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ESPN Week 5 Power Ranking


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NFL Power Rankings: 2008 Week 5 edition

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ESPN.com

 

There's a new leader in the clubhouse in the Week 5 edition of ESPN.com's NFL power rankings, and some might say it's about time.

 

The New York Giants' distinction as defending Super Bowl champions and their 3-0 start this season never amounted to selection as the best in our 2008 rankings -- until now. Attrition in the very competitive NFC East catapulted the Giants to the top, even as they enjoyed a bye week.

 

Coach Tom Coughlin's G-men are the best team in the league according to the latest poll of experts. The Dallas Cowboys' Week 4 home loss to the Washington Redskins evicted the Cowboys from the top of the rankings and vaulted Washington nine spots to No. 6 overall. The Cowboys are now No. 3 after a three-week reign atop the rankings.

 

ESPN.com's Power Rankings

The rankings were determined by a poll of ESPN.com's NFL staff: writers John Clayton, Jeffri Chadiha, Tim Graham, Matt Mosley, James Walker, Kevin Seifert, Paul Kuharsky, Pat Yasinskas, Bill Williamson and Mike Sando; and Scouts Inc. Insiders Jeremy Green and Matt Williamson.

 

Those teams' NFC East brethren, the Philadelphia Eagles, tumbled six spots in our voting to No. 9 overall. Still, that gives the NFC East four teams in our top 10. More shakeups are on the horizon, however, as the Eagles play host to the Redskins on Sunday.

 

The Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills, each 4-0, are breaking up the NFC East block party. The No. 2 Titans have nicely weathered the transition from Vince Young to Kerry Collins as their starting quarterback, though they might have their most daunting test coming with a Week 5 visit to the No. 14 Baltimore Ravens.

 

The No. 4 Bills survived a Week 4 road scrap with the team at the bottom of the heap, the No. 32 St. Louis Rams. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who overcame a sluggish start to beat the Ravens in overtime in Week 4, round out the top 5 again this week.

 

We've called upon some of our voting members to provide team-by-team commentary. Thus, for your reading pleasure, you'll have:

 

• Tim Graham on the AFC East

• James Walker on the AFC North

• Paul Kuharsky on the AFC South

• Bill Williamson on the AFC West

• Matt Mosley on the NFC East

• Kevin Seifert on the NFC North

• Pat Yasinskas on the NFC South

• Mike Sando on the NFC West

 

The Eagles did not take the biggest fall in this edition of the rankings. The Green Bay Packers find themselves No. 15 this week, seven spots down after losing on the road to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And the Indianapolis Colts, one of six teams on a bye during Week 4, still tumbled five spots to No. 17 overall.

 

At the bottom of the rankings, changes are afoot. The Rams fired coach Scott Linehan a day after the loss to the Bills. This came about a week after the Detroit Lions, No. 31 this week, canned general manager Matt Millen. And the Oakland Raiders, 1-3 and ranked No. 28 overall, reportedly are expected to dismiss coach Lane Kiffin.

 

(Editor's note: LW indicates each team's ranking last week.)

 

2008 Power Rankings: Week 5

RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT

1 (2) Giants 3-0-0 Took the NFC East lead without getting off the couch. With the Seahawks coming in, Giants are staring at 4-0. (MM)

2 (4) Titans 4-0-0 Hard to find fault with the franchise's first 4-0 start. But you have to take note that the teams they've beaten are 3-12 combined. The Titans are the only team that has played three home games. (PK)

3 (1) Cowboys 3-1-0 We'll see if the loss to the Redskins is a wake-up call. The good news is Cincinnati, Arizona and St. Louis are next. (MM)

4 (6) Bills 4-0-0 The Bills have overcome three straight fourth-quarter deficits to remain undefeated. Their opponents have a combined record of 4-11, but the Bills have been sensational when it matters most. (TG)

5 (5) Steelers 3-1-0 The Steelers got back on track with a big win against Baltimore to solidify their spot as one of the AFC's best. (JW)

6 (15) Redskins 3-1-0 Beating the Cowboys on their home turf has to count for something. Big game with Philly looms. (MM)

7 (10) Panthers 3-1-0 Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad give Panthers best receiver duo since Muhammad's departure three years ago. (PY)

8 (9) Chargers 2-2-0 The Chargers' win over Oakland wasn't pretty, but 25 points in the fourth quarter is a nice indication of what this team can do. (BW)

9 (3) Eagles 2-2-0 Deserve a little grace for playing without Brian Westbrook, L.J. Smith and Shawn Andrews. Can't afford to lose at home to the Redskins. (MM)

10 (13) Buccaneers 3-1-0 Brian Griese 3-0 since taking over as starter. (PY)

11 (7) Broncos 3-1-0 The Broncos will continue to slide down the rankings if their defense can't improve. Too much pressure is being put on the Denver offense. (BW)

12 (14) Jaguars 2-2-0 Two consecutive late-game rallies, spurred by a precise David Garrard. They've officially survived the 0-2 start and losses to Tennessee and Buffalo don't look so bad. (PK)

13 (11) Patriots 2-1-0 Eviscerating loss to Dolphins in Week 3 gave Patriots plenty to work on in their bye week. If they can't beat the 49ers on Sunday, prepare for panic to set in. (TG)

14 (17) Ravens 2-1-0 There's nothing wrong with a 2-1 start. But the Ravens missed out on a chance to make a huge statement in Monday's road loss to Pittsburgh. (JW)

15 (8) Packers 2-2-0 The Packers might have to start their backup quarterback for the first time in 16 years if Aaron Rodgers can't recover from a sprained shoulder. (KS)

16 (16) Saints 2-2-0 Deuce McAllister is back to bring much-needed balance to the offense. (PY)

17 (12) Colts 1-2-0 The Colts enjoyed a week off to help refocus and heal. But the best medicine could be the Texans, who've only beaten Indy once. (PK)

18 (20) Bears 2-2-0 The Bears hope they turned the corner in defeating Philadelphia. One thing is for certain: They showed important versatility on offense. (KS)

19 (21) Jets 2-2-0 Brett Favre's six-touchdown day breathes new life into the Jets heading into their bye week. But defense ranks 28th on points allowed and 24th in yards allowed. (TG)

20 (18) Cardinals 2-2-0 Pass protection must improve or Kurt Warner won't last. Cards face must-win vs. Buffalo. (MS)

21 (19) Vikings 1-3-0 It doesn't get any easier this week at New Orleans on Monday Night Football. (KS)

22 (22) 49ers 2-2-0 J.T. O'Sullivan has taken 19 sacks in four games. Tough week for Niners with Pats coming off bye. (MS)

23 (23) Seahawks 1-2-0 Bye week allowed Seahawks to get healthier at receiver. Defense must step up. (MS)

24 (24) Falcons 2-2-0 Falcons beating bad teams and losing to good ones. Must keep Michael Turner running against the good ones. (PY)

25 (26) Browns 1-3-0 The Battle of Ohio wasn't pretty. But the Browns finally got a win and have the bye week to try to get better. (JW)

26 (25) Dolphins 1-2-0 Dolphins shocked the NFL with a crazy romp over the Patriots in Week 3. If the Dolphins can follow up with a win at home over the Chargers, they would rekindle long-lost hopes in South Florida. (TG)

27 (27) Texans 0-3-0 Remaining upbeat despite losing a game they should have won. Ready for a full month at home in Reliant Stadium with the roof open. (PK)

28 (29) Raiders 1-3-0 The Raiders may be a mess, but this team is playing hard. Good things will start to happen if that trend continues. (BW)

29 (31) Chiefs 1-3-0 The Chiefs deserve a lot of credit for their big win over Denver. Many pundits thought they'd go 0-16. That is no longer a worry. (BW)

30 (28) Bengals 0-4-0 This team wasn't good with Carson Palmer. Without him, it might be the worst team in the league. (JW)

31 (30) Lions 0-3-0 Matt Millen's departure doesn't make them any better. At least not this year. (KS)

32 (32) Rams 0-4-0 Rams would be wise to give Marc Bulger another shot. Trent Green's not the long-term answer. (MS)

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Even though that article mysteriously disappeared, please do not cut and paste entire articles here. Cutting relevant portions (such as those related to the Bills) is okay but not the entire text.

Here's an idea, please don't waste your time by whining about things that displease you.....nobody cares.

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Here's an idea, please don't waste your time by whining about things that displease you.....nobody cares.

 

It's actually a legal issue. I'm pretty sure it's technically copyright infringement if the site allows copying and pasting of entire articles on here.

 

Damn the man... but don't hate on Fan in Chicago

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Here's an idea, please don't waste your time by whining about things that displease you.....nobody cares.

Giving a heads up on website policy isn't whining, especially given how polite he was. You, on the other hand, have contributed absolutely nothing of value with this post.

 

And I'm aware of the irony that my post is worthless as well.

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It's actually a legal issue. I'm pretty sure it's technically copyright infringement if the site allows copying and pasting of entire articles on here.

 

Damn the man... but don't hate on Fan in Chicago

Thanx, union. It is in the Terms of Service of this board

"You agree not to post any copyrighted material unless the copyright is owned by you or by TBD. "

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The Bills have overcome three straight fourth-quarter deficits to remain undefeated. Their opponents have a combined record of 4-11, but the Bills have been sensational when it matters most. (TG)

 

The Giants, who are ranked number 1, their opponents have a combined record of 3-9.

 

The Titans, who are ranked number 2, their opponents have a combined record of 3-12.

 

Odd, that nobody points that out?

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