NFL Power Rankings (Preseason Edition)

By Adam Nelson

Will New England make it four titles in five years? Will Philadelphia make it five straight NFC Championship appearances? Is “Big Ben” for real? A lot of questions remain to be answered concerning the 2005 NFL season. Here are my preseason rankings for the teams as they head into the new year:2005 NFL Power Rankings (Preseason Edition)

1. New England (Last season: 14-2): Hard to look past three titles in four years, but Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and San Diego will be gunning for their spot as kings of the NFL.
2. Pittsburgh (15-1): A very brutal schedule (Indianapolis, New England, San Diego, Green Bay, Minnesota, Jacksonville (twice) and Baltimore (twice)) means that “Big Ben” and the Steelers could be in for a rough 2005. If they can overcome their schedule, Super Bowl XL could be theirs to win.
3. Philadelphia (13-3): They can say what they want, but if T.O. sits out the year, the Eagles won’t make the NFC Championship game for the fifth straight year, and the rest of the NFC will be very happy about that.
4. Indianapolis (12-4): What could Peyton Manning possibly do for an encore (4557 yards passing and 49 touchdowns in 2004)? Getting a first-round bye or home-field advantage in the AFC would be nice.
5. San Diego (12-4): Will the Chargers Brees through another special year? LaDanian Tomlinson (18 TD’s) and Antonio Gates (13 TD’s) should help them win their first playoff game in a decade.
6. Atlanta (11-5): If Atlanta wants to be #1 in the NFC, they need to rely less on Michael Vick.
7. Denver (10-6): Can Maurice Clarett (who played ONLY six collegiate games) possibly replace near-1500 yard rusher Reuben Droughns? Probably not, but if Clarett wants to succeed, he’s in the right system.
8. Green Bay (10-6): May be Brett Favre’s swan song, but there are millions of NFL fans that hope it won’t be.
9. Carolina (7-9): Don’t let last season fool you- the Panthers are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. Underestimating them could be costly.
10. Baltimore (9-7): If their offense ever catches up to their defense, the rest of the NFL is in trouble.
11. Seattle (9-7): This ranking will be much lower if Shaun Alexander decides to sit out the season as he waits for a new contract. Piece of advice, Shaun: let your play speak for itself this year- then work out a new deal. You won’t make any money sitting out the season in a contract dispute, so you might as well play.
12. Minnesota (8-8): Randy Moss leaving will help them more than hurt them.
13. New York Jets (10-6): Can the ageless Curtis Martin have another rushing year for the record books (league-leading 1697 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, despite being 31)? They’ll need Martin to have a big year to stay competitive in the AFC East.
14. Buffalo (9-7): Seems like that first-round pick the Bills used on Willis McGahee wasn’t a waste after all, was it?
15. Houston (7-9): Four wins in 2002. Five wins in 2003. Seven wins last year. The playoffs are the next step, and they’ll be there in 2006, if not this year.
16. St. Louis (8-8): The Steven Jackson era is here. Hopefully, the Rams will still use the Marshall (Faulk) Plan.
17. Jacksonville (9-7): Won’t make it past the high-octane Colts, but will fight for a playoff spot.
18. Cincinnati (8-8): A very underrated offense (Rudi Johnson, Chad Johnson, Carson Palmer) will steal a game or two against the Steelers or Ravens.
19. Kansas City (7-9): Priest Holmes will return from last year’s injuries to threaten for another 20-touchdown season. Dante Hall gets his 10th career kickoff return touchdown.
20. Arizona (6-10): Will Kurt Warner play like he did in 1999 (Super Bowl MVP) or like he did in 2003 (one game, six fumbles, sacked six times)? If Arizona parties like it’s 1999, they’ll be playoff-bound.
21. Tennessee (5-11): “Air McNair” is back. Drew Bennett is the most underrated wideout in the league. This team could surprise, but they’re in a tough division to do so.
22. New Orleans (8-8): The Saints come back to Earth this year- they’re at best the third most talented team in the NFC South.
23. Chicago (5-11): They lost a (Craig) Krenzel, but gained a “Moose” (Muhsin Muhammed). The Bears welcome Cedric Benson to the Windy City.
24. Detroit (6-10): Is this the year that Joey Harrington finally plays like he did at Oregon? Doubtful.
25. Washington (6-10): The ‘Skins troubles stretch far and wide, and things will likely get much worse (Sean Taylor’s legal woes and questions at quarterback, for example) before they get better.
26. Dallas (6-10): This is the season that pushes Coach Bill Parcells to finally retire for good.
27. Oakland (5-11): Randy Moss is a great player, but he doesn’t play defense.
28. New York Giants (6-10): The Giants are quickly realizing that Eli isn’t the same as his brother Peyton.
29. Tampa Bay (5-11): From the penthouse to the outhouse in only three years. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. At least they’ve got a “Cadillac” (Williams).
30. Cleveland (4-12): Romeo Crennel will be a great fit for the Browns, but results won’t be visible until at least 2006.
31. Miami (4-12): Things are so bad for the Dolphins now that they WANT Ricky Williams back. Running back Ronnie Brown won’t reach near the potential of his teammate, “Cadillac” Williams. Word to the wise, Miami: if you’re choosing between two running backs at the same school, choose the one that actually STARTED at running back (Williams) instead of the one that was the backup (Brown).
32. San Francisco (2-14); Nothing could be finer than to play the 49’ers. With the first pick in the 2006 draft, the 49’ers select……

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