Steelers top the power rankings

I just finished my first power rankings of the season. Yeah, I know. It should be a holiday. Here are four highlights, or lowlights, depending on who you root for:

FIRST DOWN:

I thought about putting the Packers on top. In a season that's already upside-down from last year, the Packers are to be commended for being the one steady force. I suppose it helps when you have receivers and a quarterback who puts in the time.

But pending tonight's Saints-49ers game, I have the Packers No. 2 behind Mike Tomlin's Steelers.

I just had to put them on top. If you can get to 2-0 and you've already had to use your fourth-string quarterback, you got some kind of team.

The Steelers got only 43 yards passing out of Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch, but they won at Tennessee. They forced seven turnovers, held Chris Johnson to 34 yards on 16 carries and got Vince Young benched. Wow, is that some kind of defense. Can't wait to watch Pittsburgh play the Ravens.

What the Steelers have done against a good Atlanta team and a talented Tennessee team on the road speaks volumes about how good they can be once Ben Roethlisberger returns from his four-game suspension. It has to be comforting to Tomlin to know that the worst his team will be is 2-2 when Roethlisberger returns.

Of course, we all know that with this No. 1 spot, the Steelers will get thrashed in Tampa. But I like what I see so far.

SECOND DOWN:

Power rankings don't always makes sense to everyone. I really like the Ravens, so I have them No. 4. Meanwhile, I have the Bengals No. 10. Yeah, the Bengals beat the Ravens 15-10 on Sunday, but the Bengals also got embarrassed by the Patriots the week before. So you have to weigh everything.

THIRD DOWN:

Where do you put the Vikings? I think they're capable of being a very good team. They've played winning football defensively, but can get their passing game up to an NFL standard yet. I feel like they can in time, especially if they bring in Vincent Jackson. But they also haven't shown they can do it.

Scheduling obviously makes a huge difference. The Bucs have beaten the Browns and Panthers, two winless teams. But the Chiefs and Bears do have quality wins over the Chargers and Cowboys, respectively.

FOURTH DOWN: