Just When We Thought We Knew These Teams...

In a league of uncertainty, it is certain that Blaine Gabbert still can't play.

If you follow my pick em blog on Spin It! you'll know that I have been getting rather cocky about my picks and my pursuit of embarrassment over ESPN experts. Well for the second time in this six week season, conventional wisdom over where teams stand in the league this year has been blown to bits. Vengeful were the football Gods this weekend. We were on the cusp of death knells for the likes of the Packers and Lions while ready to anoint the Houston Texans as the team to beat in the league. Now as week 7 looms, no one knows what to think once again, so I'll try to stream some consciousness together in hopes of clearing up a muddy NFL picture.

Bears = Best in the League?

Has any team in the history of the league had a better bye week than the Chicago Bears? Usually teams can move up during a bye week because a team or two in front of them embarrasses themselves. However, with the majority of the top 5 looking downright awful this weekend (49ers, Texans, Falcons, Patriots, Ravens) one has to start considering the Bears as one of the best teams in the league. The Jay Cutler stink bomb against the Packers still rings clearly in my head, but now at this point in the season, every elite team has had an egg laying performance, so that game can no longer be held so starkly against them. If the offensive coaching staff just lets the smokin' Jay Cutler do his thing, the Bears will put enough points on that board for that defense to be downright unbeatable.

So who is the worst team in the league?

Conversely for the Jaguars, as good as the bye week was to the Bears, it was similarly unfriendly to the Jaguars. I was ready to say that the Titans and the Browns would be battling it out for worst in the league, they went out and handled business this week. While I think the Browns are heading in the right direction (that offense actually looks like it has some life to it now), the Titans and Jaguars will be battling it out for that first pick come April. They are horrendous on defense, and they have offenses that can score 14 points on an explosive day. And when you don't have a defense like the Bears, Texans, and 49ers, 14 points is never enough to win games in today's NFL.

Stumbling Out the Gates.

Is it just me, or is everyone following the Giants blueprint? I feel like teams are laughing at the Falcon's 6-0 start. When you consider that out of the last 4 years, only the Saints in 2009 were the only true wire to wire dominant team to win the Super Bowl, it seems like teams don't value looking like real contenders in the early part of the season anymore. Obviously, you can't win championships starting 1-5, but I don't think teams panic over 1-3 early season losses, it's all about how you play come November and December that. Remember this, Falcon fans still looking for playoff success under Matt Ryan.

Who do I like Thursday Night?

I'm riding high off my Seattle upset pick, but I don't think I'm ready to double down on them just yet. I like what Pete Carroll is doing with this team defensively, but I just think San Francisco will just come ready to play after getting their pants pulled down by the Giants on Sunday. COunting on the 49ers to end my current Thursday Night Cold Streak.

Remembering Al and Honoring Drew; Looking ahead to Week 6.

It was a great week in the NFL. Things seem like they are happening the way people expected them to play out. The wild surprises are over with for now, and the so called "surprises" from last week didn't even really seem that surprising. One thing I love about this season is the regression of the passing offense. Nothing bothered me more than the obliteration of age old passing records. To me, it seems like we may as well throw out the record book and have one for each generation. Last year, Eric Dickerson's record of 2,105 rushing yards never seemed safer. This year, the idea of a 2,000 yard rusher doesn't seem that foreign.

Congratulations Drew Brees

Sometimes, things happen in the NFL that are so convenient that they just had to have been staged. As a very young conspiracy theorist in 2001, I felt the same way about the Patriots. You mean to tell me a team that was 5-11 the year before, with an (at the time) mediocre head coach and a second year 6th round QB went all the way to the Superbowl and defeated a team that was on the verge of a dynasty in the Rams? That's sort of how I felt when Drew Brees found Devery Henderson covered by absolutely no one for his record breaking TD pass. Drew Brees passed the famous number 19 Johnny Unitas with a pass to number 19 Devery Henderson. Now, everyone here knows me as an unabashed Saints fan, but I think Drew Brees really has to stretch this record out to account for the pass wackiness that this league has evolved into. Of course, you won't find me taking away anything from the man who helped really get this city going after Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005. Hopefully, the excitement of the record and the Saint's first win will carry over into a snowball effect for Saint's wins in 2012.

Remembering one of the greatest greats in league history.

Al Davis....the badass of the NFL. Started as an owner of the AFL Raiders, his first signals of his badass take no names nature was in 1965 when he essentially iced out two other majority owners to get a grasp on the team that he would build in his image. His Raiders were perennial contenders in the late AFL and the post-merger NFL. With John Madden as coach, the Raiders made six AFC championship games, losing to dynasties in Miami and Pittsburgh. His crowning achievement came in 1976, when his Raiders laid the rest of the NFL to waste en route to their first championship. Even more impressive in his commitment to excellence was his two Super Bowls under Tom Flores while the Raiders were mired in litigation over a move to Los Angeles. The Raiders proved that sometimes dysfunction can lend itself to the functions of a championship roster. And although I only knew the crazy Al Davis who ran the Raiders into the ground until the day he died, I respect no man who helped build this game more than Al Davis, for he did things his way. No matter what commissioner, coach, or  owner did to stop him, Al Davis found a way to "just win, baby."

Looking ahead to Week 6

I'm looking forward to seeing the 49ers and the Giants play in a rematch of last year's NFC title game. While the Giants haven't looked particularly dominant this year, they always find a way to be in the game at the end with a chance to win. To me, that is far more a championship quality than being able to drub the Jets and Bills by a combined 78-3. I'm also looking for the Eagles to show that they deserve to be looked at as a contender by putting the Lions away. As opposed to the Giants, who managed to stay in games and find a way to finish the opponent off at the end, the Eagles stumble to the finish line and accidentally win games in the face of turnovers and suspect play calling. It's also do or die time for elite QB's Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers as they face pivotal matchups against the Chargers and Texans.

My Thursday Night Pick

Pittsburgh demolishes Tennessee, who overnight have turned from AFC sleeper, to worse than the Browns.

Quarter of the Season Power Rankings!!

At the quarter pole, the Browns are battling the Saint's ofr the number one draft pick.

Doing power rankings weekly is about the dumbest thing one can do. When any team can win on any given Sunday, the rankings will flip flop like hot cakes. Therefore, you'll only see me ranking teams every four weeks. So lets get to it!

32. Cleveland Browns
Cleveland is one of the best worst teams in the league I have seen in a while. All the losses have been close, but with a rookie QB, a rookie RB, and receivers who have stone hands, this is probably where they will spend the rest of the year.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars
Blaine Gabbert at the helm. This team will go as far as he goes. Even with a Houston like defense, I think this team probably only wins 6 games. A Houston defense needs 17 points to guarantee victory, and Jacksonville can't be counted on to do even that.

30. Oakland Raiders
This team is sunk at Quarterback, had to give up all their defensive talent due to cap limitations, and has very few draft picks heading forward. And that's about all there is to say about this team.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers  
This team doesn't look like it has much of a direction. I can't tell how sold they are on Josh Freeman, and I just feel like a team that has been high in the draft in recent years coupled with a spending spree this past offseason should be doing much better.

28. Miami Dolphins
 Plays very inspired ball at times, but just not nearly talented enough to win a lot of ball games this year. Dol-phans should be relieved to see signs of life in Ryan Tannehill.

27. Tennessee Titans
They were bad with their starting QB, now that the starter is out, expect a lot more Texans games than games against the Lions.

26. Buffalo Bills
The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of the league. If they can't decide whether they are good or bad, I'll just stick them at the bottom tier of the rankings and forget about them.

25. Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton is sophomore slumping. And when the team lives and dies by their QB, the team falls into a slump with him.

24. Kansas City Chiefs
Its alarming to me how bad the AFC has gotten. A few years ago, they were the premier conference by far. Wasn't Kansas City one of the more talented teams in the AFC going into this season. But it shows what a QB league this has become, seeing as how Matt Cassel's poor play is a huge reason this ship is sinking so rapidly.

23. New York Jets
I can't believe we are at game 4 and Tebow time hasn't even started. I felt like Tim Tebow would have gotten in had Sanchez performed well. Now that it seems like there is nothing to lose, why not make the switch, at least Tebow can be somewhat entertaining to watch.

22. Indianapolis Colts
This Colts team isn't about this year, they are about the future. But the fact that they haven't been dreadful this year has to have Colts fans excited.

21. New Orleans Saints
I think this is the best 0-4 team in league history. Head Coaches DO matter in the NFL.

20. Detroit Lions
I expected this team to slip behind this year. They lack discipline which is a surprise since Jim Schwartz is a pretty no nonsense guy. The passing game is operating at the high volume of last year, but there are no touchdowns to finish drives, and that is hurting this team the most.

19. Dallas Cowboys
The Monday Night game told me everything I need to know about this team. In that, they are going nowhere at the speed of light.

18. St. Louis Rams
Another team I was delighted to be right about. They aren't great, but they aren't the dredge of the league everyone was expecting them to be.

17. Washington Redskins
RG3 has me believing in the Redskins for the first time in my entire lifetime. The cynic in me still believes Daniel Snyder is plotting how to ruin his career during late nights in his office.

16. Seattle Seahawks
A team that runs hot and cold in the tough conference will find themselves on the outside looking in come playoff time.

15. Cincinnati Bengals
The definition of mediocre. Beats all losing teams, loses to all winning teams.

14. Pittsburgh Steelers
Mainly they are just playing well enough to where we aren't nitpicking every single one of their flaws yet. The nitpicking will come as the losses pile up.

13. San Diego Chargers
Needs to prove themselves against a quality opponent before I begin noticing them.

12. Minnesota Vikings
A team that will most likely fade down the stretch, but the fans will continue to make the Metrodome loud so long as the team keeps winning. I told everyone last year Christian Ponder was a keeper, glad to see he isn't making me look like a dummy.

11. Chicago Bears
 A team that looks like they have as high a ceiling as anyone, but they're also a Jay Cutler injury/meltdown away from serious trouble land. Again, I think this has become too much of a QB league.

10. Denver Broncos
Peyton will find his swagger. And when he does...watch out NFL.

9. New York Giants
A team that knows how to win any game in any way is a very dangerous team come January. The trick is making it to January, Tom Coughlin.

8. Arizona Cardinals
I can't say for sure if this team is here to stay, but if the defense keeps playing like its the Ball So Hard University defense, this team will be a part of the playoff picture.

7. Green Bay Packers
Mike McCarthy is too good a head coach to allow his offense to play as timid and sloppy as it has this year. Expect a late season surge ala 2010.

6. Philadelphia Eagles
See Giants, New York.

5. New England Patriots
When you have Tom Brady, it doesn't matter what goes on with the rest of your team. This is also the best Patriots defense we have seen in years too. If this unit gels by the end of the season, watch out Baltimore and Houston.

4. San Francisco 49ers
3. Atlanta Falcons
2. Baltimore Ravens
1. Houston Texans

In a season chock full of middling teams and just flat out bad teams, these teams have already established themselves as bonafide contenders in week 4, a rare feat in a league built on parity. You'll never hear this out of my mouth in any other season, but you can lock these 4 into the top 2 spots of their conference today.

The Aftermath and Rubble of Week 3

It has got to be a realistic idea that the owners could vote to remove him following this season.

We are starting to enter extremely murky waters this NFL season. After two incredible primetime match-ups were ruined at the end by poor refereeing, this whole 2012 season is entering asterisk territory. Luckily, the madness of the week resulted from things other then refereeing, but when the national spotlight was shining brightest, the officials were melting like butter. All throughout Monday and Tuesday I tried to figure out which angle I was going to tackle for this blog entry. Eventually, I realized my only course of action was to tackle every single angle from the weekend.

Insane Upsets.

Any of the people who picked the Titans, Raiders, and Vikings in their pick em leagues had to either be drunk, or forced to make these picks at gunpoint. The Chiefs to a lesser degree shocked lots of people as well, but me and the majority of the people in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome took this loss with a bit of subdued resignation. As someone who does a pick-em blog, I had been disappointed with my picks thus far. Until I looked at the leaderboard and saw that I was in the 97th percentile. My records have been 8-8, 11-5, and 9-7, and I am one of the elite game pickers so far this season. The Titans allowed two touchdowns to tie the game in 18 seconds, AND STILL WON. And they won because Jim Schwartz couldn't communicate the correct play to his charges. I surmise that Oakland decided they had enough from the Steelers after Ryan Mundy attempted to murder Darius Heyward-Bey (he was only able to hospitalize them. The Raiders made a late charge to win on a Janikowski field goal. And the now arrived 49ers do what all big wig teams do against lesser opponents, they look past them. Speaking of the Vikings...

Christian Ponder shows he is not Blaine Gabbert.

Yes I know Blaine Gabbert won on Sunday, but his 80 yard game winning score accounted for over 50% of his total for the game, and he still did not have more yards than Maurice Jones-Drew. Christian Ponder on the other hand, has looked the most impressive out of last year's QB draft class. He was poised and unfazed by the vaunted 49er defense. He showed that he is made in the Big Ben mold in that he can escape the pocket when it collaspes, find a window, and get the ball to one of his receivers. Both TD passes to Kyle Rudolph were big time NFL throws that has to have Vikings fans salivating.

The Immutable law of 6-in/6-out.

You hear it leading up to every season. The Law of Playoff Turnover. Every year, there are 6 teams who make the playoffs that didn't make it the year before, leaving 6 teams that did make the playoffs out of the tournament. Lets look at our playoff participants from last year and see where they stand so far.

AFC- New England (1-2), Baltimore (2-1), Pittsburgh (1-2), Cincinnati (2-1), Houston (3-0), Denver (1-2)
NFC- New York (2-1), Green Bay (1-2), Detroit (1-2), New Orleans (0-3), Atlanta (3-0), San Francisco (2-1)

That's right, 6 of our teams are currently under .500 with almost a quarter of the season down. New England and Pittsburgh are surprises at this record, Green Bay should be 2-1 (but that's for another section of this article), and New Orleans is dead in the water. I'm not saying the 1-2's are finished, but the empirical data strongly points towards the law of 6-in/6-out surviving through 2012.

When will the outcry for Roger Goodell's head begin?

Seriously, I'll say it: Roger Goodell deserves to be fired. I held my tongue throughout the entire Bountygate because I am a diehard Saints fan, and I thought my bias was just boiling over. Now that two wonderful primetime games were ruined by officiating, I know can say with a clean conscious that Roger Goodell is the worst commissioner is sports. He does not care about the NFL at all, all he cares about is fueling his own God-Complex power trip. He wants everyone to know he is running the biggest show in town, when all he is doing is running the biggest show in town straight into the ground. He is worse than David Stern, who often likes to flaunt his own power and don't-give-a-fuck nature. He is worse than Bud Selig, who has been dead for 4 years. He is worse than Gary Bettman, who is on the verge of losing the second NHL season in 7 years. Seriously he is that bad. Only someone as pig headed as he can watch what the fake referees are doing to the game, and not immediately seek to get something done with the real zebras. Hey, speaking of the fake zebras...

Fake zebras ruin two of the best NFL primetime games in recent memory.   

The officiating was so poor in both primetime games this weekend that instead of the disgust most showed toward Bill Belichick for grabbing an official, I think he should have just punched him. In all seriousness, the officials were jobbing both teams to a degree where both coaches ganging up to jump the referees at the end of the game would not have surprised me at all. Going to a non primetime game, the New Orleans/Kansas City game featured FIVE call reversals. The game lasted over four and a half hours. In the Baltimore/New England contest, the officials were trying their hardest to give the game to New England with ticky-tack defensive penalties. It was so bad that Baltimore's defense was forced to go into a sort of Viking-beserker trance just to stop the New England and the referee offense. In Seattle, prior to the last drive, I was lauding the refs for getting the game finished in a timely manner. There had been numerous penalties, but most of them just and not negatively affecting the flow of the game. As soon as this thought crossed my mind, there was a flag on 5 consecutive plays, the fifth one being a pass interference called against Sam Shields for being yoked up by Sidney Rice. I won't even discuss the final play because it has already been beaten to death by the talking heads, and truth be told, the play still makes me feel dirty on the inside.

What does this leave us for next week?

More and more uncertainity. I honestly suggest boycotting the games for next week, maybe then the referee situation will be solved. But we aren't strong enough to do that, so we'll keep watching in hopes that the season rights itself before we have to put an asterisk on the whole year. Next week, I'll attempt to give you an accurate forecast for all the teams after the quarter pole of the season. 

The Ladder of League Quarterbacks.

Early success by this year's class of rookie QBs added a degree of difficulty to this week's power rankings.

Everyone is ranking the teams from 32 to 1, but there are too many variables with the whole team to use the rankings as a predictor for the rest of the season. If you go by a QB power rankings you can use this to have an idea of where your team is going for the rest of the year. That is, if your team isn't under political embargo by commissioner Roger Goodell. These power rankings only reflect current starting quarterbacks in the league, so no Tebow, Skelton, or any other back up quarterback who is priming to become a fan favorite.

The Un-throwables

32. Blaine Gabbert

While much improved from last season, Gabbert has still shown he lacks the basic skills required to be an NFL QB. Skills such as throwing accurately, completing over half of your passes, and not crapping your pants when the pass rush is coming.

31. Kevin Kolb

When people say the Arizona Cardinals are 2-0, they really mean the Arizona Cardinals defense is 2-0. Kevin Kolb made one play in each game that kept the tides in their favor, but for the other 59:10 of the game, Kevin Kolb has been inefficient, inaccurate, and running a drip-drip-drip offense.

30. Matt Cassel

Matt Cassel is well on his way to being replaced by Matt Barkley in the 2013 season.

Lost in No-Mans Land

29. Carson Palmer

Carson Palmer does not seem to realize he plays for the Oakland Raiders. If he did, he might notice he was often throwing to people that are not Oakland Raiders. Some may point to his high volume of passing yards, but those people are unaware of what occurs during garbage time in late game blow outs.

28. Jake Locker

Jake Locker is looking like a guy who was started a year too early. Why when you have Matt Hasselbeck on your team, who almost led the team to the playoffs last year, would you hand the team over to a guy who hasn't really shown that he is ready to win in the pro game just yet. All Mike Munchak is doing is ruining Locker's confidence and his team's ceiling.

27. Josh Freeman

Josh Freeman seems like he should have all the tools to succeed in this league. Big build, big arm, big time swagger. This year he even has a decent offense around him. The only logical explanation I have for his lack of success is good old fashioned Buccaneer stink.

Growing Pains

26. Brandon Weeden

Browns brass had to heave a huge sigh of relief after Weeden's week 2 performance against the Bengals. Weeden looked flat out incompetent against the Eagles in week 1. If he can even approach that performance on a weekly basis, he should have no problem keeping Colt McCoy on the bench.

25. Ryan Tannehill

I regarded the Dolphins as one of the worst teams in the league. Before the Raider's game I had the Dolphins on 0-16 watch. Tannehill looked bad in week 1, but like Weeden, bounced back to show signs of life.

24. Christian Ponder

In year two, Ponder has made great strides. He still needs to prove a lot more to show that he will be able to take the Viking's cadillac-esque offense to the high octane level it should be at. An offense with All Day, Percy Harvin, and Jerome Simpson should not be struggling.

You Got Paid, But You A'int Money

23. Ryan Fitzpatrick

The Bills gave him $60 million dollars last season, and he wasted no time mailing it in. The Bills were 5-3 at the time of the signing, and they are 2-8 since. Money well spent, Bills.

22. Jay Cutler

Petulent, big armed, locker room cancer, hates offensive lineman, favors skill players, douchebag, "Gooood Luuuuck.", The Denver fiasco, the list goes on and on....

Growing Pains II

21. Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson should have a bit of an easier learning curve knowing that he has a defense that will always keep him in ball games. My mindset going in if I'm Russell Wilson is just to play within myself and not make and game killing errors.

20. Andy Dalton

Andy Dalton should be in the GM's office daily begging for offensive line help. Everyone knows the Ginger is known to be frail and easily broken. If the rest of the season goes the way the first two weeks have, we will get to see Dalton placed into an ambulance at some point during the season.

19. Sam Bradford

I'm much higher on Sam Bradford than his power ranking indicates. Jeff Fisher has always been known to build strong lines. Once Bradford gets a line to protect him, expect him to become one of the leagues next stars in the new generation of QB's coming up.

Caught Between Stardom and a Hard Place

18. Andrew Luck

I can guarantee by season's end Luck is no lower than 13 on the rankings. He showed poise, and the ability to make the tough throws as well as the throws he is not supposed to miss. Ryan Grigson better do his draft homework, he may not be picking as high as everyone was expecting this year.

17. Mark Sanchez

Does he get it? Will he ever put it together? Even though its my job to know, I just don't.

16. Robert Griffin III

Everyone was hopping on the bandwagon, and while Griffin will still have a great individual year, his team is being devoured by injuries. Right now, the injuries are mostly on defense, but if they creep over to the offensive side of the ball, his performance could suffer.

15. Matt Schaub

I'm a big Schaub guy, and don't the Texans make the Super Bowl with Schaub last year? But until he proves himself a healthy QB and proves he can get it done in the post season, he remains in the middle ground.

14. Cam Newton

Superman while extremely great in bursts needs to show he can string four quarters together and win games before proving he can win over a prolonged period of time.

Bursting At The Seams of a Breakout

13. Peyton Manning

I'll say this, I hope before it is all said and done, Peyton Manning can reign triumphant at the end of a season. Right now, the arm strength scares the crap out of me. No one masks their deficiencies better than Manning, but if he can't throw it deep, corners will continue jumping routes, and the INTs will keep coming at a higher and higher volume.

12. Phillip Rivers

He's got a perennial all-pro level offense, and one of the best offensive minded coaches in the league. Phil Rivers--you are out of excuses. Time to produce.

11. Tony Romo

Champion quarterbacks are never this consistently inconsistent. If you can't string together 4 quality regular season games, who will ever trust you to do it four times in a row in the playoffs. It takes time to break out as a playoff QB...but 6 years is a bit overdue.

10. Mike Vick

Vick has totally changed his life. I can see how he leads his team, he has the "it" of a championship quarterback. But right now, he has the erratic play of a Blaine Gabbert. If he gets rid of the turnovers, the Eagles become a force in the NFC.

The Alleged Next Big Things at Quarterback
9. Matt Ryan

Everyone is getting very high on this kid. He doesn't have the same pressure this season as Joe Flacco does. Most people will be happy if he can get a playoff win. Personally, I'll be happy if he even just shows signs of life in a playoff contest.

8. Joe Flacco

You have been to an AFC Championship twice, you have won playoff games. The time is now if you want to challenge Rodgers for the QB crown once Brees and Brady finally step aside. You're carrying the Ravens, something the defense has done for a decade. Prove this postseason you will be worth Manning money.

Playoff Contenders

7. Alex Smith

The way he ran the 49er offense in the Detroit game sold me on Alex Smith. He has made one of the truly great comeback stories in the league since Jim Plunkett. 3 years ago, the Candlestick crowd screamed for DAVID CARR (you read that right.) Now he runs the offense with such a cool, he looks like some of the other legends at QB in San Francisco history.

6. Matthew Stafford

Big time arm. He needs to really rise up as the leader of this team and get some of his wild west teammates to get their act together. This Lions team only goes as far as Stafford leads them.

5. Ben Rothelisberger

He's not the prettiest QB. But he is the guttsiest, and he has rings to back it up. No other QB can frustrate a defense mid play quite like Big Ben. I cannot wait to see how he develops in the Todd Haley air it out offense.

The Current Mt. Rushmore

4. Eli Manning

Can anyone do it better late game than Eli. We saw it on full display last Sunday. It helps having a defense that will never let the game get away from him. Eli Manning single handedly prevents the prevent defense from being an option.

3. Tom Brady

Tom Brady burns for that 4th Superbowl. 8 years ago, did you think that would be a realistic scenario. Bill Belichick, who made his bread and butter on defense, ignored it when he had an invincible offense. Now that Brady is getting older, you're seeing him revert back to building a defense that helped Tom win 3 in 4 years.

2. Drew Brees

The best QB in the league wastes a year of his prime under political embargo by Roger Goodell. Hooray. 

1. Aaron Rodgers

If Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco and the past two rookie class QBs don't try to model themselves after Rodgers, Aaron Rodgers could end up with rings galore. Right now, he has to take his game to the next level and learn some new tricks, because as we saw in the 49er games, coaches are beginning to figure out some of his old tricks.

The Dreaded "Overreaction" Monday

RG3 propelled Saint's fans to a very over reactive Overreaction Monday.

All across the nation, fans of every team in the league are in a state of "It's our year" ecstasy, or are in a state of "It's all over" despair. No one fan has a level headed view of their team at this point, there just isn't the sample size of game action to go by. As we head into our second week of action, here are five teams on each side of the win-loss column who need to prove the most in week 2.

The "Sky's Falling" Division

Green Bay Packers

Anytime when you threaten to surpass last season's loss total in week 2, there is a general cause for concern among any fan base. I don't really put do or die labels on a week 2 game, but the Packer's game against the Bear's will be a wonderful litmus test for both teams going forward this season. The Packer's run defense should be working double time this week to get ready to defend against Matt Forte and Michael Bush, who ran all over the Colt's defense Sunday.

New York Giants

Of course the sky is falling in New York, it always is. It shouldn't be however, as Thursday's loss was more of Dalla's doing. The Cowboy's came out looking way better than anyone could have predicted. The team will be fine, so long as Victor Cruz can learn how to catch again.

Buffalo Bills

This was the one that really took me by surprise this weekend. The Jet's anemic offense found its supply of iron against the Bill's defense. 100 million dollar man could only complain about whoever was playing RT for the Jet's playing dirty. Instead of whining, you should be finding ways to get through him or around him. The Fred Jackson injury is only going to put more pressure on the already floundering Ryan Fitzpatrick to get it together.

New Orleans Saints

While I don't throughly believe the sky should be falling in New orleans just yet, you can't say you weren't worried by some of the things seen Sunday against the Redskins. In the first half, the Saint's were embarrased by RG3 running a college Run N' Shoot offense. That just can't happen. And with the way they allowed RG3 to run all over unmollested, Saint's fans have to be worried going to Carolina to face Cam Newton.

Philadelphia Eagles

Wait why are they on this side of the column? They won on Sunday, right? Well yeah, but it was by one point...to the Brown's. Who had a QB with a 5.1 passer rating. Hey Andy Reid, if you want to win the NFC East, Mike Vick can't throw it 56 times. I'm also sure LeSean McCoy fantasy owners would try to lynch you if this type of behavior continues. Utilize your all-star offense properly, and you will see the results.

The "Inflated Egos" Division

Detroit Lions

Lions fans have to like a gritty victory. it shows character, right? It shows their QB has stones to bounce back from a putrid performance to win the game. Unfortunately, when it happens against a team you should blow out the water, it loses its meaning. The Lion's need to start fast and wipe out the bottomfeeders on their schedule if people want to take this team seriously this year.

Washington Redskins

Here's the deal on Washington. They stole a game against a reeling team who's defense was just not ready to handle Robert Griffin III. All this should change about your season outlook for this team is a one game improvement, because I don't think anyone had them upsetting the Saint's. Redskin's fans, your heads shouldn't be ballooning, but for the first time in a long time, you should be feeling hope.

Dallas Cowboys

No one doubts that Dallas has a very talented roster. Where Dallas needs to make their mark is showing consistency from week to week. Claiborne and Carr could be the saving grace this team has needed to make the leap to next-level contender. Keep an eye on this Dallas team, they look different from the year end swonners of years past.

San Diego Chargers

This team is another team that should be blowing its opponents away, not squeaking out wins against the Raider's. This team is stacked at WR, and they need to just let River's air it out. They have enough receivers to where River's doesn't need to force it into coverage, on every play they should have someone reasonably enough open to make a good play. Then once Ryan Mathews return's they can transition to complete offense.

San Francisco 49ers

This is the one team that can be rightfully big headed. Repeat after me: I do not want to play the San Francisco 49ers this year. I will loudly cheer if they are not on my team's schedule.

Coming Next: A referendum on the replacement refs on the Spin It! Blog tomorrow. On this blog, you can expect a week 2 preview on Thursday.

AFC Predictions

Some must be wondering when Bill Belichick will go from coaching genius with Tom Brady, and revert back to the way he was with Cleveland. Only this time with old age induced paranoia.