Giants fell, leaders crumbled to the ground and unlikely stars shone brightly Sunday and Monday in an eventful week of professional football. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers were both stunned. Vince Young and basically they whole Jacksonville Jaguars' entire offensive line suffered injuries. Matt Ryan played like a seasoned veteran. But the most prominant story from the week that was has to be the season-ending injury suffered by reigning MVP Tom Brady.
Best of the best
So with the Patriots now without their leader, who is the best team in the NFL? That question leads us to our Top-5 teams in the NFL heading into week two. And the winner is...
The Dallas Cowboys
Is another team looking like a better Super Bowl contender than the Cowboys at this point? Tony Romo continues to progress into one of the best looking quarterbacks in the NFL today and a running game led by Marion Barber and backed up by Felix Jones looks even better than last year's rush attack. While not facing an elite team, the Cowboys soundly defeated a team some thought might unseat the Pittsburgh Steelers as AFC North Champions this year. Next on the list is...
The Pittsburgh Steelers
If the Willie Parker of 2006 is back, then it could be a long year for opposing defenses. Sure, Fast Willie was running against a Houston Texans defense that is mediocre at best, he found the end zone one more time Sunday than he had all season last year. Perhaps the addition of Rashard Mendenhall has lit a fire under him. Third on the list is...
The Philadelphia Eagles
It's a team without a true marquis receiver, but that didn't stop Donovan McNabb from lighting things up at home in the opener. Sure, it was a win over the lowly St. Louis Rams, but McNabb completed passes to eight different receivers, which goes a long way in masking the lack of a star pass catcher. Next up is..
The San Diego Chargers
They lost a heartbreaker in the closing seconds to a Panthers team that is better than most give them credit for. After their performance on Monday night, the Broncos could be a tough test, but if the defense can learn to adapt to playing with Shawn Merriman at less than 100-percent, they should be alright. Still, they wouldn't be this high if not for some key losses elsewhere. Rounding out the Top-5 is...
The New York Giants
It was hardly an awe-inspiring performance against a weak Washington Redskins team Thursday night, but the tattered defense still allowed just seven points and barely over 200 yards of total offense. A meeting with the Rams this Sunday should equate to a 2-0 start for the defending champions.
The worst of the worst
After running down the best, it's only fitting to go down the absolute dogs of the league after one week of play. Starting with the fifth worse and working down, we lead off with...
The Oakland Raiders
After the embarassment they suffered Monday night, they probably deserved to be even lower, but the team still has some talent. If Deangelo Hall can keep from getting constantly burned, they might get somewhere. Even worse are...
The Kansas City Chiefs
They took the Patriots down to the wire and lost their starting quarterback in the process. Of course, given the fact that quarterback is Brodie Croyle, they might be better off. Moving down the list now to...
The Miami Dolphins
They posted a late rally against the New York Jets that ended with a fact that has been evident all preseason: They don't have anyone who can catch the ball. They couldn't even run well Sunday. While the Jets have improved their run defense, it's not good enough that it should stop Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown. Moving on to the second worst team...
The San Fancisco 49ers
Too bad Frank Gore can't pass. JTO doesn't stand for J.T. O'Sullivan. It stands for "Just Turn Overs." O'Sullivan completed 14 of his 20 passes, but one of his incompletions was an interception and he also lost two fumbles. But the worst team in the league is...
The St. Louis Rams
Torry Holt had one catch for nine yards. Need anymore be said? Ok. The offensive line was so bad, Steven Jackson could only muster 2.4 yards per rush and Marc Bulger was sacked four times. On top of that, the defense gave up 522 yards of total offense. It's going to be a long season in the dome.
