Power rankings are good to have, but they only tell you where teams sit in relation to one another in the overall scheme of things. A team lower in rank could easily defeat a team above it if they matchup well with them.

Rankings – Contenders:

1  Champs are the champs until proven otherwise, and so far no one has. Rank near the top in 9 critical categories.

2  Offense can not be stopped by most defenses (We believe the #3 power ranking by us can). D not giving up as many points as the yardage would indicate.

3   Best defense in the NFL right now. Ray Rice runs wild. If Flacco improves in the passing game, they will be a nightmare.

4  Rank near the top in 7 critical categories, but need to improve dramatically in the red zone on both sides of the ball before they can challenge for the championship.

5  The defense is playing very well, and ranking higher in most categories than their offense. When the offense is healthy, they can score with anyone.

6  Despite injuries this team continues to play strong. Now that they finally survived September, perhaps they can get healthy enough to get deep in the playoffs.

7  Finally a healthy Lions team showing all the talent they have piled up in the draft. Once they get Nick Farley on the Defensive line, they will be scary on both sides of the ball. Still need a signature win vs a top team though to prove their legitimacy.

8  They are slipping due to age, but still professionals. If they can overcome injuries and poor O-line play they can still have a good season and get into the playoffs. However, if they can not, they will start dropping in our power rankings.

Rank – Pretenders:
9  Defense is playing well under new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. If Tony UhOh can get out of his own way, they could be a contender. Both O/D lines playing well.

10  Defense seems legit and is allowing the methodical offense to keep them in every game. However, they still need to play a real contender to see if they can hang.

11  So much talent, but not gelling on either side of the ball. If they can start playing as a team, and coaching decisions improve they can play up to their ability.

12  Defense is much better than expected and the O-line is making Hasselback look like he did when he took Seattle to the superbowl. Losing Britt is a big loss though.

13  Still finding ways to win even with several injuries in the starting lineup. O-line is a concern, and Eli continues to be just average.

14  A lot of talk, but not backing it up much this year.  We were never high on Sanchez and have been public about this since his days at USC. He can manage a game while defense and the running game carry him on their back. Now that the running game has disappeared, and the defense can not stop anyone in the red zone, Sanchez is getting exposed for the “average” quarterback he is.

15  We call this team “2-face” because they look almost unbeatable at home, and look scared on the road. Their line play on both sides of the ball isn’t good this year.

16  Still a year or two away from being a top contender. They start slow and then do what they have to in order to win the game. When these young players mature, they will challenge anyone and anywhere.

Rankings - On the Bubble:
17  O-line playing much better than expected. Defensive Line big and strong. McFadden is a beat. Unfortunately their secondary has given up 100 points from long drives! Worst in the NFL.

18  Back to reality. They have major problems on defense and do not have an elite quarterback to compensate. They may have enough adrenaline from their home crowd to pull off some impressive wins, but they will be exposed on the road and for the rest of the season.

19  They are overrated, plain and simple. Offensive line is still pathetic, and offense is ranking low in important categories this year. Luckily their special teams and defense has kept them in games this year.

20   Strange and lucky win in Philadelphia. Defense plays well, but offense is very suspect.

21  The youngsters on offense showing potential “Dalton, AJ Green, and Gresham” , and defense is not giving up yardage too easily. However, mistakes and youth on offense still holding this team back from being a consistently good team.

22 Cam Newton as our handicapper “Brye M.” has said for 2 years is the second-coming. He looks to be right. Newton is putting up unreal numbers and vegas is loving his backdoor covers. Unfortunately all this yardage is not turning into enough points, and their defense is mediocre. Hopefully the rest of the team catches up with Newton before Defensive coordinators figure out the tape and how to slow Cam down.

Rankings -  “Suck for Luck” Sweepstakes:
23  They are not terrible, but they are not good either. Lucky for them they got the 2010 chiefs schedule and their record is better than their team actually is.

24  Some good talent here, but inconsistent play on both sides of the ball are hindering them from turning these Losses into “W’s”.  Ponder may see action by Week 6.

25  Hard to win games when your O-line and secondary suck. Did everyone really believe Kevin Kolb was going to cover that up?!

26  Von Miller is the only bright spot.

27  Sign veterans in the offseason, but throw in the towel and start a “not NFL ready” Gabbert? Horrible play from their O/D lines has this team in limbo.

28  Defense not living up to their potential. The team ranks near the bottom in 9 critical categories. If they stop underachieving they could win some games.

29  Not enough quality depth to overcome key injuries. Bradford is frustrated with all the drops. Never out of it in this division.

30  Sidney Rice has given this pathetic offense a much needed dimension. Still not enough. Pete Carroll needs to take his talents back to the NCAA.

31  Two respectable efforts keep them out of the bottom, but they challenge KC for that spot in Week 5!

32 Their best player is the 12th man, unfortunately they will not be playing at home all season. They suffered key injuries to key players on an already less than average team. They rank low in 9 key categories and they will never have a chance to compete with the big boys with noodle arm Cassel. This team is so bad they will probably accidentally win just enough games to miss out on the “Suck-for-luck” sweepstakes!