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Pete Prisco

Power Rankings: The Big Three and the Flawed 29

By | CBSSports.com Senior Writer

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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)  
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
CurrentTeamPrevious
Giants1Giants · Trends1
They are a young team and need to improve in some areas, but why can't they repeat?
Packers2Packers · Trends2
Deep down, you know they feel they blew a good chance to repeat in 2011. But that defense has to show more in 2012 if they are to bounce back.
Texans3Texans · Trends8
The health of Matt Schaub is the key, but they might have been the best team in the AFC before he went down last season. They say he's ahead of schedule in his rehab.
Patriots4Patriots · Trends3
Improving the defense and the speed outside in the passing game makes them an improved team. That's scary for the rest of the AFC East.
Steelers5Steelers · Trends7
They did a nice job with their draft of trying to improve the offensive line, but there are some concerns on defense.
49ers649ers · Trends4
Why am I the only one who thinks this team will slip some in 2012? Maybe it's because I don't believe in the passing game.
Falcons7Falcons · Trends9
The change in offensive styles will make this a much better team in 2012. Matt Ryan will have his best season.
Eagles8Eagles · Trends14
If somebody says Dream Team this summer, they just may get cut. The Eagles have a talented roster, which means it's all on Mike Vick.
Saints9Saints · Trends6
How do you lose an offensive wizard like Sean Payton and just keep on moving forward? When does Drew Brees show up?
Lions10Lions · Trends11
They will once again be a high-scoring team, but have they done enough to fix a defense that wasn't very good last season?
Ravens11Ravens · Trends5
Losing Terrell Suggs with a torn Achilles tendon is a huge hit. They better hope Courtney Upshaw is the real deal.
Bengals12Bengals · Trends10
They had a great draft to add to a young, talented team. They aren't going anywhere. They will push for a playoff spot -- and maybe more -- again.
Broncos13Broncos · Trends13
I'm not ready to rush the Broncos into the Super Bowl just because Manning is on board. And who knows if the neck will be an issue?
Cowboys14Cowboys · Trends12
To say this is a huge year for Tony Romo is an understatement. Even if the criticism he gets is sometimes unwarranted.
Bears15Bears · Trends21
Jay Cutler is back healthy, which is the big thing for this team. What happens with Matt Forte?
Cardinals16Cardinals · Trends17
If John Skelton or Kevin Kolb can take a major step forward, the Cardinals can win the NFC West. That is a big if.
Chargers17Chargers · Trends18
Is this the bounce-back year for the Chargers when all the focus is on the Broncos?
Bills18Bills · Trends26
Adding Mario Williams in free agency really helps upgrade the pass rush. If Ryan Fitzpatrick can revert to his pre-injury form of 2011, the Bills could get to .500.
Jets19Jets · Trends16
The worst thing they did was bring in Tim Tebow to a situation where Mark Sanchez has to become the guy. This is going to be a tough season.
Seahawks20Seahawks · Trends20
Matt Flynn has to be improved over Tarvaris Jackson, or the Seahawks' talented defense will have to win a lot of games.
Raiders21Raiders · Trends19
New coach Dennis Allen inherits a team with a lot of speed. Look for a big year from Carson Palmer.
Chiefs22Chiefs · Trends22
It's all about Matt Cassel. Can he show that he's the long-term answer for a talented young team?
Titans23Titans · Trends15
For the sake of the franchise, it has to be Jake Locker time in Nashville. What's the point of delaying the inevitable?
Panthers24Panthers · Trends25
With Cam Newton, the offense will be special again. He does need to cut down on the mistakes. Did they do enough to improve the defense?
Jaguars25Jaguars · Trends27
It's all on quarterback Blaine Gabbert. If he progresses, they can be good. If not, some heads might roll.
Buccaneers26Buccaneers · Trends28
They spent big in free agency and did some good things in the draft. But the division is tough and they might be a year away.
Redskins27Redskins · Trends24
Robert Griffin III will start from the get-go, which might make for some tough spots early. But by season's end, watch out for this team.
Dolphins28Dolphins · Trends23
I expect them to play Ryan Tannehill early to get the process started. That would be the right thing to do, even if it means it's a clear rebuilding year.
Rams29Rams · Trends32
Jeff Fisher has a lot of work to get this team back to playoff ready. But having Sam Bradford will make it a lot easier to do.
Vikings30Vikings · Trends30
There are a lot of holes, and how will Adrian Peterson bounce back? The secondary has to be improved for the Vikings to make any strides.
Browns31Browns · Trends29
They will likely be starting a rookie runner and a rookie quarterback in the backfield. That spells a long season.
Colts32Colts · Trends31
It's rebuilding time now. There will be growing pains with a young team and a rookie starting at quarterback.
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