Power Ratings
By Jerry DiPaola

1. Colts - Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy are great talents, hard-working soldiers and good citizens. How can that combination not succeed?

2. Patriots - Three in a row? Four of five? Why not just name Bill Belichick commissioner?

3. Falcons - Why look so surprised? They scored 47 points in a playoff game last season.

4. Ravens - If Kyle Boller flourishes, Brian Billick for coach of the year. 5. Eagles - How can they go to a fifth consecutive NFC title game with so much turmoil?

6. Panthers - The defense might be the best in the league. Now, Steve Smith's return to health gives Carolina a deep threat.

7. Jets - Give them a decent field-goal kicker and they are one step short of the Patriots.

8. Steelers - As long as he keeps his helmets on, Ben will be OK; but Staley's knee and a little bit of age on defense might indicate trouble.

9. Cowboys - Run, Julius, run. Otherwise, 33-year-old Drew Bledsoe must find a way to keep 64-year-old Bill Parcells interested.

10. Chiefs - Can Kendrell Bell do for the Chiefs' defense what he did for the Steelers in his rookie season?

11. Vikings - Additions on defense - not the deletion of Randy Moss - make the biggest difference.

12. Chargers - At least Marty Schottenheimer knows how to win in the regular season.

13. Lions - There is too much young talent on offense for the Lions to fail - unless Joey Harrington isn't as good as advertised.

14. Jaguars - Fred Taylor's questionable health in his seventh season keeps Jacksonville from soaring higher.

15. Bengals - A team to fear, but the Bengals' biggest problem is playing in a tough division.

16. Broncos - Mike Shanahan makes everyone believe he is a smart guy, but how about winning a playoff game once in a while?

17. Packers - Brett Favre is a master of many tricks, but he can't play defense. That's what Green Bay really needs.

18. Seahawks - Seattle was busy in free agency, and the defense might be better for it.

19. Bills - There were questions about J.P. Losman when he was a draft prospect. Now he's a starting quarterback a little more than a year later. Uh-oh.

20. Cardinals - Dennis Green knows how to build a winning team and he has a small collection of good players who might make it possible.

21. Bears - Cedric Benson and Muhsin Muhammad give Chicago some long overdue offensive punch, but losing Rex Grossman hurts.

22. Saints - New Orleans is usually one of the worst teams in the NFL in terms of penalties, turnovers and mental mistakes. But they're good at missing the playoffs.

23. Raiders - Kerry Collins has the arm, Randy Moss has the hands and legs, but Oakland doesn't have the defense.

24. Rams - One defender remains from a team that went to the Super Bowl after the 2001 season. Marc Bulger can't carry St. Louis by himself.

25. Giants - Look for Plaxico Burress and Eli Manning to turn into a potent combination, but the run defense will be a problem.

26. Titans - The addition of Travis Henry helps, but Steve McNair seriously considered retirement this off-season and is on his last legs.

27. Texans - Dom Capers knows how to play good defense and how to win, but he needs better players to make both happen.

28. Buccaneers - Can a Super Bowl champion follow that up with three consecutive losing seasons? Just watch Tampa Bay.

29. Dolphins - There are remnants of a good team here, but the quarterbacks are A.J. Feeley and Gus Frerotte.

30. Redskins - Patrick Ramsey runs the offense, but Joe Gibbs really wants something else.

31. Browns - There is too much work to do in two key areas - the offensive line and defense - for Cleveland to make much of an impact this season. 32. 49ers - The quarterback is a rookie (No. 1 pick Alex Smith) who has few offensive weapons to ease his transition.