32. Oakland Raiders:0-2
Trending- Steady, at the bottom of a large crevice they fell into.
It's only a matter of time till Dennis Allen gets his marching orders. This team has one of the worst rosters over the past 5 years. They could be facing a 0-16 season. GM Reggie McKenzie should go as well, teams which pin their starting QB hopes on Matt Flynn and Matt Schaub aren't cut out to manage an NFL team.
Upcoming schedule- @Patriots, vs Miami, BYE- Dolphins could be the best chance to sneak a win this year.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars: 0-2
Trending- Plummeting down the same crevice that the Raiders are in because one of the offensive lineman cut the rope.
Since the Jaguars were up 17-0 in the first half against the Eagles in Week 1 they have conceded 76 points and scored 10. They allowed ten sacks against Washington D.C. Ten!! They only got 8 first downs the whole game! The Offensive Line is officially the worst in the NFL and Henne is providing nothing at QB. The question is whether you throw Blake Bortles in to be slaughtered and irreparably damaged like Blaine Gabbert in 2011 or do you let Henne take it and take the losses? A tough call but Jags fans deserve better.This defense is supposed to be much better than this and they have no excuses for allowing so many points.
Upcoming schedule- vs Colts, @ Chargers, vs Steelers. Not the worst schedule in terms of the opposition pass rush but they will be lucky to contend in any of these games let alone win.
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 0-2
Trending- Skydiving into crevice with no parachute, there is no stopping them.
One of the trendy picks to do well this year, no other teams stock has plummeted in such a short space of time. Losing your first two games at home to backup QB's is going to do that. Lovie Smith's contract must have a clause that he doesn't field a competent O Line ever. Their major FA acquisitions on defense haven't made any impacts outside of Clinton McDonald and Josh McCown looks like the pre-Marc Trestman McCown we all know and distrust. The loss of their best DT Gerald McCoy to a broken hand only confirms that this team is in for a long and painful year.
Upcoming schedule- @Falcons, @Steelers, @Saints. Matt Ryan, Ben Roethelisberger, Drew Brees + no pass rush= three losses.
29. New York Giants:0-2
Trending- Flat lining since their Super Bowl victory three years ago.
The Giants have been under the radar bad for years now. Consistently poor starters under Tom Coughlin, the Giants are in need of a complete overhaul which should have begun this offseason with the firing of Coughlin and GM Jerry Reese. Reese has done a shocking job retooling this roster and flat out ignoring the LB and TE positional groups. With the offense looking so bad and devoid of receiving options for Eli Manning to have a remote chance of succeeding, this side is looking at back to back lost seasons. They may win some games late this year but they might as well suck and grab a higher pick in the draft for the rebuild to start a fresh.
Upcoming schedule- vs Texans, @Washington D.C, vs Falcons- all those teams have weaknesses but the Giants will struggle to capitalise on them with this offense and QB.
28. Kansas City Chiefs: 0-2
Trending- Somehow made a Formula 1 podium in a Ford V8 last year. This year they decided to race in the same Ford V8 with only three wheels and a one armed driver (Alex Smith). Translation- Not well.
The Chiefs were undoubtedly going to have a step back from a ridiculous 12 wins last year but they could have at least tried to compete this year.They had one of the worst offseasons this year, losing the majority of their starting O Line. They inexcusably didn't add any significant help at WR despite it being poor group last year. They cut CB Brandon Flowers leaving the secondary weak and then they tied up cap space to an average Alex Smith who needs help around him to succeed. Genius. This team was relying on their defensive front 7 to win them games until the loss of pro bowler LB Derrick Johnson for the season destroyed that hope in the first game. This team doesn't have the firepower to score in any shootout and the defense is average at best now. 5-7 wins is looking most likely.
Upcoming schedule: @Dolphins, vs Patriots, @49ers. One win at the most here.
27. St Louis Rams: 1-1
Trending- Your standard Jeff Fisher mediocre season so steady.
The Rams are the most frustrating franchise to observe. They definitely won the RGIII trade in my eyes, they have added a lot of talent yet the coaching staff can't seem to get the best of the players or put them in positions to thrive. Jeff Fisher is perhaps the most overrated head coach in the NFL. For all his longevity he has a plainly ordinary 157-138 Win-Loss regular season record. He is the epitome of average. To make matters worse his coordinators maybe the worst fits for this team. Brian Schottenheimer doesn't deserve to be on any NFL team as a offensive coordinator with his vanilla,predictable playcalling. Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams blitz heavy schemes aren't needed by a team with perhaps the best defensive line in the NFL. I would love to see this team run by a Chip Kelly/Mike McCoy visionary who can turn an average roster into a playoff contender. Alas the Rams choose Fisher and his antiquated ways.
Upcoming schedule- vs Cowboys, BYE, @ Eagles- They could upset the Cowboys but I wouldn't count on it.
26. Washington D.C: 1-1
Trending- In the eye of the hurricane-the calm before the drop
The domination of the Jaguars hides the fact for at least one week that this team is not very good.Kirk Cousins looked capable as Robert 'Glass" Griffen III injured himself again but he is not the long term solution. We have seen him look good for a game or two before spectacular collapses. The defense is really bad and will get exposed by the Eagles this week and we will go back to thinking this team is a bottom third team.
Upcoming schedule- @ Eagles, Giants, Seahawks.
25. Minnesota Vikings: 1-1
Trending- Big Dive
Full of promise after Week 1, even touted as a playoff sleeper the loss of Adrian Peterson along with a crushing loss to the Patriots has left the Vikings in a bad place. There is some hope with Teddy Bridgewater waiting in the wings to take over at QB but with AP indefinitely out this offense becomes one dimensional. Upcoming schedule- @Saints, Falcons, @Packers- This part of the schedule isn't as hard as it looked before the start of the season but they will still be fortunate to get a win from this.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers: 1-1
Trending- Steady but not inspiring
The Steelers under Mike Tomlin have been quietly disappointing, this is not a Steelers of old team. They have handled the cap really poorly over the past 5 years by extending ageing players and failing to draft well. There defense has been gashed on the ground by the Ravens and the Browns while their secondary is old. Mike Tomlin could be looking for a new job at the end of the year if they don't make the playoffs with this schedule. Upcoming schedule- @Panthers, vs Bucs, @Jags. The schedule has opened up nicely for them If they don't come out 2-1 from this they will be playing catch up with the rest of the AFC North.
23. New York Jets: 1-1
Trending- Steady but barely
Every year the Jets organisation talk themselves up as a team to fear and every year Rex Ryan and his merry men find ways to under perform. They played a fantastic game at Green Bay until they collapsed in the third quarter and called an illegal timeout which negated a tying TD. This could have been the high mark of the year considering how poorly the Raiders and Packers have been and how inevitable that Rex will turn to Mike Vick despite Geno Smiths improvements at QB. We've seen this all before people and it never works out for the Jets.
Upcoming schedule- vs Bears, vs Lions, Chargers.- The first two are winnable at home but I can't see them winning on the West Coast.
22. Miami Dolphins:1-1
Trending- Down
What we learnt about the Dolphins so far: Eight quarters played, two were great, six were terrible. Injured Knowshon Moreno IS the running game, Ryan Tannehill can't throw a deep ball. The linebackers are awful. If this team couldn't compete against the Bills than how are they going to play against the good teams? Joe Philbin has to do a better job than last week to retain his job at the end of the year.
Upcoming schedule- vs Chiefs, @Raiders, vs Packers- maybe the easiest schedule over the next three weeks. Less than two wins is unacceptable. The way the Packers have been playing they could beat them at home.
21.Tennessee Titans:1-1
Trending- Down
A promising first week followed by a bad second week means my preseason prediction of 8-8 is most likely. Locker just doesn't provide the consistency and accuracy needed to start for an NFL team. The defense may not be as bad as people thought they would be which is a positive. Upcoming schedule- @Bengals, @Colts, vs Browns- Three tough but winnable games.
20. Dallas Cowboys:1-1
Trending- Steady but never in a good way
The Cowboys may have figured out that running the ball is the best way to keep Tony Romo making mistakes. The defense has played ok considering it looked like it was going to be historically bad. That can still happen and they haven't faced a top offense yet so we will wait and see. The Cowboys are going to be extremely up and down this year so be prepared for storylines galore.
Upcoming Schedule- @Rams, vs Saints, vs Texans- Dallas could win or lose any of these games. It will be interesting to see whether the Cowboys offense can score against good Rams/Texans defenses and whether the Defense can stop the Saints.
19. Green Bay Packers: 1-1
Trending- Clinging on to prevent a precipitous drop to mediocrity.
This team is not good. Dom Capers defense can't stop anyone right now and the offensive line yet again can't protect Rodgers. They were fortunate the Jets imploded .in the second half last week because they should be 0-2 right now. This team is not a shoo in for the playoffs.
Upcoming schedule- @Lions, @Bears, vs Vikings- Three divisional games in a row, on paper they are favorites in all three but they could lose all three.
18. Chicago Bears: 1-1
Trending- Same as their divisional rivals above.
The Bears can thank Colin Kaepernick choking for not being 0-2. This team doesn't look good at all. Cutler has struggled moving the ball consistently and Matt Forte isn't being used as effectively as last year. Injures are really impacting the offensive line and wide receiver corp and CB Charles Tillman is done for the year which is a huge blow. This team was touted to win the division this year which could happen but compared to the rest of the NFC this team looks bad.
Upcoming schedule- @Jets, vs Packers, @Panthers- If the Bears can keep a clean pocket for Cutler he can dismantle both the Jets and Panthers secondaries. Bears have to get out of this 2-1 to stay in the NFC North race.
17. Atlanta Falcons:1-1
Trending- Neither up nor down but big weaknesses.
This team is going to be in a shootout every week with one of the worst defenses in the league. They have no pass rush. Zilch. If they lose WR Julio Jones for any period of time this team is toast. Mike Smith could be looking for a new job by the end of this year, they just aren't good enough on both sides to be a playoff team.
Upcoming schedule- vs Bucs, @Vikings, @Giants- Three winnable games against teams who might not be able to capitalise on this horrendous defense.
16. Indianapolis Colts: 0-2
Trending: Pep Hamilton's offense is the opposite of trending.
This team has a serious identity crisis. They have the best young QB prospect in the league and they want to take the ball out of his hands to the biggest RB bust in years. It's like they want to prove a point that they can run the ball despite having a offensive line that can't block. And this is the best side of the ball!!!!!! The defense lost its best pass rusher before he even played a snap and can't stop the run either. The AFC South is wide open until the Colts fire Pep Hamilton and probably Chuk Pagano and GM Ryan Grigson. That's not going to happen in a hurry though.
Upcoming schedule- @Jaguars, vs Titans, vs Ravens- If they don't go at least 2-1 here they are in serious trouble.
15. Detroit Lions:1-1
Trending- Matthew Stafford and Jim Caldwell are ALWAYS trending up!!! (sarcasm)
It seems every year Stafford is touted as the next young QB to become 'elite' but I thin k he is who he is. A younger version of Jay Cutler, a gunslinger who doesn't strive to improve. He does well against poor defenses and struggles against good ones. The defense isn't going to help after they failed to improve the secondary for what seems like a millennium. Overrated QB, underwhelming coach= 8-8 team even in a bad NFC North.
Upcoming schedule- vs Packers, @Jets, vs Bills- They will rate themselves against all these teams but will probably only win one of them.
14. New Orleans Saints: 0-2
Trending- Lowly
Losing both games in the last 10 seconds has to hurt this teams chances of winning the NFC like many pundits predicted in the preseason. I never bought into this defense being elite. Rob Ryan has never coached a Top 10 Defense in his NFL career, he's not going to start now. This team can't seem to win away from home which is a problem considering half their games are away. They are in a real battle with the Panthers to win this division.
Upcoming schedule- vs Vikings, @Cowboys, vs Bucs- Anything short of 3-0 would be disastrous for this team.
13. Baltimore Ravens: 1-1
Trending- Slightly up.
The Ravens started of sluggishly but should improve as the offense gets more accustomed to Gary Kubiaks new system. The defense is getting guys back from injury and Steve Smith has given Flacco that intermediate target that he's missed since Anquan Boldin was not resigned.
Upcoming schedule- @Browns, vs Panthers, @Colts- Three tough matches but the Ravens should come out 2-1.
Trending: The stench of Matt Schaub is off!
Bill O'Brien's side has had an easy start of the seaon but they are looking fresh and a tough match for any team this year. Arian Foster looks great behind a rejuvenated O Line and the defense looks like it's going to turnover the ball and limit the opposition scoring. They will need to do that because if they can't Ryan Fitzpatrick can't be relied on to lead this team to victories.
Upcoming schedule- @Giants, vs Bills, vs Cowboys- Three winnable games, they have a real chance to jump out to a 5-0 start.
11. Buffalo Bills: 2-0
Trending- Unfortunately it probably won't get much higher then this.
Upcoming schedule- vs Chargers, @Texans, @Lions- The Chargers should be a good measuring stick for this team. If they can beat them who knows? I see 1-2 here.
10. Philadelphia Eagles- 2-0
Trending- Still undecided.
This Eagles team has had to make historical comebacks to win both games. It's not an encouraging sign they are starting slow and that Nick Foles is missing wide open receivers. The good news is that Darren Sproles looks like the FA signing of the year and they are still in the NFC East. They could have this division wrapped up pretty early if the rest of the division keeps imploding.
Upcoming schedule- vs Washington D.C, @49ers, vs Rams- 3-0 is achievable with the 49ers looking shaky at the moment.
9. Cleveland Browns: 1-1
Trending- Up which almost guarantees next week it will be down because the Browns can never have nice things.
In the preseason I was proclaiming that the Browns defense was going to be Top 5 this year under Mike Pettine so it's nice to see that coming true. The running game looks very strong with the two rookie RB's behind an excellent line. If Brian Hoyer can continue to manage the game until Josh Gordon gets back this team maybe in the hunt for the AFC North title. Never get your hopes up with the Browns though, something is bound to go wrong.
Upcoming schedule- vs Ravens, BYE, @ Titans- To be taken seriously this year they have to beat the Ravens.
8. San Francisco 49ers: 1-1
Trending: Down and sneakily a plummet candidate.
Since the Cowboys self destructed in the first quarter of Game 1 the 49ers haven't been the dominant side we have known over the past couple of years. The way that Kaepernick blew the Bears game was really disturbing. Despite all their draft picks over the past two years this team is short of depth at all levels on defense. Jim Harbaugh's weird personality can be tolerated while winning but I get the feeling that the players and management are getting tired of his antics. I'm still predicting he moves on at the end of this year.
Upcoming schedule- @Cardinals, vs Eagles, vs Chiefs- The 49ers don't have to beat the Cardinals but they have to at least show they can play a whole 60 min. I see 2-1.
7. Arizona Cardinals: 2-0
Trending- Up but leveling out
I have been impressed by the Cardinals resilience considering the losses they have had to deal with before the season even began. The defense is without Darnell Dockett, Daryl Washington and John Abraham and they still look like a very good unit. Credit goes to coordinator Todd Bowles for keeping this team humming. The bigger issue is whether Carson Palmer can come back from a nerve injury that prevented him playing last week. Drew Stanton doesn't cut it as a starting QB.
Upcoming schedule- vs 49ers, BYE, @Broncos. Two tough games may see them back to .500 but the bye comes at a good time.
6. Carolina Panthers: 2-0
Trending- Up
The most surprising team for me so far. I was expecting a large drop off this year with the multitude of losses they had in the offseason but they just carried on from last year. This defense really is one of the best in the NFL and WR Kelvin Benjamin looks like an instant contributor which can help Cam Newton. They are in the drivers seat to win the NFC South again after the Saints poor start.
Upcoming schedule- vs Steelers, @ Ravens, vs Bears- Three good but flawed teams, the Panthers should go 2-1 if their defense continues to play at such a high level.
5. New England Patriots: 1-1
Trending- Back to normal
Apart from one half where the Patriots got blown out in hot conditions they don't look bad. They don't look great but they do start slow and build as the season goes. The defense looks like it could be very good if they can stay healthy. The offense looks rusty and out of practice but there is still plenty of time for Brady to gel with his receivers.
Upcoming schedule- vs Raiders, @ Chiefs, vs Bengals- The Bengals could provide a stiff test but the Patriots should still go 3-0 in this stretch.
4. Cincinnati Bengals: 2-0
Trending- Up
Another team I am surprised is looking so good is the Bengals. What we have learnt over the past three years though is that it means nothing until the Andy Dalton led Bengals can win a playoff game. He is also going to face better defenses in the regular season and the loss of Marvin Jones, Tyler Eifert and perhaps AJ Green for an extended period time has to hurt this team.
Upcoming schedule- vs Titans, BYE, @Patriots- A win against the Titans will suffice.
3. San Diego Chargers: 1-1
Trending- Sneaky high.
I don't think Mike McCoy and the Chargers are getting enough credit for how well this side has played since he took over last year. They are controlling the possession and playing stifling defense. Beating the world champions at their own game was a sign that they will indeed be a genuine threat for the Broncos this year in the AFC West.
Upcoming schedule- @Bills, vs Jaguars, vs Jets- I see three wins here despite travelling to the Bills. All three teams don't have good QB's who can not turn over the ball.
2. Denver Broncos: 2-0
Trending- Meh
The Broncos have been somewhat disappointing thus far. Peyton Manning doesn't seem to be on the same page with his WR's and Montee Ball has been bad in the run game despite a good offensive line creating holes. The defense also looks weak especially with the linebacking corp faced with several injuries. They are finding out what it's like to have a tougher schedule to last years cakewalk.
Upcoming schedule- @ Seahawks, BYE, vs Arizona- I think they are going to get destroyed again by the Seahawks with that home field advantage and Arizona are a good football team so nothing is a given this year for the Broncos.
1. Seattle Seahawks: 1-1
Trending- A we bit lower than usual but not enough to knock them off the perch.
I don't take too much away from the Chargers loss on the Seahawks side, they were just beaten by a better team on the day. It says a lot that they still had a chance to win the game at the end despite having very little of possession. The defense doesn't look as good as last year but it's still a Top 3 unit. Russell Wilson looks fantastic which means the Seahawks might not have to rely on the defense to win them games this year.
Upcoming schedule- vs Broncos, BYE, @Washinton D.C- 2-0 and still the No.1 in the power rankings.
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