It may only be July, but April shower's and June bugs are already a thing of the past so it doesn't feel too premature to march out our NFL power rankings. Our research consisted of important things like leaving no stone unturned as well as working tirelessly to bring you the most accurate rankings possible. Either that, or we went with our gut and hammered this thing out in less than an hour. Without further ado, the 2007 Fearless NFL power rankings.
Note: All teams are listed with projected 2007 records.
1. New England Patriots: 14-2
The Pats at #1 is a no-brainer. They have the most talent, the fewest weaknesses and the best coach.
2. San Diego Chargers: 13-3
The Chargers will miss Marty, but they are the only team that can hold a candle to the Patriots in terms of talent. I'm pretty sure that you could put LDT and Shawne Merriman out there with 20 high school players and still make the playoffs.
3. Denver Broncos: 12-4
Denver is a dangerous team. They have an elite coach, an extremely talented defense and a young, fearless QB. They also added a well rounded workhorse back in Travis Henry.
4. Baltimore Ravens: 12-4
Good defenses win games. Unless you're the Raiders and your offense is being run by an old man with dementia (see 2006 Raiders).
5. Chicago Bears: 12-4
I hate the Bears defense. They are so good that they're forcing me to put a team in the top 5 that starts Rex "gross man" Grossman at quarterback.
6. Indianapolis Colts: 11-5
I'm a firm believer that Peyton Manning is the most valuable football player alive so it pains me to list his Colts this low, but if you look at the 5 teams ahead of them you will notice a common theme. All five teams have excellent defenses and the Colts are going to struggle badly on that side of the ball this year.
7. New Orleans Saints: 11-5
They look like a lock to repeat as the feel good story of the year. I'm officially excited for the Reggie Bush era now.
8. Philadelphia Eagles: 10-6
With McNabb and Westbrook healthy, we should see the same old Eagles this year. If injuries hit them like last year they could be in trouble. Jeff "Mexican food restaurant" won't be there to rescue them this time.
9. New York Jets: 10-6
How are the Jets #9? Maybe I should rethink my ranking system.
10. Seattle Seahawks: 10-6
A healthy Shaun Alexander makes this team the front runner in the improving NFC West.
11. Dallas Cowboys: 9-7
The Cowboys look like one of those team that could finish anywhere from 5-11 to 11-5 depending on how the ball bounces this season. I foresee a lot of close games in their future.
12. Jacksonville Jaguars: 9-7
The Jags are another team with a lot of question marks. If Maurice Jones-Drew continues to make game changing plays on a regular basis then Jacksonville will have a decent shot at the playoffs.
13. Kansas City Chiefs: 9-7
We all know Larry Johnson brings the syrup and the butter to the table. Let's just see if the offensive line can serve up enough pancakes to keep the Chiefs offense from going hungry on Sundays.
14. St. Louis Rams: 9-7
The Rams are one of the more exciting teams in the league. Marc Bulger picked up Scott Linehan's offense extremely quickly and posted some terrific numbers last year. He threw a career high 24 touchdowns and cut down his interceptions dramatically. Bulger entered last season averaging 1.16 picks per game, but only threw 8 while playing all 16 games for the Rams in 2006.
15. San Francisco 49ers: 9-7
Many "experts" have selected the Niners as their sleeper team this year. Vernon Davis will be the key to whether they finish with more wins than losses. If he can make 1-2 big plays a game then the 49ers might be taking home a division title for the first time since 2002.
16. Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-8
I can't really imagine the Steelers finishing much better than 8-8 this season. They underwent too many changes and look like a team on the decline. The one x-factor is Roethlisberger who might be able to carry this team on his back. I'd say they're about a 6-1 long shot to make the playoffs in the ultra competitive AFC.
17. Carolina Panthers: 7-9
The Panthers are talented and inconsistent, which is a long winded way to tell you they're mediocre.
18. Cincinnati Bengals: 7-9
Exciting offense and a laughable defense. If the Bengals were a soft drink, they would be called Diet Colts. They're sort of the same thing only a lot worse.
19. Arizona Cardinals: 7-9
There's every reason to think the Cardinals might actually make some noise this year. The problem is that they are the Cardinals. They're becoming a less likable version of the Chicago Cubs. Every year there is hope, but they always fall flat on their faces. They definitely have talent and they finally have what appears to be a good coaching staff in place, but the Cards will be fighting a long history of ineptness as they've only posted one winning season in the past 22 years. They went 9-7 in the 1998 season and actually beat Dallas in the playoffs before falling to the mighty 15-1 Vikings and their record setting offense.
20. Buffalo Bills: 7-9
Playing New England twice is going to hurt their chances to finish with a good record, but they do appear to be a team on the rise.
21. Washington Redskins: 7-9
If Clinton Portis doesn't blow out his knee or accidentally rip one of his arms out of the socket while playing Wii tennis, the Skins could surprise some people this season.
22. New York Giants: 7-9
It looks like they may have the wrong Man-ning for the job. Now that Tiki Barber is gone we'll get a chance to answer that question indefinitely.
23. Houston Texans: 7-9
They've got a lot of new pieces this year, but unfortunately for the Texans, most of them are other peoples old pieces.
24. Green Bay Packers: 6-10
What you see with this team depends on how you look at the Packers. I'm somewhat of an optimist so I'd say the glass is more 5% full than it is 95% empty. Well, at least they still have Brett (fav-ra).
25. Tennesee Titans: 6-10
Vince Young is the greasiest runner I have ever seen. Why can't anyone get a grip on that guy? He cuts through defenses like a hot knife through butter. The only way he could be any more exciting is if he got to go up against his own team's defense which is absolutely terrible.
26. Miami Dolphins: 6-10
Dolphins fans may end up trying to woo Dan Marino out of retirement by week 6.
27. Atlanta Falcons: 6-10
This team will once again be Vick-timized by their QB. This time it may have more to do with his federal indictment and less to do with the fact that he can't run an NFL offense.
28. Minnesota Vikings: 6-10
It'll be fun to watch Adrian Peterson unleashed on opposing defenses. It'll be funny to watch Tavaris Jackson try to play quarterback.
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5-11
The Bucs have a lot of decent quarterbacks. That was the most positive thing I could think to say about them.
30. Cleveland Browns: 5-11
The Browns had an excellent draft, but it looks like it's going to be a few years before they can do any damage.
31. Detroit Lions: 4-12
The Lions have a chance to be much better than 4-12, but their shoddy defense and lack of a running game should help them blow more than a few games.
32. Oakland Raiders: 3-13
The Raiders should be better this year, but that's not saying much since last year they fielded what I consider to be the worst NFL offense I've ever seen.
