Five Quick Hits
* San Francisco has the worst point differential in the league, -46. Miami (-45) is next, followed by Green Bay (-43). The Dolphins went 10-6 last year, and the Packers made the playoffs.
* Miami's 42 points scored is worst in the NFL. Green Bay's 142 allowed is last among defenses.
* Terrell Davis. Olandis Gary. Mike Anderson. Clinton Portis. Quentin Griffin. Reuben Droughns? The Griffin Era in Denver may not last very long.
* The dynamic Indianapolis offense put up a combined 55 points in victories over Tennessee and Jacksonville. The mighty Chargers, playing those same teams, scored 72.
* San Diego's potent offense will be a theme throughout this article. The Chargers' 3-2 record and 140 points scored (second in the NFL) may be the biggest surprise so far this season.
Now that the Patriots have the multi-season record for consecutive wins, you won't have to hear about it every day on ESPN. I, like most of the experts I've heard, consider the Steelers of the 1970s the greatest dynasty in NFL history, but the most impressive multi-season winning streak still belongs to the 1989-'90 49ers.
The late-'80s, more than any era since the AFL merger, were dominated by a small number of teams: the Niners, Joe Gibbs' great Washington teams, Bill Parcells' Giants, and, if you're feeling generous, the Mike Ditka-coached Bears, John Elway's Broncos, and the K-Gun Bills. During its 18-game winning streak, San Francisco beat Washington, the Giants, Chicago, Denver, and Buffalo. All five.
During its streak, New England has beaten the Colts three times, and that's impressive. But the Patriots haven't played Philadelphia, or Brett Favre's Packers. They haven't faced explosive offenses in Kansas City or St. Louis. And the Pats haven't been tested against the iron defense of the Baltimore Ravens. That's not New England's fault, and it doesn't make a 19-game winning streak -- even a weirdly artificial one spread over two seasons -- less impressive. But San Francisco's record against some of the best teams in history makes its streak stand out in a way that the Patriots' doesn't. Which is probably fine with them. The train just keeps rolling.
The time has come in the season to remind readers that my power rankings judge a team on how well it is playing right now. Week 1 is ancient history, the future hasn't happened yet, and it doesn't matter who beat whom. The better team is ranked higher, period. As always, brackets indicate last week's rank.
1. Philadelphia Eagles [1] -- Four quarterbacks have a TD/INT differential better than +5 this year. Daunte Culpepper (+12) and Philly's own Donovan McNabb (+8) have accomplished this in just four games. Peyton Manning (+11) has done it in five, as has the other star QB ... Drew Brees (+6). The Eagles had a bye this week, and this counts as my Philadelphia analysis because I mentioned McNabb.
2. New England Patriots [3] -- Both teams were determined to give away the game in Foxborough on Sunday, but no one tries harder than the Dolphins, and New England grudgingly accepted a victory that pushed the team to 4-0. The Patriots had fewer first downs, a worse third-down conversion rate, fewer yards, fewer yards per play, and less time of possession. Tom Brady completed only 37% of his passes, none in the second half. The Pats have now played Arizona (1-4), Buffalo (0-4), and Miami (0-5) this season, without burying anyone. They're vulnerable. Their next four games are all against good teams.
3. Indianapolis Colts [4] -- Manning is the best player in the NFL, but as open as his receivers get, he doesn't have to be. Too many weapons. When the defense forces a few turnovers, as it did against Oakland, this team cannot be beaten. The Colts are better than the Patriots, but if they played each other -- especially in the playoffs -- I wouldn't bet on Indianapolis. That's coaching.
4. Seattle Seahawks [2] -- Dominated, positively dominated the Rams for three quarters. During the third quarter, I spoke to my Rams buddy who was at the game and he had all but conceded it. Then Seattle gave up, played like the game was over. Prevent defense. Predictable offense. Didn't challenge Brandon Manumaleuna's non-catch for a TD. What an embarrassing, give-up loss at home to a division rival. When you play like losers, you lose.
5. Minnesota Vikings [5] -- 920 yards of total offense in this game. 46 first downs. Eight passing TDs. The Viking defense could be better, the offense isn't built to hold a lead, and Culpepper's arm is going to fall off. Still, Minnesota hasn't lost to anyone but Philadelphia this season. The Lions aren't going away, and a battle is on for the NFC North.
6. Denver Broncos [6] -- Kudos to Rod Smith for his hustle play that kept Carolina's defense out of the end zone. Priest Holmes nearly did the same thing a couple weeks ago for Kansas City. That's the sort of play that never goes into the stat books, but it shows heart -- and speed -- that count for a lot in the NFL. Smith helps the Broncos in a lot of ways that don't involve catching passes.
7. New York Jets [7] -- Finally shut down an opponent's running game, but Curtis Martin had his weakest outing of the season. Martin averaged under four yards per carry and was held below 100 rushing yards for the first time this season. Chad Pennington picked up the slack, continuing to make a case for himself as one of the league's very best QBs.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers [11] -- I can't say anything about Ben Roethlisberger that you haven't heard before, but I've got something about Bill Cowher. He's one of the 20 winningest head coaches in NFL history and one of 10 with six-consecutive playoff seasons. His career winning percentage is better than Chuck Noll's. He blends the no-nonsense, tough-guy attitude with a nurturing side that encourages his players. Cowher's teams are built around the conservative standards of good defense and power running, but he isn't afraid to try a surprise onside kick in the Super Bowl or let a WR play quarterback.
One reason for Cowher's enduring success is that he recognizes coaching talent and surrounds himself with exceptional assistants. Dom Capers, Chan Gailey, Jim Haslett, Dick LeBeau, Marvin Lewis, and Mike Mularkey all worked for Cowher before getting head coaching jobs elsewhere. Ron Erhardt, another Cowher assistant, may have been better than any of them. New offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt is being widely praised for his handling of Roethlisberger. Offensive line coach Russ Grimm, a former Hog, is sometimes mentioned as a future head coach or coordinator. Cowher hasn't built a Hall of Fame résumé, but he's been one of the league's best coaches for more than a decade.
9. New York Giants [13] -- Nice weekend for the Barber twins. Seems like Tiki has made a big play every week. He's got to lead the NFL in plays of 50 or more yards. Against Dallas -- which has a pretty good defense -- he had a 58-yard run, lined up outside and went 55 yards with a flanker screen, and banged in a three-yard TD run. Inside or outside, power and speed, running or receiving, even returning when duty calls ... Tiki has a complete game.
10. Baltimore Ravens [10] -- After three quarters of futility, the Ravens finally wore down Washington's defense. It didn't hurt that, for some reason, Washington kept four men on the line in the fourth quarter, when Baltimore was running on every play. Most teams would have put eight or nine guys up top. The Ravens can't pass, can't come back against anybody, and can't beat the league's best teams, but against the Cincinnatis and Washingtons of the world, they're gold. Baltimore will miss Jamal Lewis while he's out on suspension -- a completely unjustified suspension, I believe -- but Chester Taylor and Musa Smith can fill in and the Ravens should be okay.
11. Detroit Lions [15] -- The defense terrorized Michael Vick. Injuries to Cory Schlesinger and Roy Williams -- even minor ones -- are disconcerting for an offense that has already lost Charles Rogers and Kevin Jones, but the Lions have established themselves as a team to be taken seriously. If the playoffs started today, Detroit would be in, and if the Lions beat Green Bay next week, there's a good chance we'll be saying that in Week 16, too.
12. Atlanta Falcons [8] -- Through no fault of his own, Vick has become the most overrated offensive player in the NFL. ESPN worships the guy, and you can't suggest he might not be the best player in the league without getting angry e-mails about it. The same is true about Ray Lewis on the other side of the ball, but that is almost entirely Lewis's own doing. They're both good, but nowhere near the hype.
13. Jacksonville Jaguars [9] -- Getting Fred Taylor involved in the passing game is great, but there's no substitute for power running. With the Teal Curtain shutting down everyone who isn't San Diego, ball-control offense makes sense, and rushes control the game in a way short passing never has. I wanted to see that Byron Leftwich can play, but I don't want to see him throwing 50 times a game. It's disconcerting that the Jags have given up 58 points in the last two weeks after allowing just 28 in their first three games.
14. St. Louis Rams [20] -- A nice come-from-behind victory on the road shows that they never give up and can still score quickly. But there's a lot not to like from what we saw against Seattle. Brian Baldinger, who was cheerleading throughout the game -- he could save some trouble by having his lips surgically attached to Orlando Pace's butt -- told viewers that criticism of Mike Martz's pass-heavy game plans might be out of place, because "the passing game was exceptional" at the end. But it was rotten for the first three quarters. Marc Bulger's timing was off, and it was once again apparent that although Martz is a capable offensive game-planner, he really doesn't teach his players anything.
In year three under Martz, Bulger still doesn't know how to throw the ball away or manage timeouts. Kurt Warner's game, so impressive in 1999, finally developed further when he left Martz's tutelage five years later. In New York this year, Warner is taking fewer sacks, protecting the ball, and playing well outdoors. Warner hasn't lost a fumble this season, and he has only one interception in five games -- a statistic he never achieved when Martz was his head coach. Martz panders to his players, never seems to tell them when they do something wrong. And they never get any better.
15. Dallas Cowboys [12] -- Dispiriting letdown in a game they led at halftime. Dallas had some success running the ball, but couldn't get the aerial attack going, and the defense couldn't stop Barber. They still don't have the players Parcells needs to build a serious contender.
16. Tennessee Titans [18] -- This was a totally different team than we saw in Tennessee's previous four games. The offensive line opened huge holes for Chris Brown (148 rushing yards) and kept injured QB Steve McNair off the ground (no sacks). Maybe they just need to play a terrible defense every week, but for the first time this season, the Titans looked like playoff contenders. If McNair keeps playing like that, they'll have a shot. And while it's easy to concentrate on offense after a Lambeau-record 48 points, the defense deserves credit for picking off Brett Favre four times on his home field. I still don't understand how referee Bill Vinovich overturned Samari Rolle's interception in the end zone.
17. Carolina Panthers [14] -- One sack against Denver. Over 200 rushing yards allowed. Where's the defensive line? This is supposed to be the best front-seven in football. I still do the Kris Jenkins sack dance in my living room when something I like happens. You know, the one he did last year in the playoffs, prompting John Madden to say, "I'm not sure exactly what Kris Jenkins is doing, but he seems pretty pleased with himself." Pick it up, Kris. I'm counting on you.
18. San Diego Chargers [23] -- The Chargers are over .500 and have won two in a row. Brees and Antonio Gates look like Trent Green and Tony Gonzalez did last year. LaDainian Tomlinson is a rock star. The Bolts join the unstoppable Colts and undefeated Jets as the only teams with consecutive 30-point games this season. Marty Schottenheimer and Brees, uneasy allies, might earn another season at this rate. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and the rest of Schottenheimer's staff deserve a lot of credit.
19. Kansas City Chiefs [24] -- Studies have shown that when people watch test-takers, they think more highly of those that start strong and finish poorly than of those who drop the early ones and come on later. That's the only way I can explain last week's 16th-, 17th-, and 18th-place rankings for 1-3 teams Cincinnati, Green Bay, and Tennessee -- all of whom won in the first two weeks -- while the 1-3 Chiefs were 24th. Too low, especially after they looked so good against Baltimore. Beating a good team in Week 4 speaks much more highly for how well KC is playing at the moment than beating the Dolphins in the first two weeks did for Tennessee and Cincinnati.
20. Cincinnati Bengals [16] -- What you've got to understand is that teams were very tightly packed around the lower-middle last week. Thus, three of them play well, I re-assess Kansas City, and the Bengals plummet during their bye week.
21. Houston Texans [21] -- There were three overtime games this week, and they all followed a similar formula. Favorite (Minnesota, Seattle, Arizona) takes a big lead. Underdog stages an improbable fourth-quarter rally to send the game into OT, carries its momentum into the extra period, and wins a heart-warmer. Houston missed the memo. The Texans left their momentum in regulation and lost a heart-breaker.
22. Green Bay Packers [17] -- For the third game in a row, Brett Favre was on the sideline for Green Bay's last offensive play. It wasn't a hamstring or a concussion this week, but it's definitely a sign of the times. Favre's magic isn't completely gone, but Tennessee's defensive gameplan clearly hinged on shutting down Ahman Green. The abominable Packer defense allowed a couple of early scores, and it was Favre trying desperately to make something happen for the rest of the game. No one -- and I'm talking about players and teams -- can be great forever.
23. Oakland Raiders [22] -- Playing Indianapolis makes for a fairly basic game formula. The Colts are going to score against you, and the only way to beat them is with offensive fireworks. Easier said than done, but you know what you have to do. Oakland's offense, though, is broken. The Raiders' 14 points against Indianapolis were a season-low for the Colt defense. Opponents were averaging over 100 rushing yards and 300 passing yards against Indy; Oakland managed 53 on the ground and 216 through the air, with three interceptions. The personnel just isn't there.
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [28] -- No matter who Tampa plays at quarterback, the Saints are really bad.
25. New Orleans Saints [19] -- The overtime win in St. Louis looks more and more like a fluke. It takes a special kind of bad to get blown out by the Cardinals one week, then make Brian Griese look like an All-Pro the next. "Inconsistent" may be too kind a word for this group.
26. Cleveland Browns [25] -- Jeff Garcia led the Browns in passing and rushing against Pittsburgh, and that's not a good sign. Defense, though, is the real issue. Roethlisberger and Duce Staley had their way with Cleveland's defense all afternoon. Which probably means the Steelers owned the Browns on the line.
27. Chicago Bears [27] -- The NFC North is going to be a fight to the finish this year, but the Bears aren't invited.
28. Buffalo Bills [26] -- It hurts having Buffalo so low in the rankings, because the Bills have been in every game. They lost to the Jaguars, Raiders, and Jets -- teams with a combined 9-5 record -- by a total of eight points. Their other loss was to the undefeated Patriots, and Buffalo had a shot late in the fourth quarter. They're not good enough to rebound and make the playoffs, but the Bills might be a lot better than we think right now.
29. Arizona Cardinals [30] -- The two NFC West games this week ran oddly parallel, with fourth-quarter rallies leading to overtime upsets. It won't be so close when the Cardinals play Seattle in two weeks.
30. San Francisco 49ers [32] -- They'll miss Julian Peterson, who reportedly will not play again this season. His injury moves San Francisco back behind the team it just beat. Sorry, Niners fans.
31. Washington Redskins [29] -- A solution has finally presented itself. Washington can finally drop its racist nickname and just go by "Dolphins North". A great defense, a helpless offense that beats itself in every game, and an increasingly frustrated head coach -- the similarities are mind-boggling. Mark Brunell and the offensive line are miserable. Maybe Joe Bugel should spend less time talking to the media and more time getting his players ready. Gibbs, meanwhile, deserves criticism for his uninspired play-calling on third-and-short. It seems like Washington runs Clinton Portis up the middle every time, and it never works.
32. Miami Dolphins [31] -- The only explanation for this season is that there is a curse on this team. Bright spots: Randy McMichael. No one plays with more heart, and right now, no tight end in the game is playing better. Chris Chambers made yet another fantastic play. With his talent, the kid should have 1,200 yards every season, but he's inconsistent -- or at least, his quarterbacks are. And of course, Wes Welker. Terrific performance from an undrafted rookie playing the world champions with a ton of pressure on his back. A great deal of credit is also due to Miami defensive coordinator Jim Bates, and maybe even to Dolphins head coach Dave Wannstedt, whose background is in defense. The 'Fins had Tom Brady completely off-balance, and the defense has kept Miami in every game.
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