Another fantastic weekend in the NFL, culminating in a stranger-than-fiction Monday Night affair down in the Big Easy.  I have to say, as there is no doubt that there is some odd mojo (or voodoo) floating through the consciousness of New Orleans, it is not surprising that their football club often has to contend with unusually strange ways to be defeated.  Monday Night’s game couldn’t have been weirder, especially with Reggie Bush’s two punts returned for touchdowns, with a third TD just a lost-footing stumble out of his reach. 

To be honest, I drifted off to sleep in the final few minutes of the game and was shocked this morning when I learned that the Saints had actually lost.  There is a lot to like about both of these teams, with their talent, cool uniforms, and rather humble collective demeanor, so it was hard to root for either team in particular.  This was one of those matchups in which a true football fan just hoped for a competitive and exciting affair and I don’t think these teams disappointed with their topsy-turvy back and forth contest last night.  While Reggie Bush’s talent gets most of the headlines, his professionalism and humility are two of his strongest attributes.  I hope that both of these teams find success down the road.  Oddly enough, the NFC South has suddenly become a powerhouse Division, with every team save the Saints enjoying a winning record (including the Falcons!) so the Saints will certainly have their work cut out for them as they attempt to make a playoff run.

With that game out the way, we’ll get to the meat of this post, the First Official MIMM NFL Rankings of the season.  While many sports news sites and opinion pages rank-order the teams on a weekly basis, a la college football’s arcane ranking system, here at MIMM we will only issue our rankings three times: at the conclusion of the first quarter of the season, the midway point, and on the outset of the fourth quarter of the season.  Final rankings will only include playoff teams, as where the Rams or Chiefs, for example, stack up after Week 17 is essentially irrelevant.

The other thing to note about what makes the MIMM Rankings different is that these rankings are broken down by Conference.  Why?  Well, as it may be fun to see where one’s favorite team stacks up across the board, the only thing that really matters as far as the playoffs are concerned is how that team compares against other teams in its Conference and Division.  Only six teams from each Conference will make the playoffs, so for obvious reasons, a team’s sole goal should be to end up among the top six teams in their Conference or they’re staying home in ‘09, regardless of whether or not they have a better record than a team in the opposing Conference.

So without further ado:

MIMM First Quarter NFL Rankings, National Conference:

1.  New York Giants (4-0) – The only undefeated team in the NFC, the Giants displayed their dominance of the Conference by absolutely decimating Seattle at home, even without the help of unrepentant suspended wide receiver Plaxico Burress.  Eli is playing like the other Manning circa 2006, but with less fanfare.  So far these guys are the team to beat and will likely be 6-0 by the time they face the Steelers on October 26th.

2. Washington Redskins (4-1) -  The ‘Skins have to occupy the second spot in the Conference, by virtue of their head-to-head victory over one of the other 4-1 teams in the Conference.  Like the Giants, they too are on a 4-0 run and only seem to be getting better with each victory.  Fortunately for them, it seems as though the toughest part of the schedule is behind them, coming out of their road Division games 2-1 and heading into a stretch against the Rams, the Browns, and the Lions.  Their only risk is overconfidence in these upcoming “should-win” games.

3.  Dallas Cowboys (4-1) - The highest-scoring team in the NFL, the Cowboys biggest adversary might be themselves and the lofty expectations they have collectively set for their organization.  They are in desperate need of leadership and focus.  Evidence of this was on display in their near-miss against the Bengals, who, for an 0-5 team, took the Champs to overtime and nearly toppled the ‘Boys as well.  I am not convinced that this team is built for success in the playoffs, and despite their enormous talent, may end up at home in January once again.

4.  Carolina Panthers (4-1) – I haven’t seen any of their games live, but the Panthers have great talent at the QB and WR position and are extremely well coached.

5.  Chicago Bears (3-2) - Who would have thought that Kyle Orton would be playing like he has, putting up gaudy numbers and leading this team to three tough victories?  As the old adage goes, “defense wins championships,” this team will be extraordinarily difficult to beat in the playoffs.  Their losses are a fluky one to Carolina and another at the hands of an inspired Brian Griese doing the comeback tour.  I think they are aberrations, which will be put behind them as they streak ahead towards the halfway point in the season.  Look for them to be coming in strong for the November 9th matchup against the Tennessee Titans.

6.  Tampa Bay (3-2) – While the Bucs technically wouldn’t qualify for the playoffs if they were to be held today, I think that ultimately their defense makes them a superior team than the Greatest Show of Turf Version 2.0.  I am still unconvinced that the Cards can overcome their habitual losing ways, even with proven winner Kurt Warner at the helm, who by the way, seems to be losing a bit of his mental edge after being shell-shocked by the Anquan Boldin injury against the Jets.  As much as I like Warner, I think the Bucs may have more going for them on the other side of the ball.

7.  Arizona (3-2) – With Kurt Warner at QB, the ‘Cards are fun to watch this year.  Their only hope of reaching the playoffs is to maintain control of the bottom-feeding NFC West, a task they should be up to.  They have a huge test this week at home against Dallas and again the next weekend versus Carolina.  They also have to face the Giants and the ‘Hawks at home so their schedule isn’t exactly easy.  The good news is that the rest of their Division also has the Cowboys and the Giants on their schedule so as long as they can stay on top of their Division games, they have a good chance returning to the playoffs for the first time in ten years.  With Warner chucking the ball, I like their chances.  Plus, it would be a neat way for him to end his career after this season, bringing respectability back to tattered franchise.

8.  Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) – The reason the Eagles top the other 2-3 teams is because they beat the Steelers and went toe-to-toe against the NFC-leading Cowboys and Skins.  Considering they are currently at the bottom of the tough NFC East, their chances of making the playoffs are dwindling with each passing week.

9.  Minnesota Vikings (2-3) – I never understood the preseason Superbowl hype surrounding this team, especially considering their quarterback situation.  Obviously Tavaris is no longer the man, but unfortunately Gus, for whom I first gained affection back when he pulled off the first win of the Redskins 1995 campaign as a backup to Congressman Heath Shuler (D-NC), isn’t the answer either.  He is a great backup but has been a backup for most of his career for a reason I am sure.

10.  New Orleans Saints (2-3) - Many deem the Saints the most underachieving team in the league. Like the Cardinals and the Lions, there is just something in their DNA that prevents them winning consistently.  They peaked at the 2006 NFC Championship Game and will likely miss the playoffs this season unless they simply decide to live up to their potential.

11.  Atlanta Falcons (2-3) - Wonderful story that this team, so devastated last year by the antics of Jim Petrino and the crimes of Mike Vick, is putting together a few wins, especially over a respectable opponent like the Green Bay Packers.  A hair below .500 should be considered a success for this team.

12.  Green Bay Packers (2-3) – As much as I love young Aaron’s grit, I think reality is setting in for him and Coach McCarthy.  It is highly likely that this team might not pull off a win until late November.  Prediction check-in:  so far it seems that my prediction of this team going 6-10 might have even been a bit generous.

13. San Francisco (2-3) - Gave the Pats a fight, but 2008 still isn’t their year.  

14.  Seattle Seahawks (1-3) – Amazing how far this team has fallen.  They should pull out a couple of home dates this season but will likely get smooshed by the NFC East.

15.  St. Louis Rams (0-4) – The only reason they’re on top of the Lions is due to their storied past. 

16.  Detroit Lions (0-4) – Forever stinky.  I suggest an off-season uniform change to address their woes.  Worked the ‘Hawks, the Bucs, and the Pats for a while.

MIMM First Quarter NFL Rankings, American Conference:

1.  Tennessee Titans (5-0) – The Titans have demonstrated their “for realness” with wins over solid teams like the Jags, the Vikes and the Ravens.  So far their defense has been superb, especially at creating turnovers.  Despite the weakness of the AFC this season, their toughest games should be against teams in their own Division, like the Colts, who they still haven’t played yet, and the Jags again later in the season.  They have a solid chance of extending this unbeaten streak for quite some time.

2.  Pittsburgh (4-1) – Big Ben has shown incredible toughness in his scrappy wins this season.  Their only loss so far this season came at the hands of the NFC East’s Eagles, but they have the rest of the East to contend with, along with a pretty tough schedule down the stretch.  

3.  Denver (4-1) – The Broncos are 2-1 in the weak AFC West and will likely make the playoffs, but I am not at all sold on this team.  I don’t like their defense and I’m still not convinced that Jay Cutler has the poise to win in the playoffs.

4.  Miami (2-2) – ESPN’s Power Rankings oddly has this team ranked behind both the Chargers and Patriots, although they have beaten them both, one pretty soundly (remember Ronnie Brown?).  They played extremely well against the Jets and easily could have won that game.  I like how Chad Pennington is managing games and obviously their running game is not only effectively, but also pretty groundbreaking in terms of changing the way offense is played in the NFL.  New Prediction Alert: The ‘Fins miss the playoffs but finish at 8-8.

5.  New England (3-1) – This team has struggled against poor opponents, yet I still haven’t seen enough to render a more profound judgement than that.

6.  New York Jets (2-2) – Earlier I predicted that the Jets would finish 11-5, so far I’ve seen nothing to change my mind on that.  Jet Favre will improve as the season progresses, provided he stays healthy, which unsurprisingly seems pretty likely given his resume.

7. Buffalo Bills (4-1) – The Bills have struggled against, and later beaten, some rather mediocre teams.

8.  Indianapolis (2-2) – Who would have thought that the Colts would be standing in the middle of the pack of the inferior AFC?

9.  Jacksonville (2-3) - Despite their record, this team still has a lot of fight in it and could easily make a run during the middle third of the season, especially with dates against both Ohio teams and the team from Michigan.

10.  Baltimore (2-2) - Defense wins championships but Joe Flacco is no Trent Dilfer.

11.  San Diego (2-3) – The New Orleans Saints of the AFC.

12.  Oakland (1-4) – With so many awful teams in the AFC, I’m shocked that there are actually teams that are worse than the Raiders.

13.  Cleveland (1-3) – Will Derek Anderson be traded to Minnesota before the deadline, ushering in the Brady Quinn era?  Probably not the best thing for Quinn’s development.

14.  Houston (0-4) – A legacy of losing for this franchise.  David Carr must be smiling riding the pine at 4-0 in New York.

15.  Cincinnati (0-5) – Even talent like Carson Palmer and Achtzig Funf can’t overcome institutional failure imprinted into this franchise’s DNA.

16.  Kansas City (1-4) – Seems like a nice guy, but how does Herm Edwards continue to get work?

Week 5 MIMM Player of the Week: Reggie Bush.  The young man nearly ran back three punts for touchdowns, virtually single-handedly winning this game for his reeling team.  His performance on Monday night indicated an astonishing ability to shut down the Monkey in his Mind clamoring over the mistakes made by him and his team and focus solely on the task at hand: turning his touch of the football on three separate plays into something magical and awe-inspiring.

Storylines to Watch in Week 6:

• The Redhot-Skins have beaten some good teams, but now it’s time to beat up on some bad teams to prove that they are more than a fluke.
• The Saints are in dire need of a win.  Enter the Raiders.
• Miami looks to crack .500 in Houston.
• Giants will go 5-0 against Cleveland.
• Green Bay continues their losing skid in Seattle.