1. (6-0)

They were down against the but managed to take control in the second half. New Orleans finally gets their first divisional test against the this Sunday.

2. (6-0)

Indianapolis played the role of bully against the helpless , but Peyton Manning and co. seem to do that every week against any opponent.

3. (6-0)

“Haters” should stop “hating.” It’s hard to question anything they’re doing right now. Heck, Kyle Orton is outplaying Jay Cutler. Everything must be going right.

4. (5-2)

How do you overcome a rough start? Beat two teams with no wins. Hey, New England took advantage of the schedule they were given and that could help spark their season moving forward.

5. (6-1)

They finally got their first loss to the last Sunday, but everyone is talking about Brett Favre’s return to Lambeau Field this Sunday. Last time these two teams played each other, Minnesota’s defense terrorized Aaron Rodgers. Will history repeat itself?

6. (5-2)

Cedric Benson is the NFL’s leading rusher, Carson Palmer looks like he’s in a groove, and Chad Ochocinco looks like his old, fun-loving self. Oh, and Cincinnati’s defense is solid. Face it, they have a team that could make a nice run.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)

Pittsburgh has now won four straight games after starting 1-2. Against Minnesota, it was their defense that sealed the deal, returning an interception and a fumble for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

8. Arizona Cardinals (4-2)

Arizona is starting to get into a nice rhythm and could easily take back control of the AFC West. Beating the Giants on the road last Sunday was a season-changing victory.

9. (5-2)

Maybe New York is not as good as we thought earlier on in the season. They were beating up on inferior opponents before being shellacked by New Orleans and losing a tough one to the Arizona Cardinals.

10. (4-2)

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Where did they come from? Is Miles Austin really the medicine that has cured Dallas’ funk on offense? So far, it looks like he is.

11. (4-2)

A good bounce back win against the lowly . One thing we learned in that game: DeSean Jackson is already one of the most dynamic receivers in the league with less than two seasons under his belt.

12. (4-2)

Green Bay has beat up on some bad teams this year (, St. Louis, and ). But, they’ve beaten who they should beat and that matters in the NFL.

13. Atlanta Falcons (4-2)

Hmm. Atlanta is an enigma. At times, they look like NFC front runners, but at other times, they look like just another mediocre team. And they looked mediocre against Dallas last Sunday.

14. (4-3)

Who really cares about the whole Mark Sanchez-hot dog thing? I wonder who…(coughESPNcough)… Seriously, the Jets needed an error-free effort from Sanchez and they got one against the schizophrenic .

15. (4-3)

A lot of people bought into Houston before the season, including yours truly. Last week, they finally showed us why we liked them (sans the near come back from the ).

16. (3-3)

After losing the momentum they started the season with, Baltimore got a much needed bye week. Next up, 6-0 Denver. Could they be the team that finally knocks off Josh McDaniels’ crew?

17. San Francisco 49ers (3-3)

What was that I saw last Sunday? San Francisco has a an ACTUAL passing game? And it’s lead by that bust Alex Smith? It looks like Smith might just be the right person to get them back into the NFC playoff picture.

18. (3-3)

Congrats on beating the ! As a sign of gratitude, San Diego gets to square off against Oakland this coming Sunday. Hey, we should celebrate the easy victories. Lord knows that’s all San Diego can get right now.

19. (3-3)

All those high expectations went out the window following a 45-10 beating from Cincinnati. Add that in with all the hype surrounding former Bears Kyle Orton and Cedric Benson’s play and that loss couldn’t come at a worse time. It just might have unofficially knocked them out of the post season.

20. (3-4)

Buffalo’s defense has played lights out the past two weeks, and it’s bought Dick Jauron some more time before his inevitable exit. Unfortunately, they get red hot Houston next.

21. Miami Dolphins (2-4)

When you have New Orleans against the ropes like Miami did, you have to finish them off. However, Miami is mentally tough enough to answer the call next time.

22. (3-3)

Jacksonville is a young team in transition. One thing they need to improve is their defense. Once that starts to pick up, they can get back to their post season form from two years ago. Unfortunately, that might not happen this year.

23. (2-4)

Where is this team going to go? Seattle’s two impressive outings came against St. Louis, the worst team in the league, and a young team in Jacksonville. Other than that, they seem like a non-factor.

24. (2-4)

Even though Jake Delhomme is playing awful football, can Carolina afford to bench him? After signing him to a big extension in the offseason, I guess not.

25. Washington Redskins (2-5)

According to head coach Jim Zorn, new play caller Sherman Lewis had hoped to take more shots down field. The only problem was Washington turned the ball over four times to Philadelphia. I guess nothing seems to go right.

26. Oakland Raiders (2-5)

Way to kill the buzz. After giving their all and beating Philadelphia the week before, Oakland got smacked by the Jets last Sunday.

27. Detroit Lions (1-5)

The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time, helping Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson heal up. Detroit gets to face St. Louis, who is looking to match Detroit’s 0-16 campaign from last season.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (1-6)

Kansas City goes into their bye week probably wondering if their big offseason acquisition Matt Cassel is as good as they thought. Now, Larry Johnson is in hot water over using gay slurs to describe head coach Todd Haley. Oh boy!

29. Cleveland Browns (1-6)

Derek Anderson is statistically the worst quarterback in football yet Eric Mangini is in full support of him because he claims Anderson moves Cleveland’s offense down field more. When did gaining 139 total yards against Green Bay qualify as moving the ball down field? That might have cut it in 1939 but not 2009.

30. (0-6)

The Vince Young era version two starts Sunday against Jacksonville. Hey, when you’re 0-6, it’s time to see what Young can give you. This will be his last chance to prove he can lead the franchise.

31. (0-7)

Enter Josh Freeman. The rookie will get his chance to give Tampa Bay their first victory of the season against Green Bay. Yeeeeeaaaah…good luck with that.

32. St. Louis Rams (0-7)

As mentioned earlier, if they lose to Detroit, St. Louis has a great chance to go 0-16. Ha! And you thought there was parity in the NFL.

Share