1. Patriots (Prev. 3): The Patriots have the best record in the NFL, but they continue to fly under the radar. Their offense isn’t as explosive as it has been in recent memory, but it is highly effective.
2. Colts (Prev. 5): Despite numerous key injuries on offense (Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, all RBs), the Colts continue to play well. Peyton Manning is having another great season and the Colts are coming of a great win against the Texans in Week 8.
3. Jets (Prev. 2): The Jets suffered a minor set-back by dropping a large goose-egg against the Packers in Week 8. The Jets offense struggled mightily and the Packers demonstrated that the Jets are very beatable. On the positive side, the Jets defense did not allow a TD in the loss.
4. Falcons (Prev. 6): The idol Falcons are able to crack the Top 5 this week behind the Titans loss at San Diego. The Falcons’ game against Tampa Bay this week is for first place in the NFC South.
5. Steelers (Prev. 1): The Steelers take a small drop in the rankings after losing to the Saints on Sunday Night Football. The Steelers have had a tough schedule up until now and could have easily been worse than 5-2.

Bottom Five (Best to Worst):

28. 49ers (Prev. 30): If the 49ers had beaten the Panthers in Week 7, things would actually not be looking too bad in San Francisco. After the BYE week, the Niners have three key games against beatable opponents. If the Niners are able to beat St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Arizona, winning the (bad) division is a possibility.
29. Broncos (Prev. 26): The Broncos have fallen apart this season. They had a very solid offensive team to start this season, but defense is another story. They have been outscored by 69 points, 53 of which came over the past two weeks. They need to make a defensive adjustment quickly.
30. Cowboys (Prev. 29): I have run out of words to describe the Cowboys this season. They are playing horribly and someone needs to step-up – in a big way.
31. Panthers (Prev. 31): Steve Smith took the blame for their loss against the Rams in Week 8, but I actually feel bad for him. He is a very talented receiver stuck in a horrible situation (a la Larry Fitzgerald).
32. Bills (Prev. 32): The Bills are ever so close to getting that first win. For the second week in a row, they lost a tough game in overtime. You have to wonder if these two recent losses are going to demoralize the Bills, or inspire them to get over the hump.

Be sure to check back next week for the Week 10 Power Rankings!

Disagree? Comment Below!

[Photo Credit: FanPop.com]

1. Steelers: The Steelers have played tremendous despite being without Ben Roethlisberger for the first four weeks. They are 5-1 despite playing a very tough schedule over the first seven weeks.
2. Jets: After losing the first week to the Ravens, the Jets have been smooth sailing. They have outscored opponents by 58 points and they have the league’s best turnover differential at +10.
3. Patriots: The Patriots are currently 5-1, with their only loss coming against a very good Jets team. The Patriots defense sometimes gets burnt, but the offense is more than capable of picking up the slack.
4. Titans: The Titans are one of the surprises in the NFL. They have a great team, but with all the struggles and turmoil at the QB position, it is a bit surprising to see how well they are playing. They lead the league in point differential, outscoring opponents by almost 12 points per game.
5. Colts: The Colts are expected to be in the Top 5, but this season they have struggled at times. A key to their success has been the ability to protect Peyton Manning. He has only been sacked six times this season.

Bottom Five (Best to Worst):

1. Lions: The Lions are an interesting team. They have outscored opponents and they force more turnovers than they commit, but they are still only 1-5. The Lions struggle to finish out games, but the future is looking better.
2. Cowboys: The Cowboys were predicted by many to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, but they have not played well at all. They have tremendous talent on paper, but they are being outscored and they have a negative turnover differential – not to mention the penalties.
3. 49ers: The early favorite to win the NFC West just can’t seem to get things going this season. If there is any positive news, four of their six losses came with less than one minutes to play. If they can figure out how to finish games, they still have a shot in a relatively weak division.
4. Panthers: The Panthers are a mess this season, and they are lucky to have one win. They can’t score, they turn the ball over too much and they allow too many sacks.
5. Bills: The lone win-less team, in the NFL has been horrible this season. They are losing by almost 13 points per game. On a positive note, their opponents winning percentage is 64% which is tied for the toughest schedule in the league. Also, the overtime loss against the Ravens is something to build on.

Be sure to check back next week for the Week 9 Power Rankings!

Disagree? Comment Below!

[Photo Credit: SteelersDaily.com]

The AFC Playoff Picture would look like this:

1. San Diego Chargers
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. New England Patriots
5. New York Jets
6. Cincinnati Bengals

Wild Card Weekend:
Ravens over Bengals
Patriots over Jets

Divisional Round:
Patriots over Colts
Chargers over Ravens

Conference Title:
Chargers over Patriots

The NFC Playoff Picture would look like this:

1. New Orleans Saints
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. San Francisco 49ers
5. Minnesota Vikings
6. Philadelphia Eagles

Wild Card Weekend:
Cowboys over Eagles
Vikings over 49ers

Divisional Round:
Packers over Cowboys
Saints over Vikings

Conference Title:
Packers over Saints

Super Bowl XLV – Feb. 6th 2011 @ Cowboys Stadium
Packers over Chargers

Photo Credit: blogs.dallasobserver.com

2009 Standings:
Indianapolis Colts – 14-2 *Playoffs
Houston Texans – 9-7
Tennessee Titans – 8-8
Jacksonville Jaguars – 7-9

2010 Preseason:
Tennessee Titans – 2-2
Jacksonville Jaguars – 2-2
Houston Texans – 1-3
Indianapolis Colts – 0-4

2010 Regular Season Predictions:
Indianapolis Colts – 13-3
Houston Texans – 9-7
Tennessee Titans – 9-7
Jacksonville Jaguars – 7-9

Team Breakdowns:

Indianapolis Colts:
The Indianapolis Colts will once again be one of the premier teams in the NFL. The offensive core of Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark is still intact and they should be able to continue to put up solid numbers each week. Joseph Addai and Donald Brown will get the job done at the Running-back position, although I am not sold on either of them as being stellar backs (but they don’t have to be). The defensive line is among the best in the league with Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney at the end positions. The secondary is much better when Bob Sanders is on the field and that has been a rare occurrence over the past two seasons (8 games out of 32). If Sanders stays healthy, the Colts could post one of the better defenses in the league.

Houston Texans:
The Houston Texans should be able to have their second winning season in franchise history thanks to their stellar offense. The Texans offense tends to get over looked in the division with Peyton Manning and Co., but Matt Schaub has posted two consecutive seasons with a 90+ QB Rating, including last season’s 4770 yard (98.6 Rating) performance. Andre Johnson is the best wide receiver in the NFL and Kevin Walter has been a solid secondary option. Arian Foster has had a solid preseason and he looks ready to take over as the starting Running-back. The defense will once again be the Texans’ Achilles Heel. Mario Williams (DE) and DeMeco Ryans (LB) are great defenders, but the secondary will leave something to be desired.

Tennessee Titans:
The Tennessee Titans were happy to finish last season at 8-8, considering they started 0-6. I expect that this season they will have a better start, but the end result will be about the same. Chris Johnson is obviously the best player on the offensive side of the ball, and I think every team will have that in mind against the Titans. Johnson’s numbers will take a slight drop from his record setting performance of last season, but he will still be considered the best Running-back in the NFL. Vince Young seems to be a natural leader on the field, but he has limited options other than Johnson. The defense of the Titans is average at best, with Cortland Finnegan (CB) being their best weapon.

Jacksonville Jaguars:
The Jacksonville Jaguars will be looking up once again in the AFC South. Maurice Jones-Drew is clearly the best player on the team, and he will continue to get plenty of touches (365 last year, which was 3rd most in the NFL). Jones-Drew has had some injury problems during the off-season, but he is expected to play in Week 1. David Garrard is an average QB. He isn’t the QB that only threw 3 INTs in 2007, but he is smart with the ball. The problem is he has one option at WR. Outside of Mike Sims-Walker, the Jags don’t have a great group of receivers. On defense, I liked the addition of Aaron Kampman (DE), but I still think they need some help in the secondary (don’t many teams).

Photo Credit: iSportacus.com

Will the Saints’ high powered offense face the Jets’ #1 ranked defense? Will the Saints’ get the high powered Colts’ offense, in what will surely be a shoot-out?

Or will Brett Favre and the Vikings get to play the Jets in a game that will be full of storylines. Favre retires from the Jets, signs with the Vikings and now plays the Jets in the Superbowl? Or do the Vikings get the Colts in a battle of two of the greatest QBs over the past 10 years?

What do you think the Superbowl will look like this season, and do you think it can top last year’s thriller?