Sep. 20, 2011

Power Rankings: Awesome offense is the ticket now

By Pete Prisco | CBSSports.com Senior NFL Columnist
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Updated Sept. 20

Pick the top-two teams in the NFL right now.

Green Bay and New England. Easy, right?

Now take a glance at where those teams sit in the defensive rankings. The Patriots are 31st and the Packers are 30th. New England is giving up 479 yards per game and the Packers are giving up 476 yards a game.

Still think defense wins championships?

That ship sailed a few years ago, and the first two weeks are even more of an indicator of what defines a good team:

Putting that leather ball over the white goal line.

While the Packers and Patriots -- the two top teams here in our CBS Sports.com Power Rankings -- sit way down the defensive stats, they are both in the top-10 in offense. The Patriots are first in total offense and the Packers are ninth.

They are also third (Patriots) and fourth (Packers) in points scored. By comparison, the Packers are 25th in scoring defense and the Patriots are 15th.

With Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers quarterbacking those two teams, you expect a lot of points. But the defensive reputation of both teams is usually better than where they sit right now in the rankings.

Let's not forget that the Patriots head coach is Bill Belichick, a defensive genius, and the Packers defensive coordinator is Dom Capers, one of the architects of the 3-4 scheme.

You have to give Belichick credit for changing with the times. If he knows wide-open, up-tempo offense is what wins now, shouldn't everybody?

The best teams in the league are the offensive teams -- and don't you forget it.

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Giants · Trends	1
	They are a young team and need to improve in some areas, but why can't they repeat?
	2	Packers · Trends	2
	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.
	3	Texans · Trends	8
	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.
	4	Patriots · Trends	3
	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.
	5	Steelers · Trends	7
	They did a nice job with their draft of trying to improve the offensive line, but there are some concerns on defense.
	6	49ers · Trends	4
	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.
	7	Falcons · Trends	9
	The change in offensive styles will make this a much better team in 2012. Matt Ryan will have his best season.
	8	Eagles · Trends	14
	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.
	9	Saints · Trends	6
	How do you lose an offensive wizard like Sean Payton and just keep on moving forward? When does Drew Brees show up?
	10	Lions · Trends	11
	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?
	11	Ravens · Trends	5
	Losing Terrell Suggs with a torn Achilles tendon is a huge hit. They better hope Courtney Upshaw is the real deal.
	12	Bengals · Trends	10
	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.
	13	Broncos · Trends	13
	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?
	14	Cowboys · Trends	12
	To say this is a huge year for Tony Romo is an understatement. Even if the criticism he gets is sometimes unwarranted.
	15	Bears · Trends	21
	Jay Cutler is back healthy, which is the big thing for this team. What happens with Matt Forte?
	16	Cardinals · Trends	17
	If John Skelton or Kevin Kolb can take a major step forward, the Cardinals can win the NFC West. That is a big if.
	17	Chargers · Trends	18
	Is this the bounce-back year for the Chargers when all the focus is on the Broncos?
	18	Bills · Trends	26
	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.
	19	Jets · Trends	16
	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.
	20	Seahawks · Trends	20
	Matt Flynn has to be improved over Tarvaris Jackson, or the Seahawks' talented defense will have to win a lot of games.
	21	Raiders · Trends	19
	New coach Dennis Allen inherits a team with a lot of speed. Look for a big year from Carson Palmer.
	22	Chiefs · Trends	22
	It's all about Matt Cassel. Can he show that he's the long-term answer for a talented young team?
	23	Titans · Trends	15
	For the sake of the franchise, it has to be Jake Locker time in Nashville. What's the point of delaying the inevitable?
	24	Panthers · Trends	25
	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?
	25	Jaguars · Trends	27
	It's all on quarterback Blaine Gabbert. If he progresses, they can be good. If not, some heads might roll.
	26	Buccaneers · Trends	28
	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.
	27	Redskins · Trends	24
	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.
	28	Dolphins · Trends	23
	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.
	29	Rams · Trends	32
	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.
	30	Vikings · Trends	30
	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.
	31	Browns · Trends	29
	They will likely be starting a rookie runner and a rookie quarterback in the backfield. That spells a long season.
	32	Colts · Trends	31
	It's rebuilding time now. There will be growing pains with a young team and a rookie starting at quarterback.