JagNation.com NFL Power Rankings

It’s the end of May and thus time for our meaningless offseason power rankings.

1. New York Giants- The Super Bowl champs stay at the number one spot until they are defeated. That said, does anyone really think these guys will repeat? Me neither.

2. New England Patriots- The Pats lost Asante Samuel and Donte Stallworth in the offseason, but they still went 18-1 last year which is pretty good. They will always be favorites as long as they have Tom Brady at quarterback.

3. Dallas Cowboys- The NFL’s ultimate tease. The ‘Boys appear to be loaded on both sides of the ball, but they haven’t won a playoff game in 12 years.

4. Indianapolis Colts- The greatest regular season team over the last five years. The Colts may begin their fall this year, but there’s no reason to bet on it.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars- Loaded with depth on both sides of the ball. Do they have enough stars to get over the hump? Will Garrard be a one-year wonder? We’ll find out in a few months.

6. Green Bay Packers- Great defense. Aaron Rodgers will be a lot better than many think, and the Pack are one of the best teams in the NFC.

7. San Diego Chargers- All the ingredients of a great team with the exception of a great quarterback. If L.T. stays healthy, they will win their division.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers- Both lines need repair, but they have Ben Roethlisberger and he can take them a long way.

9. Seattle Seahawks- Underrated defense, solid quarterback, good offensive line. Expect them to win the west again.

10. Philadelphia Eagles- If McNabb stays healthy, the Eagles will be better than people think.

11. Cleveland Browns- They are talented, but I’m not a believer. They have the makings of a major quarterback problem.

12. Minnesota Vikings- If Tavaris Jackson can be average, they can be very, very good.

13. Houston Texans- The Texans have all the pieces to take the next step toward wildcard contention, but everyone must stay healthy.

14. New Orleans Saints- They rebuilt their defense in the offseason, and they can win the NFL’s worst division.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- The Bucs went 3-7 a year ago against teams outside of their division, and they won their division. This year they won’t be much better.

16. Buffalo Bills- Well coached group, if Chris Kelsay can play up to his contract, they can be a wildcard contender.

17. Carolina Panthers- Delhomme will be back, they received help in the draft on the O-line and at running back. Panthers could compete again for a division title.

18. Washington Redskins- Talented group, it will take them a while to adjust to rookie head coach Jim Zorn.

19. Tennessee Titans- Tough, well coached team without a reliable quarterback. Titans defense should keep them in a lot of games.

20. Arizona Cardinals- Lots of offensive talent, if Leinart can step up they can have a good record in a weak division.

21. Denver Broncos- Jay Cutler is the key to their season, if he can get better they can be a solid team. Defensive line must be able to stop the run.

22. Baltimore Ravens- Solid defense, rookie quarterback. Not a formula for early success.

23. Chicago Bears- Solid defense, no quarterback. Not a formula for any success.

24. St. Louis Rams- Oodles of offensive talent if they can stay healthy. Chris Long and Adam Carriker will make the defense better.

25. New York Jets- More quarterback issues, the rest of the team isn’t strong enough to overcome them.

26. Detroit Lions- Is this the year the Lions compete? No.

27. Cincinnati Bengals- This is the year Marvin Lewis loses his job. Too many distractions.

28. San Francisco 49ers- Shaun Hill or Alex Smith? Neither is the answer.

29. Oakland Raiders- At least they have a good secondary.

30. Miami Dolphins- They will quadruple their win total of a year ago.

31. Kansas City Chiefs- Rebuilt everything but the quarterback position. That was a mistake.

32. Atlanta Falcons- Good luck coach Smith.

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Charlie Bernstein is the Editor-in-Chief of JagNation.com, and a regular syndicated contributor to FoxSports.com, Sirius NFL Radio, MySpace Sports and Sportsillustrated.com. Charlie is also a member of the Pro Football Writers Association, and is a columnist for the New Smyrna Observer. Feel free to contact him -HERE- with questions or comments.



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