1. Baltimore – Oh, those poor Titans. Remember them. Baltimore put up a goose egg against the Colts. Think they’ll exact their revenge on the hapless Titans?
2. Pittsburgh – Looked good against the Titans in Week 1, now get the Texans, who looked downright pitiful versus a similarly good Buffalo DEF.
3. Philadelphia – Home opener for the Eagles, ready to take Week 1 frustrations out on an overachieving Niner offense. McNabb’s questionable, so the defense will really have to bring its “A” game.
4. Dallas – Made some big plays against San Diego, facing what possibly could be the worst offense in the NFL in their home opener.
5. NY Jets – Think HC Edwards is gonna have his boys fired up for their home opener against a division rival? Uh, probably. Yeah.
6. Carolina – Facing the Patriots, who make few mistakes, but if there’s a defense that can cause havoc, it’s the Panthers. Expect them to rebound from a disappointing loss to the Saints.
7. Chicago – Underrated is an understatement. The Lions’ offense didn’t exactly set the world on fire in preseason and in Week 1 against a pathetic Green Bay defense.
8. New England – Like mentioned above, the Panthers don’t make many mistakes, but the Patriot D is very good and you start ‘em if you got ‘em.
9. Cincinnati – Sleeper DEF pick of the week. They let their in-state rivals get way too cute on offense Week 1. Will Daunte continue to struggle? If so, the Bengals may roll.
10. Indianapolis – Could potentially be much higher on this list. Freeney will get to Leftwich, and the improved Colt secondary will be up to the test.
11. Tampa Bay – Home opener for the Bucs. Looked good against the Vikings. J.P. Losman, despite a solid effort last Sunday, is still green.
12. Buffalo – Another DEF that potentially could be ranked much, much higher. But the Bucs can control the ball with the best of ‘em. |
