2010 Preseason NFL Power Rankings

You may not believe it, but training camps are set to begin all around the NFL in the next 2 weeks.  It seems like just yesterday I was at Sun Life Stadium watching the Saints shock the Colts to win the Super Bowl.  Yet, here we are ready for the new season to get started.  With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of the top teams in the league, in my opinion, from best to worst.   Feel free to give you opinions.   Keep in mind, this list will likely change before the start of the season because of injuries, but to have some fun, here it is:

Who will be holding the Super Bowl trophy this season?

1. New Orleans Saints- I’m a true believer that the Super Bowl champ should be the top ranked team the following year.  It’s not like the Saints are changing much.  They still have Drew Brees and plenty of weapons on offense.  The real question for this team will be can the defense do it again this season?

2. Indianapolis Colts- It’ll be interesting to see how the Colts rebound following that disappointing effort in the Super Bowl.  Still, they have Peyton Manning, and with him in charge, they will always be good.  The offensive line is a concern, for sure.

3. Dallas Cowboys– As much as I hate to say it (growing up a Giants fan), the Cowboys are VERY good.  They are good on offense, defense and special teams.  That pretty much makes you a Super Bowl contender, and the Cowboys are.

4. Green Bay Packers– To me, this is the team most likely to come out of the NFC to make it to Super Bowl.  Aaron Rodgers is a star in the making, and they will get better on defense.  They also benefit from playing the Lions and Bears twice a season.  Watch out for the Pack in 2010.

5. Baltimore Ravens- The years pass, but the fact remains the Ravens always have a quality defense.  They also have a solid QB in Joe Flacco and a great running attack led by Ray Rice.  They will be a team that can go deep in the postseason again.

6. Minnesota Vikings–  I’m assuming old man river, Brett Favre, will be back at quarterback.  With a fierce defense and great running attack, the Vikings will be one of the elite again.  Of course, that all changes if Favre decides to stay on his tractor in Mississippi.

7. New England Patriots- These next 3 spots get very interesting.  This is where I see the AFC East jumping into the picture.  Honestly, either the Pats, Jets or Dolphins can go here, but I choose the Patriots because they still have Tom Brady and Randy Moss.

8. New York Jets- Now it was time to make a decision between the Dolphins and Jets.  Quite frankly, I think the Jets are a bit overhyped.  Yes, they have a GREAT defense, but losing Thomas Jones will have a much bigger impact than most people think.  I only put them ahead of the Fins because of a better defense.

9- Miami Dolphins– Now enter the Dolphins.  They could easily win this division, if the defense improves.  Chad Henne will make a big jump, and the addition of Brandon Marshall makes a HUGE difference for a team that had no big threat on offense.  If the Fins defense proves it’s ready to improve, I’d leap-frog them to the top of the AFC East.

10- San Diego Chargers- This team’s window is closing fast!  No more Tomlinson, Vincent Jackson is suspended and that defense has some holes.  Still, in maybe one of the worst divisions in football, they are the best team. 

11. Atlanta Falcons- The Falcons are the top non-playoff team from last season that I think finds its way into the postseason this year.  Matt Ryan is a very talented QB, and Michael Turner is an elite running back.  I see a nice bounce back for this team.

12. San Francisco 49ers– This is a trendy sleeper team, and with good reason.  The Niners have the makings of a really solid team.  The offense still isn’t very explosive, but they play in a weak division and they have a very young and up-and-coming defense.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they won the NFC West.  Actually, they should be the favorites.

13. Cincinnati Bengals- Last year’s Cinderella story will have a tough time doing it again, but a talented defense should help.  Plus, no Big Ben for the Steelers helps them out in the division.

14. New York Giants- The Giants offense is far from the problem.  They have weapons, and they can score.  The problem is the defense.  New York spent big money to address some of the issues, but in a very tough NFC East, the G-Men will need to make a significant improvement on D to make the playoffs.

15. Tennessee Titans- Anytime you have a running back like Chris Johnson, you have a chance to win.  The Titans just need to avoid their yearly slow start and hope all the losses on defense don’t start catching up to them.

16. Houston Texans- This team has failed to make that next big jump, but they have some young and talented players on both sides of the ball.  This may FINALLY be the season they break double-digit wins.

17. Carolina Panthers- This team is tough to figure out.  The leaders on both sides of the ball, Jake Delhomme and Julius Peppers, are gone.  Steve Smith is recovering from a broken arm, but he should be ready for the season.  The success of this team really falls on new QB Matt Moore.

18. Pittsburgh Steelers.  No Big Ben equals Big Problems.   While he should return mid-season, this team will have major issues without him that will be tough to make up during the season.

19. Philadelphia Eagles- It’s hard to put the Eagles this low in the rankings, but without Donavan McNabb and Brian Westbrook leading the offense, I just can’t imagine Philly will be near the elite again.  The defense is also not what it used to be.

20. Washington Redskins- A new head coach, a new attitude but will it be the same old Redskins?  I have to believe they’ll be better with McNabb, but unlike Philly, the Redskins just don’t have enough weapons on offense.  If Albert Haynesworth wants to play, the defense can be solid, but not spectacular.

21. Jacksonville Jaguars- This team is hard to figure out.  They’ll likely be very inconsistent again, and that means another season of being on the outside looking in at the playoff picture.

22. Arizona Cardinals– No Kurt Warner.  No Anquan Boldin.  No Karlos Dansby.  Ouch!  Watch this team drop fast.  The only thing that may help them is a weak division.

23. Denver Broncos- Tim Tebow may be a great story, but even Tebow can’t turn this team around that fast.  Giving up on Brandon Marshall will hurt, and they just have too many holes to see them be better than average.

24. Seattle Seahawks– Pete Carroll sure knew when to leave USC, but he takes over a Seattle team that needs a lot of work.   They had a nice draft, but it will be a couple of years before this team is playoff ready again.

25. Chicago Bears- Getting Julius Peppers was big, but he can’t help Jay Cutler cut down on his interceptions.  This offense just isn’t good enough to cover up his mistakes.

26. Kansas City Chiefs- This team has a top-tier 1-2 punch at running back with Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles, but they have too many holes elsewhere.  They could surprise and make some noise in the AFC West to start, but I think they’re probably another year away from doing that.

27. Buffalo Bills- CJ Spiller gives them a huge weapon on offense and special teams, but he’s only one player.  In the brutal AFC East, the Bills are a lock to lose double-digit games.

28. Oakland Raiders- The only positive thing I can say about the Raiders is that at least JaMarcus Russell isn’t the QB anymore.

29. Detriot Lions- They’re still the Lions.  Not much else to say.

30. Cleveland Browns- See the Lions.

31. Tampa Bay Bucs- This team was a total rebuilding job last season, so it’s unlikely they’re ready to improve much this year.

32. St. Louis Rams- Let’s see, a team that’s rebuilding and will now be led by a rookie quarterback?  Hmmm.  Sounds pretty bad to me.