Nick's ClanRam 2012 NFL Power Rankings - Week One

One week of NFL football is in the books, and we’ve already witnessed some surprising results (at least in my eyes) that are going to drastically affect the power rankings this week.

First and foremost, we’ve got a new number one team, as last week’s #1 (Green Bay) lost at home in close fashion to the San Francisco *****. Overtaking the Packers for the top spot are the New England Patriots, who had their way with the Tennessee Titans, in part due to a newfound ground attack starring Steven Ridley.

Another surprise of the week was Robert Griffin III and his very encouraging debut with Washington, throwing for 320 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Andrew Luck did not have such a solid debut, though Colts fans will be quick to point out that even Peyton had his struggles as a rookie.

So, keeping in mind that my Power Rankings are perhaps more fluid and even more subjective than others, here is where I have teams ranked after the first week of football!



NICK'S POWER RANKINGS – WEEK ONE

Rank -- Team – Last Week’s Ranking

1. New England Patriots (2)
-Tom Brady and his tight ends looked in mid-season form in New England’s debut.

2. Baltimore Ravens (3)
-Joe Flacco looked outstanding against a team that some think could challenge in this division.

3. San Francisco ***** (6)
-This defense at times made Aaron Rodgers look human, which is a large accomplishment.

4. Atlanta Falcons (7)
-Could it be that the Falcons are finally hitting the offensive stride fans have been expecting for a couple years now?

5. Houston Texans (5)
-Even without a fully healthy Andre Johnson and Arian Foster, the Texans had no problems with the Dolphins.

6. Green Bay Packers (1)
-Coming off of an emotional loss, the Packers will have to be careful not to drop an early division game in Week Two to Chicago.

7. Dallas Cowboys (12)
-Despite not having a fully healthy offense around him, Romo looked pretty darn good.

8. Philadelphia Eagles (8)
-Look up “rusty” in the dictionary, and you’ll find Michael Vick. But he still managed to lead the team to a win.

9. New York Giants (4)
-The Giants simply did not look in synch in their opening game loss to the Cowboys.

10. Chicago Bears (13)
-With nine receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown, Brandon Marshall has officially been welcomed to the Windy City.

11. Detroit Lions (11)
-Detroit didn’t always look sharp, but they managed to come out on top of a close game against St. Louis.

12. Denver Broncos (15)
-Peyton Manning looks as if he hasn’t lost much despite changing venues.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers (9)
-This game against the Broncos was in reach for the Steelers until Big Ben’s pick-six.

14. New Orleans Saints (10)
-40 points and a near 140 QB rating to a rookie?! Steve Spagnuolo, you’ve got a lot of ‘splainin’ to do!

15. San Diego Chargers (19)
-Big props to the Chargers defense for holding Darren McFadden to just 32 yards on the night.

16. New York Jets (23)
-Has the Sanchize been resurrected? There shouldn’t be any calls for Tebow after this performance.

17. Washington Redskins (26)
-19/26 for 320 and two touchdowns? Welcome to the NFL, Mr. Griffin.

18. Buffalo Bills (14)
-Well, it looks like the Bills didn’t get a full return on their offseason defensive additions.

19. Cincinnati Bengals (16)
-This was a performance Andy Dalton would like to forget, and I expect he’ll have the opportunity this weekend against Cleveland.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (24)
-It wasn’t always pretty, but Tampa got the job done with a renewed defensive effort.

21. Arizona Cardinals (25)
-The Cardinals moved up by beating Seattle, but I don’t expect another upward move with New England next on the docket.

22. Kansas City Chiefs (17)
-The Chiefs kept pace with Atlanta through one half, but were outscored 20-7 in the second.

23. Minnesota Vikings (27)
-Adrian Peterson simply defies all expectations. Is he enough to get by harder opponents though?

24. Tennessee Titans (18)
-I didn’t expect the Titans to beat the Patriots, but I did expect Chris Johnson to do better than a 0.4 ypc average.

25. Oakland Raiders (21)
-The Raiders lost an early division match-up, but should rebound on a trip east to Miami.

26. St. Louis Rams (29)
-The Rams were a few seconds away from taking down a playoff contender, which is a step in the right direction.

27. Carolina Panthers (22)
-10 yards on 13 attempts? Talk about a disappointing performance from that running game.

28. Seattle Seahawks (20)
-Perhaps the Russell Wilson hype train has run off the tracks a bit.

29. Cleveland Browns (31)
-The Browns lost, but they were competitive in spite of an awful performance from their quarterback.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (30)
-Jacksonville’s offense looked better than I thought, despite the loss.

31. Indianapolis Colts (28)
-Andrew Luck didn’t fare as well as Griffin in his debut, but I still expect great things down the road.

32. Miami Dolphins (32)
-Oh, Miami.

28. Seattle Seahawks (20)
-Perhaps the Russell Wilson hype train has run off the tracks a bit.

Love that, what happens when they lose to the Girls and then face the Packers in week three? They could be three and out!

How is Oakland ahead of the Rams???

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Originally Posted by rammiser

How is Oakland ahead of the Rams???

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Because the Raiders started at 21st in my pre-season rankings after finishing 8-8 in 2011, and their loss to San Diego wasn't (IMO) so catastrophic that I'd drop them more than four spots.

Quote:

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10. Chicago Bears (13)
-With nine receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown, Brandon Marshall has officially been welcomed to the Windy City.

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Obviously this will change after their "showing" last night.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rambos

28. Seattle Seahawks (20)
-Perhaps the Russell Wilson hype train has run off the tracks a bit.

Love that, what happens when they lose to the Girls and then face the Packers in week three? They could be three and out!

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Make that four and out after we take care of them at home. I'm gonna enjoy watching that in person.:D