Bleacher Report writers come together each week for the NFL season and decide on who belongs where for the “Bleacher Report NFL Power Rankings.” Writers vote teams up or down to come up with an unbiased, no-bull, to-the-point ranking system.
The four-digit numbers beside each team are computed based on votes and show readers just how strong each team’s position is. Want to know how close your team was to being ranked in the top five, or how far ahead they are of the next guy? Simply look at the difference in the numbers to find out.
One thing that we have learned so far in 2008 is that talented rosters do not necessarily translate to wins. Take the San Diego Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, and Cleveland Browns for example. They combine for a 7-12 record.
The teams that are reaching or exceeding expectations are the ones with the coaches who stress preparation and team unity more than others.
Look at Tom Coughlin, who suspended his star wideout when he behaved inappropriately. Look at Jim Zorn and how Santana Moss didn't complain once about his zero catches against Philadelphia. Instead, he was making critical blocks in the second half to help Clinton Portis break through the Eagles' defense.
Mike Tomlin had his injured Steelers win in Jacksonville on Monday night without their top two running backs. Mike Shanahan challenged his defense to keep pace with the offense; the result was a low-scoring victory over a tough Tampa Bay squad.
Teams that are putting individuality aside and working towards a common goal are separating themselves from the pack. Expect many of the top 12 teams to remain as such while the more "talented" teams struggle to win or even accumulate sexy fantasy stats. (That's a shot at you Braylon Edwards and Chad Johnson).
On with the rankings...
1 (1) New York Giants (.9583) – The Giants were as dominant as can be against the lowly Seahawks, but let’s be clear about one thing: The Giants are better WITH Plaxico Burress on the field. Let’s not forget how important he is on the field just because he’s a jackass off of it. (Shaun Ahmad)
2 (2) Tennessee Titans (.9241) – Kerry Collins has been sacked only once this season and the defense is absolutely scary. They very well could be the best team in football if they just had a chance to prove it against a quality opponent. (Craig Garrison Sr.)
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about 1 month ago
The picks seem better in line with mine this week: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/65865-nfl-power-poll-week-five. Perhaps it is my cynicism that has my Packers ranked four spots lower, or perhaps it is because y'all haven't seen how badly we play the run! I especially love David's comment about the Rams and Angel's about Al Davis.
As for your comment about Warner, while I VEHEMENTLY disagree with his politics, I have never questioned the man's character. He was the one who suggested the staff NOT yank Bulger and go back to Kurt if they thought Marc would be their future QB. He has deep faith and clearly puts other priorities ahead of the game, yet still plays well at a late age. He would QB my all-character team--hey, I have an idea for an article!
from about 1 month ago
Warner is a great guy. No question about it.
There is no question that the Pack's run defense has been atrocious but I think once Ryan Grant gets going and the offense puts together long, time consuming drives as opposed to quick strikes, the defense will improve. Also, never forget how tough it becomes to play in Green Bay come cold weather which is just around the corner.
Thanks for the comments MJ!
about 1 month ago
Thank God the Bleacher Report is giving the Giants the props they deserve (but don't want). Oh but I think Detroit is by far the worst team. They benched Kitna who threw for 4000 yards last season for Dan Orlvosky (spelling?), a kid that hasn't played since he was in Connecticut. I don't think that was smart.
from about 1 month ago
Orlovsky, I think. But Kitna was making costly mistakes, so benching him wasn't dumb, it was desperate.
from about 1 month ago
Yup, I had Detroit last myself. Kitna is the best option they have over there. But I think things are becoming very clear right now in the standings. And my Dolphins will continue to climb ladies and gents... On a side note, I thought I was going to read an entire list without one of my comments. I knew the Detroit one was good enough to make it. You don't know how hard I work on those Shaun, lol.
about 1 month ago
What more can the Giants do after winning the Super Bowl? They've stayed perfect and people should respect that. Keep in mind that they haven't lost a game since December of last year. People need to show them love.
I laughed when tallying the votes for St. Louis and Detroit and the rankings were 31, 32, 31, 32, 31, 32... and so on. According to our rankings, the Rams are worse by .0098th of a point!
from about 1 month ago
sean, how can i get involved in this? i'd love to participate...
...if you'll have me.
just curious.
about 1 month ago
Indianapolis at 11? After Sage Rosenfels gave them a W? Seriously?
from about 1 month ago
Indy is at 13, ahead of teams like Baltimore, Arizona, New York Jets and Atlanta.
from about 1 month ago
I had them at 19. That team's reign of terror is drawing to a close.
from about 1 month ago
Had 'em at 20.
from about 1 month ago
A host of others had the Colts between 10-14. 19 and 20 were the two lowest ratings.
Anytime you have a hall of fame quarterback and a Super Bowl winning coach, fans don't dismiss you based on a 2-2 start. That's probably why their rating was higher than the Falcons for example; a team people know little about other than Matt Ryan.
about 1 month ago
22 to 17 with a bullet!
how 'bout them falcons!!!!
about 1 month ago
at least the pats are still in the top 10!
i love seeing them overlooked, makes the nfl fun again...
from about 1 month ago
Yeah people can sleep on the Pats all they want but I certainly won't. That team has thrived on being overlooked in the past and until they lose some bad games, I'm going to keep voting them high. I still hate them though haha.
from about 1 month ago
after this weekends win theyll be in the top 8 right haha
about 1 month ago
Um, the Bucs lost 16-13 to the Broncos this week, Shaun.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks for pointing that out Matt. I completely botched that one. My mind was scrambled from putting all of this together and I must have looked at the score wrong. Thanks for calling that out!
from about 1 month ago
Heck, Shaun, that's completely understandable. My mind would be reeling from putting this together, too. It's quite an accomplishment that you can do this every week.
about 1 month ago
The giants in first...HA.. what a laugh. They may be undefeated, but they have also to face the cowboys. Lets take a look at their past oponents:
Washington
St. Louis.
Cincinnati
Seattle
Combined record of 6-13.
You can't really call them the best with that kind of schedule.
They got cleveland this week, then SF, followed by Pittsburgh and Dallas. The next two should be easy enough, so there's a chance the Giants will go 6-0. But, you can't really call them number 1 with such a schedule as they've had.
from about 1 month ago
Can't penalize an undefeated team based on their schedule alone. They have done what they had to do; win games. Their offense looks better than ever (scored more than 40 twice in four games).
Believe me, when they lose a game or play poorly, I'll be the first to drop them. But for now, you can't knock the defending Super Bowl Champs.
from about 1 month ago
Where would you have them then and who would you have in first?
from about 1 month ago
They beat the team that beat the cowboys if you want to get technical about it.
about 1 month ago
Man the Cards are finally playing well and u have them in the middle of the pack. What do tey have to do to get some respect around here??
from about 1 month ago
Not give up 56 points to the Jets, beat Dallas or play them very close, and beat Carolina.
from about 1 month ago
Thank you Shaun, I didn't have to type it.
about 1 month ago
Not give up 56 points to the Jets, beat Dallas or play them very close, and beat Carolina.
about 1 month ago
It's good to see the Bears getting some top ten love.
I'm not saying I think they're a top ten team on paper, but they're two drives away from being undefeated right now.
about 1 month ago
the detroit lions are the wost team in the nfl
about 1 month ago
I agree with your picks
GO PANTHERS!!!!!
about 1 month ago
I agree with your picks
GO PANTHERS!!!!!
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Bob. I wouldn't say people are sleeping on the Panthers because they are obviously rated high by everyone, but I don't think a lot of fans know just how good this Carolina team is right now. A lot of people are going to be in for a surprise as the season progresses.
about 1 month ago
This is one of the best articles with regard to the NFL.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Roberto! Glad you enjoyed it.
about 1 month ago
Good article.
Um, how are the Panthers 4 spots below the Redskins? Yes, the Redskins have harder wins, but the Panthers could beat them.
from about 1 month ago
The Redskins have looked better overall through the first four games than the Panthers, who are also very good. Many would probably say that the Skins would beat the Panthers and that's why the rankings are reflected as such (since it's a pool of voters).
Time will tell!
about 1 month ago
Wade Phillips didn't look hot at yesterday's daily conference when the media hammered him with questions about Pac-Man, and instead of simply shutting down and saying Jerry will answer it, he danced around it.
But you know what?
Public perception may be that Wade is a patsy, but I think all he wants is to coach and run his football team. I don't think that Wade is mis- or under-informed. I think he knows exactly what is going on in Valley Ranch. He's the head coach. He doesn't want to deal with all the extracurriculars. And I'm fine with that.
Of course, my story changes if Wade truly doesn't know what's going on.
about 1 month ago
yeahhh! NY GIANTS ON TOP!
lets keep that going this week with a big, BIG, monday night win versus cleveland.
about 1 month ago
How you gonna put Arizona over the Jets after they were embarrassed by Brett Favre.
about 1 month ago
Let’s not forget how important he is on the field just because he’s a jackass off of it. (Shaun Ahmad)
Ha! well that was professional, calling a player a jackass off the field. Now, you may have the right to call Chad Johnson a jackass, T.O. or Adam Jones a jackass. Just because Plaxico Burress got suspended you call him a jackass? That makes no sense what so ever, if you read and look into his situation, all in all, he is just a guy that is not mature enough to handle family problems and his job at the same time. Im not making excuses for him, but I wont be the one caught calling the man a jackass.
about 1 month ago
Let’s not forget how important he is on the field just because he’s a jackass off of it. (Shaun Ahmad)
Ha! well that was professional, calling a player a jackass off the field. Now, you may have the right to call Chad Johnson a jackass, T.O. or Adam Jones a jackass. Just because Plaxico Burress got suspended you call him a jackass? That makes no sense what so ever, if you read and look into his situation, all in all, he is just a guy that is not mature enough to handle family problems and his job at the same time. Im not making excuses for him, but I wont be the one caught calling the man a jackass.
about 1 month ago
Let’s not forget how important he is on the field just because he’s a jackass off of it. (Shaun Ahmad)
Ha! well that was professional, calling a player a jackass off the field. Now, you may have the right to call Chad Johnson a jackass, T.O. or Adam Jones a jackass. Just because Plaxico Burress got suspended you call him a jackass? That makes no sense what so ever, if you read and look into his situation, all in all, he is just a guy that is not mature enough to handle family problems and his job at the same time. Im not making excuses for him, but I wont be the one caught calling the man a jackass.
from about 1 month ago
I didn't call Plax a jackass because he got suspended. I called him a jackass for the REASONS he has been suspended not just this time, but in many incidents in the past with fines etc. Whether it be domestic abuse charges, not paying for rental cars, not answering phone calls from the team that employs you etc etc. Those issues combined make him an off the field jackass and I stand by that.
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