Photo: AZCentral Sports
Week One of the NFL is in the books, and as usual, there were plenty of surprises. Locally, Kevin Kolb was the hero for the Arizona Cardinals, just like everyone predicted.
Okay, maybe not.
Here are the update The Fan AM 1060 NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted every single Tuesday on thefan1060.com. Bob Kemp will react to these ranking on Wednesday in the SportsZone.
1) San Francisco 49ers (1-0) LW: 1
Sure, it’s just one week but my preseason Super Bowl pick looked very impressive on Sunday. The Niners controlled the game, never letting the Packers up-tempo offense get going. Randy Moss made his presence felt early and could become one of Alex Smith’s favorite targets.
2) Baltimore Ravens (1-0) LW: 2
Joe Flacco started the night with a 52-yard bomb to Torrey Smith and finished his night 21-29 with 299 yards and two touchdowns. If Baltimore can get that type of production from Flacco several more times, they will be the team to beat in the AFC. And don’t forget about that defense, even without Terrell Suggs.
3) New England Patriots (1-0) LW: 4
Tom Brady’s dreaming looks were about the only thing that took at hit on Sunday. The Patriots defense looked improved, granted it was the Titans. Stevan Ridley was also impressive, rushing for 125 yards and a touchdown. Still, we will know more about New England when the face a tougher test. And no, that does not including this week’s matchup against the Cardinals.
4) Atlanta Falcons (1-0) LW: 6
Atlanta’s offense was running on all cylinders under new OC Dirk Koetter. Julio Jones finally looked like the wide receiver the Falcons gave all those picks away for, catching 6 passes for 108 yards and two TDs. But the biggest improvement was the defense, intercepting Matt Cassell twice and forced a fumble. That D will get a much tougher test on Monday against Peyton Manning and the Broncos.
5) Houston Texans (1-0) LW: 7
Houston did what was expected of them in Week 1 against the lowly Dolphins. Matt Schaub, Arian Foster and Andre Johnson were their usual selfs. Houston remains the team to beat in the AFC South.
6) Green Bay Packers (0-1) LW: 3
Green Bay’s biggest areas of improvement were offensive line and defense. On Sunday, the Packers were completely manhandled, don’t let the score fool you. San Francisco seemed to be in the backfield almost every play. Green Bay faces a quick turnaround against Chicago this week. I wouldn’t be surprised if Aaron Rodgers & Co. starts 0-2.
7) Denver Broncos (1-0) LW: 9
Peyton Manning answered all those health questions pretty well, eh? Manning, who has own the Steelers in the past, carved up the Pittsburgh defense and a made a strong case for Denver to be players in the AFC. As a Colts fan, it was weird to see. As a Peyton fan, I couldn’t be happier.
8) Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1) LW: 5
The Steelers brought in Todd Haley to kick-start the offense. That appears to be a work in progress. Pittsburgh was too reliant on the run game, I guess because the typical “Beat Peyton Manning” plan is to keep him off the field. Still, it’s just one game. No need to overact right now.
9) Chicago Bears (1-0) LW: 11
The Bears got off to a slow start. The line failed to protect Jay Cutler (shocking), while Cutler threw a bad pick 6 (shocking). But once Chicago got its feet under themselves they rolled past the Colts. Big chance for the Bears to make an early statement against the Packers on Thursday.
10) Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) LW: 8
Philadelphia remains in the top 10, but honestly I’m not sure why. Mike Vick was awful (4 INTs, 1 fumble) against one of the worst teams in the NFL, the Browns. Vick will have to be much better against the Ravens next week.
11) New York Giants (0-1) LW: 10
The Giants became the first defending champions to drop the season opener since the NFL began the tradition back in 2004. But I wouldn’t write off New York yet. Ahmad Bradshaw and a solid night, proving he could be the main back in NYC. Expect the G Men to rebound against Tampa Bay.
12) Dallas Cowboys (1-0) LW: 15
The Cowboys remain one spot by the Giants, despite knocking off the defending champs to start the season. Why? Well, for one, I want to see more of this from Dallas. This team always underachieves. Would anyone be surprised if the Cowboys lost to the Seahawks this week? Exactly.
13) San Diego Chargers (1-0) LW: 14
San Diego wasn’t that impressive in their win over Oakland last night. In fact, the Chargers benefited from poor special teams play by the Raiders. San Diego needs Ryan Matthews to return as soon as possible. They were a one dimensional team on Monday night.
14) Washington Redskins (1-0) LW: 22
Week 1 belong to Robert Griffin III. No one, I mean no one, gave this team a chance on the road in New Orleans. Which is why Washington was the biggest move in this week’s rankings. RG3 had the most impressive first start in NFL history. It will be interesting to see if Griffin can keep it up as the season progresses.
15) Detroit Lions (1-0) LW: 19
Detroit looked shaky in the first game of the season, but was able to pull out a victory over the Rams. Calvin Johnson was unaffected by the Madden Curse, catching 6 passes for 111 yards. Matthew Stafford will have to take better care of the football (1 TD, 3 INTs) if the Lions what to live up to their hype this season.
16) New Orleans Saints (0-1) LW: 13
The Saints were too one dimensional on Sunday against the Redskins. Granted, you can get away with that with Drew Brees. However, Brees completed just 24 of 52 passes. That’s a problem, especially with that overrated New Orleans defense. If RG3 can light up the Saints, what will happen with New Orleans faces Matt Ryan and Cam Newton?
17) Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) LW: 12
Cincinnati laid a dud on Monday night in Baltimore. The Bengals had no answer for Joe Flacco, who picked apart Cincy with ease. A small concern for Cincinnati is Andy Dalton’s performance. Yes, it was the Ravens, but Dalton needs to avoid a sophomore slump if the Bengals want to reach the playoffs again.
18) Carolina Panthers (0-1) LW: 17
Cam Newton was old news on Sunday thanks to RG3, largely due to Tampa Bay’s gameplan. The Bucs swarmed and confused Newton, shutting out the Panthers in the first half and causing the second year quarterback to throw two bad picks. Newton will need to have a short memory when Carolina hosts the Saints on Sunday.
19) New York Jets (1-0) LW: 24
Perfect example of why the preseason is meaningless: After scoring just one touchdown in the preseason, the Jets offense found the end zone five times against Buffalo. Mark Sanchez threw three TDs, which is good because Tim Tebow will stay on the bench. Still, this win had more to do with the disappointing Bills.
20) Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) LW: 18
Sunday was an example of why I was not high on the Chiefs coming into the season. Atlanta had their way with KC, picking apart the chiefs through the air. This week’s game will be interesting because both the Chiefs and the Bills will be looking to rebound from their dud opening day performances.
21) Tennessee Titans (0-1) LW: 20
The Jake Locker Era got off to a rough start in New England. The Patriots new-look defense frustrated Locker all day and held Chris Johnson to his the lowest offensive numbers of his career. But don’t give up on this team yet. They’re young and hungry to prove they can contend in the AFC.
22) Minnesota Vikings (1-0) LW: 28
Adrian Peterson showed no signs of rust, rushing for 84 yards and two touchdowns to give the Vikings an overtime win over the Jags. I was rather impressed with Christian Ponder, he managed the offense well and looked sharp. Minnesota will likely moved to 2-0 when the face the Colts this week.
23) Arizona Cardinals (1-0) LW: 25
Kevin Kolb came off the bench and led the Arizona Cardinals to a season opening win over Seattle. Adrian Wilson said it was poetic after the game, and quite frankly, I cannot come up with a better word. However, the good feelings will likely vanish after this weekend when the Cardinals head to New England.
24) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) LW: 26
Tampa Bay hired a defensive-minded coach in hopes to turn things around. Greg Schiano had a great plan to shutdown Cam Netwon on Sunday. If the Bucs can hold opponents under 20, they will win a few games they shouldn’t. That’s easier said than done in the NFC South.
25) Oakland Raiders (0-1) LW: 21
The Raiders special teams were humiliating last night. Three botched punts lead the Chargers points. Meanwhile, the offense did not score a touchdown until the final minute that made the game closer than it really was. The Carson Palmer trade continues to look like a huge mistake.
26) Seattle Seahawks (0-1) LW: 23
Seattle had a good chance to start 1-0, but Russell Wilson didn’t give the Seahawks a real chance to win. The replacement refs did. There will be some growing pains with Wilson, but the defense will give Seattle plenty of chance to win games.
27) Buffalo Bills (0-1) LW: 16
Buffalo is my biggest faller this week. Any team that gives up 48 points to the mediocre Jets will cause any team to free fall in these rankings. No one was a bigger disappointment this week than Mario Williams. All that money and only one tackle.
28) Indianapolis Colts (0-1) LW: 27
The Andrew Luck Era got off to a shaky start on Sunday. Luck threw three INTs, though two were great plays by Daniel Manning. The Colts struggles are not Luck related. Indianapolis cannot run the ball and their secondary remains an issue, even after trading for Vonte Davis.
29) St. Louis Rams (0-1) LW: 29
The Rams had a chance to steal a win on the road against the Lions. However, after shutting down Matthew Stafford in the first half, St. Louis let the Lions back in and lost in the closing seconds.
30) Miami Dolphins (0-1) LW: 30
Ryan Tannehill was not as has advertised, but the Dolphins defense just cannot stop anyone. With very few targets to throw to, Tannehill could be running for his life against some of the better defenses in the AFC.
31) Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) LW: 31
Blane Gabbert looked good, Maurice Jones-Drew looked rusty and the Jacksonville Jaguars looked like a team that could draft in the top 5 next year. This team will be fighting the Colts to own the basement of the AFC South.
32) Cleveland Browns (0-1) LW: 32
The Browns proved to be one of the worst teams in the league, yet almost won. Brandon Weeden was so bad, he got sacked by an American flag. Sadly, Cleveland squandered one of the few chances they have to win a game this season.
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