Power Rankings: Let's not be hasty, unless we're burying the Pats

Updated Sept. 9

The rushing game is in vogue in the NFL right now.

By that, I mean rushing to judgments.

After opening week of the season, we're already seeing some knee-jerk reactions to the craziness that went on during the games:

• The NFC is better than the AFC, which none of us expected. So maybe the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears pulled off big road victories against two of the AFC's elite in San Diego and Indianapolis. They should be lauded for that, but the AFC is still the top conference. Maybe Carolina and Chicago are better than most thought, but I get the feeling they're both glad to get those AFC teams out of the way now.

• There's something wrong with the Colts. They looked bad against the Bears, but it was Peyton Manning's first action and the Colts traditionally hold light camps, which, in turn, could have led to the tackling problems on defense. They'll be fine.

• The Jets made the right move getting Brett Favre and they're now Super Bowl contenders. Hey, the team they beat went 1-15 in 2007. I watched that game live and then watched it again, and Favre wasn't nearly as good as he was portrayed. He was just OK.

• The Dallas Cowboys will win it all. They were dominant against the Cleveland Browns, but they were the best team in the NFC last season before choking away their chance to get to the Super Bowl with a home playoff loss. They're good. But let's slow that coronation down a bit. Win a playoff game first, maybe?

One week does not make a season -- unless you're the New England Patriots. Theirs is over. OK, so that's a bit of a rush. I'm guilty.

Felix Jones had a strong debut for the Cowboys. (AP)

I keep hearing all this talk about how the Patriots will regroup under Bill Belichick, how he will work his magic like he did in 2001 when Tom Brady came off the bench to lead the Patriots to the Super Bowl title.

With Brady out for the season with a torn ACL, that puts Matt Cassel into the Brady role this season. He will make his first start since high school against the Jets this week.

Brady at least had Michigan.

Again, aside from the Patriots, one week does not make a season. It does make for a messy second set of the CBSSports.com Power Rankings.

The Colts were my top team last week, and they lost. The Patriots were in the second spot, won, and still dropped way down. No Brady, no respect.

The Chargers lost and dropped. The Jaguars also lost and fell, which means three of my top seven teams lost and the Patriots fell way down.

The new No. 1 team is the Cowboys, although I'm not in that rush to make them world champs yet.

Not a lot of rushing to judgment here. Remember, I like the passing game anyway.

The Power Rankings after Week 1:

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Cowboys · Trends	5
	They went to Cleveland and dominated. That's the kind of play we can expect from that Dallas offense this season. Running back Felix Jones is a keeper. This team looks special.
	2	Giants · Trends	6
	Go ahead. Keep thinking they fluked their way to a Super Bowl last season. They just might do it again.
	3	Saints · Trends	3
	Two good things came from their victory over the Bucs: Reggie Bush was a factor and the defense was improved.
	4	Steelers · Trends	8
	Best team in the AFC North. You didn't believe me when I told you so this summer? Now look. The trip to Cleveland this week won't be easy.
	5	Packers · Trends	9
	Still want Brett back? This is a young, talented team that will grow as the season moves along. Take that smile off your face, Ted Thompson.
	6	Eagles · Trends	10
	Was there any doubt Andy Reid would get this team back playing good football again? Adding DeSean Jackson to the passing game is a big help.
	7	Titans · Trends	12
	Vince Young is out 2-4 weeks. Is that a bad thing or a good thing, especially since he appeared to quit vs. the Jaguars? Kerry Collins will be fine.
	8	Bears · Trends	24
	Who saw what they did to the Colts coming? That was a physical beat-down. Matt Forte looks like a star in the making.
	9	Colts · Trends	1
	What we saw Sunday night wasn't close to what this team will be. Manning didn't look like himself. They will be there in the end.
	10	Panthers · Trends	16
	So maybe I was wrong. Going back to that power football might be just what this team needs. They pushed the Chargers around.
	11	Chargers · Trends	4
	There was some good to come out of the loss, mostly that Philip Rivers can rally his team. But the concern has to be with the defense. It got handled.
	12	Broncos · Trends	21
	If Jay Cutler plays the way he did against Oakland, the Broncos will push the Chargers in the division. Maybe Mike Shanahan can still coach, eh?
	13	Jaguars · Trends	7
	You hate to say a team has a must-win in Week 2, but with the Colts coming up on the road after the Jags play the Bills, they better beat the Buffalo. The passing game wasn't good vs. the Titans and now they have line woes.
	14	Cardinals · Trends	15
	The one thing that stood out in watching the Cardinals-49ers game was how fast the Arizona defense played. That might be the surprise unit in the league this season.
	15	Bills · Trends	17
	Are they now the favorite in the AFC East? We'll know more about this team after they play the Jaguars on the road Sunday.
	16	Jets · Trends	20
	Lost in all the Brett Favre hoopla was how impressive the defense played against the Dolphins. They looked fast in the front seven. Think they're happy Tom Brady isn't playing this week?
	17	Patriots · Trends	2
	Yes, they're 1-0. But they're down here because Brady is done. Don't give me that 2001 song and dance again. This team won't make the playoffs.
	18	Seahawks · Trends	11
	Matt Hasselbeck's back might be a season-long concern. We give them a mulligan losing at Buffalo since it's tough to open the season with a cross-country trip.
	19	Vikings · Trends	13
	Quarterback, quarterback, quarterback. It's all about how Tarvaris Jackson progresses for the Vikings. He looked good at times Monday, but looked really bad at others against the Packers.
	20	Browns · Trends	14
	They don't rush the passer that well and the secondary isn't great in coverage. That's a bad combination. Dallas took advantage of it. Derek Anderson has to hear those Brady Quinn footsteps.
	21	Ravens · Trends	26
	They showed the rest of the league that their defense could be dominant again in 2008. Joe Flacco should stay in as the starter for good.
	22	Buccaneers · Trends	19
	They didn't do much offensively in losing to the Saints, and now might be forced to play without quarterback Jeff Garcia (ankle). Brian Griese might be the guy this week.
	23	Falcons · Trends	31
	They want to run it and keep the other teams' offense off the field and try to win games in the fourth quarter. They ran it all right against the Lions, to the tune of 317 yards. Wow.
	24	Texans · Trends	22
	Talk about getting smacked back to reality. The Texans thought they'd push for a playoff spot this season. The Steelers might have ended that talk.
	25	Bengals · Trends	23
	On a day when the defense showed up, the offense was nowhere vs. the Ravens. Chad Ocho Cinco didn't do much with that new name.
	26	Redskins · Trends	25
	They never seemed to get into a groove against the Giants. Still think trading for a 34-year-old defensive end was a good move with this team? Will Jason Taylor put them over the top?
	27	49ers · Trends	29
	Love the way Mike Martz made that offense sing. Moral of the story: Great offensive minds can't overcome so-so quarterbacks.
	28	Lions · Trends	28
	They are what we thought they were: Not very good. When does the Matt Millen debacle end?
	29	Chiefs · Trends	32
	They showed well after Tom Brady went out, but that made it a lot easier. They need to get the running game going.
	30	Rams · Trends	18
	Why even show up vs. the Eagles? Oh, wait. They didn't. That was awful. Now they get the Super Bowl champs at home. Good luck.
	31	Dolphins · Trends	30
	With no passing game threatening down the field, they couldn't run the ball at all. The receivers need to step up their games. Yes, you, Ted Ginn Jr.
	32	Raiders · Trends	27
	That was pathetic against Denver. Just Sin, Baby. That's what the Raiders did Monday night. Gross would be a compliment.