Week 3 NFL Barometer

• Tweet

• Tweet

As we head in to Week 3, we’re still separating the contenders from the pretenders. There were ten games decided by eleven points or less, including three overtime games. The big risers near the top this week are Chicago and Atlanta, who both elevated four spots. The big fallers this week are Carolina and Seattle who slipped nine, and four spots respectively.

Week 3 looks to be a huge turning point in many division races as Chicago (2-0) travels to Minnesota (2-0), Jacksonville (2-0) visits Indianapolis (2-0), Cincinnati (2-0) heads to Pittsburgh (1-1), and Atlanta (2-0) faces off against New Orleans (2-0) in the first game in the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina.

Recently, we asked seven Cafe members to rank all 32 NFL teams from first to worst after Week 2 of the 2006 season. The average number for each team, based on their submissions, was calculated and the teams were ranked accordingly (to increase consistency, the highest and the lowest values for each team were disregarded).

Rank	Change	TEAM	Avg Rank	d a n 2 2	A l k	m a t t	p o r t i s	G S O E	j a y
1 (1)		Indianapolis	1.0	1	1	1	1	3	1
They took the Texans out behind the woodshed last week, but the Jags are out for respect, and the Colts have a big red bullseye on their chests.
2 (6)		Chicago	2.8	3	7	2	3	2	3
Rex Grossman has looked incredible. If they can continue just half of their offensive production to pair with that defense, they will be around deep in to January.
3 (5)		Jacksonville	3.3	4	2	3	7	4	2
The Jags defense looked nothing short of dominant against Pittsburgh, but they’ll face a tougher test against Peyton and the Colts as they look to even further legitimize their team.
4 (3)		Cincinnati	3.5	2	5	5	2	1	5
They sustained a few key injuries against Cleveland. Can Carson and the Bengals overcome, and get their redemption for last year’s playoff loss?
5 (2)		Pittsburgh	5.0	7	6	4	5	5	4
They were shutout by the Jags in a slug fest Monday night. Will Big Ben shake the rust and lead the Steelers past Cincinnati?
6 (10)		Atlanta	7.0	8	4	6	8	9	6
They take their vaunted rushing attack into hostile territory Monday night, where they’ll play in front of a raucous New Orleans crowd.
7 (9)		San Diego	7.8	9	9	10	4	6	7
They got better looks in practice than they have the last two weeks. Their first real test is their upcoming game against Baltimore after being off last week.
8 (4)		Seattle	8.3	11	3	7	6	10	10
Seattle faces a big challenge, as the Giants are riding a big wave of confidence from their fourth quarter comeback as they head to Cascadia.
9 (8)		NY Giants	8.5	5	11	8	12	7	8
Can Feely erase his nightmares of his last trip to Seattle and kick the big one? Or better yet, can he kick one at all?
10 (11)		Baltimore	8.8	13	8	9	9	8	9
The “Old Browns/New Browns” rivalry picks up again this week as the Ravens head into Cleveland.
11 (13)		Philadelphia	11.8	14	10	11	14	11	11
They gave away a win last week against the Giants. They are still lacking that bruising closer to chew up clock at the end of games.
12 (15)		Dallas	12.0	6	12	17	11	13	12
Have you ever seen so much coverage over a broken finger? You can bet your bottom dollar that TO will be ready by Week 5 for the Eagles game.
13 (12)		New England	13.0	10	16	15	10	12	15
Tom Brady looks to improve his 1-4 record against Denver, as the Pats welcome the Broncos into Foxboro.
14 (19)		Minnesota	13.8	16	15	12	13	14	13
They are 2-0 and playing solid football. As long as Brad Johnson stays healthy, they are a sleeper team to watch.
14 (14)		Denver	14.3	12	14	13	17	16	14
Those cries of “Cutler” are just going to get louder and louder unless Jake Plummer steps up his game.
16 (7)		Carolina	14.8	15	13	14	15	20	15
This team has looked lost without Steve Smith. He better get back soon, or they could be looking at 0-3.
17 (23)		New Orleans	17.0	20	22	16	16	15	16
If there was ever such a thing as home field advantage, you’ll witness it Monday night in the Superdome, in New Orleans’ first home game since Hurricane Katrina.
18 (18)		Kansas City	18.8	17	18	18	22	17	24
The Chiefs were so close to pulling off the win against Denver. It’s arguable that they would be 2-0 if they had Willie Roaf and Trent Green back and healthy.
19 (16)		Miami	19.0	19	17	19	19	28	19
They have to be glad the Titans are coming to town, so they can finally get a win… right?
20 (21)		Washington	21.3	23	20	20	24	22	20
They are such a talented bunch that it’s hard to believe they are 0-2. I think new offensive coordinator, Al Saunders, needs to minimize his gigantic playbook and let them use their athleticism for awhile.
21 (17)		St. Louis	21.5	18	24	22	20	21	23
I don’t know what to think of this team. They surprise us by beating Denver on opening weekend, then turn around and lose to San Francisco last week.
21 (20)		Tampa Bay	21.5	24	19	21	21	27	20
Chris Simms is bombing, the O-line is struggling, and the defense looks old. They are staring down an 0-3 start with division rival Carolina up next on their schedule.
23 (25)		Buffalo	22.0	21	21	23	23	24	21
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I haven’t given this team a chance the past two weeks and I’m still not sold on them, but they could look to play spoiler in their division.
24 (22)		Arizona	22.3	22	25	24	18	26	18
Kurt Warner is still healthy and playing good football. But if he stays healthy all season, it will be a miracle.
25 (24)		Detroit	24.3	25	23	26	28	23	22
Roy Williams’ prediction blew up in his face last week. The Lions try to get their first win and surpass forty points on the season as the Packers visit Ford Field.
26 (26)		Cleveland	26.3	26	26	27	25	30	26
The Browns look to avoid going 0-3 as they face the team that used to occupy their city, the Baltimore Ravens.
26 (27)		NY Jets	26.3	27	27	25	26	18	27
Chad Pennington has looked as good as ever in the first two weeks, and he looks to take the Jets to 2-1 with a win over Buffalo.
28 (30)		San Francisco	28.0	28	28	28	30	19	28
They have played reasonably well and don’t look like the automatic “W” that opposing teams viewed them as last season. Can they keep it up?
29 (29)		Houston	29.0	30	29	29	27	29	29
Mario Williams is still learning, but the Texans need that learning curve to speed up if they hope to salvage their season.
30 (32)		Green Bay	30.0	32	30	31	29	25	30
Brett is closing in on the all-time passing touchdown mark. Unfortunately, he’s also closing in on the all-time interception mark.
31 (28)		Tennessee	30.8	29	31	30	31	31	31
With the Volek situation behind them, will the Titans give in and let Vince Young take his lumps?
32 (31)		Oakland	32.0	31	32	32	32	32	32
The Andrew Walter Era begins.

Rate this article: (5 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)  Loading ... Questions or comments for Jason? Post them in the Cafe Forums! Want to write for the Cafe? Check out the Cafe's Pencil & Paper section!