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.
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| Felix Jones had a strong debut for the Cowboys. (AP) |
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 | Saints · Trends | 4 |
| What is hidden about the Saints is that there are a lot of good, young players on their roster. I can't imagine them taking a big step back. | |||
 | 2 | Colts · Trends | 1 |
| Let's not forget they get Anthony Gonzalez back next year, which will make the offense better. They are the team to beat in the AFC again. | |||
 | 3 | Vikings · Trends | 5 |
| After blowing a chance to win the NFC title game in regulation, it must have killed the Vikings to see the Saints win the Super Bowl. Now Minnesota has to play the waiting game with Brett Favre. | |||
 | 4 | Chargers · Trends | 2 |
| They have a lot of contracts that come up, and they will have to make some tough decisions. There is still a lot of talent on this team, but they have to get over the hump at some point. Losing to the Jets was a big upset. | |||
 | 5 | Cowboys · Trends | 3 |
| Wade Phillips comes back for another year, and he has to get this team past the first round of the playoffs again. Tony Romo is in the same situation. | |||
 | 6 | Eagles · Trends | 6 |
| Can we stop the Donovan McNabb trade talk? He will be back, and he should be back. Will Brian Westbrook? | |||
 | 7 | Jets · Trends | 11 |
| The next step will be letting Mark Sanchez do more. They have to throw it better in 2010. And they will. | |||
 | 8 | Packers · Trends | 7 |
| Aaron Rodgers showed he's a star in the making this season. That will make Green Bay a Super threat in 2010. | |||
 | 9 | Bengals · Trends | 8 |
| They made big strides to win the division, but they have to improve the passing game. That means getting speed help outside. | |||
 | 10 | Ravens · Trends | 12 |
| It's time for Joe Flacco and that passing game to take a big step forward. You have to get big chunks of yardage to win in this league. | |||
 | 11 | Patriots · Trends | 10 |
| Tom Brady will be a year removed from his knee injury, which means he will be better. The key for the Patriots will be improving their pass rush. | |||
 | 12 | Cardinals · Trends | 9 |
| Matt Leinart takes over for the retired Kurt Warner. There are a lot of questions about the former Heisman winner, but the Cardinals staff believes in him. Do his teammates? | |||
 | 13 | Broncos · Trends | 13 |
| What do they do with Brandon Marshall? Is he back? Is he traded? They need him, that's for sure. | |||
 | 14 | Steelers · Trends | 14 |
| The concerns with this team are on both lines. They have to play better there. Isn't that the Steelers way? | |||
 | 15 | Texans · Trends | 15 |
| They had a winning season, but it's time to make the playoffs. They do have an explosive passing game, which gives them a good chance. | |||
 | 16 | Falcons · Trends | 16 |
| They played the Saints tough twice with a lot of injuries. That has to give them hope heading into next season. They have to work on fixing that defense. | |||
 | 17 | Giants · Trends | 20 |
| There is some talk that Tom Coughlin could be in trouble if he doesn't win next season. I don't buy it. But they do have to improve the defense. | |||
 | 18 | Titans · Trends | 17 |
| Vince Young played well when he took over. Now he has to show he can do it again. | |||
 | 19 | Dolphins · Trends | 18 |
| I think this is a team to watch in 2010. Chad Henne will give the Dolphins a better chance to get to a Super Bowl. He does need a receiver. | |||
 | 20 | 49ers · Trends | 19 |
| The Niners have talent, but they have to throw it better to be a playoff team. I think Alex Smith just might be the answer. The offensive line needs fixing. | |||
 | 21 | Jaguars · Trends | 21 |
| Jack Del Rio got another year, which some question. Does his quarterback get the same? | |||
 | 22 | Panthers · Trends | 22 |
| They have to decide who plays quarterback. Is it Matt Moore or Jake Delhomme? It should be Moore. What to do with Julius Peppers? | |||
 | 23 | Redskins · Trends | 23 |
| Mike Shanahan has to decide if Jason Campbell is his quarterback of choice. I bet he decides that he is. Hiring Jim Haslett was a good move for the defense. | |||
 | 24 | Bears · Trends | 24 |
| Lovie Smith has one year to show that he can turn this team around. Hiring Mike Martz as offensive coordinator is a great move. | |||
 | 25 | Seahawks · Trends | 25 |
| Pete Carroll has a long way to go to turn this team around. First decision is if Matt Hasselbeck is the right guy at quarterback. | |||
 | 26 | Bills · Trends | 26 |
| Is Chan Gailey the right choice? Let's put it this way: His hiring was a surprise. He does know offense. | |||
 | 27 | Chiefs · Trends | 28 |
| You can bet the first priority is trying to improve that offensive line. Matt Cassel took a beating. | |||
 | 28 | Browns · Trends | 27 |
| Eric Mangini gets another year, and he probably earned it late. Can Mike Holmgren turn this team around? He has a lot of work to do. | |||
 | 29 | Buccaneers · Trends | 30 |
| Raheem Morris gets another year and his team should be better just because Josh Freeman will be better. Hey, they did beat the Saints late in the season. | |||
 | 30 | Raiders · Trends | 29 |
| Tom Cable is back. Is that a good thing? Who knows? If they don't fix the quarterback position, does it matter? | |||
 | 31 | Lions · Trends | 31 |
| It's all about improving the defense. They need pass-rush help in the worst way. They are another year away from competing -- at least. | |||
 | 32 | Rams · Trends | 32 |
| They have a huge decision at the top of the draft: Do they take a quarterback or do they solve that by acquiring Michael Vick? We'll see. | |||
