Power Rankings: Giant blip aside, Patriots still the ones

Updated May 20

I feel sorry for the New York Giants.

They are the defending Super Bowl champions. Their shiny new bling rings are coming this summer after capping off a magical playoff run with an upset victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, and yet they are getting little love heading into 2008.

Have Eli Manning and the Giants had their moment? (Getty Images)

You hear people actually say their victory was a fluke or lucky or not sustainable. Most so-called experts don't even list the Giants as the top NFC team right now when doing rankings, with that honor going to the Dallas Cowboys. Didn't the Giants go into Dallas and upset the Cowboys during their Super run? Did I miss something?

When I spoke to Cowboys coach Wade Phillips a few weeks ago, he pointed out that the Cowboys outgained the Giants and ran the ball for more yards, yet lost.

"We won almost everything except for the score," Phillips said. "You have games like that. The stats went our way, but they made the plays and won the game. We didn't play bad. We played a good game. We just didn't make the plays we had been making all season."

Phillips, by the way, was speaking to me at Tom Coughlin's charity golf tournament in Jacksonville, with Coughlin a short chip away.

No respect, none at all.

Coughlin still has a quality team and a quarterback who just might have punched his ticket to join the elite if that fourth-quarter performance in the Super Bowl is an indication of things to come.

Eli Manning, I think, arrived that day.

It's too bad he might be coming to a place already occupied by his brother, Peyton, and that model-loving quarterback he beat in the Super Bowl.

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are the two reasons why New England and Indianapolis are ranked 1-2 in my latest CBSSports.com Power Rankings. Yes, ahead of the Giants.

If the Giants and Patriots played 10 times last February, I think the Patriots would have won seven of them. That's not to take away from what the Giants did, but the Patriots were the better team.

Just not that day.

Don't buy for a minute, though, the talk that the Boston Herald story about a possible taping of the Rams' walk-through before Super Bowl XXXVI, which ran the Friday before this year's Super Bowl, had any impact on the game. The Patriots are claiming it might have. That's absurd -- and they know it.

With Spygate now buried by the league, which clearly wants it to go away, the smug Bill Belichick is back. Did you see how arrogant he was in that interview with Armen Keteyian on the CBS Evening News?

It was a far cry from the woe-is-me Belichick we saw at the league meetings in March when he was peppered with questions about Spygate with the uncertainty of what Matt Walsh knew still to be determined.

With Walsh providing no new information, Belichick blasted away. You can bet he will try to use all of that as motivation for his team.

He doesn't really need it. The Patriots are the best team right now. And the Colts are the second-best team.

But I'm not going to put the Cowboys ahead of the Giants just yet. At least New England lost to the Giants on a neutral field. The Cowboys lost on their home field.

I'm not ready to pick the Giants to repeat, but it's not a stretch to say they're the best team in the NFC right now.

Too bad few others think that.

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.