Twenty Team Dash: Examining the NFL's Week Two Totem Pole

WELCOME BACK

TWENTY TEAM DASH: WEEK 1

Ranking the NFL's top 20 following a memorable opening weekend...

1 New Orleans Saints 1-0

Won 14-9 vs Minnesota

The scene in New Orleans during Thursday night's NFL Kickoff spectacular against Minnesota was a familiar one - the Superdome loaded with krunked-up cajun crazies, Drew Brees' iconic pregame chant and, of course, Harry Connick Jr. randomly popping up on the field. However, in a game that hardly looked like a clash of two league titans, the champs nearly spoiled the party. New Orleans scored quickly on their first drive, but it was a struggle on offense the rest of the way. Style points were at a minimum for a team that thrives off exciting plays. The good for the Saints is the defense was just as solid as it was throughout the Saint's 2010 playoff run. Don't expect Brees and his pals on offense to lay low much longer.

2 Baltimore Ravens 1-0

Won 10-9 @ New York Jets

Joe Flacco was the difference in a Monday night slug fest that felt an awful lot like a playoff preview. Ray Rice was held to just 43 yards on 21 rushing attempts against the relentless Jets' defense, but Baltimore's third-year quarterback stepped up when it mattered most. Flacco distributed the ball amongst his suddenly deep receiving corp - newcomers Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houshmandzadeh combined for 137 yards on eight receptions - and guided the Ravens to an astounding 57% efficiency rating (11-of-19) on third down. Middle linebacker Ray Lewis is still an absolute beast at 35 years old. I'm not sure I've ever seen a non-quarterback play at such a high level so late in his professional football career.

3 New England Patriots 1-0

Won 38-24 vs Cincinnati

Something tells me Sunday's dominant performance against the Bengals was the begining of a season we may ultimately dub "The Empire Strikes Back". Tom Brady tossed three touchdowns - two in the direction of Wes Welker - and moved in and out of the pocket with better mobility than he displayed all of last year. Randy Moss snagged five balls before using the postgame press conference to yet again voice his displeasure over the lack of a contract extension. Moss has never been too keen on the concept of keeping things "in house", and it could ultimately cost him another pay day with the Patriots.

4 Minnesota Vikings 0-1

Lost 14-9 @ New Orleans

Throughout the Vikings' undewhelming nine-point output in New Orleans, Brett "Pop Pop" Favre looked... how should I put this... old. The greyhaired gunslinger displayed his usual zip on throws but, much like a senior citizen at the grocery store, Favre had trouble locating his intended targets. However, his touchdown pass to Visanthe Shiancoe was a dart down the seam and it was obvious to anyone watching that Favre's competitive fire hasn't dimmed since his magical '09 run.

5 Houston Texans 1-0

won 34-24 vs Indianapolis

Houston unleashed a beast in Arian Foster, who carved the Colts' defense for 231 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries. Matt Schaub - last season's NFL yardage king - completed just nine passes, but that was enough, as Houston knocked off division-dominating Indy for just the second time in 17 attempts. Head coach Gary Kubiak leaned heavily on Foster, who nearly matched his '09 statistical totals (251 yards, three touchdowns) in the contest. The running back went undrafted out of Tennessee last April, but if Sunday's performance was any indication, Foster will have GMs cringing this fall.

6 Dallas Cowboys 0-1

lost 13-7 @ Washington

No team suffered a worse fate on opening weekend than the Cowboys, who saw a potential game-winning Roy Williams' touchdown nullified by a holding penalty. Expectations in Dallas haven't been this high since Troy Aikman was behind center and a 13-7 loss to last year's divison doormat doesn't exactly get the momentum rolling toward Jerry Jones' ultimate dream - home field advantage in the Super Bowl for his 'Boys.

7 Indianapolis Colts 0-1

lost 34-24 @ Houston

Peyton Manning may be the NFL's greatest quarterback ever, but even Andy Reid would admit a 57:10 pass-to-run ratio isn't likely to earn you a W in this league. Second-year receiver Austin Collie caught 11 balls for 163 yards and a touchdown in his first opener as one of Manning's top targets. Indy's "bend but don't break" defense is in tatters following an epic thrashing at the hands of Arian Foster and the Texans' ground game.

8 Green Bay Packers 1-0

Won 27-20 @ Philadelphia

Outside linebacker Clay Matthews looked like the best player on a field filled with young stars in Philadelphia. Matthews led Green Bay with seven tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. The second-year USC grad also lowered the boom on Kevin Kolb that led to the quarterback's early departure. Running back Ryan Grant is done for the season with an ankle injury, but as long as Aaron Rodgers is upright, Green Bay is a major Super Bowl contender.

9 New York Jets 0-1

lost 10-9 vs Baltimore

Don't you hate it when reality get in the way of a good story? Quarterback Marc Sanchez is still just 23 years old and doesn't yet possess the ability to overcome a superior defensive gameplan like the one Baltimore brings to the table. Rex Ryan shoulf be a tad worried about his defensive secondary opposite Revis Island. It wouldn't be the least bit surprising if Antonio "Big Daddy" Cromartie surrendered his starting job to rookie Kyle Wilson by Halloween. Despite being one of the league's flashiest defensive playmakers, Cromartie's shortcomings in coverage showed through as the potential Achilles' heel of an otherwise overbearing New York defense.


10 Tennessee Titans 1-0

won 38-13 vs Oakland

If Vince Young can play as efficiently as he did during Tennessee's blowout victory (13-of-17, 154 yards and two touchdowns) for at least 75% of the season, the Titans are a force to be reckoned with in the AFC. Chris Johnson began his quest toward 2,500 yards (his personal goal, not my expectation) in the same fashion he closed out his record-setting '09 season. CJ2K gained 142 yards - more than half of which came on 76-yard touchdown sprint that widened Tennessee's lead to 24-3 late in the first half.

11 Pittsburgh Steelers 1-0

won 15-9 vs Falcons (OT)

Ben Roethlisberger's four-game suspension forced all eyes on substitute starting QB Dennis Dixon, but it Rashard Mendenhall who made the difference against Atlanta. The Steelers' running back scampered fifty yards to paydirt and finished off the Falcons with a rare walk-off touchdown in overtime. Mendenhall's game-winning jaunt gave him 120 yards on the ground in aid of Pittsburgh's patchwork passing game. If the Men of Steel can win two of their next three matchups - trips to Tennessee and Tampa Bay, followed by a division showdown versus Baltimore - they will be in great shape heading into a week five bye week highlighted by the return of Big Ben.

12 San Diego Chargers 0-1

lost 21-14 @ Kansas City

Tensions are already mounting in SoCal, where fallout from the loss in Kansas City centers around the invisible man - Vincent Jackson. San Diego's No. 1 wide receiver is still in the middle of a holdout that grows uglier by the day, while the Chargers scored an uncharacteristically low 14 points against a Chiefs defense that has struggled since the Clinton Administration. So the two go hand-in-hand right? Not so fast. Rivers still threw for nearly 300 yards, with upstart Legedu Naanee accounting for 11o of those and a touchdown. Blame the Chargers' early offensive woes on Monday night's monsoon-like conditions - and a vastly improved division rival.

13 Cincinnati Bengals 0-1

lost @ New England 38-24

Either the first thirty minutes of 2010 Bengals football was a total aberration or I vastly overrated this veteran squad. Cincinnati appeared to be sleepwalking throughout a first half that saw New England easily jump out to 24-0 lead. Carson Palmer followed up a disastourous start with an impressive second half. He spread the ball effectively amongst teammates - four Bengals caught at least five passes - while leading three touchdown drives. The Chad Ochocinco-Terrell Eldorado experiment worked out well in week one. The duo racked up 212 yards and a touchdown on 19 receptions.

14 Atlanta Falcons 0-1

lost @ Pittsburgh 15-9 (OT)

There's no shame in this loss for Atlanta. The Falcons faced a tough task in Pittsburgh, taking on an offense out to prove it can score without its bad boy quarterback and a defense still embarrased about breaking down late in '09. Despite giving up Mendenhall's big run in overtime, Atlanta matched Pittsburgh's physicality - which bodes well for a team that plays plenty of big dogs (is it ok to use that phrase in association with Atlanta again? Have we moved on?) between now and November.

15 New York Giants 1-0

won 31-18 vs Carolina

Despite a comfortable win over Carolina, the Giants have plenty of issues to clean up. Yes, Eli Manning threw three touchdowns to Hakeem Nicks, but that doesn't excuse Baby Bro's three interceptions and Nicks' numerous drops against the Panthers. Brandon Jacobs' days a feature back (did they ever truly exist?) are apparently history. Ahmad Bradshaw received twenty carries - eight more than Jacobs.

16 Miami Dolphins 1-0

won 15-10 @ Buffalo

Miami came out on top of the trash heap known as Dolphins vs. Bills. Neither team looked particularly good at anything, but Miami's sizeable advantage on the offensive side of the ball ensured the Brandon Marshall Era would begin with a win. Though Chad Henne didn't play much better than Buffalo's Trent Edwards - who was terrible - the Dolphins' ground game bailed out its young quarterback. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams were up to their old tricks, working in tandem to run for 127 yards and the team's only touchdown.

17 Washington Redskins 1-0

won 13-7 vs Dallas

Washington's victory over NFC East favorite Dallas surprised me more than any other result from opening weekend. Donovan McNabb missed most of his first preseason in D.C. so I expected Dallas' defense to be its usual dominating self. What I didn't anticipate was the fire with which the Redskins' defense displayed. Free agent prize DeAngelo Hall reached the endzone on a 32-yard fumble return as the first half expired. Hall's backbreaking score gave Washington a 10-0 advantage and the defense would make it stand up. Washington could become an NFC dark horse if the defense can play close to this level throughout the season for coordinator Jim Haslett.

18 Philadelphia Eagles 0-1

lost 27-20 vs Green Bay

The definition of success in Philadelphia in 2010 is rather simple - finish with more wins than McNabb's Redskins. Advantage Donovan. The season opener could not have gone more awry in Philly, where an offseason's worth of planning fell apart at the seams. Kevin Kolb - touted as the heir apparent to McNabb since 2007 - ran out of the tunnel as the Eagles' starting quarterback. Roughly an hour and a half later, he found himself on the sidelines once again. Kolb suffered a second-quarter concussion, which opened the door for backup QB Michael Vick. The three-time Pro Bowler ran up and down the field - bringing the Birds back from a 20-3 deficit - in a vintage Vick performance.

What was supposed to be a rare drama-free season in Philadelphia quickly took an unexpected turn. Suddenly, there are packs of fans calling for Vick to start. They'll get their wish Sunday, when a still-scrambled Kolb takes a seat against Detroit. This is by no means a benching. The long-term answer at quarterback is simple - Kolb is the starter when healthy because that's been the gameplan for three seasons. Not many coaches are set in their ways like Andy Reid and there's no way he benches his guy based on one half of football, no matter how wretched.

19 Kansas City Chiefs 1-0

won 21-14 vs San Diego

Almost three years passed since the last day Kansas City owned a winning record. That streak mercifully ended Monday night, when the Chiefs - led by a motivated defense and a new playmaker - knocked off San Diego the first game at New Arrowhead Stadium. Romeo Crennel's debut as defensive coordinator was wildly successful, as the Chiefs swarmed to the ball with noticibly more vigor than years past. Former first-round picks Derrick Johnson and Glenn Dorsey particularly looked recharged. Johnson led KC with 11 tackles, while Dorsey wreaked havoc on San Diego's backfield - including a QB pressure on Rivers' fourth-and-goal attempt in the game's final minute.

Rookie Dexter McCluster's 94-yard punt return proved to be the difference. The second-round selection out of Ole Miss became the first player to return a kick for a touchdown in his NFL debut game since Jacquez Green accomplished the feat with Tampa Bay in 1998.

20 Chicago Bears 1-0

won 19-14 vs Detroit

Game one of the intriguing Mike Martz-Jay Cutler collaboration yielded impressive results. Cutler picked up 372 yards on 35 throws - only one of which was caught by a Lion. Surprisingly, running back Matt Forte appears to be the main beneficiary of Martz' pass-oriented, field-stetching offensive scheme. Fresh off a disappointing 2009 season, in which he regressed from a stellar rookie campaign, Forte came up huge in the opening win. Though Detroit held the third-year back to just 50 yards on the ground, he starred in Chicago's passing game, tallying a team-high seven receptions and 151 yards, while catching both Bears' touchdown.