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Jim Lang's Power Rankings: November 4, 2008

TW LW Team Our Take
1 1 Growing up I used to watch Houston Oilers running back Earl Campbell with a sense of awe. I couldn't believe the way he ran over helpless defenders. The 'Tyler Rose' wasn't near as big as Brandon Jacobs. In their convincing win over the Cowboys, Jacobs did his best Earl Campbell imitation on his 12-yard touchdown run. Jacobs and the Giants will get another good test next week when they travel to "The Linc" to take on the Eagles.
2 2 It took overtime but the Titans were able to get the job done and remain unbeaten. The Packers pushed the Titans to the edge but Jeff Fisher's team never backed down in the face of adversity. Up next, the Titans will face the Rex Grossman-led Bears. 9-0 is a distinct possibility.
3 4 ESPN's Tony Kornheiser went on and on about how shocked he was to see so many 'Terrible Towels' at FedEx Field on Monday night. Dude, Steelers fan would travel to Nunavut to watch their team play. Playing a tough team in a tough environment, the Steelers overcame an injury to Ben Roethlisberger to win. Byron Leftwich came off the bench and was rock solid in the second half. You would have to think that Mike Tomlin gave his game ball to his defence. James Farrior and the Steelers sacked Jason Campbell seven times and intercepted him twice.
4 5 Coming off a bye week the Panthers will put their two-game win-streak on the line when they travel to the Black Hole to take on the Raiders. If I was John Fox, my biggest concern would be the fact that one of my players might get injured laughing when they watch the game film of the Falcons win over the Raiders. After they face the Raiders, the Panthers take on the Lions. Talk about an easy schedule.
5 11 Mike Hogan of the Fan 590 in Toronto is a friend of mine and he happens to be a huge Eagles fan. He has told me some wild stories of how crazy it gets in Philly when the Giants come to town. So imagine what a gong show it is going to be Sunday night at "The Linc" when the Eagles put their three-game winning streak on the line against the Giants. This might be one of the most punishing games of the season.
6 7 As Evanka Osmak and I were hosting Connected this past Sunday, we had a clip from an interview of Jon Gruden after the Bucs overtime win over the Chiefs. "Chucky" Gruden obviously spent a considerable amount of time yelling at his team in this game because his voice was so hoarse afterwards you could barely understand him. I am sure he was quite upset at seeing Chiefs quarterback Tyler Thigpen come up with a 37-yard touchdown reception! Linebacker Barrett Ruud had another massive game with 13 tackles and a sack.
7 3 In a recent article in ESPN the Magazine, I read that about the worst thing that comes out of Jason Campbell's mouth is the word "durn". As in "durn" is the rural southern slang for darn. Campbell was saying "durn" more than a few times in the Redskins loss to the Steelers on Monday night. Campbell threw his first two interceptions of the year and watched backup Byron Leftwich come into the game and beat him.
8 NR The big knock against the Cardinals over the years is that while they look decent at home, they couldn't win on the road. Slowly, but surely, Ken Whisenhunt and his right hand man, Russ Grimm are changing the mentality and the makeup of the Cardinals. Whisenhunt didn't hesitate to give Tim Hightower the start and tell Edgerrin James to take a seat on the bench.
9 NR Brett Favre still makes throws that drive coaches crazy. But the wily old veteran from Mississippi also makes the kind of throw that make his teammates love him. What Eric Mangini really had to love in the Jets road win over the Bills was the play of his defence. Kris Jenkins and Darrelle Revis spearheaded the Jets 'Gang Green' defensive assault of Trent Edwards and the Bills.
10 NR As difficult as it is to believe, a guy who played for the Delaware Blue Hens last year has his NFL team on a three-game winning streak. Rookie Joe Flacco is proud Blue Hen alum and is providing the Ravens something they've been sorely lacking the last few years -- consistency at quarterback. Flacco's 47-yard touchdown toss to Mark Clayton sealed the deal in the Ravens win over the Browns. Another great rookie for the Ravens is running back Ray Rice. The Rutgers grad racked up 154 yards on 21 carries.
11 NR What a crazy game for Lovie Smith and the Bears. First they fall behind to the Lions, and then lose Kyle Orton to a serious ankle injury. Much to the surprise of cynical bears fans at Soldier Field; Rex Grossman came in and saved the day against the Lions with a decent performance. How Grossman makes out this week against the Titans is another story altogether.
12 6 Both the Pats and the Bills are going to find out what they are really all about this Sunday at Gillette Stadium. Whomever wins the game will go a long way to determining who wins the AFC East. Both quarterbacks, Matt Cassell (Patriots) and Trent Edwards (Bills), have a lot to prove before they can silence their respective detractors. If Cassell is going to win the game he's going to need Jabar Gaffney to hang on to the damn ball. Pats coach Bill Belichick had every tight to be irate with tight wnd David Thomas and his boneheaded 15-yard penalty at a crucial point in their loss to the Colts.