Three elites soaring; Raiders snoring

We like to be positive here at Power Rankings Central. So after last Sunday, I'm positive the Oakland Raiders stink.

You have to ask, are they even trying? The Atlanta Falcons took them apart 24-0 at home. The Falcons are a nice story, Matty Ice and all that. But nobody in the NFL, where every player is paid the last time I checked, should be able to prevent another team from advancing the football more than 77 yards in an entire game.

But Oakland actually managed to go backward in the first half - minus- 2 yards. Overall, the Falcons held the ball for more than 45 minutes. Games only last 60 minutes!

I probably don't pay as close attention to time of possession as you do. But just off the cuff, I have to think that might be as close as we'll come to seeing one team basically play against itself start to finish.

There's a certain Zen to that I'm sure I can't even understand.

How Brett Favre lost to these guys is one of the season's mysteries. The Jets don't deserve to make the playoffs on that alone. OK, I don't mean that, but come on. Kansas City, which also stinks, is the only other team to lose to Oakland. But the Chiefs stink because they're young and fickle, not because they're run by the husk of crazy uncle Al Davis.

Speaking of which, the Chiefs had the Tampa Bay Bucs down by 21 on Sunday. Are you kidding? But in the infamous bellow of Dennis Green, they let 'em off the hook. Kudos to the Bucs for the OT win, but a wrist-slap for falling that far behind.

Nobody, of course, is slumming like the 0-8 Detroit Lions, now that the Bengals took out the really disappointing Jaguars. But if they met today on any lined field in America, the Lions would positively maul the Raiders.

See, we're positive here. It's better that way.

So, the latest rankings. Three teams have clearly separated themselves. Well, not literally. But Tennessee, the New York Giants and the Steelers are the elite. Everybody else on this list can pretty much be picked from a bowl and blindly slotted from four to 10. It's tight out there.

 

Tom Robinson, 757-446-2518, tom.robinson@pilotonline.com

1. TENNESSEE TITANS

(last week No. 1, record 8-0)

Two more takeaways by the Titans against the fired-up Packers, who could've won but fell in overtime. That's 18 on the season against eight of their own turnovers. They haven't given up the ball in three games, plus they've been flagged for only 14 penalties in that span. You don't help the other guy, you win a lot of games.

This week at Chicago.

 

2. NEW YORK GIANTS

(last week No. 2, record 7-1)

These guys are serious. I'm just sayin'. They didn't gloat, wouldn't be sporting, but you know they savored ripping the overmatched Cowboys limb from limb. Oh, and it's a joke that Justin Tuck was penalized for his hit on Brooks Bollinger. It was a classic wrap 'em up, bring 'em down tackle, not late, not dirty. Immunity to you, Mr. Tuck, sir.

This week at Philadelphia.

3. PITTSBURGH STEELERS

(last week No. 3, record 6-2)

If you root for these guys, you're walking around proud and happy. They are as tough and resilient as it gets. Their MRI machine keeps spinning but the Steelers just keep pounding people. Nice showing by backup QB Byron Leftwich against the Redskins, and how about all those Steelers fans who infiltrated FedEx Field. Impressive.

This week Home vs. Indianapolis.

4. CAROLINA PANTHERS

(last week No. 5, record 6-2)

OK, somebody has to be No. 4. We'll call the Panthers here, but not feel super great about it. They're so suspect on the road, where they play three of the next four. But good wins over the Cardinals, Saints, Falcons and Bears at home, and a 5-0 record there, are worth the nod. Only Tennessee and New York are also 5-0 at home.

This week at Oakland.

 

5. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

(last week No. 7, record 6-3)

The NFL pays off in wins, good, bad, ugly or indifferent. So bottom line, Jon Gruden's boys have won 3 of 4. But here again, as with Carolina, this road malaise lately is troubling. The past three trips out of Florida, they couldn't score against defenseless Denver or listless Dallas, then had to pull a miracle to beat the Chiefs. Hmm.

This week Off.

 

6. WASHINGTON REDSKINS

(last week No. 4, record 6-3)

They had to try to run early, I guess, on the Steelers. Gotta play to your strengths, but it wasn't happening. Aside from a 22-yard burst, Clinton Portis gained 29 yards on 12 carries. And Jason Campbell at least got that freaky interception-less streak out of the way. 271 straight isn't natural. Everybody can relax now.

This week Off.

 

 

7. ARIZONA CARDINALS

(last week No. 10, record 5-3)

A nod to the official arrival of Tim Hightower, a fifth-round rookie from the University of Richmond. He had 22 carries against the Rams for 109 yards and his seventh TD, most among rookie RBs. Nice eye there, Cardinals. Oh, and another 300-yard passing day for Kurt Warner. I think that guy's gonna have a good career.

This week Home vs. San Francisco, Monday night.

8. CHICAGO BEARS

(last week No. 8, record 5-3)

Character win against the Lions, rallying from 23-13 halftime deficit. Now they get to dip into the character well some more, with QB Kyle Orton gone for perhaps a month with an ankle injury. Suddenly, though, scoring on the Bears is easy. Eight TDs allowed in the last two games. Both victories, it should be noted. But still.

This week Home vs. Tennessee.

 

 

9. GREEN BAY PACKERS

(last week No. 9, record 4-4)

Aaron Rodgers moved it through the air on the Titans, 288 net yards, the most they have allowed. And Ryan Grant ran for 80-plus the fourth straight game. Just their second multi-turnover game, however, doomed the Packers. A promising trend: two passing TDs allowed the last three games, seven in the first five.

This week at Minnesota.

 

 

10. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

(last week not ranked, record 5-3)

Four teams have won three straight - Titans, Giants, Ravens and Eagles. But Philly is the only one to win them all by at least 13 points. And don't forget, the Eagles are a Bears' goal-line stand from being 6-2, a road game played without Brian Westbrook. For what it's worth, their losses are by a combined 14 points.

This week Home vs. New York Giants.

 

 

DROPPING OUT: No. 6 Buffalo Bills (record 5-3): Set up for big home win against Jets and come up small.