NFL Power Rankings: 2008 Week 6 edition
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There have been historic marches in Washington, D.C.
Football fans everywhere have to be impressed by the march of the Washington Redskins, who are breathing hard on the leaders in the Week 6 edition of ESPN.com's NFL power rankings.
After a season-opening loss to the New York Giants, Washington was a pedestrian No. 23 in the Week 2 rankings. But since that setback, rookie head coach Jim Zorn's team has beaten a parade of other NFC powers. Washington now is ranked third overall, sitting just behind the poll-leading Giants and the Tennessee Titans. Those teams occupy the same spots they had in last week's rankings.
Washington's impressive destruction of the host Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5 helped the Redskins secure the No. 3 spot, up three places from the previous week. Zorn's crew bumped the Dallas Cowboys, the Redskins' Week 4 victims, one spot to No. 4 overall. The Pittsburgh Steelers, coming off an impressive road victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, again occupy the fifth spot.
As impressive as Jason Campbell, Clinton Portis and the rest of the Redskins were in Week 5, they did not make the biggest leap in our poll. The Chicago Bears' road demolition of the woeful Detroit Lions apparently impressed our panel greatly, as coach Lovie Smith's unpredictable team leaped eight places to No. 10 overall. The Indianapolis Colts' Houdini act against the Houston Texans -- the Colts rallied from 17 points down in the fourth quarter to win -- vaulted them six places to No. 11 in the rankings.
The Arizona Cardinals recovered from the shock of losing receiver Anquan Boldin to a crushing injury in Week 4 and blasted the visiting Buffalo Bills in Week 5. Safety Adrian Wilson led a punishing defense that helped the Cardinals romp 41-17 over the Bills -- which apparently impressed the voters enough to vault Arizona six places to No. 14 overall. If the Cardinals can upend the Cowboys this weekend, Arizona could make another giant leap.
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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 San Diego Chargers, who opened this season ranked No. 2 in our poll, are down to No. 16. Their Week 5 loss at the Miami Dolphins dropped San Diego eight spots from last week's poll. The Chargers could redeem themselves with an impressive home victory this weekend over the New England Patriots, who have proved their mettle since the loss of injured quarterback Tom Brady. The Patriots rank ninth this week.
The pollsters were unkind to teams that suffered home losses in Week 5. The Green Bay Packers (down six spots from No. 15 to No. 21), New Orleans Saints (from No. 16 to No. 22) and the Jaguars (from No. 12 to No. 17) were among the teams that failed to defend their turf and paid for it.
The bottom rungs of the poll remain rigid, as the Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams occupy spots 29-32 for the second consecutive week. The Chiefs' shutout loss at the Carolina Panthers and the Bengals' valiant effort at Dallas did little to sway the judges.
(Editor's note: LW indicates each team's ranking last week.)
| 2008 Power Rankings: Week 6 | ||||
| RK (LW) | TEAM | REC | COMMENT | |
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1 (1) | Giants | 4-0-0 | Hanging 44 on the Seahawks without Plaxico Burress was a strong statement. It will take more than the Browns to knock this team off course. (MM) |
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2 (2) | Titans | 5-0-0 | They benefited from an iffy call in Baltimore but more than matched up physically. Class of the AFC is off, then at KC before a home Monday nighter vs. Colts. (PK) |
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3 (6) | Redskins | 4-1-0 | This team should be 7-1 at the midway point. Jim Zorn has made all the right moves over the past month. (MM) |
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4 (3) | Cowboys | 4-1-0 | Wade Phillips says not to worry about the ugly win over the Bengals. But it's definitely cause for concern. (MM) |
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5 (5) | Steelers | 4-1-0 | After the victory at Jacksonville, it's time to consider Pittsburgh as one of the elite. (JW) |
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6 (7) | Panthers | 4-1-0 | The Panthers are solid all the way around and getting better. (PY) |
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7 (11) | Broncos | 4-1-0 | The Broncos showed they can win games on defense. If they show they can do it consistently, the Broncos will be in good shape all season long. (BW) |
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8 (4) | Bills | 4-1-0 | The Bills hit a speed bump on their way to what could have been an undefeated record at their bye. Trent Edwards was knocked out of the game with a concussion and will need the extra time to regroup. All the Bills will. (TG) |
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9 (13) | Patriots | 3-1-0 | The Patriots got just what they needed after their bye week. They bounced back from their crushing Week 3 loss to the Dolphins with a methodical victory over the 49ers. (TG) |
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10 (18) | Bears | 3-2-0 | You can't fight it right now: The Bears are the best team in the NFC North. Kyle Orton is no mere game manager, either. (KS) |
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11 (17) | Colts | 2-2-0 | The miraculous win probably said more about the Texans than about the Colts, who remain disturbingly out of sync. Troubles will be hard to fix against Baltimore. (PK) |
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12 (9) | Eagles | 2-3-0 | Remember when we thought this was a top-five team? Seems like such a long time ago now. (MM) |
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13 (10) | Buccaneers | 3-2-0 | The Bucs need to find an offense as they head into division showdown with Carolina. (PY) |
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14 (20) | Cardinals | 3-2-0 | Adrian Wilson's return restores swagger to defense. Kurt Warner regains grip on offense. (MS) |
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15 (14) | Ravens | 2-2-0 | The Ravens played well the past two weeks and have nothing to show for it. Can this team keep bouncing back from tough losses? (JW) |
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16 (8) | Chargers | 2-3-0 | The Chargers are perplexing. They've lost three games by a total of 10 points, but the reality is San Diego is 2-3 and needs to get in gear soon. (BW) |
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17 (12) | Jaguars | 2-3-0 | The defense hasn't been what many expected, and the secondary needs to get well in time for trip to Denver. (PK) |
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18 (19) | Jets | 2-2-0 | Brett Favre has an extra week of prep time to help the Jets maintain the momentum they gained heading into their bye week. (TG) |
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19 (21) | Vikings | 2-3-0 | The Vikings saved their season Monday night -- with a big assist from the Saints. (KS) |
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20 (24) | Falcons | 3-2-0 | Matt Ryan won at Lambeau Field. That means he can win anywhere. (PY) |
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21 (15) | Packers | 2-3-0 | Injuries, especially on defense, are catching up to the Packers. (KS) |
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22 (16) | Saints | 2-3-0 | Saints have been handing away wins. (PY) |
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23 (26) | Dolphins | 2-2-0 | A second straight win over a preseason AFC favorite has the Dolphins surging. They're only 2-2, but hope is being restored. (TG) |
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24 (22) | 49ers | 2-3-0 | Road from 2-3 to a likely 2-5 is a slippery one for Mike Nolan. (MS) |
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25 (25) | Browns | 1-3-0 | After the bye, the Browns are finally healthy. Let's see what they're really made of when they play host to the Giants next game. (JW) |
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26 (23) | Seahawks | 1-3-0 | The Seahawks' run of four consecutive division titles might be coming to an end. Will Seattle put up a fight? (MS) |
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27 (28) | Raiders | 1-3-0 | With the Lane Kiffin saga behind them, the Raiders need to enter the Tom Cable era playing with the same intensity they did in the final three weeks of the Kiffin era. (BW) |
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28 (27) | Texans | 0-4-0 | Once, a game against Miami looked as if it would be relief from a tough starting stretch. Not anymore. (PK) |
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29 (29) | Chiefs | 1-4-0 | The Chiefs stagger into their bye with a 1-4 record on the heels of a 34-0 loss at Carolina. The question is, will the Chiefs want to come back when their bye week is over? (BW) |
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30 (30) | Bengals | 0-5-0 | Perhaps the Bengals should move to the NFC East. They seem to play their best games against elite competition. (JW) |
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31 (31) | Lions | 0-4-0 | Sorry. This is one of the worst teams we've ever seen. (KS) |
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32 (32) | Rams | 0-4-0 | Jim Haslett's first game as Rams head coach takes him to Washington. Not a good place to start. (MS) |
| Glossary |
| TG - Tim Graham (AFC East); JW - James Walker (AFC North); PK - Paul Kuharsky (AFC South); BW - Bill Williamson (AFC West); MM - Matt Mosley (NFC East); KS - Kevin Seifert (NFC North); PY - Pat Yasinskas (NFC South); MS - Mike Sando (NFC West) |
