And with Monday night’s games officially in the books, so ends Week 1 of the NFL’s 2012 season. A great one it was, too. With five rookie starting quarterbacks, the return of Peyton Manning, multiple upsets and the most points scored in opening weekend in NFL history, there were plenty of storylines to keep an eye out for. We even had a record-tying field goal. Arguably, the most notable story though: The replacement officials did not accidentally blow any games.
Anything can happen in the NFL and it often does. This week has already seen an incredible shifting of teams after the pre-season rankings. This season, I’ll be bringing you NCB’s Power Rankings each week. They are completely unbiased, coast or otherwise. I haven’t even looked at the rest of the media’s version of this list. And that’s how it should be, because mine will be more accurate anyway. 2012 is already starting to feel like an AFC year. The conference’s top tier teams were amazing this week. We’ll see if the trend holds, but the top of this list definitely favors them, currently. These rankings are sure to be altered considerably week to week, so stay tuned . . . I have a feeling the top will be different in just a few days.
- San Francisco 49ers (1-0) – After defeating the new “America’s Team” this past weekend, how could they not be right at the top? Wins like that don’t come easily. The Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl in the 2010 season and went 15-1 in the regular season last year. It looks like the 49ers picked up right where they left off after the playoffs. Hell, they’ve improved. They were under-the-radar for most of the 2011 season, but only allowed one rushing TD in a 13-3 regular season schedule. They were a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs, knocking off the New Orleans Saints in a playoff match for the ages. They were only taken out by the playoff-powerhouse Giants in an overtime heartbreaker at the NFC Championship game. But the team is even better this year, as I’ve said. The defense is stacked, yet again. They held 2011 MVP Aaron Rodgers to 2 TDs and even forced a rare interception and got 3 sacks. There were no rushing TDs. Frank Gore had his best game since 2005, rushing for 112 yards and a TD. Kendall Hunter backed Gore and got 41 yards. He even got some redzone play with a TD chance, but stepped out at the 2 yard. Alex Smith outplayed Rodgers, with plenty of viable throwing targets, most notably TE Vernon Davis, and WRs Michael Crabtree and a resurgent Randy Moss. This is the new “team-to-beat” in the NFL. And good luck with that, all of you other teams.
- Baltimore Ravens (1-0) – The new and improved offense/Joe Flacco actually deconstructed the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half on Monday night. For the time being, the no huddle looks like it’s working and if you can combine a great offense with the Ravens’ already top-tier defense, we could be seeing the much hyped Harbaugh Bowl later this year. Expect to hear that term over and over for the next 6 months. Surprisingly, the Ravens escaped week one as the only NFC North team with a victory. My only concern is that the Ravens tend to make the playoffs easily, but can’t get to the Super Bowl. I always joke, too, that they are terrible against bad teams, so that always throws a wrench in a team’s search for the playoffs and is something to watch in 2012 (in 2011, the Ravens lost to the 9-7 Titans, the 5-11 Jaguars, the 7-9 Seahawks and the 8-8 Chargers).
- New York Jets (1-0) — Who guessed right on this game? I mean, this is a team that couldn’t score a TD in the entire pre-season with its first-stringers and yet, they had maybe the most amazing performance as a team this past weekend. The Jets defense was great as usual, allowing the Buffalo Bills to really score only in garbage time. Sanchez shut up the critics, despite and interception, with a 266-yard, three-TD performance. Tebow was there and doing some things, though mostly used as a decoy. It’s been suggested that the Jets played possum in the pre-season, waiting until the regular season to unveil their diabolical Super Bowl plot. Looks like it worked.
- New England Patriots (1-0) – New year, same old story. The Patriots are always a top 10 team. They have what looks like a better defense as compared to last year, completely demoralizing Chris Johnson, who had four yards on 11 carries. The tightend tandem of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski each got a TD pass. And the Patriots even have a running game in Stevan Ridley. Whoda thunk?
- Denver Broncos (1-0) – To get a win like this against a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers merits a top five spot for the Broncos in my mind. Manning was simply fantastic, looking just like he did the last time we saw him in a Colts uniform. To be able to tear up the Steel-D in this way didn’t just prove that the Broncos are the front-runners for the AFC West playoff spot, it showed that they are a bonafide Super Bowl contender.
- Atlanta Falcons (1-0) – How about this offense? For me, Ryan has been on the bubble of becoming a top QB in the league for a couple years. I feel like this is finally the year he gets there. The Falcons ravaged the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Ryan had 299 yards, three TDs and no interceptions. The Falcons are a force in the NFC.
- Houston Texans (1-0)– I expect the Texans to move back up this list very soon, but week one’s performance against a really bad Miami Dolphins was not enough to give them a top spot. Despite Arian Foster’s two TDs, the run game was pretty light for this team, putting up a combined 83 yards. QB Matt Schaub was okay, but didn’t really heat up until the second half. Andre Johnson did break off 119 receiving yards, though. This team has a lot of upside and they will rise on these rankings.
- Chicago Bears (1-0) – Oh, look — an NFC team. I even have a hard time putting the Bears this high after their victory against the Indianapolis Colts. There’s nothing particularly wrong with the team, but they were playing the Colts. And let’s be honest. When you think of the NFC North, do you think of the Bears first? Or the Packers and Lions, both of which made the playoffs last year? I’ll keep them in the top 10 for now, but I just don’t know if the Bears can stay here. We’ll find out Thursday night, as they face their first real test of the season, the Packers.
- Green Bay Packers (0-1) – Our first one-loss team. Look, it’s still the Packers. Losing to a team like the 49ers in week one is nothing to be ashamed of and they have all the opportunity needed to get better and build up that win column. It’s week one and you lost to the current best team in the NFL. Things will get better before they get worse.
- Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1) – Nearly the same story as #9. They lost to a great team at home. This is still the Steelers and they will be a force in the league again this year. Their run game is non-existent at this point with 75 yards split between six rushers, but that will fix itself after Mendenhall and Redman get healthy. They still have Big Ben Roethlisberger, one of the best scrambling QBs in the league. The only concern is their schedule. Things don’t get easier, as they play the Jets in week two.
- Dallas Cowboys (1-0) – I realize this is pretty low after their decisive win over the reigning Super Bowl champs, but the Cowboys prepared for this game all off-season and even freely said how much work they put into defeating the Giants specifically. If they can keep this up, I’ll push them up the list. But we all know how inconsistent the Boys have been in the past few seasons. Romo was stellar in the opening kickoff game and even helped make another star in Kevin Ogletree. DeMarco Murray proved he was a top running talent. This could be the year the Cowboys break through . . . but I’ll believe it when I see it.
- Detroit Lions (1-0) – It was a rough week for Matthew Stafford. He had 355 yards, but also 3 interceptions. That makes it pretty hard to win a game (see Ryan Tannehill, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andrew Luck, Brandon Weedon, Michael Vick). But the Lions have a lot of upside. Even at his worst, Stafford still led a game-winning drive in the final minutes Sunday. And a team with this much talent at all positions will not languish in the middle of the pack for long.
- New Orleans Saints (0-1) – The most surprising loss of week one was given to the Saints after the Redskins went to work. Despite all the controversy in the off-season, the Saints are primed to be a power in the NFL again this year. They typically lose up to three surprising games (remember the Rams last year?). This one just happened a bit earlier than expected.
- New York Giants (0-1) – The loss to the Cowboys was shocking to me. But this is still the NFL championship team of 2011. They’ll bounce back strong and we all know that they play best with their backs to the wall.
- Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) – Look, I don’t believe the hype. Sorry. They played the Browns and barely escaped. In fact, had the Browns gone for two on their only TD, they may have scrounged out a win. The Eagles like to talk a lot and the media would love a redemption-Bowl for Vick, but I just don’t see them succeeding long run in a division like the NFC East this year.
- Washington Redskins (1-0) – Speaking of the NFC East, the Skins make a huge jump from the bottom of the list this week with their surprising and perfect win over the Saints. I don’t expect them to be ranked this high for long, but enjoy the top half while you can, Washington. RGIII was spectacular and showed poise and intelligence beyond his years. This isn’t their year, but I can’t wait to see what kind of surprises we’re going to get out of them in the future weeks.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) – I’ve been debating with my friends whether the Bucs got this win because Cam Newton is in a sophomore slump or because the Bucs have improved so much on defense. I choose the latter and will make this bold claim: The Bucs will be in the wildcard hunt this year. Okay, not as bold as saying they’ll make the playoffs. Whatever.
- Oakland Raiders (0-1) — I know what you’re thinking, “The Raiders? Above the Chargers that beat them?” Yes. I’m sure I will be proven wrong here later on, but the Raiders were in this game until the final seconds and they only lost because of the long-snapper debacle. I’ll admit that Darren McFadden got almost too much work, rushing 15 times and receiving 13 times. And Palmer looked mostly pissed off at his receivers, most of whom do not have a great deal of experience in the league. And there were the penalties, as per usual. But all of that is okay. This team is better than they played Monday. The defense is great and will get better. The offense needs a bit of work, but I still contend they could have won this game if not for the huge loss on special teams.
- San Diego Chargers (1-0) – This team didn’t scream to me that they had fixed all of their 2011 problems last night. Maybe we’ll see that soon. The offense was completely dismantled and rebuilt and Rivers looked great again. I’m just not sure that they will have a huge impact this year, even in the weaker AFC West.
- Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) – This team made the playoffs last year! I think the only reason I have them this low is just how bad the Ravens messed them up. It’s a tough road ahead, but this is a great team and one that will make an impact in the NFC North in years to come. We’ll see if they can do it this year, but after week one, it’s not looking good.
- Carolina Panthers (0-1) – I refuse to believe that Sunday’s game was the best this team has to offer.
- Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) – I’m sure it was just Atlanta’s awesomeness that rocked the Chiefs so hard this week. They have a solid defense and run game, though it was just passable this week.
- St. Louis Rams (0-1) – Sam Bradford was an adequate quarterback this week. 198 yards and a TD. The Rams gave a 2011 playoff team a run for their money. They look like a team that has put a lot of work in and we may see a transformative year from this squad.
- Minnesota Vikings (1-0) – The Vikings and Jaguars game was probably the best game of the week. I’m not kidding. Both teams looked incredible compared to previous years, but the Vikes won and that’s why they get the edge here. That said, it was the Vikings playing the Jaguars. Let’s see them take on a divisional rival.
- Arizona Cardinals (1-0) – The last team on this list with a win. They are only this high because of the win. I just don’t expect much from the Cards this year, mostly because of their quarterback trouble.
- Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) – Things are looking up, I swear. Gabbert was such a massive improvement on last year. But we need to see them take on and win a game against a decent team to tell for sure.
- Tennessee Titans (0-1) – It’s the way the second half went this week that has the Titans so low. Jake Locker was injured, though it looks like he’s going to play this week. CJ2K didn’t do anything. I’m bullish on this team, but I can’t see ranking them higher after week one.
- Buffalo Bills (0-1) – I would have had the Bills in the top half if you asked me last week. This was just an atrocious game. Was Ryan Fitzpatrick the worst or only the second worst QB this week? This team has all the weapons to win, but if you can’t even keep it close, that won’t happen. I hope I can move them up next week.
- Seattle Seahawks (0-1) – I was completely on the Seahawks bandwagon during pre-season. I mean, look at those awesome uniforms! But not beating the Cardinals and looking bad while losing puts them low on my list. There’s so much upside here. Russell Wilson and Beast Mode, if used properly, can be a force on offense.
- Indianapolis Colts (0-1) – It’s just too early for this team. Lots of young talent is the issue here. This year’s not looking good, but the future is so bright.
- Miami Dolphins (0-1) – I can’t believe I have a team ranked lower than this one. I’m sorry, but I just don’t see any playmakers here at all.
- Cleveland Browns (0-1) – In my dreams, there’s a world where the Browns are not the worst team in the league. I just don’t know how this is possible year in and year out. I constantly find myself thinking, “Man, the Browns had a great draft. Should be a decent year finally.” And then . . . we get games like Sunday. Someday. Someday, this will pass.
Super Bowl Pick: San Francisco 49ers over the Houston Texans
Jets too high and Falcons too low.
We’ll find out in a couple days won’t we? Jets have to play the Steelers and the Falcons have to play the Broncos. All hell’s about to break loose.
I may be a little biased, but Raiders over the Chiefs? Did you happen to catch the Raiders game?
Ha…I explained on there why I put the Raiders as high as I did. Special teams nightmare took that win. And yeah, I’m sorry but the Chiefs were awful in the second half. That division is still unclear…I can see the Chiefs moving up the list quickly.
Packers drop to 9? Most rankings had them 1 before the season started. San Fran is legit, that seems like a steep drop for the Pack. As well, Jets #3? You are crazy my friend. 1 game in which they actually showed some offense does not mean they are for real. The true Tebow will come out of that team eventually.
I gave them some kind comments. They’ll be back, but those 1-8 teams were amazing in week one.