WEEK 3 NFL POWER RANKING

All teams are measured from a top rating of 25. Home field advantage is worth 3 points. To calculate the approximate pointspread simply add home field advantage to the power rating of the team playing at home and then subtract the visiting teams power rating from this total.

1. Indianapolis Colts 2-0 - Their win last Sunday against Jacksonville wasnt pretty but they got the job done again with an excellent defensive effort. I feel that the sluggish start of the Colts offense is just an abberation and this unit will start lighting up the scoreboard once again. If their defense remains at least adequate and Edgerin James stays healthy this is still the team to beat in the AFC. The Colts also have a very managable schedule on deck. This week: vs Cleveland. PR = 22

2. Philadelphia Eagles 1-1 - All Philadelphia did in response to their opening week loss to Atlanta was to absolutely take the San Francisco 49ers to the woodshed. McNabb spread the ball around last week and suddenly the McNabb/Owens on again-off again love affair is once again on with Terrell having a huge game. This Eagles team is still by far the best squad in the NFC. This week: vs Oakland. PR = 21

3. Pittsburgh Steelers 2-0 - Suddenly QB Ben Roethlisbergers awful preseason is starting to look like it was years ago. He has been nearly perfect in his 2 games thus far and Willie Parker just may put Duce Staley out of a job. Their defense is once again nasty and they still have one of the best coaches in football in Bill Cowher like him or not. Big test for the Steelers this Sunday against a New England team in revenge mode. This week: vs New England. PR = 20

4. New England Patriots 1-1 - I dont think the Patriots loss to Carolina last week is any cause for alarm but I believe this years version of the Pats is a step down from previous years. Tom Brady had an awful game last Sunday but the bigger concern is getting a running game established as Dillon is only averaging 2.7 yards per carry. This is still a playoff team but the Super Bowl may be a stretch this season. This week: @ Pittsburgh. PR = 20

5. Kansas City Chiefs 2-0 - Huge win on the road last Sunday against an Oakland squad with high expectations. The Chiefs defense held the Raiders to only 17 points after nearly shutting out the Jets the week before. Very much like Indy this team will go as far as their defense will take them. Scoring points wont be a problem. Did anybody else notice that Priest Holmes looked a bit slow last Sunday night? This week: @ Denver. PR = 19

6. Carolina Panthers 1-1 - I didnt buy all the hype that the Panthers were a Super Bowl caliber team during the preseason and although their big win over New England was quite impressive I still dont. I hope Im wrong because this is the kind of team that you root for. Jake Delhomme simply outplayed Tom Brady last Sunday and thats saying alot. This week: @ Miami. PR = 18

7. Cincinnati Bengals 2-0 - Huh? The Cincinnati Bengals in a Top Ten list of ANY kind? Absolutely. Although the level of competition is questionable this team has absolutely dominated in both of their games thus far. They had a perfect game plan against Minnesota and Carson Palmer and company look to be on the verge of completely breaking out and becoming one of the dominant offenses in the NFL. This team can play. This week: @ Chicago. PR = 16

8. Atlanta Falcons 1-1 - Tough loss for Atlanta last Sunday as they had to travel all the way to Seattle on a short week and Michael Vick ended up getting hurt althought they did end up making a game of it. But lets not forget about their victory over the Eagles in Week 1. This squad is still a playoff team with one of the most underrated defenses in the league a fine head coach and a great 1-2 RB punch. The passing game however must improve. This week: @ Buffalo. PR = 16

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-0 - I knew this team would be improved this season but who would have guessed this type of start. Last Sunday the suddenly ferocious Bucs defense put pressure on Bills QB Losman all day and they were only able to muster 3 points. RB Carnell Williams looks to be the real deal and as long as Brian Griese limits his mistakes a big if this squad will be competitive all season long. This week: @ Green Bay. PR = 15

10. Buffalo Bills 1-1 - Boy what a difference a week and being on the road makes. QB JP Losman looked like a deer in headlights against a staunch Tampa Bay defense. But were going to go ahead and give him a mulligan for that performance as it was his first start on the road. The Bills have one of the best defenses in the NFL and a solid running game featuring Willis McGahee and should still be a factor all season long. This week: vs Atlanta. PR = 15

11. Jacksonville Jaguars 1-1 - The Jags wasted a terrific defensive effort against the Colts on Sunday by once again lack of offense. Leftwich still looks sketchy in the pocket and Fred Taylor is one play away from an injury at all times. Their defense should keep them in most games this season but my belief is that this squad is still a year or 2 away from doing any serious damage. This week: @ New York Jets. PR = 15

12. Denver Broncos 1-1 - The Broncos responded to their clunker against Miami with a nice victory over the San Diego Chargers at home although the game could have gone either way. I still believe that the Broncos for once in about a decade still have serious problems at the running back position. Jake Plummer still shows signs of inconsistency. As mentioned last week this one of only a few teams in the NFL that I simply dont have a good read on just yet. This week: vs Kansas City. PR = 14

13. San Diego Chargers 0-2 - Yes I know the Chargers are 0-2 but San Diego outplayed both Dallas and Denver and ended up with losses. This team has too much talent to be ranked any lower than this position. Drew Brees has had 2 less than stellar games and they need to use Tomlinson a bit more. But the return of Antonio Gates should propel this team to victories in the coming weeks. Note: No team that started 0-2 made the playoffs last season. This week: vs New York Giants. PR = 14

14. Dallas Cowboys 1-1 - The Cowpokes are just 1 perfectly thrown spiral by Redskins QB Brunell last Monday from being undefeated. That marked the FIRST time in Bill Parcells career 77-1 that he has lost a game when leading by 13 or more points in the 4th quarter. I still like this Cowboy squad and am especially high on RB Julius Jones. I predict the Cowboys will be a playoff team come January. This week: @ San Francisco. PR =14

15. New York Giants 2-0 - Very nice performance this past Monday night against the Saints and QB Eli Manning in particular. Tiki Barber continues to look completely rejuvinated with HC Coughlin at the reigns. This is another squad that will only go so far as their defense takes them. We will wait until we see Manning in a close game with a little pressure on his back before we bump this squad up any further. This week: @ San Diego. PR=14