Power Rankings: The Big Three and the Flawed 29

Updated Oct. 9

Aside from the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys, is anybody really any good in the NFL this season?

And after Monday night's razor-thin victory over the Buffalo Bills, some might wonder if the Cowboys are an elite team either.

I'll chalk up Monday night's Tony Romo pick-fest to a team caught looking ahead to their game this week with the Patriots. The Cowboys are still an elite team.

Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne and the Colts? Hard to argue with the champs. (Getty Images)

As for outside the top three, I've been wondering about the rest of the league for a while. But it really hit me the past two days while compiling the latest batch of CBS Sports.com Power Rankings.

Look at the rest of the teams in the top 10. They all have issues.

In my top 10 is a team (Tennessee Titans) that turned it over five times Sunday and still won, a team (Jacksonville Jaguars) that is averaging 15.7 points per game -- 28th in the league -- and a team (Green Bay Packers) that blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead at home Sunday night.

We also have the crippled Pittsburgh Steelers, the Baltimore Ravens that struggle way too much to score, the Arizona Cardinals playing rotating quarterbacks until one of them went down with a broken collarbone and the New York Giants, who opened 0-2 and had many pegging their coach for the firing line.

Of that group, do we really know if any of them are really any good? What we do know is the Colts, Patriots and Cowboys are all really good.

The Colts showed that they can win without four key starters. The Patriots continue to blow people out and the Cowboys can score on anybody -- even when Romo isn't playing well. Hey, he did lead them to that late score and winning field goal.

Those three are the three remaining unbeaten teams and by 8 p.m. Sunday we will be down to two since the Cowboys and Patriots meet in Game of the Season/Decade/Century Part I this Sunday at Texas Stadium.

Peeking ahead, the Cowboys learned Monday night, can be a real danger, but somehow they escaped.

The Colts don't play this week, but their unbeaten status will be tested in two weeks on a Monday night at Jacksonville against the Jaguars.

At any rate, it's evident those three are above the rest, making this season's early motto: Three and Out.

We still have a lot of time left to go before the playoffs start, which is why it's too early to jump to conclusions. It's way too simple to pick either the Colts or the Patriots to play the Cowboys in Super Bowl XLII.

We know better.

One of the other top 10 teams -- or maybe even the San Diego Chargers -- might emerge as a real player before we hit November. It will likely be the one that cures its ills first.

That means the Jaguars scoring more points or the Titans taking care of the ball better or the Steelers getting healthy or the Ravens getting Steve McNair to find his old magic and Kurt Warner doing the same in Arizona or the Giants showing the 0-2 start was just a fluke.

Fix it, and you can win it. Don't, and you won't.

For now, we're still left wondering which team can do it, and the obvious question:

Is anybody outside the Big Three any good?

The complete Power Rankings after Week 5:

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Colts · Trends	1
	They won four games in November by a total of 10 points. They're not dominating, but they are winning.
	2	Saints · Trends	2
	They get a major test next week when the Patriots come to town for a Monday night game. Is that the end of the unbeaten season?
	3	Vikings · Trends	3
	Brett Favre might be having his best season. Who said he would flop? Oh, me.
	4	Patriots · Trends	5
	They bounced back nicely against the Jets and have a two-game lead in the division, but the Saints will be a great barometer for where they are now.
	5	Cowboys · Trends	7
	They beat the Redskins, but they still looked off. They'll get it going Thursday against the Raiders.
	6	Bengals · Trends	4
	What was that in Oakland? That reminds us a little of why they're still the Bengals. They had no business losing that game.
	7	Chargers · Trends	9
	They are rolling again after a slow start. What else is new for this team? They are the class of the AFC West, just like we thought they'd be.
	8	Cardinals · Trends	10
	They played a decent road game against the Rams, even if they made it interesting in the end. The running game is getting cranked up, which is great for the playoff run.
	9	Eagles · Trends	11
	They snapped a two-game losing streak against the Bears to keep their playoff chances solid. This is the time when the Eagles usually get it going.
	10	Steelers · Trends	6
	They just haven't looked that good this season. Something is off. It might be wise to work on that kickoff coverage.
	11	Giants · Trends	12
	Eli Manning's big game saved their season against Atlanta. Now they face a tough road game at Denver on a short week.
	12	Broncos · Trends	8
	Was their start a fraud? It sure looks like it. They aren't playing well on either side of the ball, but especially on offense.
	13	Jaguars · Trends	16
	If the playoffs started today, they'd be in. Wow. They aren't winning pretty, but they're finding a way.
	14	Packers · Trends	17
	Losing Al Harris and Aaron Kampman for the season will impact that defense in a big way. It's good that the offense is playing better now to help offset it.
	15	Falcons · Trends	14
	They have three consecutive homes games to turn their season back around. The defense just gives up too many big plays.
	16	Dolphins · Trends	21
	Chad Henne is growing up. As he does, they will be better. The playoffs are still possible. But don't lose at Buffalo.
	17	Ravens · Trends	15
	They've been a disappointment so far. If they lose to the Steelers this week, they can say goodbye to the playoffs.
	18	Texans · Trends	13
	That loss at home to the Titans is a big hit to their playoff chances. They just never got it going on offense. Kris Brown choked two weeks in a row. Now the Colts come to town.
	19	Titans · Trends	22
	They are somehow still alive at 4-6. Winning four consecutive games after opening 0-6 is impressive. Vince Young is doing a nice job.
	20	Jets · Trends	18
	Mark Sanchez is playing like a rookie. But it doesn't mean he should sit down. He needs to grow and playing is the right way.
	21	Panthers · Trends	19
	They will likely have a new coach next season and that could mean the end for Jake Delhomme. He just isn't good enough.
	22	Bears · Trends	20
	Is Lovie Smith in trouble? He might be. Cutler sure hasn't lived up to the expectations. He needs help.
	23	49ers · Trends	23
	They can forget the playoffs now. The rest of the season is about finding out if Alex Smith is the long-term answer at quarterback.
	24	Bills · Trends	25
	Perry Fewell's first game showed a team that will still fight. And there was a Terrell Owens sighting. Amazing.
	25	Seahawks · Trends	24
	Count this team as one of the biggest flops of the season. But injuries have played a big part. Is Mike Holmgren coming to the rescue?
	26	Chiefs · Trends	26
	They're on a two-game winning streak. Beating the Steelers is a big step for this young team. The Chiefs are improving.
	27	Redskins · Trends	27
	The best thing to come out of the Cowboys loss is that Jason Campbell played better. They're still fighting.
	28	Raiders · Trends	28
	Say hello to the bench, JaMarcus Russell. Bruce Gradkowski is the guy the rest of the way.
	29	Lions · Trends	31
	Matt Stafford showed against the Browns that he was the right pick last April. They have their building block.
	30	Rams · Trends	29
	Do you feel sorry a little for Steven Jackson playing on this team? He's having a huge season. And now Marc Bulger is out? Ouch.
	31	Buccaneers · Trends	30
	Josh Freeman played like a rookie against the Saints, but he will have those days. It's hard to believe that's a Bucs defense we've been watching. It tells us why Jim Bates was fired.
	32	Browns · Trends	32
	The good news is Brady Quinn is looking better. The bad news is the defense regressed. They have a long way to go to being able to compete for a playoff spot.