According to ESPN's pre-season power rankings the Steelers are still the team to beat. The Cardinals slide to 12 and the Pats (who really cares anyway) come in "runner-up".
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http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/powerranking
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| RK (LW) | TEAM | REC | COMMENT | |
 | 1 (1) | Steelers | 12-4-0 | They won the Super Bowl. What else do you need to know? (Chadiha) |
 | 2 (2) | Patriots | 11-5-0 | Tom Brady won't throw for 50 TDs, but he has too much firepower to throw for fewer than 30. (Clayton) |
 | 3 (3) | Giants | 12-4-0 | So who is Eli Manning's go-to WR now that Plaxico Burress is gone? Maybe Michael Irvin can offer to make a reality show out of that search. (Clayton) |
 | 4 (4) | Eagles | 9-6-1 | The Eagles' ownership did the right thing giving Donovan McNabb a contract extension. (Clayton) |
 | 5 (5) | Colts | 12-4-0 | Reports of the Colts' demise are exaggerated. Bill Polian and Peyton Manning remain in place. (Kuharsky) |
 | 6 (7) | Chargers | 8-8-0 | The Chargers could have the easiest path to a division title of any team in the league, and that's just being polite. (Kuharsky) |
 | 7 (8) | Titans | 13-3-0 | The second year of Mike Heimerdinger's offense can provide the jump needed to offset their defensive losses. (Kuharsky) |
 | 8 (11) | Falcons | 11-5-0 | With a healthy line, this offense should know no bounds with Tony Gonzalez joining Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and Co. (Sando) |
 | 9 (14) | Vikings | 10-6-0 | They're ranked this high in anticipation of Brett Favre joining them. (Chadiha) |
 | 10 (6) | Ravens | 11-5-0 | The Ravens lost OLB Bart Scott, WR Derrick Mason and D-coordinator Rex Ryan. Expect a decline. (Chadiha) |
 | 11 (10) | Panthers | 12-4-0 | Power rankings voters are still trying to shake visions of Jake Delhomme tossing all of those INTs in the playoffs. (Sando) |
 | 12 (9) | Cardinals | 9-7-0 | The defending NFC champs barely crack the top 12 and that came only with an assist from their generous divisional blogger. No respect. (Sando) |
 | 13 (12) | Bears | 9-7-0 | Jay Cutler can't do it alone. The Bears need to show they have legitimate WRs before they enter the top 10. (Chadiha) |
 | 14 (13) | Cowboys | 9-7-0 | Tony Romo dumped Jessica Simpson. Jerry Jones dumped T.O. Maybe the Cowboys can concentrate on football. (Clayton) |
 | 15 (15) | Dolphins | 11-5-0 | Many teams that go from worst to first experience a three-game drop the next season. The Fins are fighting the odds favoring an 8-8 record this fall. (Clayton) |
 | 16 (18) | Texans | 8-8-0 | The Texans have made defensive upgrades, but the secondary remains a concern. (Kuharsky) |
 | 17 (17) | Packers | 6-10-0 | A lousy defense in 2008 is switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 this fall. Don't expect a quick turnaround. (Chadiha) |
 | 18 (22) | Seahawks | 4-12-0 | Matt Hasselbeck's back held up through minicamps and OTAs, the first small step toward Seattle moving up in the rankings. (Sando) |
 | 19 (16) | Saints | 8-8-0 | One of the NFL's oldest teams needs better luck with injuries to rebound and contend for the division crown. (Sando) |
 | 20 (19) | Redskins | 8-8-0 | The Redskins made the best free-agent signing in DT Albert Haynesworth. They need a better offense to make the playoffs. (Clayton) |
 | 21 (21) | Bills | 7-9-0 | T.O. should be good for double-digit TDs. Trent Edwards must cope with double-digit headaches and one-sided shouting matches. (Clayton) |
 | 22 (26) | 49ers | 7-9-0 | First-round draft choice WR Michael Crabtree gets a training camp crash course after rehabbing a foot injury. (Sando) |
 | 23 (20) | Jets | 9-7-0 | New coach Rex Ryan will make the defense better, but expect the offense to struggle as the Mark Sanchez era begins. (Clayton) |
 | 24 (23) | Bengals | 4-11-1 | Big question: Can Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco become a dangerous duo once again? (Chadiha) |
 | 25 (24) | Jaguars | 5-11-0 | The Jags made good strides in adding youth and character, but that will take a while to translate into victories. (Kuharsky) |
 | 26 (27) | Buccaneers | 9-7-0 | The Bucs have fallen faster than any team this offseason, but they don't have to be this bad. Steady play at QB would fix a lot. (Sando) |
 | 27 (25) | Broncos | 8-8-0 | Maybe the Broncos' changes actually are ingenious and they're on the upswing, but it's hard to see it. (Kuharsky) |
 | 28 (28) | Browns | 4-12-0 | The same Rob Ryan who did a dismal job of running the Raiders' D is in charge of the Browns' unit. This can't be encouraging. (Chadiha) |
 | 29 (29) | Chiefs | 2-14-0 | It's hard to forecast a quick turnaround, but it's happened before when there's good leadership in place. (Kuharsky) |
 | 30 (30) | Raiders | 5-11-0 | The Raiders seem dysfunctional on many levels, but Denver and K.C. might be in their range. (Kuharsky) |
 | 31 (31) | Rams | 2-14-0 | The Rams' projected starting O-linemen earned the highest average Madden 2010 ratings in the division. Hmmm. (Sando) |
 | 32 (32) | Lions | 0-16-0 | The Lions lost every game last season. What else do you need to know? (Chadiha) |
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Steelers no longer favored to win superbowl