NFL Power Rankings: Chiefs Rise, Steelers Fall
By Ben Nielsen
Sep 8, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions running back Reggie Bush (21) runs the ball during the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
THE HALL OF VERY GOOD
12. Cincinnati Bengals
Record: 0-1
Previous Ranking: 8
Boy, do they not look very good right now. Very sloppy, very … entitled. This is a very good team that should be there at the end given how bad the AFC is, but nothing is guaranteed.
11. Baltimore Ravens
Record: 0-1
Previous Ranking: 11
10. New Orleans Saints
Record: 1-0
Previous Ranking: 10
Sean Payton’s return has added an element of stability back to the Saints, and last weekends win over Atlanta adds a confidence they didn’t have last season. Rob Ryan may end up being their MVP this season given how much better the defense looked.
9. New England Patriots
Record: 1-0
Previous Ranking: 5
Wow, they did not look good on Sunday… against Buffalo. It seems New England has had some rough Septembers of late, with the last season’s loss at home to Arizona being the most memorable. But this season is different given how much the Patriots have lost on offense. At some point letting go of all of their good players and their poor defense has to catch up with them, right?
8. Detroit Lions
Record: 1-0
Previous Ranking: 17
Holy crap, Detroit! Reggie Bush… Calvin Johnson… Matt Stafford… Ndamukong Suh… This team is loaded and played like it on Sunday. The question now is if their coaching is going to get in the way of what is a loaded roster.
7. Chicago Bears
Record: 1-0
Previous Ranking: 15
With a big win over Cincinnati, the Bears, Packers and Lions should be in a fun battle for the NFC North title.
6. Atlanta Falcons
Record: 0-1
Previous Ranking: 4
Roddy White’s injury slowed the offense down just enough to lose to New Orleans. They should still be the favorites in the South.
5. Houston Texans
Record: 1-0
Previous Ranking: 7
That may end up being the worst half of football the Texans play all season and they still one the game. There was lot of that around the NFL this week, but few were able to pull out the win like Houston. Still, there are holes on this team that make declaring them a Super Bowl contender difficult.