KingPriest2
10-05-2004, 03:01 PM
Tuesday, October 5
Power Rankings: Falcons soar into top 10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ESPN.com
ESPN.com's Power Poll
This week's rankings were determined by a poll of ESPN.com's NFL staff -- writers John Clayton, Len Pasquarelli, Michael Smith and ESPN.com NFL editors Peter Lawrence-Riddell and James C. Black.
The only movement in the top five this week came with the Colts moving past the idle Seahawks into the No. 3 spot. That probably won't make folks in Seattle too happy, but apparently Peyton Manning and Co. were just too impressive for some members of our panel to ignore.
As for big movers, the Giants jumped up eight spots from No. 19 to No. 11 and with another road win this week against the Cowboys, could find themselves in the top 10. Heading in the other direction, the Packers (No. 12 to No. 22) and Titans (No. 15 to No. 20) continue to fall. We're not ready to write-off either team, but Monday's game has become a must-win for both.
Anyway, on to the rankings. To view last week's rankings, click here. Also, click here to rank the teams yourself and then later today at 4 p.m. ET stop by the Power Rankings Show on SportsNation to chat with the NFL Power Ranker.
2004 Power Rankings: Week 5
Rk(LW) Team Rec. Comment
1 (1) Patriots 3-0-0 It's getting old, but the Patriots just seem to get the job done late. They might not look great for the whole game, but in the end it's them making the plays and not their opponents.
2 (2) Eagles 4-0-0 Note to Andy Reid on behalf of all Brian Westbrook's fantasy owners: The yardage has been good, but can we try to find Brian a few TDs here or there?
3 (4) Colts 3-1-0 Talk about good when it matters: Peyton Manning was 9-for-9 on Indy's last two TD drives.
4 (3) Seahawks 3-0-0 Tough week in the rankings for Seahawks, who don't even play and drop a spot. Blame Peyton Manning.
5 (5) Vikings 2-1-0 Vikings will likely be without Michael Bennett and Onterrio Smith for Sunday's game against the rejuvenated Texans. Not good news, but they still have Culpepper and Moss.
6 (11) Falcons 4-0-0 Michael Vick makes the Falcons go, but Atlanta is also proving that it can win without Vick doing everything.
7 (7) Jets 3-0-0 Chad Pennington is great, but after three games Curtis Martin is clearly the Jets' MVP.
8 (10) Broncos 3-1-0 The offense might not have looked great, but a win on the road against a tough Bucs defense is all Mike Shanahan and Co. care about.
9 (6) Jaguars 3-1-0 The Jaguars might have lost to the Colts, but they left no doubt that they'll be in the hunt in the AFC South all season.
10 (13) Steelers 3-1-0 Going back to last season at Miami (Ohio), Ben Roethlisberger has now won 15 straight starts.
11 (19) Giants 3-1-0 OK, were starting to believe a little. Warner is throwing the ball to the right team, Tiki isn't fumbling and the Giants have a pretty easy schedule. The playoffs aren't out of the question.
12 (14) Cowboys 2-1-0 Who would have thought in the middle of the offseason that Vinny Testaverde and Kurt Warner would be meeting in Week 5 with this much on the line?
13 (8) Ravens 2-2-0 When was the last time Baltimore's defense got pushed around like that?
14 (9) Panthers 1-2-0 At 1-2 and with road games at Denver and Philly in the next two weeks, the Panthers are in danger of falling into a pretty big hole.
15 (20) Rams 2-2-0 It's pretty obvious that the Rams are a better team when they have some balance on offense.
16 (18) Lions 2-1-0 Easy week for the Lions, who don't play and move up two spots.
17 (25) Texans 2-2-2 David Carr definitely needed a haircut, but it was his dad that REALLY needed one.
18 (24) Chiefs 1-3-0 Wins don't get much bigger in Week 4 than Monday night's by the Chiefs. Now they can head into their bye with some momentum and look forward to what's to come.
19 (16) Saints 2-2-0 The Saints really don't deserve a comment this week.
20 (15) Titans 1-3-0 Bet the schedule makers didn't think they'd get 1-3 vs. 1-3 for Titans-Packers on MNF? That said, it's still a huge game.
21 (17) Raiders 2-2-0 All those Raiders fans out there asking for Kerry Collins -- was that what you were asking for?
22 (12) Packers 1-3-0 Who would have thought that the Packers would be playing a must-win game in Week 5?
23 (28) Chargers 2-2-0 Just when it looks like Drew Brees is losing his hold on the QB job in San Diego he comes up with a great game. Philip Rivers will take over eventually, but it won't be next week, that's for sure.
24 (26) Browns 2-2-0 A healthy Lee Suggs is obviously a pretty big boost to Cleveland's offense.
25 (22) Bengals 1-3-0 Carson Palmer hasn't been very good, but the big problem in Cincinnati so far has been the defense.
26 (21) Redskins 1-3-0 That Joe Gibbs love-fest in D.C. has screeched to a halt pretty quick.
27 (23) Bears 1-3-0 The bye week comes at a good time for beat-up Bears.
28 (32) Cardinals 1-3-0 Cardinals had shown progress in first three games under Dennis Green and that progress was finally rewarded with a win.
29 (27) Bills 0-3-0 Bills played the Patriots hard Sunday, but that doesn't really count for too much.
30 (29) Buccaneers 0-4-0 The defense is No. 6 in the NFL, but that hasn't been enough to overcome the Bucs' terrible offense.
31 (30) 49ers 0-4-0 The 49ers are falling so far behind early in games that they basically can't use Kevan Barlow, their best offensive player.
32 (31) Dolphins 0-4-0 The Dolphins scored nine points last Sunday and their points-per-game average actually went up.
Power Rankings: Falcons soar into top 10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ESPN.com
ESPN.com's Power Poll
This week's rankings were determined by a poll of ESPN.com's NFL staff -- writers John Clayton, Len Pasquarelli, Michael Smith and ESPN.com NFL editors Peter Lawrence-Riddell and James C. Black.
The only movement in the top five this week came with the Colts moving past the idle Seahawks into the No. 3 spot. That probably won't make folks in Seattle too happy, but apparently Peyton Manning and Co. were just too impressive for some members of our panel to ignore.
As for big movers, the Giants jumped up eight spots from No. 19 to No. 11 and with another road win this week against the Cowboys, could find themselves in the top 10. Heading in the other direction, the Packers (No. 12 to No. 22) and Titans (No. 15 to No. 20) continue to fall. We're not ready to write-off either team, but Monday's game has become a must-win for both.
Anyway, on to the rankings. To view last week's rankings, click here. Also, click here to rank the teams yourself and then later today at 4 p.m. ET stop by the Power Rankings Show on SportsNation to chat with the NFL Power Ranker.
2004 Power Rankings: Week 5
Rk(LW) Team Rec. Comment
1 (1) Patriots 3-0-0 It's getting old, but the Patriots just seem to get the job done late. They might not look great for the whole game, but in the end it's them making the plays and not their opponents.
2 (2) Eagles 4-0-0 Note to Andy Reid on behalf of all Brian Westbrook's fantasy owners: The yardage has been good, but can we try to find Brian a few TDs here or there?
3 (4) Colts 3-1-0 Talk about good when it matters: Peyton Manning was 9-for-9 on Indy's last two TD drives.
4 (3) Seahawks 3-0-0 Tough week in the rankings for Seahawks, who don't even play and drop a spot. Blame Peyton Manning.
5 (5) Vikings 2-1-0 Vikings will likely be without Michael Bennett and Onterrio Smith for Sunday's game against the rejuvenated Texans. Not good news, but they still have Culpepper and Moss.
6 (11) Falcons 4-0-0 Michael Vick makes the Falcons go, but Atlanta is also proving that it can win without Vick doing everything.
7 (7) Jets 3-0-0 Chad Pennington is great, but after three games Curtis Martin is clearly the Jets' MVP.
8 (10) Broncos 3-1-0 The offense might not have looked great, but a win on the road against a tough Bucs defense is all Mike Shanahan and Co. care about.
9 (6) Jaguars 3-1-0 The Jaguars might have lost to the Colts, but they left no doubt that they'll be in the hunt in the AFC South all season.
10 (13) Steelers 3-1-0 Going back to last season at Miami (Ohio), Ben Roethlisberger has now won 15 straight starts.
11 (19) Giants 3-1-0 OK, were starting to believe a little. Warner is throwing the ball to the right team, Tiki isn't fumbling and the Giants have a pretty easy schedule. The playoffs aren't out of the question.
12 (14) Cowboys 2-1-0 Who would have thought in the middle of the offseason that Vinny Testaverde and Kurt Warner would be meeting in Week 5 with this much on the line?
13 (8) Ravens 2-2-0 When was the last time Baltimore's defense got pushed around like that?
14 (9) Panthers 1-2-0 At 1-2 and with road games at Denver and Philly in the next two weeks, the Panthers are in danger of falling into a pretty big hole.
15 (20) Rams 2-2-0 It's pretty obvious that the Rams are a better team when they have some balance on offense.
16 (18) Lions 2-1-0 Easy week for the Lions, who don't play and move up two spots.
17 (25) Texans 2-2-2 David Carr definitely needed a haircut, but it was his dad that REALLY needed one.
18 (24) Chiefs 1-3-0 Wins don't get much bigger in Week 4 than Monday night's by the Chiefs. Now they can head into their bye with some momentum and look forward to what's to come.
19 (16) Saints 2-2-0 The Saints really don't deserve a comment this week.
20 (15) Titans 1-3-0 Bet the schedule makers didn't think they'd get 1-3 vs. 1-3 for Titans-Packers on MNF? That said, it's still a huge game.
21 (17) Raiders 2-2-0 All those Raiders fans out there asking for Kerry Collins -- was that what you were asking for?
22 (12) Packers 1-3-0 Who would have thought that the Packers would be playing a must-win game in Week 5?
23 (28) Chargers 2-2-0 Just when it looks like Drew Brees is losing his hold on the QB job in San Diego he comes up with a great game. Philip Rivers will take over eventually, but it won't be next week, that's for sure.
24 (26) Browns 2-2-0 A healthy Lee Suggs is obviously a pretty big boost to Cleveland's offense.
25 (22) Bengals 1-3-0 Carson Palmer hasn't been very good, but the big problem in Cincinnati so far has been the defense.
26 (21) Redskins 1-3-0 That Joe Gibbs love-fest in D.C. has screeched to a halt pretty quick.
27 (23) Bears 1-3-0 The bye week comes at a good time for beat-up Bears.
28 (32) Cardinals 1-3-0 Cardinals had shown progress in first three games under Dennis Green and that progress was finally rewarded with a win.
29 (27) Bills 0-3-0 Bills played the Patriots hard Sunday, but that doesn't really count for too much.
30 (29) Buccaneers 0-4-0 The defense is No. 6 in the NFL, but that hasn't been enough to overcome the Bucs' terrible offense.
31 (30) 49ers 0-4-0 The 49ers are falling so far behind early in games that they basically can't use Kevan Barlow, their best offensive player.
32 (31) Dolphins 0-4-0 The Dolphins scored nine points last Sunday and their points-per-game average actually went up.