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NFL Power Rankings (Week Two)


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Jetnation Week Two Top Ten

  1. Green Bay Packers (1) – The Packers probably took the Panthers a bit too lightly, but they have talent level to afford that.
  2. New York Jets (2) – the Jets handled a weak Jacksonville offense the way a contender should.
  3. New England Patriots (3) – The Pats turned the Chargers over at critical points, and their passing game was unstoppable again.
  4. New Orleans Saints – (7) The Saints spent most of Sunday in the backfield all over Jay Cutler.
  5. Houston Texans – (NR) The Texans offense is as balanced as any team in the league, but defense will determine the team’s fate.
  6. Detroit Lions – (NR) If the Lions can keep Stafford healthy, they can start thinking playoffs for the first time in a long while.
  7. Pittsburgh Steelers – (9) The Steelers got back to playing Steeler football on Sunday.
  8. Atlanta Falcons (10) – The Falcons remembered that they are a running team on Sunday night.
  9. Baltimore Ravens (6) – The Ravens found a way to completely erase the opening week battering of the Steelers from the minds of their fans.
  10. Philadelphia Eagles (5) – Some weakness in the run defense and a concussed Vick mean some major concerns for Philly going forward.

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How serious is Hernandez's injury? That's a big blow to that offense if its for an extended period....he's their most dynamic playmaker.

Aaron Hernandez out with knee injury

By Ian R. Rapoport / Patriots Notebook

Tuesday, September 20, 2011 - Updated 16 hours ago

FOXBORO — The Patriots [team stats] will be without one-half of their dynamic tight end duo for at least one week, possibly longer.

Tight end Aaron Hernandez suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee in Sunday’s 35-21 win against the Chargers, the Herald learned. That knocks him out of the Bills game this weekend, leaving Rob Gronkowski without his productive partner.

Hernandez could return after missing one or two games, a source said.

Hernandez limped through the locker room postgame after meeting with reporters, describing his injury as “a little sore.” He missed the last half of the fourth quarter, apparently suffering the injury on a 14-yard catch when he took a helmet to the knee from safety Bob Sanders.

Hernandez still caught a 5-yard pass on the next play, and remained in for five more plays after that.

In two games, Hernandez has 165 yards with two touchdowns and Gronkowski has 172 yards with three scores. Asked how the team will adjust to not having Hernandez, Gronkowski said he’ll wait and see.

“We haven’t gone out to practice yet,” Gronkowski said. “Whatever the coaches put out there, we’ll have to do what we do.”

Coach Bill Belichick was noncommittal when asked if a receiver, perhaps Chad Ochocinco, could take Hernandez’ place.

“As you’ve seen, we use multiple personnel groups, multiple formations,” Belichick said. “Whatever we have to do, we’ll use some combination of those.”

Another possibility is Dan Gronkowski, the former Broncos tight end who has acclimated well into the offense since joining the team earlier this month.

“They expect me to know everything now,” he said. “I’m at that point. I’m ready to get in there and just help out the team however I can.”

Stopping Gates

The Patriots held Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates to zero catches for the first time in years, eliminating one of the Chargers’ top weapons. While Belichick quipped that the plan was “nothing revolutionary,” it was effective.

For much of the game, safety Patrick Chung was man-to-man on Gates, though he often had deep help. Chung was physical with the playmaker, rarely allowing him off the line.

“They gave us different looks, a combination of things,” said Gates, “making it difficult for me to release off the ball with the defensive end, linebacker and the safety dropping down to help once I released. A lot of funky looks.”

The Patriots have played Gates several times, using many different coverages. This time, they found the right formula, whether it was doubling him, changing formations, or keeping him guessing.

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Are we going by overall records here after only two weeks, or by actual power rankings? Because there is no way teams such as the Texans and Lions should be on this list. Might as well just go include the Bills as a "top 10 team" because of their 2-0 record.

The Texans and Lions being better than the Steelers and Ravens? That's a joke in it's own right.

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The Patriots held Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates to zero catches for the first time in years, eliminating one of the Chargers’ top weapons. While Belichick quipped that the plan was “nothing revolutionary,” it was effective.

For much of the game, safety Patrick Chung was man-to-man on Gates, though he often had deep help. Chung was physical with the playmaker, rarely allowing him off the line.

“They gave us different looks, a combination of things,” said Gates, “making it difficult for me to release off the ball with the defensive end, linebacker and the safety dropping down to help once I released. A lot of funky looks.”

The Patriots have played Gates several times, using many different coverages. This time, they found the right formula, whether it was doubling him, changing formations, or keeping him guessing.

Genius! They used so many players to cover Gates that Vincent Jackson had 175 yards and 2 TDs. Revolutionary!!

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