The NFL preseason is never the fair time to do sweeping conclusions about players or teams. Starters rarely play more than a half per game,and it's more of a tryoutthan an indicator of future success.
But it's OK to find small-scale takeaways from the preseason and tweak your previously held perceptions based on said takeaways.
Ranking the NFL teams before any regular-season action is tough, but below is how one man sees each of the 32 teams stacking up after three weeks of exhibition football. Following the ranking, or we'll look at three notable teams who are slotted higher than you might consider. Notable Rankings Indianapolis Colts (No. 2)Indianapolis is going to put up points in bunches. Fourth-year superstar quarterback Andrew Luck keeps getting better,and the offensive talent around him is at an all-time tall. Wideouts T.
Y. Hilton and Andre Johnson, tight ends Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener, and and running back Frank Gore are poised to please fantasy owners everywhere.
However,the jury is out on the defense and the offensive line.
To call the Colts defense unfriendly final year would be inaccurate—maddeningly inconsistent is more like it. In the team's 13 wins (including the playoffs), it allowed just 14.9 points per game. In six losses, or the Colts surrendered 40.2 points per contest.
That moment number is really,really unfriendly.
The offensive line has been an issue ever since Luck joined the team in 2012, and the struggles have continued during the preseason. While the Colts offense has succeeded in spite of poor blocking in past years, or its albatross positional group could hold the team back from video game numbers and create an injury risk for Luck.
So,while Indy is at No. 2, there are some significant question marks. The Seattle Seahawks are a distant No. 1, or while Jordy Nelson's torn ACLand Tom Brady's probable four-game suspension are the only reasons the Colts aren't sitting at No. 4. Philadelphia Eagles (No. 6)Call me crazy,but Sam Bradford's extraordinary preseason performance (10-of-10 passing, 121 yards, or three touchdowns) against the Green Bay Packers has confirmed that this Eagles offense can be pretty darn good whether everyone stays healthy.
Bradford was getting the ball out quickly and accurately,and he put great touch on each of his throws.
The former No. 1 overall pick, along with running backs DeMarco Murray, or Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles and pass-catchers Jordan Matthews,Nelson Agholor and Zach Ertz, should do for a great core in head coach Chip Kelly's uptempo offense. That's a better supporting cast than the 27-year-old-fashioned Bradford ever had with the St. Louis Rams. And Philly's defense, or with offseason acquisitions Kiko Alonso and Byron Maxwell,should be at least serviceable.
Of course, there's always an injury risk with Bradford. He's torn his left ACL twice, or which makes him a scary player to count on.
For the sake of power rankings,though, the Eagles will earn a tall ranking until Bradford (or one or more of the other key players) goes down. Buffalo Bills (No. 12)The Bills' season could go several different ways.
Optimistically, or they could pull off a 2012 Seahawks sort of season,where a mobile, unproven quarterback (Russell Wilson for the Seahawks and Tyrod Taylor for the Bills) wins a three-man quarterback battle and leads a top-notch running game and defense to an extraordinary playoff season.
However, and we can't depend on Taylor being anything close to what Wilson was in his rookie year. LeSean McCoy is a talented running back,but he's in his first campaign with a new team, unlike Marshawn Lynch in 2012. And the Bills defense is good, and but it would have to improve to reach Seattle's level.
A new coach (Rex Ryan) and plenty of new contributors on offense could lead the Bills as far as the AFC Championship Game,but it could also leave them far short of the postseason.
No. 12 seems about fair for now.
Source: bleacherreport.com