Here are my quarterly power rankings for this season.  I use a simplistic (x+y)z+s=t equation, where x is my judgement of the teams offensive performance that week(1-5), my y is my judgement of the teams defensive performance(1-5) and z is my judgement of the strength of the opponent(1-3).  Naturally, 1 would be the bottom feeders, 2 are the middle of the roaders and 3 are serious playoff contenders.   The value of s is just a simple home or away win or loss.  Home wins equal 1 point, while a home loss is -3 and an Away win is 3, while the loss is -1.  T is obviously the point total for that week.  I then add them all up for my final rankings.  

Expect these to be much different than the mainstream as it gives much more credit towards the "level of competition and strength of schedule" than it does simple talent.  Teams with a soft schedule are likely to rank lower even if they are considered a top team in the league.  

I also know it is an entirely subjective and simplistic way to determine a power rankings, but since it is still based on my own opinion, the equation really only helps me keep things honest and my own biases out of the picture.  For the most part!  In the event of any ties, I make arbitrary decisions on which team deserves the better spot.  Anyway, without further adieu, here are my quarterly power rankings:

1. New Orleans Saints (66 pts.)

The Saints have dominated every team they have played and they have played some serious playoff contenders in the Eagles and Jets.  If this team continues to play at a high level in all phases of the game the Vince Lombardi trophy could go to New Orleans for the first time. 

2. New England Patriots (65 pts.)

The Patriots are, remarkably, one of the most underrated teams in the league.  They have won tough, close games and that has convinced the "experts" they are in decline.  I beg to differ.  Look back at when the Patriots WON Super Bowls and this is how they won their games.  The year they blew teams away is the year they happened to LOSE a Super Bowl.  Anyone think that maybe ole Bill returned to his winning formula?  The Patriots have had a pretty tough schedule and are 3-1, you decide.

3. Indianapolis Colts (61 pts.)

Peyton Manning is quite possibly the greatest quarterback of all-time in terms of pure intelligence and skills.  He wins a lot of regular season games, but I wouldn't quite put him past guys like Montana, Brady, or Elway since he really only has that one Super Bowl run.  Win a couple more, and he will become the undisputed greatest.  Right now the Colts can win games even when they only have the ball on offense for 14:53....are you kidding me?

4. New York Giants (61 pts.)

Oh yeah, and there is this other Manning who is on a pretty good football team.  Anyone notice that the top four teams are truly "teams" in every sense of the word?  If I were a betting man, which I am not, I'd bet some money that one if not both Super Bowl teams is among this top 4.  Certainly they will all be around in January.

5. Baltimore Ravens (59 pts.)

This team reminds me a lot of that 1994 San Francisco 49ers team.  An aging defense and a youngerish offense on the verge of something great.  The key for the Ravens is to get everything to work in the short amount of time they have before their defense starts to degrade in the next few years.  The window is a small one, but it could become bigger if they find an adequate replacement for Ray Lewis in the middle.  Remember what happened to Denver's defense in 2006 when Al Wilson was lost?  Not a pretty picture...

6. Minnesota Vikings (58 pts.)

To be honest, I am not particularly sold on the Vikings and if it wasn't for their strength of schedule I would never have ranked them this high.  After all, they'd be 3-1 if it weren't for that one fluke lucky play to beat the 49ers.  ;-)  Anyway, in that weak NFC North division they would be a lock for the playoffs.  I am not a big believer in either the Packers or Bears, unless you think I believe in 8-8 seasons.  

7. New York Jets (58 pts.)

If there was an overrated team of the year not named the Cowboys, I'd pick the Jets.  Granted, they have had a pretty tough schedule at times, but I just don't see them anything more than a #6 seed wild card team.  Especially with a rookie quarterback.  I know, rookie quarterbacks have had a good run lately, but if the Jets are going anywhere its their defense that will take them there.  For now, the tough schedule earns them the #7 spot.

8. Denver Broncos (56 pts.)

The Broncos have had a favorable schedule so far and let's face it, we did beat a pretty soft Cowboys team.  I ranked both the Bengals and Cowboys a #2 on the strength of schedule part of my equation and the other were obviously 1's.  Yet, they still rank very high, which tells me they have played really well and are underrated on this list.  I am sure I'll be called a homer, but the Broncos scored well in each game on defense and real well on offense twice.  That's 6 out of 8 on my scorecard.  Naturally, the big test for me is this weekend.  I have the Patriots ranked very high on both my mental and actual rankings and if the Broncos come away with a win here they will have officially arrived.  A loss is by no means the end game, but this team definitely needs to have a strong showing...for the homer in me anyway!  :)

9. San Francisco 49ers (56 pts.)

People like to talk about the Broncos coming out of nowhere.  How about the 49ers?  They were only a half step behind the Raiders for top Bay Area Laughingstock.  This team is playing way above its talent level, but as we all know, coaching can make talent a less of a factor in winning football games.  Remember the 10-6 Broncos of yesteryear?  I am not convinced this team has the talent or will to compete once they get into the playoffs, but the experience will go a long way going into next season.

10. Philadelphia Eagles (56 pts.)

Of course, the early Bye week screws me up and I am forced to average those 4 teams scores from the first three.  Who knows if the Eagles deserve to be this high or low.  We'll find out next quarter of the season as the bye week only screws things up really the first quarter of the season.  The Eagles have been wildly inconsistent this year and I am still not sure what to make of them other than they can dominate a team from start to finish or be dominated from start to finish.  I hate unpredictability....yes that was a Jay Cutler bash.

11. San Diego Chargers (55 pts.)

Yes, the Chargers are off to another Norv, err, I mean slow start.  Make no mistake though, this team can put a forty-berger on any defense, including our own.  Just like last year, we'll need to build a good solid lead in the division and then, for a change, close the deal late in the year.  The Chargers have had a pretty solid schedule, but have lost to their two quality opponents so who knows how effective they will be down the stretch.

12. Pittsburgh Steelers (54 pts.)

Yes, I know, the Steelers just beat the Chargers so how can they be ranked below them?  It all comes down to strength of schedule and how teams win.  The Steelers haven't done anything the first three weeks and lost to inferior teams in the process, then they come out with one good game.  The Chargers hung tough in the games they lost and they lost to better teams.  Really, the Steelers are obviously better than the Chargers and in another four weeks I am sure it will show.  This is a grade of FOUR games, not one.  In any case, both teams are pretty close as you can see from the point totals.  I expect the Steelers to find their legs here soon, while the Chargers will continue to flounder.  So no worries to any Steeler fans.

13. Cincinnati Bengals (53 pts.)

Oh great.  Here we go again.  Yes, the Bengals beat the Steelers at home but the strength of schedule and performance does not lie.  The Bengals nearly lost to a horrible Browns team and their offense scored low marks against the Broncos.  The Bengals just do not have that IT factor anyway and the Steelers do.  I am sure I will be proven right by midseason.

14. Jacksonville Jaguars (53 pts.)

Now here is an underrated team.  People must have forgotten that they lost to the Colts 14-10.  And their only other loss was the only truly bad game they have played this year.  I switched my pick to the Jaguars last weekend, while everyone else went with the Titans.  Obviously, I was right to do so.  I was looking back at their games and this team really isn't all that bad and I think they will make a serious push for the playoffs.  Keep an eye on this team.

15. Dallas Cowboys (49 pts.)

This is where the pretenders begin to fall away from the contenders.  The Cowboys are on the cusp of getting back into the top tier, but also on the cusp of falling back into the middle of the road folks.  I ranked them a "2" against the Broncos strength of schedule, even though I ranked them a "3" when they played the Giants.  The reason is simple, the Cowboys are on the verge of total collapse.  I have a hunch that the players are losing faith in their coaches ability to call plays.  Of course, I am on the outside looking in and probably have no idea what I am talking about.  lol  :)  Anyway, we'll know where this team is by midseason - a contender or a pretender.

16. Green Bay Packers (44 pts.)

This spot was a tie with the Bears and though I think the Bears are a better team, I decided to give the tie breaker to the Packers for actually beating the Bears.  This team needs some serious help on the offensive line.  You cannot give up 8 sacks and compete for the playoffs.  Aaron Rodgers is a good quarterback, but he is going to be a dead quarterback if they don't start protecting him.  This is a 7-9 football team right now.

17. Chicago Bears (44 pts.)

Well Jay Cutler, you got what you wanted.  Off of a playoff contender and onto a dysfunctional .500 team.  This teams only saving grace is that it beat the defending Super Bowl champions, but really, how good have the Steelers been lately?  They also barely beat a horrible Seahawks team and struggled for a half to put away the lowly Lions.  Of course, they are 3-1 and in this league all that matters is winning football games.  Honestly, they are a wild card team at best.  Let's see how they do against the Vikings, before we anoint them.  I'm certainly not going to crown their asses yet.

18. Tennessee Titans (42 pts.)

Wow.  An 0-4, winless, team in the Top 20?  Frankly, the strength of schedule is the only reason this team ranks this high.  They have had a pretty sick schedule to open the year against teams with a combined 11-5 record.  If this team doesn't find a way to win soon their season will be a complete loss.  Remember when the Broncos started out 0-4 in 1999?  They finished the season 6-6.  This team needs another turnaround like that to have something positive to look at heading into 2010.

19. Miami Dolphins (40 pts.)

The Dolphins are a pretender and have been since last year.  How can you control the clock for FORTY-FIVE minutes and still lose the game?  I don't care of God himself was on the other team, you should have won that game.  I still think this team is close to a .500 football team, if it doesn't let games slip away like it did against Indianapolis.

20. Detroit Lions (38 pts.)

Whoa!  Would you look at that?  I can promise you that the only reason they are getting so many points here is that they have played some tough teams and have scored points on them.  Granted, they are also giving up like 40 points a game, but this team has an offense that may be going somewhere in the next, uh, 5 years.  I say that only because we are talking about the Lions here...

21. Houston Texans (37 pts.)

I love Kubiak, but this team has all the earmarks of a Shanny-style team.  Inconsistent and losers of important games.  I can't figure the Texans out and they are surely a sub-.500 team once again this year.  The Texans owners will no doubt fire Kubiak which will lead to their continual demise.  Maybe Kubiak can go work for Shanny in Dallas after he is hired to take over the Cowboys.  ;-)

22. Arizona Cardinals (36 pts.)

Again, the Bye week screwed me up with this one.  I really think this team will rank much, much higher by midseason.  They have ample weapons on offense and a respectable defense(sometimes).  If anyone besides the 49ers takes the NFC West, it will be the Cardinals.  They need to get rid of the inconsistency first though...

23. Washington Redskins (34 pts.)

This team is in disarray and their two wins were against the horrible Rams and Bucs - both were close.  They lost to the Lions, so that tells me there should be ranked below 25th.  By midseason, if no answers are found by Zorn, they will be.

24. Atlanta Falcons (33 pts.)

The Bye week screwed these guys, but oh well.  I think the Falcons are a Top 15 team and their 2-1 record shows it.  I'll take this mulligan as the "biggest whiff yet" with my piece of crap formula.  The Falcons could easily make their way up the charts quickly.  It is unfortunate that I couldn't find a way to account for the Bye week.  I'll go back to the drawing board and see if I can tweak it a bit, but I really think the Bye problem will vanish once teams have played enough games.  Oh well.  Go Falcons!  lol

25. Buffalo Bills (32 pts.)

Welcome to the Dallas Cowboys of the north, only with less talent.  They can hang tough with big dawgs like New England and then get blown out of the sky by Miami.  I don't get it and I don't care, this team is going nowhere this season.  

26. Carolina Panthers (29 pts.)

Here is another pretender.  I thought they were a pretender in 2008.  They want to blame Delhomme, but how is it his fault the entire team sucks?  Where is Steve Smith?  He had, what, one great season in how many?  I've just never been convinced of this team even when they were winning.

27. Seattle Seahawks (29 pts.)

This team is nothing without Matt Hasslebeck and it appear Matt is turning into a brittle old piece of glass.  These guys are a .500 team with Hasslebeck and a 3-13 without him.  I think it's time for them to draft for the future.  Matt seems like a nice guy, but this is the Not For Long league and the Seahawks have young talent that needs a reliable guy under center whose name isn't Wallace.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (27 pts.)

I actually like where this team is going long term.  They are starting to find a groove on offense that allows them to score a couple of times a game, but their defense is atrocious and won't be a factor for quite some time.  When I say their offense is clicking, I'm talking about 14-17 points a game which is a giant leap forward from the Raiders right now...

29. Oakland Raiders (24 pts.)

These guys are ranked a bit high right now since they haven't done jack in three straight games, but their performance against the Chargers in Week 1 brought them most of the points they have here.  This team is as dysfunctional and demensia'd as their owner and will never crack the Top 25 while he is in charge.  Good thing I hate the Raiders!  Though part of me feels like no fan deserves this kind of perpetual punishment, but then I remember who I am talking about and laugh.  :P

30. Cleveland Browns (23 pts.)

Another worthless team with a worthless owner and worthless coach.  They just traded away a problem wide out, which I thought was a good move, but it won't help them win today.  Again, most of the points for this team came last week when they almost beat the Bengals.  For now, they will compete for #3-6 draft positions.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (18 pts.)

Still wish we had hired Raheem Morris?  Talk about dodging a bullet.  This team has lost to subpar competition and just plain sucks.  I think they will win a few games though, which will keep them from the very bottom.

32. St. Louis Rams (14 pts.)

If you get shut out by two divisional opponents and your division is the NFC West then you might be one of the worst football teams ever fielded.  I really can't see them beating anyone on their schedule except maybe the Lions or Seahawks, yet they've already been shut out by the Seahawks.  lol  And the Lions can score points.  It's going to be a long year, 1-15 at best!

There you have it.  For better or for worse, I think I got it mostly right.  With the exception of one or two teams that really stuck out to me as "wrong", but hopefully that will correct itself in my next installment in November.  Feel free to hit me with your best shot!