Power Rankings: Wide-open style dominating play

September is gone, and the NFL minefield already has scattered carcasses all over the country.

The messiest is that of the St. Louis Rams, who would need 10 of the best surgeons in the world to piece that mess together. Or one good one to fix Kurt Warner's fractured finger.

The reality is the 0-4 Rams, once a Super Bowl favorite, are going to bleed to death, a slow, miserable, painful death that won't elicit much sympathy from others.

Dominating with power running, LaDainian Tomlinson and the Chargers are the exception to the early trend.(AP)

St. Louis is not alone. The 1-3 Jets would need a miracle to be resurrected, and the Steelers still have major trauma wounds.

Then there are the Bengals and Lions, the perennial carcasses, lying nearby. Do they ever come back?

There have been several teams that have come back from the dead in the first month. Who thought the Panthers or Saints would be 3-1?

Only time will tell if they stay there.

The first month has been about life, the renewed life of the passing game. It has given rise to a wide-open style that has purists yearning for the days of power football and others salivating at the wild action.

The Oakland Raiders lead the NFL in passing. They are also the best team in the league right now, sitting atop the SportsLine.com Power Rankings. They lost coach Jon Gruden, but the offense has been even better.

Offensive coordinator Marc Trestman has allowed quarterback Rich Gannon to become a passing machine. The results are that the Raiders are 3-0 and have turned games into games that resemble two-touch affairs in the street, where nothing but passes are the norm.

Chucky who? Gruden's Bucs are ranked 20th in total offense.

Five of the league's top 10 in total offense would be considered among the elite.

In addition to Oakland they are New England (2), Green Bay (4), Philadelphia (7) and Miami (8). That's further proof that offensive football, especially passing the ball, has become an early trend.

Those who can't throw the ball consistently might end up finding their way to the carcass heap. The Chargers, so far, have disproved that theory, throwing for 142.8 yards a game yet jumping to a 4-0 record.

San Diego and Oakland are the two remaining unbeaten teams, with Denver going down Monday night. The Chargers beat the Super Bowl-champion Patriots as LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 217 yards.

The Chargers go to Denver this week for a key AFC West game, their first real tough road test. Plus, the Chargers must meet Denver at home later in the season, and they still have two games left with the Raiders.

For now, the Bolts are among the elite playing Marty Ball.

After a month, the AFC West has become the division of choice. Even Kansas City, the bottom team, is 2-2 and just put up 41 on a good Miami defense.

This is one division where the carcass might not rot for a long time.

Eventually, though, it will happen. One or two of these teams will fall off, their wounds will prove to be too much, the will to survive not enough.

For teams like the Rams and Jets, that will is being tested in a big way. Can they make it back? It's highly unlikely. They are two teams that once seemed like brave, tough soldiers.

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Colts · Trends	1
	They make it interesting, but they still find a way. The amazing thing is that they are winning yet not healthy. That's what a good quarterback does for a team.
	2	Saints · Trends	2
	Can anybody stop that offense? If they get to play their playoff games inside the Superdome, it's hard not imagining them in the Super Bowl.
	3	Vikings · Trends	3
	If the playoffs go through their dome, they will be tough to beat. They seem to be getting better -- if that's possible.
	4	Cowboys · Trends	5
	The offense woke up against the Raiders, which is a good sign moving forward. But it will be December the next time they play and we know how they fade in that month.
	5	Bengals · Trends	6
	It wasn't pretty against the Browns, but they went to 8-3. The one concern I have is they aren't passing it that well right now. That has to get better down the stretch.
	6	Chargers · Trends	7
	Momentum seems to be building for this team. As the defense improves, so will their Super chances. We know they can score.
	7	Patriots · Trends	4
	They got ambushed in New Orleans. That defense has not played well when facing good passing teams. Where's the pass rush?
	8	Eagles · Trends	9
	They struggled some against the Redskins and now must go on the road at Atlanta. That won't be easy.
	9	Broncos · Trends	12
	That was a season-saving victory against the Giants. But be careful this week against the Chiefs. They've owned the Broncos in December at Arrowhead.
	10	Packers · Trends	14
	They are starting to have a playoff look about them. The key will be how that offensive line holds up.
	11	Cardinals · Trends	8
	The division race tightened up with that loss to the Titans, and now they have a huge game with the Vikings. They have to be careful of San Francisco creeping back into it.
	12	Steelers · Trends	10
	The questioning of Ben Roethlisberger sitting out by teammates is not a good sign. They shouldn't do that. It could cause problems.
	13	Giants · Trends	11
	This is a team in big trouble. If Eli Manning can't play at close to 100 percent the rest of the way, they can forget the playoffs. Even with them, they could miss out.
	14	Falcons · Trends	15
	Matt Ryan won't play this week, which means Chris Redman will have their playoff hopes on his right arm against the Eagles. Can he play as well as he did last week, now that they know he's coming?
	15	Ravens · Trends	17
	They had a huge victory last week over the Steelers, but now have to go to Green Bay to face the Packers. That will be tough.
	16	Jaguars · Trends	13
	As long as they don't go to the West Coast again, they will be fine. They scored three points in two games there. Ouch.
	17	Titans · Trends	19
	Watch out. They're coming fast. If they can beat the Colts this week, the schedule the rest of the way is favorable.
	18	Dolphins · Trends	16
	Did they blow their playoff chances at Buffalo? If they did, that halfback pass on their opening drive of the game could be the reason why.
	19	Texans · Trends	18
	When they learn to beat the Colts, then we'll take their playoff chances seriously. If they lose at Jacksonville this week, it could be the end of the Gary Kubiak era.
	20	Jets · Trends	20
	They're still alive, but barely. They still don't look close to being the team that jumped to a 3-0 start.
	21	49ers · Trends	23
	Alex Smith has five games to show he is their guy for the future. He looked comfortable against the Jaguars.
	22	Bills · Trends	24
	The team is playing better under Perry Fewell. But he probably has no chance to keep the job.
	23	Seahawks · Trends	25
	It's too bad they don't play the Rams every week. If they did, they might make the playoffs. Justin Forsett looks like the real deal.
	24	Panthers · Trends	21
	It's time to make a change at quarterback. Find out what Matt Moore can do. What do they have to lose?
	25	Bears · Trends	22
	Paging Bill Cowher. Paging Bill Cowher. Is there any doubt they will make a coaching change now?
	26	Chiefs · Trends	26
	That San Diego game was a reminder of how far this team needs to go. They are a long way away from competing.
	27	Redskins · Trends	27
	They're still playing hard, but it doesn't matter. Jim Zorn is still gone after the season.
	28	Raiders · Trends	28
	At some point they have to get a quarterback. There is talent going to waste on this roster.
	29	Lions · Trends	29
	They have some offensive talent. Now they have to fix that defense. Teams do what they want. Green Bay wasn't even challenged.
	30	Rams · Trends	30
	Will they win again? It doesn't look good. Now comes the big decision: Which quarterback do they take in next spring's draft?
	31	Buccaneers · Trends	31
	Who will Raheem Morris fire this week? Is it another loss, another firing? It's time the blame goes to the man at the top.
	32	Browns · Trends	32
	It has to be hard to watch this team, especially for Browns fans. The question now is whether Eric Mangini makes it for a second season.