1) Dallas Cowboys - This team is clearly the best overall team on paper in
the NFL. They'll get their first tough test on Monday night.
2) New England Patriots - Can this team overcome the loss of the best
quarterback in the NFL? Expect New England to run the ball more with Matt Cassel
behind center.
3) Philadelphia Eagles - They'll face a real team on Monday night but
Philadelphia looks to be one of the most improved teams in the league.
4) Pittsburgh Steelers - There aren't any glaring weaknesses on this team but
can they win consistently on the road? They couldn't do that last season.
5) Indianapolis Colts - Can they overcome the loss of DT Ed Johnson and the
absences of two of their starting interior offensive linemen?
6) San Diego Chargers - The loss of OLB Shawne Merriman is huge. And their run
defense is struggling due in part to ILB Stephen Cooper out of the lineup due to
suspension.
7) Green Bay Packers - Aaron Rodgers will be very solid this season as will
their offense. The defense, though, has some issues against the run.
8) New York Giants - Despite the losses of their two starting defensive ends,
their defense will still be rock solid.
9) New York Jets - This team should be one of the most improved this season on
both sides of the ball.
10) Minnesota Vikings - The quarterback position is holding this team back. What
happened to their run defense last week?
11) Carolina Panthers - This team could be better than most of us thought.
12) Tennessee Titans - They have the most physical front seven in the NFL but
can they get anything out of the quarterback position?
13) New Orleans Saints - Who will step up in the absence of WR Marques Colston?
Can their secondary cover anyone consistently?
14) Buffalo Bills - This is one of the better young teams in the AFC but they
have to overcome an average passing game.
15) Jacksonville Jaguars - Can they overcome the injuries at both guard
positions? Will OLT Khalif Barnes finally reach his potential?
16) Arizona Cardinals - They got off to a good start on the road but can they
sustain their success?
17) Cleveland Browns - This team rivaled the Detroit Lions effort on defense
last week. At least their offense will be solid.
18) Chicago Bears - Could their defense be better than first thought? Their
group of receivers certainly looks to be as bad as we thought.
19) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - It's hard to win consistently when you don't have a
solid quarterback.
20) Denver Broncos - Jay Cutler is headed for a great season and their offense
will be solid. Can they get any kind of pass rush on defense and can they stop
the run?
21) Seattle Seahawks - The defense will be very good but who will catch the ball
on offense?
22) Baltimore Ravens - The defense will be solid if their older cornerbacks can
stay healthy. But can the offense sustain a running game?
23) Houston Texans - They have to find a way to run the football. What they
should have done is sign Michael Turner in free agency and cut Ahman Green.
24) San Francisco 49ers - Can the offense put up enough points on a weekly basis
for them to win consistently?
25) Atlanta Falcons - They might not be as bad as many think.
26) Washington Redskins - They better starting figuring out how to move the ball
ASAP.
27) Detroit Lions - Talk about bad gap integrity, did they realize that tackling
is part of the job on defense?
28) Miami Dolphins - They were competitive against the New York Jets last week
but they'll finish in last place in the AFC East.
29) Cincinnati Bengals - Could their offense be this bad? It would help their
cause if they could run the ball.
30) Kansas City Chiefs - They were actually competitive against the New England
Patriots last week but this is a rebuilding team.
31) Oakland Raiders - Team chaos looks to be their moniker this season. When is
the last time you saw the head coach throw his defensive coordinator under the
bus? Oh, that's right, it's the Raiders. My bad.
32) St. Louis Rams - The Scott Linehan watch has begun.