Wednesday, September 13, 2017

2017 Weekly NFL Power Rankings(Week One)

The purpose of this entry is to after each week of the 2017 National Football League to provide a ranking from 1-32 of all organizations. Attached to each team will be a brief snip-it justifying the ranking. The justifications will be based anywhere from constructive to comical to downright idiotic.

1-Minnesota Vikings: A perceived red flag at the quarterback position was anything but. Dalvin Cook is a suitable replacement for A.P and the defence continues to shine(granted they played New Orleans).

2.Green Bay Packers:Purportedly the game versus Seattle was poorly officiated but that doesn't change the fact that they held premier passer Russell Wilson to an anemic 158 passing yards. Still high on Seattle but solid win.

3.Oakland Raiders:Everyone is seemingly a proponent of the Titans, I'm not as giddish but the defiance of Oakland was brought to the forefront as there wasn't a facet that they didn't excel in. Amari Cooper gets the headlines but don't sleep on Michael Crabtree.

4.Seattle Seahawks:Seattle was the class of the N.F.C heading into this campaign and one loss to a stingent Packers hasn't led to panic. The running game was lacklustre and in lieu of that the Packers secondary was able to zero in on Wilson. Can Eddie Lacy redeem himself or will unknown rookie Chris Carson seize the opportunity?

5.Tampa Bay Buccaneers:Hurricane Irma dealt the Bucs a significant blow by postponing week one's tilt versus the Dolphins.Sixteen straight games is ridiculous and the onus should've been on the league by ensuring last Sunday was played at a neutral site.

6.Dallas Cowboys: The pressing storyline for America's team was if Dak Prescott would be subject to a sophomore slump. If the week one dismantling of the G-men was any indication then no such worry exists. The term game manager gets thrown around often times unfairly but with Dak knowing he has a weapon such as Zeke Elliot at this disposal(at least for the time being) then that's all he has to do.

7.New England Patriots:One opening night loss won't stop me from giving this organization the benefit of the doubt however the way rookie Kareem Hunt ran shop over them, the run defence is something Bill Belichick will need to closely examine. A week two date against the laughable New Orleans Saints who gift wrapped them Brandin Cooks is just what the doctor ordered.

8.Pittsburgh Steelers:Will the real Le'Veon Bell step up? The Bell camp was criticized for their role in the negotiations that led to a pre-season hold out and versus Cleveland in week one rust played a factor. Le'Veon Bell when in rhythm is the best running back in the business, couple him with #84 and you're sailing to a AFC north title.

9.Houston Texans:Perhaps I'm the fool but when you lose J.J Watt,Brian Cushing and Bruce Ellington in one game, I don't care if you're playing the Patriots or the Jacksonville Jaguars and it's a recipe for disaster. Watt is supposedly good to go for week two and if they embarrass themselves again then they'll take a nosedive in the rankings. Clemson alum Deshaun Watson won't allow that to happen.

10.Atlanta Falcons:On one hand, the defence erased their demons from the Super Bowl back in February by containing the Chicago Bears but on the other the overall team dynamic was missing something that I can't quite put my finger on.Something I saw a lot of last season was the Falcons playing down to their opponents and barely squeaking by the Bears is cause for concern.

11.Kansas City Chiefs: The win, while commendable is more of an indictment towards the Patriots defence. The majority of football pendants correlate New England to a world class defence but the truth is that's been a long time since they heavily relied on their defence. Long gone are the days of Ty Law and Teddy Bruschi.The Chiefs exploited that Thursday.

12.Los Angeles Rams:Jeff Fisher had a valiant run as the Head Coach of the Tennessee Titans. As general of the Titans,he won three divisional titles compounded by a Super Bowl appearance back in 1999. His tenure with the Rams, well...less then memorable and that notion that Jared Goff wasn't ready in 2016? Fisher may have missed the boat on that one.

13.Baltimore Ravens:A buddy of mine was adament that Danny Woodhead was the answer to the Ravens backfield. A week one injury aside, the Woodhead ailment was  a blessing in disguise as Terrance West should've been the answer from the onset and he was a force in week one running for eighty yards. A darkhorse Pro Bowler to be certain.

14. Cincinatti Bengals:You're wondering, what is a team that was shut-out doing at number fourteen in these rankings? Simply put Andy Dalton has done enough throughout the course of his career that one rotten apple isn't going to cloud my perception of the TCU alum.An important Thursday nighter against the Texans but at the very least I expect them to be more competitive.

15.Philadelphia Eagles: Last year, Carson Wentz decisively came out on top in the Jared Goff-Wentz battle but with Goff looking reinvorged after the first week, Carson will have to raise his level moving forward. Entering his third full season, Agholor was brought in to the Eagles amid astronomical expectations and the hope is that he'll have used the 2017 week one as that platform. My one concern is can LeGarrette Blount be an every down back?  He's more of a fullback mode that has trouble working towards those long gains.

16.Carolina Panthers:They win v the 49'ers. 23-3. Disclaimer is that it's only the 49ers but I'm confused, did Carolina defeat them or was it Chuck Pagano's Colts?

17.Buffalo Bills:There were some in the business that were under the premise that LeSean McCoy's best days were behind him but after a week one resurgence which saw him trot for 110 yards on 22 carries that opinion is quickly beginning to fade. Everyone is attributing his opening week heroics to playing the Jets defence but contrary to popular opinion it's the Jet offence not the defence that is Arena League-esque.

18.New York Giants-After the Sunday night loss to the Cowboys, two things have become abundantly apparent.  1)Brandon Marshall no longer suffices as a quality number two receiver and 2)A healthy Odell Beckham changes the complexion of the Giants attack.

19.Cleveland Browns:After becoming the revelation of the 2016 campaign, fourth round pick, 135th overall pick Dak Prescott has Browns supporters internally fascinating over the prospects over their mid range draft pick in Deshone Kizer. Kizer was selected fifty  second overall and after holding his own admirably against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a repeat performance will be required in week two. Fro a fantasy point of view, can Hue Jackson do a better job of utilizing receiver Corey Coleman? Please and thank-you!

20.Tennessee Titans: I eluded to the fact that I wasn't clamouring over the prospects of the Titans but I'll be the first to admit that the running game implemented by the coaching staff has huge upside, the question that I keep reverting back to is was Corey Davis the right selection at the 2017 NFL Draft?

21.Denver Broncos:A trend that you'll grow to dislike about these power rankings is my hatred towards the Broncos. Hate is a strong word but I don't put much stock into barely hanging on versus the lowly Chargers. Denver's quarterback collection is reminiscent to that of the Los Angeles Rams of last year. They have a promising option in Paxton Lynch sitting on the sidelines while Trevor Siemian continues to sling when by no means is he a capable NFl starting quarterback. Jared Goff rode the pines a year ago only to later show his competence. Lynch's time better be imminent.

22.Washington Redskins:Was their a bigger disappointment in opening week then the Washington Redskins? No...didn't think so and it stems from the regressive nature of Jameson Crowder. I initially had Crowder pegged to progress from his 847 yard total from a year ago but after only being targeted seven times for a grand total of fourteen years, the offensive coordinator will need to devise a scheme that encourages more features for the former Duke product.

23.Arizona Cardinals: Down goes David! The ranking of twenty three after what I witnessed this past Sunday should flatter them and after placing star running back David Johnson on the I.R with a dislocated wrist times will become tougher and tougher.

24.Detroit Lions:Memo to New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, in the midst of your game planning in regards to Monday's contest against these Lions, be mindful of Golden Tate. Yes they reigned victorious in week one but the offensive attack is completely one dimensional. Tate mustered ten receptions for one hundred and seven yards. There number two receiver Kenny Golladay shouldn't exactly be losing the Giants defensive staff any sleep.

25.Jacksonville Jaguars:Historically I've been hard on quarterback Blake Bortles but the truth behind Jacksonville's week one romp over Houston aside from the Texans laundry list of injuries was the rookie running back exploits of Leonard Fournette. Fournette joins a collection of rookie tailbacks with Dalvin Cook and Kareem Hunt that has this running back class comparable to the 2014 rookie receiver class.

26.New Orleans Saints:Was Adrian Peterson barking post-game dinner plans to Head Coach Sean Payton? If he was then I hope a reservation at the  local Marcello's was taken care of as if it was a remark regarding his on field usage then he has no one to blame but himself. You sign in a locale that already employs Mark Ingram and you expect to be handed playoff time?? Give me  a break!

27.Miami Dolphins-What did Dolphins owner Stephen Ross do to piss off the league schedule makers? The Hurricane wiped out their opener versus the Buccaneers which is out of everyone's control however for the league to not extend an olive branch by perhaps re locating their originally scheduled game in the U.K is added punishment to what already appears destined for a long year.

28.San Francisco 49ers:I'll go on record by opining that when healthy Carlos Hyde is a top ten running back in the NFL. The issue becomes because the 49'ers seem to find themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard early in contests,it limits his effectiveness.Imagine Hyde on a team such as the Giants or Seahawks where he could be more of a valued asset.

29.Los Angeles Chargers:The San Diego, er...Los Angeles Chargers have plenty of deficiencies to go around the lineup but I will admit after watching the majority of the Monday Night that the offensive line is vastly improved which bodes well for former Wisconsin Badger Melvin Gordon who accumulated 997 yards last year and I'm confident will expand on that total. In 2015, his rookie season I was left wondering if he was trending in the direction of a Ron Dayne and now.....pro bowls are in the immediate vicinity.

30.Indianapolis Colts:Tough last couple weeks for the Colts administration. First news breaks that franchise quarterback Andrew Luck is lost for an extended period of time and compounding the disastrous start the usually reliable Adam Vinatieri has lost his golden touch kicking. This has Colts fans chanting for the individual Peyton Manning once coined that "idiot kicker", Mike Vanderjagt.

31.Chicago Bears:Mike Glennon is a hell of an underrated quarterback, so with that you're asking yourself, "if he thinks Glennon is a competent quarterback then how are the Bears seeded 31st in this first edition of the power rankings"? My thoughts on Glennon notwithstanding, poor roster management across the board has proverbially eliminated 'da Bears from playoff contention as it was counter productive by losing assets to trade up to the 2nd overall selection to grab Mitch Trubisky.

32.New York Jets:I was convinced the Bears were the worst team in the NFL, that was until I was privy to the J-E-T-S lay a stinker in week one. No quarterback, no running game and Seahawk castoff Jermaine Kearse as the top receiver on the depth chart? Paging Wayne Chrebet immediately!


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