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Jim Lang's Power Rankings: October 28, 2008

TW LW Team Our Take
1 2 The Giants made a major statement to the Steelers and the rest of the NFL with their come from behind win at Heinz Field. Eli Manning and the Giants scored 12 unanswered points in the fourth quarter as they beat the Steelers in a punishing physical game. Giants defence coordinator Steve Spagnuolo did it again as the Giants “D” assaulted Ben Roethlisberger. The Giants are just so mentally tough, they never seem to get rattled.
2 1 The biggest criticism levied against the Titans this season is that until Monday night, they hadn't beaten any good teams. Beating a division rival like the Colts on a grand stage like MNF is about as good as it gets. Living by the motto of "always be closing", LenDale White scored two touchdowns in the red zone to give him a league leading 10 on the year. Kerry Collins played a mistake free game and made the plays when he needed to move the Titans offence down the field.
3 8 There is a very good reason why Clinton Portis leads the NFL in rushing. He has a great offensive line and the Redskins are not shy about feeding him the ball. Running behind Chris Samuels and the mammoth Redskins offensive line, Portis has run for at least 120 yards in five straight games. In case you are keeping score at home, Jason Campbell has thrown 252 passes this year with-out an interception.
4 3 Even diehard NFL fans would have a hard time naming their team's long snapper. Steelers' fans realized how much they missed Greg Warren when he got injured in the Steelers loss to the Giants. Linebacker James Harrison was pressed into duty and launched his nap over the head of Mitch Berger resulting in a Giants safety. All of a sudden it was tie game and the Giants never looked back. Ben Roethlisberger threw four interceptions and was sacked 5 times by the relentless Giants pass rush.
5 7 The good news is that the Panthers are a perfect 5-0 in Charlotte. The bad news is that means the Panthers will have to play five road games from here on in. Sunday, Jake Delhomme threw two touchdowns to Steve Smith in the third quarter as the Panthers came from behind to beat a determined Cardinals team. Middle linebacker Jon Beason led the Panthers in tackles and came up with a huge interception of Kurt Warner in the fourth quarter.
6 NR Maybe it was a good thing that the Rams didn't have Stephen Jackson in the line-up. The "Jim Haslett" era Rams gave the Patriots all they could handle up in New England. The Pats defence came up with some clutch plays late in the game to seal the victory. It's a good thing too, because Matt Cassell threw another two interceptions. I am thinking Bill Belichick gave the game ball to his ultra reliable running back Kevin Faulk. It seems whenever the Pats need a key catch, a key block or a key play, it's Faulk that is coming through for Belichick.
7 NR With Halloween just around the corner, it was only appropriate to see Bucs coach Jon Gruden turn into his alter ego "Chucky" on the Tampa sidelines during their loss to the Cowboys. With a brutal 1-3 road record, the Bucs are going to have to learn how to win games away from Raymond James Stadium. "Chucky" had to be irate to see Jeff Garcia's inability to get the Bucs into the end zone.
8 4 Trent Edwards was a mediocre 21 of 37 for 227 yards and an interception in the Bills loss to the Dolphins Sunday. Edwards was sacked twice and he also fumbled the ball away twice. One of the best trash talkers in the NFL, Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter had 4 tackles, two sacks and forced a fumble. Porter's sack of Edwards in the end zone caused a safety and killed any hopes of a Bills comeback. The Bills completely fell apart in the fourth quarter. Up next, Brett Favre and the Jets pay a visit to the Ralph.
9 11 So Wade Phillips takes over the defence and the Cowboys held the Bucs to a measly 9 points in a win they desperately needed. Zach Thomas had 8 solo tackles as the Cowboys held the Bucs without a touchdown. It's a good thing to, because Tony Romo is no danger of losing his starting quarterback job to Brad Johnson. It will be interesting to see if Romo is in the starting lineup for the Cowboys huge game against the Giants Sunday. I say he takes the cortisone shot and plays.
10 NR Coming off a bye week, the Packers are about to embark on two very tough road games. Next week, the Packers are at Tennessee, and then they're in Minnesota for a big division game against the Vikings. Aaron Rodgers has only tossed four interceptions this year. Brett Favre is tied for the league lead with 11. I'm not saying, I'm just saying.
11 NR The Eagles are now 10-0 under Andy Reid when coming off a bye week. Getting running back Bryan Westbrook back in the line-up made a huge difference for the Eagles as they fed off the Phillies karma in their win over the Falcons. It is almost like Donovan McNabb is a different player when Westbrook is in the line-up. The Eagles get a break this week when they take on the Seahawks.
12 NR Saints quarterback Drew Brees is on pace to shatter Dan Marino's single season passing yardage record. At the current rate he's on, Brees will pass for 5,126 yards. Marino set the current record back in 1984 when he heaved the ball a record 5,084 yards. More importantly, Brees lit up his old team in London England and the Saints hit the halfway point of the season with a 4-4 record. I would love to know how many pints of ale Jeremy Shockey quaffed while he was in London.