2006 Power Rankings: Week 1
RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT
1 (1) Seahawks 13-3-0 With Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck, people seem to overlook that the Seahawks were pretty good on defense last season (No. 7 in points allowed). If Julian Peterson can stay healthy, they'll be even better this year.
2 (5) Panthers 11-5-0 The Panthers seems to be the "it" team right now, and there are plenty of reasons why. They have playmakers on offense, a stout defense and one of the NFL's best coaches.
3 (2) Steelers 11-5-0 Willie Parker has tons of talent, but can he hold up as really the only running threat? With Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers don't have to be a team that just pounds the ball on the ground, but you know that's what they want to be.
4 (3) Colts 14-2-0 Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai obviously aren't Edgerrin James. But don't expect the Colts to suffer too much without Edge. They'll still get their points.
5 (4) Broncos 13-3-0 Jay Cutler might be the QB of the future, but if the Broncos are going to the Super Bowl, it's going to be on Jake Plummer's arm.
6 (9) Bengals 11-5-0 How many fantasy football owners out there are regretting how far they let Carson Palmer fall in their draft? We still expect the knee to be a bit of an issue, but Palmer looks like he's right back among the NFL's best.
7 (6) Patriots 10-6-0 Obviously, the Patriots will miss Deion Branch if he's not in the lineup. But Tom Brady still will find open receivers, and with Laurence Maroney added to the mix, the Pats should have a dangerous running game again.
8 (7) Cowboys 9-7-0 Seventeen weeks of T.O. and the Cowboys? We're not sure how much fun it'll be, but it should be interesting.
9 (8) Dolphins 9-7-0 All indications out of Miami are that Daunte Culpepper has been better than the Dolphins could have hoped. It'll be interesting to see whether losing a little mobility will hurt his game.
10 (11) Giants 11-5-0 The Giants have a brutal schedule. Their first seven opponents were a combined 71-46 last season.
11 (12) Jaguars 12-4-0 Were the Jaguars really that good last season, or was their schedule really that easy? The schedule is harder this year, so we should find out.
12 (15) Buccaneers 11-5-0 If Chris Simms is ready to take as big a step forward as some seem to think he is, the Bucs could be really good in 2006.
13 (13) Bears 11-5-0 Looks as if the QB job is Rex Grossman's for now. That said, signing Brian Griese was still a great move. He'll contribute at some point this season for the Bears.
14 (10) Redskins 10-6-0 The Redskins seem as if they made solid moves this offseason. But we've seen the Redskins go nuts in free agency before without its equating to more wins.
15 (18) Eagles 6-10-0 Donte' Stallworth never lived up to expectations in New Orleans, but he's a nice pickup for the Eagles. The NFC East is tough, but we expect Philly to be right back in the middle of things this year.
16 (17) Chargers 9-7-0 There might not be a player in the NFL under more pressure than Philip Rivers. If he's good, it's not out of the question to think the Chargers can be one of the AFC's best teams. If he's not, they probably will be on the outside of the playoffs again.
17 (20) Falcons 8-8-0 Is there a more underrated player in the NFL than Warrick Dunn? It seems as though people forget about him every year but he just goes out and performs.
18 (16) Ravens 6-10-0 If nothing else, having Steve McNair has to give the Ravens a confidence in the QB position that they haven't had in years.
19 (19) Vikings 9-7-0 Obviously, Brad Childress and Daunte Culpepper weren't going to mix well. But can the Vikings really be better off in the long run with Brad Johnson and not Culpepper?
20 (14) Chiefs 10-6-0 Larry Johnson might not find the end zone quite as much with Herm Edwards as his coach, but he'll get all the carries he can handle.
21 (21) Cardinals 5-11-0 Edgerrin James was a huge signing for the Cardinals for a number of reasons. In addition to his talent, James has brought a swagger and confidence to the Cardinals locker room.
22 (22) Rams 6-10-0 Steven Jackson wants the ball, and it looks as though he'll get it with Scott Linehan in St. Louis. But can he handle 320-plus carries?
23 (24) Lions 5-11-0 The Lions seemed to need Rod Marinelli's get-tough attitude. That said, players are a little less likely to buy into that if the team is losing.
24 (30) Texans 2-14-0 It's going to be totally unfair because of the positions they play, but people are going to be comparing Mario Williams' and Reggie Bush's numbers all year. But the one number that will matter for the Texans is wins, and they should be better there.
25 (25) Raiders 4-12-0 Jeff George probably will still have an NFL arm when he's 60. Doesn't mean he's going to help the Raiders, though.
26 (29) Titans 4-12-0 The Titans added some quality players this offseason. They won't make the playoffs, but they're going to be a tough team to play.
27 (23) Browns 6-10-0 If Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow Jr. can get healthy and stay that way, the Browns will actually have some weapons on offense.
28 (26) Packers 4-12-0 We try not to pay too much attention to the preseason, but Brett Favre looks as if he's in for another long season.
29 (27) Saints 3-13-0 Reggie Bush is going to be some kind of fun to watch. That said, he's going to learn pretty quickly that running side-to-side in the NFL doesn't work as well as it did in college.
30 (28) Bills 5-11-0 If the Bills are going to be competitive, they need Willis McGahee to be as good as he thinks he is.
31 (31) Jets 4-12-0 The Jets could struggle to run the ball without Curtis Martin. But can Chad Pennington handle the extra load if the Jets need to take to the air?
32 (32) ***** 4-12-0 The ***** still aren't going to be very good. But they should give Alex Smith a little more help in 2006.
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