The first week of the NFL season is in the books, and if there’s one thing we know, it’s that we know nothing. Tons of movement in the rankings this week, as several of our Preseason Top 10 lost to teams thought to non-factors. Only three teems remain in the same spots and 7 teams moved 5 of more spots in either direction. Without further ado:
| Ranking (Last Week) |
Team | Commentary |
| 1(1) | New Orleans Saints | The Saints started out the year with a big win against another NFC contender. While their offense was less than spectacular, the Saints defense forced Peterson to fight for yards and disrupted the Vikings passing game. It’s just week one, but that is a big win for the Saints. |
| 2(4) | Baltimore Ravens | The Ravens survived a sloppy defensive battle in New York Monday night. Despite their offensive struggles, they got big plays from their stars (Boldin, Heap, Ngata, Lewis) when they needed them most. Flacco and his new weapsons haven’t quite clicked, but Baltimore has proven once again that they can win with or without offensive excellence. |
| 3(6) | New England Patriots | Concerns about the defense were allayed somewhat with the squad allowing only three points to Cincinnati in the first half; unfortunately, the Patriots allowed 21 points in mop-up duty during the second half. The offense was in good shape, but that defense will need to be in top form for the Jets next weekend. |
| 4(8) | Green Bay Packers | The Packers picked up a big win against the Eagles but lost Ryan Grant to a season ending injury during the process. While the mainstay of their offense is their passing attack, losing a top ten RB is a blow to any team. |
| 5(2) | Indianapolis Colts | Despite the typical big numbers from Peyton Manning, the Colts defense was gashed badly on the ground giving up big runs to Arian Foster of the Texans. The last team to lose a game in 2009 has become one of the 16 teams to fall in their Week 1 contest, and the Colts are already down a game in the division. |
| 6(11) | Houston Texans | The Texans home opener against the Colts was odd for a number of reasons; firstly, they won, and secondly, they did it behind a 200+ yard rushing performance by Arian Foster instead of solely relying on quarterback Matt Schaub. Certainly a good start to the season for a franchise still seeking their first-ever playoff appearance. |
| 7(3) | Minnesota Vikings | There are two sides to every story. On one hand the Vikings offense was out of sync and their defense was porous at times. On the other hand they did hold the defending champs to just 14 points on the road. Hard to write the Vikings off after a close loss to the Saints. |
| 8(16) | New York Giants | After a disappointing finish to the 2009 season, the Giants got off on the right foot with a win over Carolina. They are looking to continue the success and contend for what looks to be a wide open division. |
| 9(18) | Tennessee Titans | Vince Young and Chris Johnson accounted for most of the offense as the Titans found their first win of 2010 much more easily than they found their first win a season ago, taking care of Oakland, 38-13. The win helps the Titans keep pace with their non-Colts brethren of the AFC South. |
| 10(13) | Pittsburgh Steelers | The Steelers outlasted the Falcons on Sunday and look to continue to tread water until quarterback Ben Roethlisberger returns. |
| 11(9) | San Diego Chargers | In the past two seasons, it has been a San Diego trademark to sputter out of the gate. Each time, the Chargers have been able to get their act together by the middle of the season and storm back to win the AFC West. After a demoralizing loss to the Chiefs to open this season, however, one has to wonder how much the loss of key players like Vincent Jackson will affect the team in the long term; early signs are not good for Chargers faithful. |
| 12(5) | Dallas Cowboys | The Cowboys struggled to move the ball against an underrated Redskins defense and managed to lose the game with disastrous plays at the end of each half. Clearly a talented team, but a team is only as strong as it’s weakest link, especially if the weak link is a bad right tackle or terrible play calling. |
| 13(14) | Philadelphia Eagles | The Eagles have to be one of the hardest teams to rank at this point in the season. The departure of Donovan McNabb created an opening for the unproven Kevin Kolb. Kolb started off slow, got hurt, and then PETA spokesperson Mike Vick almost led then to victory. With a QB controversy likely looming, we’re not sure quite what to make of Philly at this point. |
| 14(7) | New York Jets | For all of the coverage of high-profile trades and free agent signings, and for a summer featured on the HBO “Hard Knocks” program, expectations for the Jets were astronomical; in their home opener of New Meadowlands Stadium, very little good was on display. Sophomore QB Matt Sanchez failed to get his team in the end zone and passed for under 100 yards, while as a team the Jets offense converted a single third down all game. Not a good start for a team expected to take the AFC East. |
| 15(15) | Atlanta Falcons | Atlanta pushed the Steelers on the road to overtime but ultimately lost in a field goal fest (sans the one OT TD). Matt Ryan had a pedestrian day and the Falcons gained just 58 yards on the ground. This was probably more of a testament to the Steelers defense than a lack of Falcon offense. |
| 16(17) | Miami Dolphins | Brandon Marshall was a frequent target, but the Dolphins succeeded on the ground to get in the end zone and fight their way to a 15-10 win on the road in Buffalo. Probably too early to make a call on Miami yet based on this game, but a division win is always welcome in the NFL. |
| 17(10) | Cincinnati Bengals | After winning a division title last season, the Bengals were thought to be a contender for the AFC North title again. However, after being dominated by the Patriots in Week 1, Cincinnati has work to do to prove that they weren’t a one-year wonder. |
| 18(12) | San Francisco 49ers | Many people, including TSG, had high hopes for the 49ers. Then the Seahawks delivered a stomach punch in the form of a 31-6 beatdown which sets them up to go 0 and 2 with the Saints looming next week. |
| 19(29) | Seattle Seahawks | Is Seattle better than expected or is San Francisco worse? If Matt Hasselbeck can perform consistently well Seattle could sneak up on a few teams. |
| 20(21) | Washington Redskins | The Redskins beat the Cowboys on a series of bizarre plays. They will have to win a few more games and get more production from Donovan McNabb to prove that they’ve become a legitimate contender in a solid division. |
| 21(18) | Denver Broncos | In an offseason dominated by “Tebow Talk,” the first-round draft pick and former Heisman Trophy winner took two snaps as a rushing quarterback for a grand total of two yards in his return to Florida. Kyle Orton put up nearly 300 yards through the air along with a touchdown, but he also threw an interception on the potential game-tying drive to seal the loss. A Correll Buckhalter lost fumble earlier in the game didn’t help the effort either, however. |
| 22(23) | Jacksonville Jaguars | Give credit to the Jaguars; in a game against the Broncos where the biggest storyline was the return of Tim Tebow to Florida as Denver’s #2 quarterback, Jacksonville played tough and gritted out a win to start the season in the “W” column. David Garrard looked solid with 3 touchdown passes and no picks in the 24-17 victory, while Maurice Jones-Drew finished just shy of 100 yards rushing. |
| 23(20) | Arizona Cardinals | It’s hard to gauge just where the Cardinals rank when their first week opponent is the lowly Rams and the debut of a rookie quarterback, but the play of WR Steve Breaston and the monster performance of S Adrian Wilson (2 int, 1 sack, 1 blocked fg) are encouraging in this weak division. |
| 24(27) | Kansas City Chiefs | The AFC West is never considered a “great” division by any stretch, but few would’ve expected Kansas City to be the only winning team in it after Week 1. The Chiefs went down early to San Diego but ended up ahead 21-7 at halftime on a long run, a good red zone pass, and a returned punt for a touchdown. Even more important: the Chiefs defense stood up Philip Rivers in the end zone in the last minute to preserve the win. Chiefs fans were excited Monday night, and it was a good win for the franchise. |
| 25(21) | Chicago Bears | The Bears squeaked out a win at home over the Lions. Matt Forte showed glimpses of his rookie year self which had to make Bear fans happy after his disappointing sophomore season. |
| 26(26) | Detroit Lions | Regardless of whether the correct call according to the rule book was made, the Lions and Calvin Johnson got the shaft on the end zone call. But a lot of the optimism resulting from their overall performance was hampered by the news of Matthew Stafford’s shoulder injury |
| 27(30) | Tampa Bay Bucs | The Bucs already have 1/3 of their win total from last season, but it came against one of the worst teams in the league. On the bright side, QB Josh Freeman had a decent game and their D forced the first two of what will be many interceptions for Jake Delhomme (again). |
| 28(24) | Carolina Panthers | It’s not going to take too many more 1 TD 3 INT games from Matt Moore before Carolina fans, and Panther receivers, start demanding that backup rookie QB Jimmy Clausen gets a start. |
| 29(32) | St. Louis Rams | Rams fans may be excited about the start of the Sam Bradford era, but 3 picks in your debut isn’t the wow factor St. Louis was looking for. Expect a long season of losing in Missouri. |
| 30(25) | Oakland Raiders | There’s a new quarterback in town, though the results in Week 1 weren’t any better for the Raiders in terms of winning and losing; a touchdown and an interception for Jason Campbell wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t enough in a game which got out of hand quickly. Oakland will need to be stronger on both sides of the ball to become a legitimate threat in this year’s NFL. |
| 31(28) | Cleveland Browns | Breaking News: Cleveland is still Cleveland. |
| 32(31) | Buffalo Bills | Trent Edwards was the only quarterback in the Miami-Buffalo game to find the end zone through the air, but that didn’t stop the Bills from beginning the season with a loss once again. The offense managed only 166 yards in a home opener that wasn’t really as close as the 15-10 score would lead you to believe. |
Commentary breakdown: Alex (AFC North, NFC East), Brian (AFC East/South/West), Pat (NFC North/South/West).
