Power Rankings: Seriously now, any great teams out there?

Updated Oct. 31

Do you ever look around the league on a Sunday and ask yourself this question:

Are any of the 32 teams really that good?

Mike Shanahan and his Broncos came up short to the Colts. (US PRESSWIRE)

Eight weeks into the regular season, I did that Sunday night. The Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts are both unbeaten, but the Bears have beat up a lot of bad teams and the Colts would have trouble stopping me running into the gut of their defense.

The Patriots made a strong statement Monday night in beating up the Vikings, but their two most-impressive victories are that one and another on the road against the Bengals, which is a team we are still trying to figure out.

I don't think anybody's ready to anoint any of those top three teams in the CBS SportsLine.com Power Rankings as Super Bowl champs just yet.

Take a look at the rest of the rankings, particularly the top, and there are teams with issues as well. In the top 10 we have a couple of teams with offensive questions (Ravens, Broncos), one (the Saints) we're still not sure about, and another (Jaguars) that was blown out by the Texans two weeks ago.

We have questions, questions and more questions.

The Atlanta Falcons are a perfect case in point.

Two weeks ago, they were coming off a horrific game in which the New York Giants went into Atlanta and dominated them. That set off a firestorm of sorts. Some wondered if the end was coming for coach Jim Mora. Mike Vick's passing skills were roasted all over the league and Vick questioned the play-calling and some of his receivers.

Here we are two weeks later and Vick has morphed into Steve Young. Vick's pin-point passing has carried the Falcons to two big victories, one over the Steelers, and then Sunday on the road against the Bengals.

The 5-2 Falcons are tied atop the NFC South with the Saints, and the doom and gloom of three Sundays ago seems a long time ago.

They're flying high. But are they really that good? If they don't knock Ben Roethlisberger out in the game with the Steelers, they might have never stopped them. And who knows where they'd be?

So, I ask again, are any of these teams really that good?

We know the bad teams. That's obvious to all, with Arizona the bottom feeder of the bunch. The clock is ticking on Dennis Green. In the spirit of Halloween, they need eggs thrown at them (see, that's what I remember from my Halloweens as a youth).

The rest of the bad teams stand out as well, sort of like that apple in your bag of Halloween candy. But nearly halfway through the schedule for all 32 teams, we still have no idea if any of the teams at the top are that good.

The next month should help sort that out since several of the top 10 teams play each other. The Bears have road games against the Giants and Patriots, and the Colts play at the Patriots.

Then again, come December, we might be asking the same question I asked myself Sunday night. Are any of these teams really that good?

Or are they just masquerading as one?

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.