The Shark's Six-Pack Through Week 3

Week three is in the books and what a week it was! Ten or more underdog teams covered last weekend turning the NFL and my Six-Pack upside down. Check back every Tuesday to see if your team has climbed into my top six or if there were any significant changes in the rankings.

The rankings are based on offensive/defensive statistics, but more importantly these rankings are based off our fans and my personal opinions each week. Your voice is heard on Football.com, so get your two cents in and enjoy one on the Shark -- the Shark’s Six-Pack every Tuesday.
 
AFC

1.    New England Patriots (3-0) -- The Patriots, led by Tom Brady and Randy Moss, are on fire and once again hit the 30 point mark as they cruised past the Buffalo Bills Sunday. After the Bills took the lead early 7-3, the Patriots defense awoke, allowing the Bills a mere 104 yards of offense for the rest of the game.

2.    Indianapolis Colts (3-0) -- The Colts are off and running again led by Peyton Manning and co. The defense that many thought was the weak point has sure played well to start the season. Led by Bob Sanders, the Indy defense has been stifling and last week against the Houston Texans only allowed 50 yards rushing. We all know that Indy has the offense, but with this defense and the way they are playing right now, this team may get a chance to defend their title in Arizona.

3.    Pittsburg Steelers (3-0) -- The Steelers are looking impressive, but have yet to play a team with a shot at the playoffs this year. And with Arizona this week, it looks like we will have to wait and see if these Steelers deserve a three spot in the Shark’s Six-Pack. The Steelers are getting better play from Big Ben this year and fast Willie Parker has ignited the run game. With the defense still one of the best in the NFL, the Steelers are a force to be reckoned with.

4.    Tennessee Titans (2-1) -- The Titans are looking strong to start the 2007 season, and with an impressive win last night against the Saints, they have won eight of their last ten games with their only two losses during this span coming to New England and Indy. Vince Young is rapidly maturing before our eyes and the stud quarterback is getting solid play from a young receiving unit. The Titans schedule is just brutal from here on out, let’s see how Young and the tough Tennessee defense holds up during this stretch.

5.    Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1) -- The Jaguars held the Broncos to just 265 yards Sunday and seemed to get their struggling run game going. David Garrard has stepped up his play over the last two weeks and with the defense finally coming around the Jags are proving to be a tough out in the AFC.

6.    Denver Broncos (2-1) -- The six spot in the AFC this week was a toss up between Denver, San Diego and Houston. The Chargers would have gotten this slot if they would not have given up 400 plus yards of offense Sunday in Green Bay. Playing without Andre Johnson Sunday, the Texans looked out of synch against Indy and Peyton Manning. The Texans were held to just 50 yards on the ground and never got going with the passing game. Denver looked just as bad as San Diego and Houston, but had the best chance to win and this is why they take the sixth spot this week. Denver has a huge game Sunday against Indy -- let’s see if the Jay Cutler led Broncos rise or fall off the Shark’s Six-Pack.

NFC

1.    Dallas Cowboys (3-0) -- The Dallas offense is clicking and with the defense getting better each week, watch out New England. Tony Romo’s play has been MVP caliber and with Terrell Owens, Jason Witten and Marion Barber in mid-season form this offense is just sick. Mark your calendar for the week six matchup against New England.

2.    Green Bay Packers (3-0) -- Brett Favre is on fire and the defense is for real, this is a scary combination for the opposition and the rest of the NFC Central. The Packers have taken down three playoff teams from last year and have not lost a game since week 13 of last year.

3.    Seattle Seahawks (2-1) -- The Seahawks came back to beat the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday at home, but allowed 412 yards to Carson Palmer and co. With Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander clicking early, look for this offense to continue its dominance, but the defense needs to step it up a notch for this team to be a real contender again. 

4.    Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) -- One of the more surprising teams this year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are finding their groove and are quietly becoming one of the tougher outs in the NFC. The Buccaneers’ defense and Barrett Rudd are playing out of this world. Tampa Bay has surprisingly gotten sound play from their offensive line that has created opportunities for Cadillac Williams and Jeff Garcia this year. Let’s see if this continues.

5.    Carolina Panthers (2-1) -- The Panthers were lit-up by Joey Harrington and the Atlanta passing game Sunday and may have gotten a “w,” but this team has to get back to playing that Carolina brand of defense. With the run game back on track, look for the Carolina offense led by Steve Smith to continue to improve each week.

6.    Detroit Lions (2-1) -- Some of you may see this as a lofty position in The Shark Six-Pack rankings, but the Detroit offense has been nearly unstoppable this year and if the Lions can get better play from their secondary, this team does have a shot at 10 wins and a playoff appearance. Sunday's game against the Bears is huge for Detroit and will show us how good this squad really is. It was a toss up between Chicago and Detroit but with the Bears beat up on defense and without any identity on offense, the Lions got the shout-out this week. However, Chicago should be starting Brian Griese Sunday and the Monster's of the Midway could be back in the six-pack next week if they can find some offense. I think it is going to take the Bears a few more weeks to get it going no matter who their quarterback is but if Griese, the former Pro Bowler can perform coming out of the gate, this team is going to challenge Dallas and Green Bay for the top spot in the NFC. Stay tuned as this one is going to get interesting.

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