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [21] -- The defense had an awfully nice game, shutting down Alexander and sacking Matt Hasselbeck four times. When you hold an opponent to 10 points, you expect to win the game. The problem is the offense. In two games against good-but-not-great defenses, the offense still hasn't managed a touchdown. Charlie Garner finally came alive this week, but they'll need some kind of passing game to be competitive.

26. Cleveland Browns [27] -- It's nice to see that Jim Nantz has replaced Greg Gumbel in the booth. Unfortunately, Gumbel still covers football for CBS -- again, I can't imagine why -- but at least he isn't working directly with Phil Simms. Gumbel and Simms clearly did not like each other, and there was much less tension with Nantz covering the game and Gumbel in the studio.

27. Buffalo Bills [25] -- Mike Mularkey's problem, obviously, is that he doesn't read my column. He should insert some special "throwing the ball away" drills for Drew Bledsoe, and "how to pass-block" drills for the offensive line.

28. Miami Dolphins [26] -- I think it was obvious to viewers on Sunday night that Dave Wannstedt was trying to kill his running back, Lamar Gordon. The third-year RB had 27 touches, and I think he got hit at full speed on every one. Randy McMichael had another terrific game. With 8:23 left in the first quarter, he saved an interception. Late in the first-half, he made a big first down and a block that saved a sack. McMichael had Miami's two longest plays from scrimmage (37 yards in the second quarter and 29 yards in the fourth) and made three of their five second-half first downs. Football is a team sport, and no one can win a game by himself, but McMichael gets an "A" for effort.

29. New York Giants [31] -- When you finish +6 in turnovers, you should win by three touchdowns, not six points. They have a lot of work to do, especially on offense.

30. San Diego Chargers [28] -- Doug Flutie has got to be the easiest guy in the league to root for. LaDainian Tomlinson is close behind.

31. Houston Texans [30] -- The offense continues to move the ball, but the defense is getting torn up. 0-2 is a very disappointing start for a team that had expected to show real improvement this season. A Week 3 matchup at Kansas City, against a team on the ropes, probably isn't the best way to bounce back.

32. Arizona Cardinals [32] -- I guess they've got a ball-hawking defense, as proven by consecutive games in which it snagged three turnovers. That's about the only good thing to say about the Cardinals, though.