The preseason wrapped up last week, and the regular season kickoff is less than a week away. The third week of the preseason is traditionally the closest look at the regular season that the exhibition portion of the year provides. Unlike in the other three games (or four for the two teams playing in the Hall of Fame Game), the starters usually play the entire first half and can even see action as late as the third quarter. Also, the third game in the preseason generally is the only one teams actually prepare for their upcoming opponent.
Even though a team’s third preseason game is considered its dress rehearsal for the regular season, it can still be misleading to look too deep into it. Many starters will sit out with minor injuries, the play-calling will remain vanilla, and some players will not put forth the same effort as they would for a meaningful game. With that said, the rankings are adjusted for this week–the last adjustment before the regular season.
On the Rise
Detroit Lions – The Lions are the only undefeated team remaining as they head into their fourth game, against the Buffalo Bills. They have looked good in their matchups, particular their starters. They have shown a commitment to running the football and improved defensive play, their two biggest weaknesses from a season ago. The Lions have allowed a combined 19 points in the first half of games–less than 13 points a game over four quarters. If the defense can carry the momentum into the regular season, this could be a playoff-bound team.
On the Decline
New York Giants – The reigning Super Bowl champions sat as the No. 4 team on the rankings before the preseason kicked off. Since then they have gone 1-2, scoring only three first-half points in their two loses. The starting offense managed to score twice against the Cleveland Browns during Week 2, but the Browns’ defense was missing several key players. Even with all that, the largest reason behind their drop in the rankings was the news that Osi Umenyiora suffered a season-ending injury. With Umenyiora's injury and Michael Strahan's retirement, the champs are left without their two starting defensive ends from last season, who played critical roles in the team’s improbable Super Bowl run. They are still a solid team, but considering the division they play in, the playoffs are far from a lock.
The Rankings
1. New England Patriots (1) – They have shown nothing in their three preseason games to justify the top spot in the power rankings, but when Tom Brady takes the field in the regular season, expect to see an entirely different team.
2. San Diego Chargers (3) – The Chargers have scored 30 first-half points in their three regular season contests and didn’t have the services of star running back LaDainian Tomlinson. Their offensive line has looked impressive and figures to look better with Tomlinson in the lineup. It also helps that Shawne Merriman announced that he will forgo surgery and play in 2008.
3. Dallas Cowboys (2) – Tony Romo has completed 24 of his 31 passing attempts and looks ready to start the regular season. The Cowboys’ 1-2 record is a result of games lost in the second half, with the starters on the bench.
4. Indianapolis Colts (5)– Just seeing Marvin Harrison and Bob Sanders on the field is a comforting sign. The team will start winning when Peyton Manning is inserted into the lineup.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars (6) – David Garrad has looked anything but impressive in his three preseason appearances, although he did seem to get better with every game. The fact of the matter is, Garrad is only there to manage the games, not win them, and the Jaguars should have success if he protects the ball.
6. Seattle Seahawks (8) – The Seahawks have put up 20 first-quarter points in their three games, two of which were without the services of starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. More importantly, the Seahawks showed that they are once again a capable running team and should be fully committed to the ground game in 2008.
7. Green Bay Packers (7) – Aaron Rogers has completed roughly 68 percent of his passes during the preseason, so far, and has looked good. Whether or not Rogers can translate this success to the regular season remains to be seen, but it is definitely an encouraging sign.
8. New York Giants (4) – The fact that the Giants are still reigning Super Bowl champs is enough to leave them in the top-10. With that said, 2008 may be a disappointing year for people hoping for a repeat.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (9) – The Steelers have looked good thus far in the preseason. However, the loss of Alan Faneca could haunt them, as they have rushed the ball with only a 3.7 yards-per-carry average so far this preseason.
10. New Orleans Saints (14) – The Saints have been the preseason’s top passing team and have shown improvement on defense, ranking fifth overall in that department. The Saints look poised to regain their 2006 form in 2008.
11. Tennessee Titans (11) – The Titans have been the preseason’s second-most prolific running team, and the duo of LenDale White and Chris Johnson could be great. Their defensive and offensive lines have both looked dominant at times. However, the passing attack still looks as if it will be a problem.
12. Minnesota Vikings (10)– The Vikings are a popular pick as a top team in 2008. However, after seeing them average less than three yards per carry and rank in the bottom half of the league defensively though three preseason games, there are some red flags.
13. Detroit Lions (21) – Moving the Lions from 21 to 13 may be an enormous jump, especially because they haven’t played a single regular season game, but they have looked great so far. The Lions could be 2008’s sleeper team and contend for the playoffs. Heading into the preseason finale they rank 11th in total defense and fourth in total offense. Oh, and they are undefeated.
14. Buffalo Bills (16) – The Bills are having a quiet preseason and haven’t put up gaudy numbers anywhere. However, they have managed to grab two victories and look solid overall.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (15) – The Bucs have had the preseason’s best defense, allowing fewer yards than any other club heading into Week 4. However, they will need to improve their offensive play if they want to contend in 2008.
16. Carolina Panthers (19) – The Panthers looked like they could be one of the league’s better rushing teams after running all over the Washington Redskins last week. My only question is: Was it the Panthers who were that good or the Redskins who were that bad?
17. Philadelphia Eagles (17) – Asante Samuel looks as if he will add a lot to the defense, and Donavan McNabb has looked good as well. However, they will need more consistency out of the receiver position and McNabb and Brian Westbrook to stay healthy in order to compete in the tough NFC East.
18. Arizona Cardinals (18) – The Cardinals could be a surprise team in 2008. A few early wins will shoot them up the rankings.
19. Washington Redskins (13) – The fact that they couldn’t stop the run at all against the Panthers is rather alarming. Also, Jason Campbell has been anything but solid during his last two outings, completing a low percentage of short passes.
20. Cleveland Browns (12) – The Browns took a hard fall in the rankings and may not deserve such a bad fate as they have not had many of their starters throughout the preseason. With that said, they have looked awful and are yet to collect their first preseason win. Again, perhaps their record is misleading, and if I had to pick a team that would climb out of the bottom half of the rankings, it’d be them.
21. Houston Texans (20) – The Texans haven’t looked bad during the preseason, but there are two major concerns with them. The first is they have no established running back on the roster, and the second is they play in arguably the league’s hardest division. If the Texans played for the NFC North or NFC West, they’d be higher on the rankings.
22. New York Jets (22) – The Jets’ starting offense has looked good with Brett Favre in the lineup, and their defense, despite allowing a high amount of yards, has allowed the fifth-least amount of points. The problem is running the ball; they rank dead last in rushing yards this preseason and have averaged only 2.7 yards per carry.
23. Denver Broncos (24) – The Broncos have had a solid preseason, and Jay Culter has especially looked good. An even brighter spot for the team is that they rank No. 10 overall in rushing defense allowing opponents only 3.5 yards per carry, a great improvement over last season. If the Broncos keep that up, they won’t be ranked No. 23 for long.
24. Oakland Raiders (30) – The Raiders have looked great running the ball during the preseason. Their defense should be one of the best against the pass with an improved defensive line and top-notch secondary. This justifies their movement from 30 to 24, but don’t forget that they still need to pass the ball more efficiently and show some ability to stop the run.
25. Kansas City Chiefs (25) – The Chiefs’ offense hasn’t looked as bad as many expected it to, so far this preseason, but they have looked far from good. The running game has been decent, but Brodie Croyle has shown little to justify his place as a starting quarterback, completing 56 percent of his passes and failing to throw a touchdown thus far.
26. San Francisco 49ers (29) – The 49ers have looked great at times and bad at times in the preseason. However, they have left fans with a good taste lingering after their performance against the Bears last week. J.T. O’Sullivan seems to be improving, and Frank Gore has looked good in limited action.
27. Chicago Bears (22) – Their defense has looked awful at times. They have allowed the most points per game and second most yards per game this preseason. If the Bears want to be competitive, that has to be fixed soon--unless they are banking on Kyle Orton to win them some shootouts.
28. Cincinnati Bengals (26) – The Bengals’ starting offense hasn’t looked good, as they seem to have some problems on the offensive line. Chad Johnson’s injury is not encouraging for an offense that will need to rely on their passing attack to move the ball.
29. St. Louis Rams (27) – Rams fans were able to breathe a sigh of relief when Steven Jackson ended his holdout and signed a new contract with the team. They were able to breathe a second sign of relief when the starting offense finally scored a touchdown last week. All that doesn’t change the fact that the offensive line has looked horrible and the team has been terrible against the run.
30. Atlanta Falcons (31) – The play of Matt Ryan and Michael Turner has been encouraging, but will it be enough to save the team from mediocrity this year?
31. Baltimore Ravens (30) – Ray Rice has been a bright spot, but unless he can play quarterback, expect it to be a long season for the Ravens.
32. Miami Dolphins (32) - Chad Pennington is a huge improvement at quarterback, but looking at the rest of the roster, much can’t be expected from the ‘Phins.