NFL Week 3 Power Rankings

Five Quick Hits

* Indy's defensive backfield is a mess. The Colts remind me of the 2000 Rams.

* Ricky Williams is more recognizable, but it seems safe to say at this point that Norv Turner did a lot for Miami's offense. They miss him.

* I frequently praise Joe Theismann for his insightful commentary, and last week I said Pat Summerall had lost it. That remains true, but it's only fair to concede that Theismann was pretty bad on Sunday night, and Summerall made a couple funny jokes.

* Everyone is talking about Jacksonville's defense, but the Seahawks have allowed less than half as many points.

* FOX consistently offers terrible camera angles on purpose, particularly on special teams. No one likes that. Just show us an angle so we can see the play.

The Battle of the Terrible Defenses produced 76 points, 787 passing yards, nine passing TDs, three receivers over 100 yards, two receivers with more than 10 catches, and a long day for kick return teams. Sunday afternoon's Colts/Packers game was hyped as Brett Favre vs. Peyton Manning, and neither man disappointed, but it was also a matchup between two defensive backfields having major injury problems. In Indy's case, the DBs weren't all that great to begin with.

I don't want to take anything away from either offense, or from the QBs who were so effective in a big game. FOX had been licking its chops over this one since the schedules came out, and it might have been the most exciting game of the weekend. It was also frustrating to watch, though. Favre, clearly at the top of his game -- which isn't always the case any more -- picked apart the young Indianapolis secondary. No one could cover Javon Walker adequately, and Favre didn't even really get tested in the way that produces truly legendary games.

Manning looked the way he did in the first two rounds of the playoffs last year: unstoppable. Green Bay's defense simply had no answer for him. His receivers kept getting open, and Manning hit them in stride every time. Give credit to Favre, Manning, Walker, Reggie Wayne (Walker and Wayne combined for 22 receptions, 384 yards, and 4 touchdowns), and the offensive lines. But keep an eye on both teams' injury-riddled secondaries. That's the sort of thing that can cost you down the line.

On to this week's power rankings. As always, brackets indicate last week's rank.

1. Philadelphia Eagles [1] -- Most power rankings operate like the college football polls, so teams can't move down unless they actually lose. Since almost everyone had the Patriots No. 1 in the preseason, that means almost no one has Philadelphia first right now, and that's why you can't use a formula for power rankings. No excuses: just say who you really think is the best, without explaining why you had to rank another team higher. The Eagles dominated Detroit offensively and defensively, and Donovan McNabb looks sharper -- way sharper -- than he ever has before. It would be nice to see a little more balance on offense, but the Eagles are the best team in the NFL.

2. Seattle Seahawks [3] -- A monster game against San Francisco, in the 'Hawks' home opener, moves them past New England. Seattle also traveled to the Superdome in Week 1 and dealt New Orleans its only loss. Shaun Alexander seems to be in full health again, and the defense has allowed a total of 13 points this season, lowest in the NFL -- including teams who have already had their byes. For those of you keeping track at home, that's 7, 6, and 0 in the first three weeks of the season.

3. New England Patriots [2] -- Undefeated defending Super Bowl champions deserve some respect, and it was a tough call dropping them behind Seattle during a bye week. The Pats probably are more consistent than the Seahawks, but they don't drop many 34-0 bombs on their opponents. Furthermore, New England's defense looked disappointingly vulnerable in its opener, and the team was sluggish in Arizona last week. They'll have a chance to prove themselves when they face Seattle at home in Week 6.

4. Indianapolis Colts [4] -- Peyton Manning and his teammates went up against an injury-decimated defense on Sunday, but the offensive clinic that resulted merits major recognition. Watching Manning operate at the top of his game is a rare privilege. The only QB I remember awing me the way Manning does is Dan Marino, and maybe Brett Favre at the very height of his career. In the past, I've gone on at great length about Manning's fundamentals, but what he displayed on Sunday afternoon was perfect ball placement and unimpeachable football smarts. No one runs an offense the way he does. I know Manning has his detractors, but if you can't appreciate him, you're missing the best player of this generation.

5. Denver Broncos [5] -- Any time a team can win with only 33 rushing yards, it must be doing something else right. Jake Plummer had an awfully good game, and the defense contained LaDainian Tomlinson impressively. Rod Smith and Ashley Lelie aren't the awesome receiving duo Smith and Ed McCaffrey were in the late 1990s, but they're a pretty solid pair. Quentin Griffin has struggled in two consecutive games, and Denver won't be able to beat good teams if he can't produce.

6. Minnesota Vikings [7] -- Now tied for first place in the NFC North, the Vikings have to like their chances of passing Detroit for sole possession of the division title before the season is over. Minnesota's offense clearly is something to be reckoned with, but the defense will need to improve radically if the Vikings are going to challenge Philly and Seattle in January. A more consistent running game would help, too. I know Onterrio Smith had a good game against Chicago, but he only carried 17 times, and no other Viking RBs touched the ball. Minnesota was up 17-6 at the end of three, but the Bears came back and made a game of it. There's no substitute for controlling the game on the ground.

7. Baltimore Ravens [11] -- When Jamal Lewis is able to run like he did against the Bengals, this team can play with anyone. Of course, it helps when the defense piles up three INTs and a fumble recovery. I'd feel more comfortable, though, if Mike Nolan's unit would produce more three-and-outs. Turnovers are great, but if your opponent can't gain yards in the first place, you'll never have to worry. The other team can't win if it doesn't score.

8. New York Jets [8] -- Return from the bye week with a road game in Miami. The Dolphins seem pretty demoralized, but sometimes amazing things can happen when a team is on the ropes. The Jets can't afford to overlook a fierce rival trying to salvage the season, or at least some dignity.

9. Carolina Panthers [10] -- As expected, the NFC South appears to be shaping up as a very competitive division in 2004. Carolina faces an important test against 3-0 Atlanta next week. It's also worth pointing out, as I do every year at this time, that it's too early for byes. Push 'em all back a week.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars [13] -- We all know the Teal Curtain can carry its weight, but I'd like to see some actual offense -- especially from Byron Leftwich -- before I elevate them into the ranks of the elite. Their 15 points against Tennessee was a season-high, worst in the league for teams that aren't Arizona, Miami, or Buffalo. The Bills aren't even a fair comparison, because they've only played two games. I'll probably acknowledge the Jags as a top-five team if they beat Indianapolis next week, but I don't think it's going to happen. Jacksonville's opponents have combined for 28 points so far this year, and I think the Colts will be right around there by themselves. Leftwich and Fred Taylor will need to take advantage of the visitors' soft defense and outshoot them. Even the Patriots will step up and play serious offense when they get a gift like Tony Dungy's Indianapolis D.

11. Green Bay Packers [9] -- Defenses should play Brett Favre the same way they play Manning. Very carefully. But Favre and Manning are both prone to mistakes when they get behind and have a few bad series in a row. They get a little desperate and try to win the game by themselves. Both QBs are so enormously talented that they get frustrated by a lack of production, which would seem very normal to, say, Tommy Maddox or Kerry Collins. That frustration leads directly to turnovers. Neither quarterback panicked in Sunday's shootout, but that's the blueprint. Mike Tice, Steve Mariucci, and Jack Del Río -- take note.

12. Tennessee Titans [6] -- Backup QB Billy Volek played well last season, but this isn't the same team without Steve McNair. Chris Brown has stepped up to carry the offense while McNair has struggled this season, and he figures to do the same thing in San Diego if McNair can't play next week, but it feels like the Titans are waiting for something. I think that something is the old McNair. One big game from him could put this team back on track. Playing through an injury might do the trick. Jeff Fisher had better hope it does, because right now, Tennessee is reeling.

13. Dallas Cowboys [14] -- There's nothing uglier than a game decided by the officials. From the first score of the game to the last play, every big call went in the Cowboys' direction. Washington had 50% more first downs, 100 more yards, and won time of possession by more than 10 minutes. Dallas took advantage of Joe Bugel's weak offensive line and sacked Mark Brunell five times. The Cowboys are going to have a tough time protecting leads this year, because they don't have any running game. They're also vulnerable to opponents with more than one good wideout. Washington WR Laveranues Coles was kept under wraps on Monday night -- he's off to an awful start this season -- but Rod Gardner torched the Dallas defense to the tune of 10 catches, 167 yards, and 2 TDs. Good, but not great, is the story for Bill Parcells again this year. His team might sneak into the postseason in the weak NFC, but they're not contenders for anything meaningful.

14. Atlanta Falcons [15] -- Michael Vick got sacked four times and had three turnovers. He averaged more yards per rush than per pass. TE Alge Crumpler led the Falcons with 34 receiving yards. The defense did its job against Arizona, but everyone does; it's no cause for celebration. Atlanta is 3-0, but ranked behind the 1-2 Packers and Titans, and I expect that to be justified by the results of Week 4's games.

15. New Orleans Saints [16] -- Aaron Brooks and Joe Horn had predictably good games, while Aaron Stecker was effective filling in for injured RB Deuce McAllister, but the real stars weren't on offense. DE Charles Grant had three sacks and the defense limited Marshall Faulk to 44 rushing yards. More impressive than the defense or the offense, though, was kicker John Carney, who made five field goals in six tries, including a 52-yarder, a 53-yard shot, a game-tying kick at the end of regulation, and the winning field goal in overtime. Clutch.

16. Detroit Lions [12] -- If they hadn't gotten so far behind early in the game, I think Detroit might have stuck with the Eagles well into the second half. Which, I guess, is like saying that if the Germans hadn't taken Paris, France could have held out for most of World War II. Steve Mariucci has the makings of a very good passing offense, and with a healthy defensive backfield and a consistent running game, the Lions could play with just about anyone.

17. Cincinnati Bengals [17] -- Rudi Johnson's success running against the stout Baltimore defense is encouraging. So is T.J. Houshmandzadeh's production in place of the injured Peter Warrick. It appears that last week's no-offense affair against Miami was a fluke on both sides of the ball. Cincy's offense, despite the turnovers, is for real, and capable of putting together big plays. The defense, though, has allowed the two highest rushing totals of the 2004 season (196 to Curtis Martin in Week 1 and 186 to Lewis on Sunday). Playoff teams don't do that.

18. Pittsburgh Steelers [20] -- Turns out torrential rain is Bill Cowher weather. Pittsburgh has a long-standing reputation as a blue-collar town, and the team has always shared and embraced that image. Cowher must have been enormously satisfied with the nature of his team's victory in the remnants of Hurricane Jeanne. Duce Staley ran for 101 yards in 22 attempts. Verron Haynes, "the best mudder," added 34 on seven carries. The Dolphins had no such success, managing just 52 yards on the ground and less than two yards per carry. The weather kept scoring at a premium, but Pittsburgh dominated the game and rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger won his first game as a starter in the NFL.

19. Oakland Raiders [22] -- Late scores made their 30-20 victory over Tampa Bay look closer than it really was. With all the player movement between those two teams, we can't really call it the Gruden Bowl any more. Fine, I know everyone called it the Chucky Bowl, but there's too much Gruden hype as it is, and I prefer to stick to his real name. Between Gruden, Tim Brown, Charlie Garner, Warren Sapp, et al., it's easy to lose sight of Oakland's new head coach, Norv Turner. His team is 2-1 and could conceivably compete for a playoff spot this year. Give the man some credit.

20. Washington Redskins [21] -- I've always liked Mark Brunell, but his best days are clearly behind him now. He's got more mobility left than people give him credit for, but he seems reluctant to run. I know he's injured right now, but there's always the slide. That first scramble for positive yardage makes a defense take notice, and Washington had so much success with that playaction bootleg, Brunell could have had the Cowboys going nuts trying to figure out who to defend. More importantly, though, his throws aren't coming in on time. On Sunday we saw Peyton Manning hit his receivers in stride time after time, and they made it to the end zone five times. Brunell's a smart guy, and he can find the open man, but he can't get it there with the kind of timing Manning and Favre have, and the Washington receivers have almost no opportunity for yards after the catch. That's a killer. I think it's clear to everyone at this point that Joe Gibbs has no faith in Patrick Ramsey.

21. Chicago Bears [23] -- RB Thomas Jones and his Minnesota counterpart, Onterrio Smith, were the showcase of Chicago's Week 3 matchup, their third division game in a row to open the 2004 season. Jones had his second 100-yard rushing game in a row, totaling 181 yards from scrimmage and scoring a touchdown. Smith led all players with 198 scrimmage yards. The two RBs were fairly equal, but the Bears got Randy Moss riled up, and that's never a good idea. The Bears aren't a playoff team, but they're not trash, either. A brutal opening schedule concludes with next week's game against Philadelphia, and then Chicago has a nice run of winnable games.

22. New York Giants [29] -- This may seem low for a 2-1 team, but please save any complaints until after they play at Lambeau Field next week. I will concede that the defense is playing well, and of course, Tiki Barber remains one of the game's most dynamic running-receiving threats.

23. St. Louis Rams [18] -- There's no such thing as a good loss, and the Rams have dropped two in a row. Faulk is struggling, the defense is having trouble, the home winning streak is over, and they haven't beaten a team other than the Cardinals, who -- if you don't mind a spoiler -- are still last in the rankings. Not exactly a glowing recommendation for this year's Rams.

24. Buffalo Bills [27] -- I dislike raising teams three spots after a bye, but the Bucs, Chiefs, and 49ers left me with no choice. Have I mentioned that it's too early for byes? Maybe the offensive line learned to pass-block during their extra practice time. That would be worth three places right there.

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [25] -- The Oakland game seemed to turn when Garner left. He wasn't doing much on the ground, but he gave the Bucs a dynamic running threat that the Oakland defense had to respect. His 31-yard jaunt on a screen pass was the only big play Tampa managed in the first half, and without Garner, Gruden and Brad Johnson simply didn't have anything to work with.

26. Houston Texans [31] -- I didn't see this game, and honestly, I'm not sure how the Texans won. They didn't lead for the first 57:44, but pulled it out at the end. I actually haven't seen Houston yet this season, but I have seen -- ugh -- the Giants, Bengals, and Buccaneers twice each. My impression of Houston is of a young but capable offense and a defense that still leaves a lot to be desired. Sunday's victory is something to build on.

27. Cleveland Browns [26] -- Jeff Garcia isn't off to the best start of his career, but only a cynic would say that has anything to do with no one else good being on his team.

28. Kansas City Chiefs [19] -- Priest Holmes and Tony Gonzalez are fine, but a team that relies on its offense needs actual wide receivers. The Ravens can get away with it -- not having any decent WRs, that is -- because they have a great defense and don't need to score 30 points every week. Remember that last year, KC won several early games by razor-thin margins, courtesy of Dante Hall's returning. This year, no one kicks to Hall with the game on the line.

29. San Francisco 49ers [24] -- They averaged 3.3 yards per play and turned the ball over four times. Until now, the Niners have maintained a respectable ranking despite their winless record. That respectability is contingent upon not getting shut out and losing by more than 30, with the score being every bit as bad as it appears.

30. San Diego Chargers [30] -- In today's NFL, a running back can't single-handedly carry his team's offense. Tomlinson is surrounded by guys who just aren't up to the task. It's not a coincidence that LT had 100 catches last year. San Diego doesn't have any wide receivers. This is the lowest-ranked team that has won a game in 2004.

31. Miami Dolphins [28] -- Tight end Randy McMichael once again led the Dolphins in receptions, receiving yards, and yards from scrimmage. The poor guy is having a breakout year, and his team can't win a game.

32. Arizona Cardinals [32] -- Hey, the defense is really good. The offense isn't. At all. I think Dennis Green probably regrets his decision to go with Josh McCown at QB. It's probably comforting to have Shaun King available on the sidelines, but King isn't exactly Steve Young waiting to take over if Joe Montana can't go.