They aren't the "aint's" anymore.
Two close games, same old ending.
The league’s two undefeated teams, the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, both survived late-game defecits to reach their 8-0 record, and remain unbeaten.
For the rest of the teams and where they rank, read on:
1. New Orleans Saints (8-0)
Make that three straight games the Saints did everything they could to give the game away. Regardless, there’s little doubt that this team’s resilence makes them the best team in football.
2. Indianapolis Colts (8-0)
They’re getting closer and closer to their first loss, and with season ending injuries to Bob Sanders and Marlin Jackson, they’re going to have to play better to keep the streak alive.
3. Minnesota Vikings (7-1)
The Vikings get a double-week bye, as they stay at home to face the 1-7 Detroit Lions. Sure, nothing is literally a “gimme”, but this is pretty darn close.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
They absolutely dominated the Broncos, and showed once again why they are among the elite as they force their style of play on opponents at will.
5. Denver Broncos (6-2)
It seems like forever ago that this team was actually being considered as the best team in football by many. Is it sad that they now need a win over the Washington Redskins just to save face?
6. New England Patriots (6-2)
As expected, the Dolphins gave the Patriots a fight. Now comes the true test, the undefeated Indianapolis Colts.
7. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2)
After sweeping the Ravens and owning a win over the Steelers, is there any doubt that this division is theirs to lose?
8. Dallas Cowboys (6-2)
The Eagles game-planned to eliminate Miles Austin and Jason Witten from the Cowboys offense, and it worked until the final six minutes of the game. The patience and restraint Tony Romo displayed all game long showed the strides he has made in leading this team.
9. Atlanta Falcons (5-3)
They rebounded quite nicely against a week team, and for the second straight week, forced their offensive philosophy down their opponent’s throat.
10. Arizona Cardinals (5-3)
They now have a commanding lead over Seattle and San Francisco in the NFC West, thanks in large part to Kurt Warner’s ridiculous five-touchdown rampage against the Bears.
11. Philadelphia Eagles (5-3)
They drop a game under Dallas for the division, and quite frankly, their offense looked terrible doing it. They need to focus on running the ball more if they want to be successful.
12. San Diego Chargers (5-3)
Philip Rivers showed the Giants what they passed up in the NFL Draft five years ago. We know the Giants aren’t very good right now, but is this team coming around, or what?
13. Houston Texans (5-4)
They were a missed kick away from forcing overtime with one of the best team’s in football. One bad kick, and they basically kissed their shot at the division good-bye.
14. Baltimore Ravens (4-4)
Joe Flacco simply didn’t show up until late in the game, and Baltimore couldn’t stop Cedric Benson all day long. This is not the way a playoff team competes.
15. 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.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4)
It was nice to see Mike Sims-Walker bounce-back, but if this team really is serious about chasing a Wild Card spot, this defense has got to get better.
17. New York Giants (5-4)
Four straight losses. That’s not something written down as a side note for a Super Bowl contender. This team is losing track of what was once thought to be a successful season. Their Week 10 bye better do the wonders.
18. Green Bay Packers (4-4)
We gave them a mulligan to losing to Brett Favre and the Vikings, but this is crossing the line. It’s become apparent that you can’t even depend on the offense anymore. Aaron Rodgers simply blew it.
19. Chicago Bears (4-4)
It seemed Jay Cutler and Greg Olsen were the only two Bears players who knew they were playing a game on Sunday. They got completely owned by a clearly more talented team in the Cardinals.
20. Miami Dolphins (3-5)
Fighting hard and losing close games is nice, but not when you have the coaching and talent to win them. Still, the steady progress of Chad Henne has to be the silver lining.
21. San Francisco 49ers (3-5)
You can blame Alex Smith all you want for the three interceptions, but this team simply doesn’t have the direction it had in the first four weeks. The defense is in shambles, and the play-calling is all over the place. Nearly 50 passes from Smith to just 15 rushed from Frank Gore? That can’t happen.
22. Seattle Seahawks (3-5)
It took five Matthew Stafford interceptions to seal this one, but a win’s a win, right? Kudos to Matt Hasselbeck from bouncing back from an interception on his first pass, to finish 39-50 for 329 yards and a score the rest of the way.
23. 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?
24. Carolina Panthers (3-5)
They fought hard and committed to their run-heavy approach. It nearly worked, but they were clearly out-matched in the end.
25. Tennessee Titans (2-6)
So, we’re back to Vince Young simply winning games, no matter how boring or ugly it gets? Yeah, that’s fine by me, too.
26. 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.
27. Kansas City Chiefs (1-7)
They gave Jamaal Charles his “shot“, and only let him run the ball nine times. What the crap is Todd Haley doing?
28. Washington Redskins (2-6)
Clinton Portis absorbing a brutal helmet-to-helmet shot was just adding injury to insult. This is not a very good football team, and it needs a dramatic overhaul from top to bottom.
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-7)
Josh Freeman’s first start earned Tampa Bay it’s first 2009 victory, and he threw three touchdowns in the process. How’s that facial treating you, Aaron Rodgers?
30. 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?
31. Detroit Lions (1-7)
Matthew Stafford looked exactly like the first round pick we thought he was for about a quarter against Seattle. He spent the rest of the game throwing the ball to the Seahawks. I don’t doubt he’s got a bright future ahead of him, but boy, did he really give this one away, or what?
32. 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?
