NFL Week 3 Power Rankings

Five Quick Hits

* Plaxico Burress seems to have developed a fumbling problem.

* Huge NFC matchup in Week 4, when the Seahawks travel to Chicago to determine conference supremacy. But don't count out the Eagles and Vikings, both of whom look like they have the potential to be Super Bowl contenders.

* I like Charley Casserly on the CBS pregame show. His segment with James Brown is the closest you get to real analysis on any pregame program.

* Moose Johnston has gotten skinny. It seems like in their afterlives as announcers, lightweight players get fat and big guys lose weight. Mark Schlereth probably weighs about half of what he did in the 1990s.

* 49ers DB Mike Adams got stiff-armed by Brian Westbrook on Sunday. That's a little embarrassing.

***

In the wake of his disastrous three-interception performance against Seattle, let's re-evaluate Eli Manning and the trade that brought him to New York. The Giants have Little Manning, an average starting quarterback. San Diego has Philip Rivers, an unproven starting quarterback. But the Chargers also used New York's traded picks to get Nate Kaeding, an above-average kicker, and Shawne Merriman, who may be the best defensive player in the NFL. I think the Chargers win this one.

Little Manning is the most overrated player in the league right now, famous for his college career, his last name, and his talented teammates. If Eli had an average offensive line instead of a very good one, played with an average running back instead of Tiki Barber, and didn't get to throw to Burress, Amani Toomer, and Jeremy Shockey, he'd be Charlie Frye.

As we move on to the power rankings, brackets show last week's rank.

1. Indianapolis Colts [2] — The top three teams this week all had close wins over other good teams, none of them particularly inspiring. The Colts beat Jacksonville on a punt return, giving up 12 rushing first downs and a 2:1 deficit in time of possession. On a non-football note, tragedy continues to follow this team, as Reggie Wayne's brother was killed in a car crash on Sunday. This won't devastate the team the way James Dungy's death did last year, but it's a lot for one team to bear.

2. Cincinnati Bengals [1] — Talk about uninspiring: the Bengals couldn't protect their quarterback, gave up 27 first downs, and won on late turnovers, most notably Ricardo Colclough's muffed punt return. What Cincinnati does have is an extremely opportunistic defense, tied for the NFL lead with 11 takeaways. I was planning to keep the Bengals atop the rankings until I heard about Odell Thurman's latest arrest. Guys like Chris Henry and Thurman have already proven they can be special players in the NFL, but if they can't be smart off the field, they're going to have short, unfulfilling careers with lots of stops in different cities.

3. Chicago Bears [4] — Actually had the most convincing victory of any of the top three teams, but Rex Grossman nearly gave the game away with that interception he threw to Antoine Winfield in the fourth quarter. Awful decision-making, inexcusable for a young quarterback. Grossman's teammates bailed him out, though, which is why Grossman is not Charlie Frye. I worry that Chicago hasn't really gotten its running game going this season. With a great defense and a young quarterback, the Bears need to establish the ground game in a way they haven't been able to do yet.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars [3] — In Indianapolis on Sunday, they did everything but win. Maurice Jones-Drew had one of the best games of any player this weekend: 13 carries for 103 yards (7.9 average), a team-high four catches for 32 yards and a touchdown, plus over 100 kickoff return yards (27.2 average). The defense continued to play phenomenally, sacking Peyton Manning twice and holding him to the lowest completion percentage of his career.

5. San Diego Chargers [5] — You don't usually hear about kickers except when they screw up, but San Diego recently made news by signing Kaeding to a six-year contract extension. Kaeding hasn't missed an extra point or a field goal under 40 yards since the 2004 season, and he may be the league's best young kicker. San Diego's punter, Mike Scifres, is also a young guy, and he's the league's best at his position. Good special teams will take you a long way towards winning in the NFL.

6. Philadelphia Eagles [9] — How do you have a 33:18 pass-rush ratio in a blowout win? Those 18 rushes even include three by Donovan McNabb. San Francisco outscored the Eagles 21-14 in the second half, and if Andy Reid doesn't start calling some runs, his team is going to underperform again this season. I'd also like to see McNabb scramble more. It's great that he no longer tucks the ball and takes off when his primary read isn't open, but McNabb's running ability is part of what makes him special, and it hurts the team if he never takes advantage of it.

7. Seattle Seahawks [8] — They'll miss Shaun Alexander, and I've dropped them two spots because of his absence, but Maurice Morris is a capable replacement. In fact, I'm counting on Morris to help save my floundering fantasy team. The player Seattle misses most right now, though, is Steve Hutchinson, who left for Minnesota in free agency. The running game isn't the same without him. The 'Hawks should also be concerned about the 27 points they gave up in the fourth quarter on Sunday. I know the game was already in the bag, but that should never happen. The Seahawks are much better at home than on the road, so take the Bears in Week 4.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers [6] — Ben Roethlisberger is off to a really rocky start, and if he had thrown fewer than three interceptions against Cincinnati, the Steelers probably would have won. Part of Big Ben's problem has been the lack of production from Hines Ward. I haven't seen Pitt/Cincy yet (I'll watch it Tuesday on NFL Replay), so I don't know what kind of coverage Ward got — last week it was Rashean Mathis — but Roethlisberger and the Steelers need more from their star receiver.

9. Denver Broncos [14] — The big names on offense all had good games, but what really impressed me about Denver on Sunday night was its defense. The Broncos contained New England's running game, which had been very effective the first two weeks, holding the Pats to 50 yards and a 2.4 average. Ian Gold had one of the best games I've seen from a defensive player this season. The speed has always been there, but on Sunday night, Gold also made some very impressive solo tackles. When Jake Plummer plays the way he did against the Patriots, this is a very tough team to beat.

10. Baltimore Ravens [12] — Lucky to escape with a win against Cleveland, but Baltimore had the better game. Frye got his yards, but he also got sacked seven times, and the Browns' running game was nowhere to be found. The Ravens' defense should keep them in every game this year, but they're going to need more production from the offense, which hasn't shown a lot of explosiveness so far.

11. Minnesota Vikings [13] — I don't like moving them up after a loss, and if Atlanta had won on Monday night, I probably wouldn't have. Losing to Chicago by a field goal is nothing to be ashamed of, though, and under Brad Childress, the Vikings finally seem to have combined the talent on the roster with a team identity. This team is built from the defense up: the line is exceptional, the linebackers are young and talented, and the starters in the secondary are tremendous playmakers. After defense, it's the offensive line, which is among the NFC's best. The quarterback, Brad Johnson, is a great fit for the system, and he's surrounded by a capable RB (Chester Taylor) and a pair of potentially explosive receivers (Troy Williamson and Travis Taylor). The Vikings will continue to come together, and this could be a team to be reckoned with by the end of the season.

12. New York Giants [10] — They live and die with Eli Manning, and when your team relies so heavily on an inconsistent quarterback, as the Giants and Falcons do, you're going to lose a lot of games, and as we saw this week, some of them will be ugly blowouts. Little Manning is the biggest concern, but there are also issues on defense, which was a problem last season as well. The Giants haven't held anyone under 24 points, and if they give up that many against Washington in Week 5, this team has major problems.

13. New Orleans Saints [19] — Dominated the Falcons in front of a national audience. The additions of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, and Marques Colston have given this team a lot of offensive weapons, and they were all on display Monday night. Where New Orleans really won, though, was on special teams and defense. Almost every week, you see a team win or lose with special teams, and the Saints' punt block to begin the game set the tone for the rest of the contest. Defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs and assistant head coach Joe Vitt shut down Michael Vick in a way few people have been able to do.

14. New England Patriots [7] — Tom Brady had 55 pass attempts against Denver, tying the career high he set in 2002, which was also the last year New England missed the playoffs. It sounds crazy, but it looks like the way to play the Patriots this year is to stop the run and force Brady to make plays with his arm. Ben Watson is a very decent tight end, but he doesn't scare anybody, and this season he leads the Pats in both receptions and receiving yards.

15. Atlanta Falcons [11] — Let's just start with Vick's stat line. He completed under 40% of his passes. He averaged under 4.5 yards per attempt. He was sacked five times. He didn't have a run for more than five yards until the fourth quarter, when the game was out of reach. At one point in the first half, he threw seven consecutive incompletions. This isn't entirely Vick's fault. His receivers are terrible, and once-reliable tight end Alge Crumpler has developed a major dropping problem in the last two seasons.

16. Dallas Cowboys [15] — I complain about this every year, but Week 3 is too early for teams to have byes. Start them in Week 4 or 5. Dallas plays the Titans in their first game back from the break, and with one starting receiver out, tight end Jason Witten will have to play a lot better than he did against Washington.

17. Kansas City Chiefs [18] — Losses to Cincinnati and Denver don't look too bad right now, as those appear to be two of the best teams in the AFC. The Chiefs have a chance to turn their season around with should-win games against the 49ers and Cardinals in the next two weeks. A loss to the banged-up Niners would send Kansas City deep into the 20s of next week's power rankings.

18. Carolina Panthers [17] — Steve Smith's return is a big boost, but he can't fix the defense, which was supposed to be among the league's best and instead has been painfully average, especially against the run. John Kasay had a phenomenal game on Sunday, hitting four field goals of more than 45 yards, including the game-winner with under two minutes left.

19. Washington Redskins [22] — Don't let Mark Brunell's stat line fool you. Against Houston, the struggling Washington QB set an NFL single-game record for consecutive completions, and that's impressive under any circumstances, but these were favorable circumstances. The game was against Houston, which has by far the league's worst defense, and Brunell's coaches protected him with a strong commitment to the run and a gameplan that called for short passes. Brunell only threw one long pass all game, and most of his yardage came on after-the-catch runs by Clinton Portis, Santana Moss, and Antwaan Randle El.

20. New York Jets [20] — I'm sure they should be higher than this. The Jets are 2-1, and their only loss was to New England. But their first win was against the lowly Titans, and they were lucky to beat Buffalo. The defense made big plays when it had to, but gave up a ton of yardage, and the running game continues to be non-existent. Leading rushers Kevan Barlow and Derrick Blaylock are averaging a combined 2.5 yards per carry, and that's rounding up. The Jets are just riding Chad Pennington and Laveranues Coles, and that can't continue for too long.

21. Buffalo Bills [16] — At the end of the season, if the Bills are on the cusp of playoff contention, they'll look back at this weekend's game against New York and kick themselves. On a day when the offense had its best game of the season and the defense overcame the absence of one of its best players (Takeo Spikes), mistakes cost them a victory against a division opponent.

22. Miami Dolphins [21] — I haven't seen the Dolphins play since their Week 1 loss against Pittsburgh, but the offensive line must be atrocious. Daunte Culpepper has been a disaster, but part of the reason is probably that he's getting killed by opposing defenders. Miami has allowed 15 sacks for 120 yards, by far the most in the NFL.

23. St. Louis Rams [23] — Marc Bulger and Torry Holt had their first big games of the 2006 season, but the Rams beat Arizona because of four Kurt Warner turnovers. St. Louis hasn't allowed an opponent to score more than 20 points all season, and with the offense a shadow of its former self, this team will be relying on the defense of Jim Haslett and Rick Venturi.

24. Green Bay Packers [29] — Brett Favre got himself right, with his first really good game since Week 7 of last year, but the Packers' defense will keep every team they play this season in the game. The 24 points Green Bay gave up against Detroit was the team's best mark so far this season, but it was also almost twice as many points as the Lions scored in their first two games combined. Kevin Jones averaged almost five yards per carry and Jon Kitna threw for 342 yards and his first TD in a Lions uniform. Favre will have to recapture the form he had 10 years ago if the Packers are going to be competitive with that kind of defense.

25. Arizona Cardinals [24] — Edgerrin James had his first big game in a Cardinals uniform, and Warner threw for plenty of yards, but he also had three picks and a lost fumble. Reports are that Warner won't get a chance to redeem himself in Week 4, with rookie Matt Leinart getting the start at quarterback. The Falcons' defense didn't seem to scare Drew Brees on Monday night, but I can't help wondering if a game at Atlanta isn't the best time to throw Leinart into action.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [26] — Chris Simms hasn't played well this season, but the team can't feel good about going into Week 4 with rookie Bruce Gradkowski as its starting quarterback. In last year's playoffs, Washington gave teams a blueprint for how to handle Simms, shutting down the run and forcing Simms to throw a lot, then waiting for him to make mistakes. Gradkowski can expect similar treatment from defenses.

27. San Francisco 49ers [25] — Suffered a couple of tough injuries in Sunday's loss: first-round draft pick Vernon Davis, who is expected to miss about a month, and emerging star Frank Gore, the team's leading rusher. On the bright side, Norv Turner's addition to the coaching staff has clearly had a positive impact on this team, and especially on QB Alex Smith, who has an 89.8 rating so far this season, a massive improvement from 40.8 in seven starts last year.

28. Cleveland Browns [28] — Frye made a huge, huge mistake at the end of the Baltimore game, and it cost his team a victory, but after watching Sunday's game, I understand why Cleveland's coaching staff was willing to go into this season with the unproven Frye as their starting quarterback. The kid's a leader, and he seems to have the intangible qualities quarterbacks need to succeed in the NFL. He also has some awfully promising young receivers in Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow, Jr.

29. Detroit Lions [27] — After holding Seattle to nine points and no touchdowns in Week 1, they've given up over 30 points in consecutive weeks. Detroit is one of two 0-3 teams in the NFC (Tampa Bay is the other), and three of the next four games are on the road. I say Detroit steals one and goes into the bye at 1-6, but 0-7 wouldn't surprise me. If that happens, Matt Millen might want to save everyone some trouble and just resign on his own.

30. Tennessee Titans [32] — The offense is in shambles, but the defense rebounded nicely from the beating it got against San Diego. The Titans have some legitimate talent on defense, and if that unit can step things up, Tennessee could cause trouble for some competitive opponents later this season. For now, though, the schedule looks forbidding, and the team will probably head into its bye week at 0-6. The best chance for an early season victory is this Sunday against Dallas. If the Titans can pressure Drew Bledsoe and reduce their mistakes on offense, they'll have the makings of an upset.

31. Oakland Raiders [31] — Randy Moss seems washed up. It's a shame, because at the top of his game, Moss was the best receiver in the league. In 2003, he had career-highs in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. In 2004, he was injured, and he hasn't been the same since. Some of that might be the shift to Oakland, and some of it might be lack of motivation, but the longer he fails to produce, the more likely it seems than Moss simply doesn't have the same physical skills he used to.

32. Houston Texans [30] — David Carr continues to have a good season, and he was only sacked once on Sunday, which is cause for celebration in Houston. The Texans' defense is cause for celebration everywhere else.