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A weekly examination of the Buccaneers' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 19 | Last Week: 31 | ESPN.com Power Rankings since 2002

The latest Power Rankings are out and the good news is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't drop even after handing Sunday's game to the Arizona Cardinals.

The bad news is the Bucs really couldn’t go any lower. They’re at No. 31 for the second straight week and the only reason they’re not No. 32 is because the Jacksonville Jaguars have been even more dismal.

But the Buccaneers could have a shot at No. 32 next week. The Bucs have a bye this week, while Jacksonville faces the St. Louis Rams, who have been less than stellar.

A weekly examination of the Lions’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 24 | Last Week: 16 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

Welcome to the top 10, Detroit. The Lions haven’t been here since the last week of the 2011 season -- also the last season Detroit made the playoffs. Since then, Detroit has been as low as 28th (the end of last season) and mostly lived in the middle of the Power Rankings pack.

But a win over Chicago this past weekend gives the Lions an early first-place hold in the NFC North and some confidence heading into Green Bay on Sunday. The thing is, these Lions are appearing more legitimate by the week. They have two big-play threats on offense in Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush, an accurate quarterback in Matthew Stafford and an offensive line that is blocking well for both the running and passing games.

The key has been the Lions' defense. After failing to intercept a pass from Jay Cutler the past two seasons, they picked off the Bears quarterback three times on Sunday. The defensive line also allows for defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham to scheme well in the back seven. Detroit, more and more, looks like a playoff contender.

A weekly examination of the New York Giants' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 12 | Last week: 29 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

I honestly do not know who would win a game between the Giants and the Jaguars on a neutral field right now, but that's the question at this point for me. I dropped the Giants to No. 31 on my own ballot, moving them behind Tampa Bay because at least the Bucs were in their game Sunday. The Giants are not competitive right now and fully deserving of their overall power ranking as one of the three worst teams in the NFL.

Kevin Seifert and John Clayton were the most generous to the 0-4 Giants this week, ranking them 29th. Jamison Hensley and I had them at No. 31. Jacksonville is the only team in the league with a worse scoring differential (minus-98) than the Giants' minus-85, and the next-worst team is St. Louis at minus-52. The Giants are bottom-of-the-barrel bad.

If you'd like to join us at 1:30 p.m. ET for our live Spreecast video chat about this week's Power Rankings, here's the link. Hope to see you there.

A weekly examination of the Lions’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 24 | Last Week: 18 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

Detroit did something it had never done -- beat Washington on the road -- and for that alone, the Lions deserved a small bump up in the rankings. Sure, the Redskins are struggling and might be among the worst teams in the NFL, now sitting at No. 27. But the win continued a strong start for the Lions, who have shown flashes of strength offensively and defensively this fall.

These rankings, though, were determined before Detroit lost receiver Nate Burleson, the team’s leader in catches, for an indefinite amount of time after breaking his arm. This is a blow to the Lions' receiving corps, which is mostly a young group other than Burleson and Calvin Johnson. It could easily change the dynamic of Detroit’s offense, which is a big reason the Lions are 2-1 heading into a big NFC North game against Chicago.

A weekly examination of the Titans’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 27 | Last Week: 22 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

A last-second win over the San Diego Chargers boosted the Titans to 2-1 and moved them up five spots in ESPN.com’s NFL Power Rankings.

They’re up to 17.

It may sound a little low, but look at the teams just ahead of them and I don’t see many I’d pick them to beat on a neutral field.

Here’s our weekly update on where they stand:


In the AFC South, the Colts are ninth and Texans are 13th, with the Jaguars firmly at 32nd.

The Titans' next opponent, the 2-1 Jets, are 18th. The winner Sunday stands to gain some good ground.

A weekly examination of the Buccaneers' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 19 | Last Week: 30| ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

The Buccaneers fell just one spot from last week, but that’s only because they’re running out of room to tumble.

After losing 23-3 to New England, the Bucs dropped to No. 31, one spot ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars. But I think you could make a case for the Buccaneers at No. 32. Everyone expected Jacksonville to be bad. The outlook for the Buccaneers was much brighter in the preseason.

Tampa Bay has a roster that’s filled with enough talent that the Bucs should be ranked much higher. But the Bucs simply aren’t clicking right now. Blame it on coaching, team chemistry, quarterback Josh Freeman or whatever else you want.

The reality is the Bucs are only one Jaguars win away from being No. 32.

A weekly examination of the Lions’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 24 | Last Week: 18 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

The Lions stayed exactly the same from the second to third week of the season, and that shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Detroit played like a middle-of-the-pack team last week -- and really, the past two weeks, considering the Lions have enjoyed one really strong half of the four they’ve played this season -- and that's why they're at No. 18 right now.

As with many teams residing in the middle of the pack, it is tough to get a gauge for exactly what type of team Detroit is at the moment. Detroit has a chance to make a move up the rankings next week as it heads to No. 24 Washington, a team that has been struggling both offensively and defensively. This is actually a pretty big week for the Lions if they want to make an early-season push up the rankings.

The next two weeks, Detroit faces division rivals Chicago and Green Bay, so beating the struggling Redskins becomes a big deal. Reggie Bush's health will matter here, too.

A weekly examination of the Buccaneers' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 19 | Last Week: 28 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

The Bucs dropped two spots after their 16-14 loss to New Orleans. A No. 30 ranking seems just about right for a team that’s giving off every sign that it’s in disarray.

The Browns and Jaguars are the only teams ranked lower than the Bucs. You could make a case that the Bucs deserve a better ranking after losing two games by a total of three points.

But, if you’ve seen those two games, you should understand why the Bucs came in at No. 30. Although they have plenty of talent, the Bucs are not a good football team right now.

They’ve been undisciplined and penalties have cost them dearly. The passing game has been dreadful. The defense and running back Doug Martin have had some bright moments, but that hasn’t been enough to overcome all the other problems.

A weekly examination of the Titans’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 27 | Last Week: 27 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

An upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers made the Tennessee Titans one of the big gainers in the new edition of ESPN.com’s NFL Power Rankings.

Tennessee went from 27th to 22nd thanks to the 16-9 victory at Heinz Field.

It seems about the right boost to me, and it comes paired with a seven-spot dip for the Steelers to 23rd. (The Eagles rocket up 11 spots and Washington dives seven notches.)

Here’s our weekly update on where they stand:

The Titans' next opponent, the Houston Texans, moved up from seventh to sixth after their come-from-behind win on Monday night in San Diego.

A weekly examination of the Lions' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 24 | Last Week: 21 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

Can Reggie Bush maintain this level of productivity (191 total yards) weekly? Can the defense continue to force turnovers after producing four Sunday? Were the miscues in the first half of the Lions’ win over Minnesota an aberration or a sign of the future? These are still questions with Detroit. Yet this is the highest the Lions have been in the ESPN.com Power Rankings since Week 11 of last season, when they were 4-5 and starting their eight-game slide to end the regular season.

Detroit is trending up from that collapse and in many ways look like a team capable of pushing up the rankings a bit more in the next few weeks. The Lions have already moved up six spots from their preseason ranking of No. 24. They have shown promise with a young offensive line breaking in three new starters. Add a dominant defensive line and that they won a game with just 37 receiving yards from Calvin Johnson, and there is potential in Detroit.

A weekly examination of the Bengals' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 9 | Last Week: 9 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

Well, to no surprise, the Bengals fell in ESPN.com's Power Rankings after dropping their Week 1 opener to Chicago 24-21. The panel of voters is still mostly sold on them, though, dropping the Bengals one spot, from ninth to 10th. Quarterback Andy Dalton's 282-yard, two-touchdown performance and A.J. Green's own stats-filled turnout were enough to convince them that in time, this team may still be pretty good.

The problems in the loss -- turnovers, clock mismanagement due to new personnel and a lack of composure -- are fixable. If the Bengals can correct those issues, they should return to the single-digits side of the top 10 in the coming weeks.

With the win, the Bears jumped from 14th in the Week 1 Power Rankings to the Bengals' old spot of No. 9. In college football parlance, that kind of leapfrogging would qualify Chicago's win as an upset. Cincinnati should be pleased with its current ranking, though. With the rest of the AFC North suffering ugly losses in Week 1, everyone else was shut out of the top 10. Baltimore fell to 11th, Cincinnati's Week 2 opponent, Pittsburgh, is 23rd, and the Browns came in 30th.

A weekly examination of the Giants' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 12 | Last Week: 12 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

After opening the season at No. 12 last week and then committing six turnovers in their season-opening loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the Giants fall four spots in this week's Power Rankings. The Cowboys, Eagles, Rams, Saints and Bears all moved past them. The Redskins slipped behind them. John Clayton is the highest on the Giants, ranking them 14th, while Ashley Fox's 20th is their lowest mark.

Personally, I voted the Giants 11th last week and 15th this week. I only moved the Eagles up from 25th to 20th. I know others bumped them up more, but I tend to try not to overreact to one game if possible. If they're as good as they looked Monday night, it will bear itself out over the long term. Regardless, a ranking of 15th seems about right for the Giants, given preseason expectations and their performance in the only game we've seen them play so far. The problem is, with a home game against No. 3 Denver up next, followed by two more road games, the ranking could keep dropping through September.

As we head into the first week of the regular season, the ESPN.com Power Rankings are out and the New Orleans Saints came in at No. 13.

You can do the math, but 12 teams make the playoffs. It seems our voters view the Saints as being a team right on the cusp of a playoff team.

I think that’s a pretty fair assessment for a team that should have a very good offense, but still has major concerns about its defense.

For the record, I had the Saints as a playoff team in my season prediction. I have the Saints going 9-7 and earning a wild-card spot.

As we get ready for the start of the regular season, the ESPN.com Power Rankings are out and they have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ranked No. 22.

Maybe the panelists are putting some stock into Tampa Bay’s lackluster preseason, but I think they’re taking the Bucs too lightly. Detroit, Miami and Kansas City are the teams immediately ahead of Tampa Bay and I think the Bucs are better than those three teams.

In fact, I think the Bucs are going to be better than a lot of people expect. In our season predictions, I had Tampa Bay at 9-7 and just missing the playoffs.

I think the Bucs belong somewhere in the mid-teens.

The Titans don’t garner a lot of high expectations right now from analysts, pundits or bookmakers.

And, frankly, they shouldn’t.

The team added a lot. But it still has an unproven quarterback, a defense lacking star power and a head coach who is not a sure thing.

So Tennessee’s standing in the first version of this season’s NFL Power Rankings is an unsurprising 27th, same as it was after the draft.


I’m not high on this team at this stage because of the reasons above and because of the schedule.

But I think head to head on a neutral field against the five teams just ahead of them, they’d probably win two or three: The Buccaneers are 22nd, the Panthers are 23rd, the Chargers are 24th, the Eagles are 25th and the Cardinals are 26th.

The Titans will get head-to-head chances against San Diego and Arizona.