1. New Orleans Saints (6-0)
After pounding the New York Giants, New Orleans has shown they have a complete team to go with their explosive offense. Drew Brees is in rare form, so stopping him will not be an easy task.
2. Denver Broncos (6-0)
Denver has outscored their opponent 76-10 in the second half this season. They went from being a disaster, to a fluke, to a solid team, to an AFC contender in a matter of weeks.
3. Indianapolis Colts (5-0)
Apparently, the schedule makers gave Indianapolis an extra bye week. They follow up their week six bye with a showdown against the St. Louis Rams in week seven.
4. Minnesota Vikings (6-0)
That was a close one against the Baltimore Ravens, but Minnesota was able to squeeze one out. They get a tough test coming up against the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
5. New England Patriots (4-2)
Granted, it was against the Tennesse Titans, but Tom Brady and the New England offense was clicking in “2007 proportions.” Uh oh! And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are next on the schedule.
6. New York Giants (5-1)
You can’t win ‘em all. But not registering a sack on Drew Brees had to be a tough one to swallow for a blitz happy defense.
7. Atlanta Falcons (4-1)
While this team seems to have all the pieces and is managing to win games, Atlanta hasn’t really separated themselves as a top tier team in the NFC. Luckily, they have 11 more games to sort that out.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)
They beat the lowly Cleveland Browns despite coughing up the ball four times. But a win is a win, and Pittsbugh has been quietly climbing out of that 1-2 hole from earlier this season.
9. Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)
Cincinnati’s four game winning street came to end last week. Antwan Odom, the team’s leader in sacks with eight, is now out for the season with a torn Achilles’ tendon. Take away his sacks, and they have only registered eight as a defense.
10. Philadelphia Eagles (3-2)
They looked completely out of sync and got beat by an inferior team as a result. Hopefully, they stay awake against the Washington Redskins on Monday night.
11. Baltimore Ravens (3-3)
Baltimore has lost three straight after starting the season at 3-0. Still, they were impressive in their 33-31 loss to Minnesota, overcoming a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take the lead at one point.
12. Green Bay Packers (3-2)
Green Bay had a complete game against the Detroit Lions, but their offensive line remains a major concern. Detroit was able to register five sacks against Aaron Rodgers.
13. Chicago Bears (3-2)
Redzone miscues cost Chicago a win against Atlanta. Matt Forte has been a non-factor this season. Is it a sophomore slump or poor run blocking? Maybe a bit of both.
14. Arizona Cardinals (3-2)
They came out of the bye week with a 27-3 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Good things happen when Larry Fitzgerald catches 13-of-15 targets that come his way.
15. San Francisco 49ers (3-2)
Mike Singletary probably used the bye week to rally his troops after they were humiliated by Atlanta. Michael Crabtree will start at receiver after only two weeks of preparation. A little desperation?
16. Miami Dolphins (2-3)
Too high right? Maybe, but Miami lost close games because they couldn’t make big passing plays. Chad Henne will get chances to throw down field off play action because of the wildcat formation.
17. New York Jets (3-3)
Mark Sanchez probably wished those Southwest Airlines commercials came to life after throwing five picks against the Buffalo Bills. The honeymoon period is officially over. Hey rookie, wanna get away?
18. Dallas Cowboys (3-2)
No one knows where this team is going. Dallas isn’t good enough to be an NFC contender, but they aren’t awful either. Maybe replacing Patrick Crayton with Miles Austin could help add a threat to their offense.
19. Houston Texans (3-3)
Matt Schaub was sensational against Cincinnati. Houston’s offense has never been a problem, but it’s their defense that gives up too many big plays at inopportune times.
20. San Diego Chargers (2-3)
Oh boy. What else can you say? San Diego’s window of opportunity has sealed shut. No pass rush, poor coaching, an ineffective L.T., and now shaky pass protection are all factors that have contributed to their downfall.
21. Carolina Panthers (2-3)
Carolina barely beat Tampa Bay and Jake Delhomme has continued to struggle, throwing four touchdowns to 10 interceptions. What’s even worse, Steve Smith is not happy.
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3)
It took overtime to beat St. Louis. Two things we know about Jacksonville so far: their offense can keep them in games, but their defense is not good enough to hold onto leads.
23. Seattle Seahawks (2-4)
Seattle is too inconsistent. They looked like world beaters against Jacksonville but laid an egg against Arizona. Also, injuries have been piling up on them, so maybe it’s good their bye week just started.
24. Buffalo Bills (2-4)
They managed to beat the Jets 16-13 in overtime at the Meadowlands despite allowing 318 rushing yards to the Jets. Buffalo also did it without quarterback Trent Edwards but Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez helped them out.
25. Washington Redskins (2-4)
Jim Zorn’s seat is so hot that grill marks are on his rear. Going 2-4 against six winless teams hasn’t helped his cause. Maybe that’s why Zorn lost his play calling duties to a bingo-caller.
26. Oakland Raiders (2-4)
Let’s give Oakland credit this week. Their defense made life a living hell for Philadelphia’s offense.
27. Detroit Lions (1-5)
I guess those analysts who pleaded that Daunte Culpepper should have started over Matthew Stafford at the begining of the season had a big plate of crow last Sunday. Stafford and Calvin Johnson are their best weapons on offense, and it showed in their absense against Green Bay.
28. Kansas City Chiefs (1-5)
Kansas City got their first win of the season, but it came against Washington. Pretty good bailout plan for winless teams.
29. Cleveland Browns (1-5)
Derek Anderson should be benched. Brady Quinn has already been benched. It’s so bad that Cleveland should think about putting Josh Cribbs at quarterback.
30. Tennessee Titans (0-6)
Jeff Fisher must be living in a nightmare right now. This team is basically the same 13-3 one from last season with the only major loss being Albert Haynesworth. What went wrong?
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-6)
They nearly beat Carolina and probably should have with the way Jake Delhomme was playing.
32. St. Louis Rams (0-6)
Not to be a downer, but is it possible the Rams could match the Lions by going 0-16 this season? On paper, they have a chance to beat Detroit in week eight or Tennessee in week 14. Too bad Washington isn’t on their schedule.
