Power Rankings: Let's not be hasty, unless we're burying the Pats

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.

Felix Jones had a strong debut for the Cowboys. (AP)

I keep hearing all this talk about how the Patriots will regroup under Bill Belichick, how he will work his magic like he did in 2001 when Tom Brady came off the bench to lead the Patriots to the Super Bowl title.

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	Patriots · Trends	11
	They get Tom Brady back. They have the deepest team in the league. Oh, and they have the best coach. Add it up, and it's no wonder they are Super favorites.
	2	Steelers · Trends	1
	The champions are loaded again and will be in the thick of it come playoff time. They didn't do much to improve their offensive line, though, which has to be a concern.
	3	Colts · Trends	7
	Peyton Manning is back healthy again, so they are a real contender again. The addition of Donald Brown to the running game will give it more explosiveness. The key will be the return to health of major defensive players.
	4	Cardinals · Trends	2
	They've done some nice things in the offseason, including adding corner Bryant McFadden and drafting Beanie Wells to carry the football. They will be a playoff team again and maybe they'll finish in Miami.
	5	Eagles · Trends	4
	They've had a wonderful offseason, adding key players like tackles Jason Peters and Stacey Andrews and loading up in the draft with speed and quickness. They will be tough to stop on offense.
	6	Giants · Trends	5
	They fortified the defense with some key free agents and added a speed receiver in Hakeem Nicks to the passing game. Tom Coughlin will have this team in the playoffs again.
	7	Titans · Trends	6
	They haven't done a lot, and losing Albert Haynesworth will hurt. The other thing is their division is tough. They also have to get more big plays from their passing game.
	8	Ravens · Trends	3
	Joe Flacco will be better in his second season as a starter and that defense will once again be among the best. They do have to take their passing game up a notch.
	9	Falcons · Trends	9
	It's all about the defense for the Falcons. Adding Tony Gonzalez makes the offense complete and the draft was loaded with defensive picks to help the other side. They aren't going away.
	10	Saints · Trends	19
	This is another team that has improved its defense in the past four months in terms of talent. Now new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has to bring it all together.
	11	Chargers · Trends	10
	This is still a deep, talented team. If Philip Rivers continues to develop, the Chargers will easily be the class of the AFC West.
	12	Texans · Trends	17
	The Texans have a lot of important pieces in place. As long as Matt Schaub can stay healthy, they might be ready to make a real playoff push.
	13	Panthers · Trends	8
	They will be the same team: Run heavy and play tough defense. Is that enough? Jake Delhomme has to play better.
	14	Bears · Trends	18
	Getting Jay Cutler is the steal of the offseason. He makes them a real playoff threat. Yes, I do believe that.
	15	Cowboys · Trends	14
	They have talent, but something just seems to be off. I don't think they're as good as the Eagles or Giants in their own division, which is why they are down this low.
	16	Bengals · Trends	24
	Getting Palmer back makes them dangerous and the defense will be better around him. I like the Bengals as a sleeper team. I really do.
	17	Vikings · Trends	13
	Quarterback. It's all about the quarterback. Whether it's Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson, that position has to be better. Words of advice: Stay away from that guy named Favre.
	18	Packers · Trends	23
	The move to a 3-4 under new coordinator Dom Capers will be one to watch closely. If that side of the ball plays better, Aaron Rodgers might get them to a playoff game.
	19	Bills · Trends	22
	Can Terrell Owens make them a playoff team? That might be stretching it, but they will be better on offense.
	20	Seahawks · Trends	28
	New coach Jim Mora takes over a veteran team that was hurt by injuries last season. They need to keep Matt Hasselbeck healthy. If they do, they will push the Cardinals.
	21	Jets · Trends	16
	How long does it take to get Mark Sanchez ready? If he's what they think he is, they will be better than expected. If not, it's a redshirt season and they will win six games.
	22	Buccaneers · Trends	15
	Who plays quarterback? Whoever it is has to be better than what they had last season. There are also some age concerns on defense. New coach Raheem Morris faces a challenging first season.
	23	Redskins · Trends	25
	They're the fourth team in a four-team division. That will make it tough to win eight games.
	24	Jaguars · Trends	26
	They've made some nice moves to fix the offensive line, and now it's time for the offense to do more. The defense also needs young players to step up, especially end Derrick Harvey.
	25	Broncos · Trends	20
	They're excited about Kyle Orton. I'm not. I think he's OK. They better hope the defense plays better than a year ago or it won't matter who quarterbacks the Broncos. I do like Knowshon Moreno.
	26	Dolphins · Trends	12
	They are the step-back team this season. But in 2010, look out. I think Chad Henne will take over at some time this season.
	27	49ers · Trends	21
	It's all quarterback with the 49ers. Can Shaun Hill or Alex Smith get the job done? If not, they'll stay down here all year long.
	28	Raiders · Trends	27
	It's all about JaMarcus Russell. If he plays an entire season to the level of expectations, the Raiders will be better. I think he can. But they have other issues.
	29	Chiefs · Trends	29
	They landed their quarterback in Matt Cassel and have added a few players to help, but new coach Todd Haley faces a big task in getting this offense to play like his Arizona unit did.
	30	Browns · Trends	30
	New coach Eric Mangini will build this team the way he wants it. But one has to wonder if that's a good thing considering his Jets history.
	31	Rams · Trends	31
	The Rams were a disaster last year. New coach Steve Spagnuolo has a lot of work to do. They're at least a year away.
	32	Lions · Trends	32
	They have their franchise quarterback to build around, and Jim Schwartz will do a good job, but there's a lot of work still to be done.