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Jim Lang's Power Rankings: October 24, 2008

TW LW Team Our Take
1 1 At the sports book at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas they pegged the Titans as 30-1 long shots to win the Super Bowl before the start of the season. After speaking to Scott Ghertner of the MGM Grand on Monday, I found out that the odds of the Titans winning the Super Bowl are down to 8-1. I am not saying Jeff Fisher's crew is headed for Tampa Bay at the end of January, but I am saying the Titans are a remarkable story this season. It is interesting to note the MGM Grand sports book is listing the odds of the Titans to win the AFC Championship game as 3.5-1. Anyone who saw the way the Titans ran the ball at will on Sunday against the Chiefs had to be impressed. Under the firm and steady hand of Fisher, the Titans can run the ball and they can stop the run. Sorry Vince, as long as Kerry Collins is healthy, he's Fisher's starting quarterback.
2 2 Punishing defence, another punishing performance by Brandon Jacobs and a smart, mistake-free game by Eli Manning helped the Giants rebound from their loss to the Browns the week before. The Giants defence had six sacks and two interceptions in their win over the 49ers. Justin Tuck was a beast with two sacks, two forced fumbles and three tackles as he spearheaded the Giants relentless defensive onslaught. Coming up this Sunday at Heinz Field, the Giants will take on the Steelers in the undisputed marquee game of Week 8. It certainly wouldn't be out of line to call this game a possible Super Bowl preview.
3 3 There are some people who are accusing Hines Ward of being a dirty player for his crushing block on Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers. After watching it over and over numerous times, I can't see how that was a dirty hit. Rivers, a rookie, made the fatal mistake of not keeping his head on a swivel when the play was still going on. Everyone in the NFL knows that the Steelers play hard core football and that Hines Ward is a feared downfield blocker. I am thinking that Mike Tomlin handed a game ball to running back Melwelde Moore. When the Steelers broke camp, Moore was down the team's depth chart at running back. This being the "year of injury" in the NFL, Moore was suddenly thrust in the role of the Steelers starting running back and is doing an amazing job for Tomlin.
4 4 As much as I was impressed with the way Trent Edwards rebounded from his minor concussion in Week 5, it was the play of the Bills defence that really stood out. Two of the Bills biggest off-season acquisitions, Marcus Stroud and Kawika Mitchell, came up with huge games against the Chargers. Edwards was an impressive 25 of 30 for 262 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. But with all due respect to the silky smooth California-bred quarterback, it was the wily old veterans on defence that manned up and sealed this victory. Marcus Stroud and Kawika Mitchell were acquired in the off-season to make an impact on defence. Sunday against the Chargers, Stroud and Mitchell made a major impact, especially the former New York Giants linebacker. Kawika Mitchell ended up with a near perfect game for an NFL linebacker. Seven tackles, one sack, one interception and a forced fumble.
5 5 It would seem like Jeff Garcia has regained the confidence of his head coach, Jon Gruden. Garcia played another solid game as the Bucs beat up on the hopeless Seahawks. The former Calgary Stampeder spread the ball around to 11 different receivers as he threw for over 300 yards and a touchdown. Surprise, surprise, once again; the Bucs leading tackler was linebacker Barrett Ruud. Loved the way the Bucs paid tribute to one of the best players in the history of the franchise, Mike Alstott. With his 20-inch neck and incredible leg drive, Alstott was one of the toughest, short yardage running backs in recent NFL history.
6 6 For one night at least, Matt Cassell made some Patriots fans forget the fact their Hall of Fame quarterback is gone for the year. With Tom Brady rehabbing his surgically rebuilt knee, Cassell had his best game as pro tossing three touchdowns in the Pats' beat-down of the Broncos. With all due respect to Randy Moss, the most impressive performance of the game was provided by back-up running back Sammy Morris. When the Pats establish a consistent running game, it gives Moss a little bit extra space to operate. Ask any defensive back in the NFL and they will quickly tell you if Moss has a little bit extra room to operate, he's nearly unstoppable. The Patriots are only one game behind the Bills in the AFC East. Since Bill Belichick is still coaching the Pats, the Bills still have huge respect for the Pats, with or without Brady.
7 7 After saying he was embarrassed with the way they played the week before, Jake Delhomme and the Panthers took out their frustrations on the Saints. Delhomme tossed two touchdowns and rookie Jonathan Stewart ran in for another as the Panthers crushed the visiting Saints. How is this for a football game filled with Six Degrees of Separation? During training camp, Steve Smith was suspended by the Panthers for punching out Ken Lucas. Both players played a big role in Carolina's win over the Saints. Smith caught six passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. Lucas had five tackles and his third quarter interception set up a DeAngelo Williams touchdown.
8 8 Easily one of the most surprising stats in the NFL so far this season is the fact that Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell still hasn't thrown an interception this year. I know Jim Zorn was tearing his hair out when Clinton Ports fumbled the ball in the fourth quarter in their tight win over the Browns but Portis still played a major role in the Redskins win over the Browns as he ran for 175 yards and a touchdown. As long as the NFL's leading rusher keeps racking up that kind of yardage, Zorn will forgive the odd fumble.
9 9 Peyton Manning still doesn't know what hit him. Not only did the Packers defence come up with two interceptions off of Manning, they returned both of them for touchdowns. Ryan Grant had his first 100-yard game of the season and Aaron Rodgers was 21 of 28 with a touchdown as the Packers offence held a big advantage in the time of possession battle. It sure looked like Rodgers was playing with a great sense of confidence. He just had that look of a quarterback in control of the offence and in total control of the huddle. Replacing a guy like Brett Favre in the Packers huddle can't be easy. With each passing week, and each rumour that Favre was supplying the Lions with on tips how to beat his old team; the Packers are becoming Rodgers' team.
10 10 With the Colts stumbling through the early part of the season, the Jags come off of their bye week with a great opportunity to put themselves in a position to be a true playoff contender in the AFC. Over the next three weeks, Jack Del Rio's lads will take on the Browns, Bengals and the Lions. Those are three very winnable games for the Jaguars and would put them in a great position for the second half of the season.
11 11 It is now official: the 2008 Dallas Cowboys have hit rock bottom. The Cowboys didn't just get beat by the Rams, they got punked. Stephen Jackson shredded the Cowboys defence and the entire team looked lost. Wade Phillips was despondent in his post-game media conference and owner Jerry Jones gave the team a pep talk in the locker room afterwards. Pacman Jones has checked himself into rehab and the rumours that Jones is about to fire Phillips are running rampant throughout the football world. Other than that, everything is just hunky dory with America's Team.
12 12 Coming of their dramatic overtime win over the Cowboys, all eyes will be on the Cardinals as they travel to Carolina to take on a very solid Panthers team. If Ken Whisenhunt and the Cardinals are going be taken seriously as a legitimate contending team in the NFC, they are going to have go on the road and beat a team like the Panthers. Two weeks from now the Cardinals will be on the road to take on the suddenly revitalized Rams. In other words, these next two weeks will tell us what kind of team the Cardinals really are.