While the Minnesota Vikings certainly impressed with a 38-26 win against Green Bay in Lambeau Field, the fall of the previously undefeated Denver Broncos has now left just two unbeaten teams remaining in the league.
The Indianapolis Colts eeked past the San Francisco 49ers, 18-14, while the New Orleans Saints survived a late onside-kick and rally by the Atlanta Falcons to remain 7-0.
So, the questions begin to pile on. As Minnesota takes it’s 7-1 record into a bye week, will the two unbeatens go to 8-0, will Denver drop it’s second in a row, and which other team will be in the mix?
The Pittsburgh Steelers get the first crack at staying in the top five with a battle against the Denver Broncos in Week Nine. But before we start debating about that and other games, take a look at where each team stands in this week’s rankings:
1. New Orleans Saints (7-0)
The Falcons gave them a good fight, but it took field goal and an onside kick to get this team even remotely ruffled. Is it just me, or could they really go 16-0?
2. Indianapolis Colts (7-0)
When the offense isn’t on top of things, the defense steps it up. That’s what you’ve got to love about this team. Still, isn’t it a bit interesting that this team could have dropped to 6-1 by the hands on the San Francisco 49ers?
3. Minnesota Vikings (7-1)
People need to stop doubting this team. The defense shut the Packers down for over a half of football, and then stepped it up when it mattered most. Is there any question anymore of Brett Favre’s value to this team?
4. Denver Broncos (6-1)
They didn’t even show up against the Baltimore Ravens. Now they get an even stiffer test with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)
They needed that bye week to get fully rested. Now comes a huge match-up with the Denver Broncos.
6. New England Patriots (5-2)
The Patriots are riding high after two huge blowout wins against week competition. Do they do the same to the Miami Dolphins, or will they be overly confident?
7. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)
Cedric Benson and co. need to get ready for a huge division game against the 4-3 Baltimore Ravens. With the Steelers neck-and-neck with them at 5-2, Cincy can ill afford to lose.
8. Dallas Cowboys (5-2)
The Cowboys are picking up steam at just the right time. If they can get past Philadelphia this week without any major problems, the division could be theirs to lose.
9. Houston Texans (5-3)
That was a big win over the Bills. Sure, Buffalo isn’t an elite opponent, but they were the deciding factor between this Texans team just being a .500 team, or a team that can actually scare some people. News flash: they’re good.
10. Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)
We’re back to that inconsistent Eagles team that makes you change your mind on their ability every single week. They looked extremely sharp in an absolutely dominating performance over the Giants, and are now playing for the top spot in the division against the Cowboys this week.
11. New York Giants (5-3)
The Giants have lost three straight, while Eli Manning has reverted to the way he played before he won a Super Bowl. His six picks in his last three games tell you that this offense is lost right now.
12. Baltimore Ravens (4-3)
What an outstanding win. The Ravens came out fired-up and ready to the undefeated Broncos, and completely smashed them into the ground. The only question is, was that a one-game tirade, or is this team ready to go after this division?
13. Atlanta Falcons (4-3)
How quickly the elite become average. Atlanta got the ground game going and simply fell out of this game with poor decision-making and some bad luck. They can probably kiss the division good-bye, but they’re still a good football team.
14. Arizona Cardinals (4-3)
I don’t know how he did it so casually, but Kurt Warner found a way to brush off five interceptions. Regardless of what he says, that kind of a performance can’t happen from a team that is supposedly a Super Bowl contender.
15. San Diego Chargers (4-3)
They barely got past Oakland, and now sit at an unimpressive 4-3. How can a team with so much talent continue to be so average? A battle this week with the New York Giants this week will go a long way in telling where both teams stand.
16. Green Bay Packers (4-3)
Green Bay is undefeated against the likes of Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago, and Cleveland, while going 0-3 against the Bengals and Vikings. That really says it all.
17. Chicago Bears (4-3)
Matt Forte finally got some tread and Chicago won convincingly. Go figure. If the Bears put more emphasis on running the ball, they could still take second place from Green Bay in the NFC North.
18. New York Jets (4-4)
If Jets fans and experts alike could all sit back and reflect, they’d all agree that 4-4 is where this team should be. Mark Sanchez has turned things around and is playing good football again. They just don’t have the Dolphins’ number this year.
19. Miami Dolphins (3-4)
This Miami team is so well-coached and explosive, that it’s hard to believe they aren’t above .500. Honestly, is there a more exciting 3-4 team in the NFL to watch?
20. San Francisco 49ers (3-4)
Okay, so they’ve dropped three straight games. If we’re searching for positives, at least they played an undefeated Colts team extremely tough, and Alex Smith still appears to be an upgrade over Shaun Hill. A match with the 1-6 Titans should cure them of their losing streak.
21. Carolina Panthers (3-4)
They’re finally starting to get it. Their formula for success is to pound the ball and play good defense. That was a terrific showing against a good Arizona offense. If they can get to 4-4, we just might have a quiet wild card contender.
22. Buffalo Bills (3-5)
Just when you thought this team had fight left in them, they get blown-out, 31-10. Hey, at least Terrell Owens found the end-zone, right?
23. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4)
The Titans didn’t save their season by dominating the Jaguars, but they sure may have just killed Jacksonville’s. What a poor showing against a winless team.
24. Seattle Seahawks (2-5)
Releasing Edgerrin James was the final admission to what everyone else already knew: Seattle can’t run the ball.
25. Oakland Raiders (2-6)
Jamarcus Russell played awful (yet again) and was quoted as saying he felt he “did pretty good”. Maybe that’s what is wrong with this team: everyone is in denial.
26. Kansas City Chiefs (1-6)
Larry Johnson is suspended for this week’s game, and Jamaal Charles finally gets his chance. On a scale from one to -100, how un-excited are you?
27. Washington Redskins (2-5)
You thought Washington has it bad before? Now they have Atlanta in Week Nine, followed by a brutal schedule of Denver, Dallas, Philadelphia, and New Orleans. Can you say lost season?
28. Tennessee Titans (1-6)
Chris Johnson continues to show that elite running backs can function on horrible teams. But even more important than that, why do I get a feeling that Vince Young is about to lead this team on a wild win streak?
29. St. Louis Rams (1-7)
And then there was one. The Rams finally got their first win of the season, leaving the lonely Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only team without a victory. And all the credit goes to Steven Jackson. Seriously, without this guy, would the Rams even move the ball?
30. Detroit Lions (1-6)
All Matthew Stafford could do is shake his head as the Lions lost to a team (Rams) that was actually worse than they were. That’s what happens when the opposition has Steve Jackson and you have zero talent on your roster.
31. Cleveland Browns (1-7)
The Browns fired their GM and Eric Mangini had to pretend like he wasn’t next. How close is Cleveland to just dumping this entire roster and starting over?
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-7)
Does Josh Freeman stand a chance against an angry Green Bay defense? Sure, they got blasted by Minnesota, but their numbers against weak opponents are solid enough to make all of Tampa Bay lose sleep on Saturday night.
