Rank 'Em

Well, it's Tuesday, and during the NFL season that means the new power rankings are out. Pretty much every notable online sports (aside from SI.com's Dr. Z, who waits until Wednesday) source rolls out some kind of ranking each week on Tuesday. I've decided to give my own short list a shot. I've always believed that between numbers seven and 25 there is almost no way to accurately or sensibly rank teams, so I'll stay with just the top and bottom five. Since I have actually go to the trouble of ranking each team, I'll throw in each NFC North team's spot, since none will be in the top five (though one appears to be destined to stay in the Bottom five all season). For the sake of credibility, I'll throw in the NFC North rankings from five "professionals."

Post-Week 3 "Power" Rankings:

1. Dallas Cowboys. Even though the Giants look awfully good and awfully confident, Dallas has beat some quality opponents, and their offense looks unstoppable.

2. New York Giants. Eli Manning is the man. Is there a more clutch receiver in the league right now than Plaxico Burress?

3. Tennessee Titans. Defense rules in this list, and there is no better defense than the Titans so far. There ain't nothing wrong with Nashville.

4. Philadelphia Eagles. The only team with a loss in the top five, they appear to be able to play any style of football.

5. Buffalo Bills. Probably higher than most would have them, but they continue to find different ways to win, how can anybody argue against the Bills?

The North comes in at...

10. Green Bay Packers. I'm not convinced that their defense is still among the best in the league. Aaron Rodgers is going to have to carry this team. Is he ready?

14. Minnesota Vikings. Only a Vikings fan would put them this high. If their only problem was consistency at quarterback, what's stopping them now?

25. Chicago Bears. It's never encouraging to see a team find such brutal ways to lose 10-point leads.

30. Detroit Lions. The Chiefs and Rams are really bad.

What did the experts say? Here is a sampling:

ESPN.com: G.B.- 8, MIN- 19, CHI-20, DET, 30

CBSSportsline.com: G.B.- 7, CHI- 21, MIN- 23, DET- 30

YahooSports: G.B.- 4, MIN-15, CHI- 20, DET- 30

USA Today: G.B.- 11, CHI- 13, MIN-19, DET-31

NBCSports: G.B.- 6, CHI- 16, MIN- 19, DET-30

Not a lot of question about who is the best team in the division, or who is the worst. Remember, ESPN.com uses a panel of writers to determine their rankings, and Jeff Sagarin of USA Today has developed a mathematical formula to determine his. Not surprisingly, the Cowboys got almost every number one spot I saw today.