2. New York Jets, 5-1 (3) – The Jets benefited from a late face-masking call and found a way to beat the Broncos in Denver. LaDanian Tomlinson is proving his doubters wrong. The team gets their bye this week, and then they host the Packers who play the Vikings this Sunday night.
3. New England Patriots, 4-1 (4) – New England answered the Ravens’ challenge and put away a good team at home. Not having Randy Moss didn’t mean much. The Patriot rush defense can be good when it wants to be. They travel across the country to take on a struggling Charger squad.
4. Philadelphia Eagles, 4-2 (10) – The Eagles are playing like the best team in the NFC. They handled Atlanta, who had been playing the best football in the NFC. DeSean Jackson’s health is a concern. Kevin Kolb is playing well in relief of Michael Vick. It’s going to be hard for Philly to keep both qbs come season’s end.
5. Indianapolis Colts, 4-2 (6) – Indy held off the Redskins in Washington. Peyton Manning has a knack for sneaking out close game. They go into their bye week preparing for the Houston Texans. Obviously, the Colts have revenge on their minds.
6. Baltimore Ravens, 4-2 (2) – Just when the Ravens start to look like the League’s best team, they blow a lead at New England and lose in overtime. Ray Rice and company never found traction in the ground game. They get Buffalo at home this week, which has the makings of a blowout.
7. Tennessee Titans, 4-2 (11) – Tennessee looks better and better each week. Even without Vince Young, the Titans were still productive on offense. It helped having David Garrard go down with an injury, but it probably wouldn’t have mattered. This is a hard hitting football team.
8. Atlanta Falcons, 4-2 (5) – The Falcons quietly made their way up the power rankings, only to get throttled by the Eagles in Philadelphia. The game was over almost as soon as it started. They get Cincy at home, who is coming off their bye. The Falcons need to get their rushing game rolling again.
9. New Orleans Saints, 4-2 (12) – Don’t throw dirt on the Saints’ coffin yet. They bounced back from their 1-2 run over the last 3 games by shellacking the Bucs in Tampa. While the offense hasn’t been up to par, the New Orleans defense has been very good so far. They get an improving Browns team at the Super Dome this week.
10. New York Giants, 4-2 (13) – The Giants keep playing well, especially their defense. The NFC East is starting to look like the best division in the NFC, which is a big turnaround from the start of the season. The Giants head to the Big D to battle the Cowboys on Monday night.
11. Houston Texans, 4-2 (16) – Houston bounced back from their loss to the Giants by slipping by the Chiefs at home. Arian Foster has turned into one of the best backs in the NFL, and Matt Schaub is always tough. The Texan defense needs to get back on track. They get their bye this week to recharge their collective battery.
12. Chicago Bears, 4-2 (7) – The Bears looked awful at home against the Seahawks. For a team that’s usually good at Soldier Field, they got outplayed by Seattle. Jay Cutler’s inaccuracy is worrisome, but he doesn’t have much of a receiving corps to throw to. The stingy Bear defense didn’t have any answers.
13. Kansas City Chiefs, 3-2 (8) – The Chiefs lost their second straight at Houston. The offense did their job, but the defense was gashed. They’ll try to avoid a 3 game slide when they welcome Jacksonville this Sunday.
14. Miami Dolphins, 3-2 (24) – Miami came out of their bye with a big win at Green Bay. The Dolphins are the forgotten team in the AFC East, though they have the talent to be in the playoff picture all season long. When their running game gets going, they’re tough to stop. The going gets tougher this week when Pittsburgh comes to South Beach.
15. Green Bay Packers, 3-3 (9) – Green Bay keeps sliding. It’s hard not to feel bad for the Pack, considering all of their injuries. But they have to figure out a way to put some wins together – there’s a lot of season left. They have a big game against the Vikings this Sunday night.
16. Washington Redskins, 3-3 (14) – They almost clipped the Colts at home, but Washington fell just short. The rush defense was run over by Indy, and truth be told, their rush defense has been porous all season long. Luckily for the ‘Skins, they get to play one of the League’s worst offenses this week when they take on the Bears.
17. Seattle Seahawks, 3-2 (25) – The Seahawks picked up a rare road win at Soldier Field. They outplayed the Bears and deserved to win. With San Francisco struggling this year, the Seahawks might be the team to beat out West. They host Arizona this week in a game that surprisingly matters.
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 3-2 (15) – After beating the Bengals in Cincinnati, the Bucs got hammered at home by the Saints. Nevertheless, Tampa is still 3-2 and has to be feeling good about where they’re at this year. They host the upstart Rams this week.
19. Minnesota Vikings, 2-3 (21) – Even though the Vikings managed to beat the Cowboys, the Minnesota offense has some serious problems. With all of the talent on that side of the ball, there’s no excuse for gaining less than 200 yards at home. But if they can find a way to win at Green Bay, they’ll be in pretty good shape in the NFC North.
20. Arizona Cardinals, 3-2 (18) – The Cards had the week off after their big win over New Orleans. Even though they’ve struggled this year, Arizona is still better than .500. They travel to Seattle to take on a division rival. The question is, who’s the team’s starting quarterback?
21. Jacksonville Jaguars, 3-3 (17) – As soon as the Jags go up, they come back down. Trent Edwards was serviceable against Tennessee, but Jacksonville needs Garrard to lead this team. The Jaguar defense has been ok so far, but the offense is horribly inconsistent.
22. Cincinnati Bengals, 2-3 (19) – The Bengals’ bye came at an opportune time. Cincy has been a disappointment this year, minus their shocking win over Baltimore a few weeks ago. Terrell Owens is starting to come around, which helps. But something seems lacking with the Bengals’ offense.
23. St. Louis Rams, 3-3 (27) – How ‘bout the Rams? They took down the Chargers at home to make it back to .500. Sam Bradford looks to be the way of the future in St. Louis. And the Rams’ defense did their job, holding San Diego to just 17 points. They’re very much a part of the NFC West race, but that isn’t saying much. They travel to Tampa this week.
24. Denver Broncos, 2-4 (23) – The poor Broncos. They played their butts off against the Jets but came up just short. Tim Tebow scored his first NFL touchdown, which surely won’t be his last. Denver is a dangerous team – just ask Tennessee. They get the hapless Raiders this week.
25. San Diego Chargers, 2-4 (20) – It’s still somewhat early, but the Chargers should be worried. They’re 2-4 overall and 0-4 on the road. Like the Cowboys, the Chargers have been in all of their games, but just can’t find ways to win. That needs to change if they hope to be playing in January. They have a tough test with New England coming to town.
26. Dallas Cowboys, 1-4 (22) – Jerry Jones continues to defend Wade Phillips, but if the Cowboys keep losing, how long will that last? They played well enough to win at Minnesota, but mistakes and special teams cost them. On the bright side, Dez Bryant is looking like a top notch receiver already. However, he alligator-armed an important 3rd down late in the game when he heard Chad Greenway’s footsteps. That needs to change.
27. Oakland Raiders, 2-4 (26) – Oakland lost the Battle of the Bay to their cross-town rivals, the 49ers. The Raiders never managed to get into the endzone, and a late Vernon Davis touchdown sealed Oakland’s fate. They’ll try to right the ship in Denver this week.
28. Detroit Lions, 1-5 (29) – Even though they’re 1-5, Detroit is going in the right direction. They lost to the Giants in New York, but they still covered the spread. The Lions are actually 5-1 against the spread this year. Calvin Johnson might be the best receiver in the NFL. They get their bye this week.
29. San Francisco 49ers, 1-5 (30) – Finally, the Niners won a game. It took playing the Raiders at home, but hey, a win’s a win. The San Fran defense was awesome against Oakland, holding them to under 180 yards of offense. Mike Singletary’s bunch heads out to Carolina this week where the Niners could easily pick up their second win of the season.
30. Cleveland Browns, 1-5 (28) – Colt McCoy gave a nice effort against Pittsburgh. He hung in there for the whole game, and nearly put up 300 yards on one of the League’s elite defenses. It’ll be interesting to see how Eric Mangini handles his quarterback situation. They take on the defending champs in New Orleans this week.
31. Carolina Panthers, 0-5 (31) – Like the Bills, Carolina had a bye this past week. And like the Bills, Carolina didn’t lose for the first time all year. Maybe the Panthers can come out with renewed energy and pick up their first win of the season against San Francisco. But probably not.
32. Buffalo Bills, 0-5 (32) – Buffalo had a week off to prepare for the Baltimore Ravens. It’s hard to imagine the Bills giving them a game, especially in Baltimore, but that’s why they play the game. You just never know.
