Sportaholic NFL Power Rankings

I wanted to wait until the Monday night game was in the books but upon further review I don't have Dallas (duh) or the Giants in my top five so it was OK to go ahead and post my Power rankings. In one of my previous posts (http://thenashvilleblog.com/2010/10/pretenders-and-contenders/) I listed my Pretenders and Contenders as of week 4. The list included two teams at the time that I thought until they got their act together were not going to make the playoffs. Both of those teams have finally straightened up and look to make some major noise going into week 9. The two teams you ask? None other than AFC co-division leaders Tennessee and Indianapolis and both make their introduction into the top five. And with that being said let's jump in the Power Rankings

1. New York Jets - I have to keep them here even though they had a bye week. The offense has been fluid and only looks to get better with another week of practice and finding places for Santonio Holmes to get the ball. Sexy Rexy's (Pun totally intended) defense will always show up and give the team a chance. I really like this team and they look to be the class of the league right now

2.Pittsburgh Steelers - As everyone knew, the addition of Big Ben to the offense has infused life back into that side of the ball. Before Rothelisberger, the passing offense was ranked dead last and now with him back they have already rose to 26th in the league. Aaron Smith was lost for the season with a torn tricep and may be a bigger blow than most think but the defense is the least of their worries these days in Steeler nation. One other thing I worry about with the Steelers is how they sometimes get a little cute with Ben back in the lineup and pass more than they should. All in all this is a solid team and Super Bowl contender.

3. Tennessee Titans - On paper you look at this team and try to figure out who some of these guys are. You know the names Vince Young, Chris Johnson, Cortland Finnegan and after his break out performance Kenny Britt. I challenge anyone outside of of Tennessee to name any other players from this team. Hmm? That's what I thought. But the thing about the Titans is that they play with a mean streak that is indicative of their coach Jeff Fisher. They will hit you in the mouth, just ask Philadelphia. The emergence of Britt really is intriguing for this team. If you can combine a speedy deep threat to the likes of Chris Johnson you are definitely on to something. The running lanes will be open more now for Johnson and Vince Young now that a passing game has developed. This is a team to be reckoned with and will have something to say about the AFC south crown.

4.New England Patriots - The gritty, gutty Patriots gutted one out against the mistake prone San Diego Chargers but it wasn't without its faults. The Pats almost had a fourth quarter meltdown. San Diego was able to find their offensive rhythm in the fourth and came back from 20-3 down to almost tie the game. New England was saved by a missed field goal from the unreliable Kris Brown ( Houston fans know what I am talking about.) New England is a good team but I am weary of their young defense. Good teams will make that field goal and take it to overtime or not be in that position at all in the first place. I noticed a lot of holes in the secondary that Phillip Rivers was able to take advantage of. But to be honest if that is one thing you have to worry about, than you should be OK. As long as Tom Brady and Bill Belicheck are on the same page, the good times should continue in Boston.

5.Indianapolis Colts - I flipped and flopped in my head who to put in this slot. I really like Baltimore, but that was just a bad performance they had against the Bills. They should have blown them out. So instead I will go with the Colts this week. Indianapolis had a bye this week and thank god for that. The players have been dropping left and right with Austin Collie, Dallas Clark, Joseph Addai and Donald Brown all getting injured. The biggest one is Clark, he has always been Peyton's safety net, so that will definitely be a blow to their high powered offense. I just think Manning will find a way to get the best out of what he has and they will battle Houston and Tennessee all the way to the end for the AFC South. I have a personal belief to never ever bet against Peyton Manning. He has burned me too many to do so.

Honorable Mention: Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons and the Kansas City Chiefs.