1. New Orleans Saints (11-0)
Many questioned whether or not New Orleans could beat a top tier team. Monday night’s beatdown of the New England Patriots showed just how good they are.
2. Indianapolis Colts (11-0)
Indianapolis is on a 20-game winning streak in the regular season, dating back to 2008. Now they get the opportunity to face the red hot Tennessee Titans. Should be a good showdown on Sunday.
3. Minnesota Vikings (10-1)
If it weren’t for New Orleans and Indianapolis being undefeated, Minnesota would be considered the best team in the NFL. Barring any catastrophic meltdown or injury to Brett Favre, they should be a lock for the NFC Championship game.
4. Cincinnati Bengals (8-3)
No Cedric Benson? No problem! Larry Johnson and Bernard Scott have showed they can carry the load in the backfield. Hey, a 16-7 victory against the Cleveland Browns isn’t impressive, but good teams find ways to win on days they’re not clicking.
5. San Diego Chargers (8-3)
San Diego’s stock has soared after winning six straight. Could this be the year they get over the hump and maybe, just maybe, represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
6. Dallas Cowboys (8-3)
We all know Dallas and quarterback Tony Romo love November, but here comes that dreadful month of December. He can’t just coast through the final month of the season like in years past. Not with the Giants, San Diego, and New Orleans all up next.
7. Philadelphia Eagles (7-4)
Even though they aren’t considered an NFC contender, Philadelphia is poised to be a dangerous team. Especially with Donovan McNabb playing lights out with a cast of young play makers.
8. New England Patriots (7-4)
New Orleans showed the football world last Monday that New England is merely mortal again. Are they still dangerous come playoff time? With Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, of course.
9. Arizona Cardinals (7-4)
Sunday’s lost to Tennessee was a heartbreaker, but they didn’t have Kurt Warner behind center. Warner should be back for this Sunday’s match-up with Minnesota in the battle of great geriatric quarterbacks.
10. Green Bay Packers (7-4)
Aaron Rodgers has been upright lately, and it’s helped put Green Bay in the NFC playoff picture as a potential wild card. They get the Baltimore Ravens at home on Monday night and a win would be a statement to the entire NFC.
11. Baltimore Ravens (6-5)
Baltimore has a good mix of talent on both sides of the ball, but their record doesn’t show that. They notched an impressive win over Pittsburgh, but a win against Green Bay would keep them in the AFC wild card race.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5)
Pittsburgh can’t handle life without Troy Polamalu, but they also can’t handle it without Ben Roethlisberger. If neither are around in December, it’s going to be an early offseason for Pittsburgh.
13. Denver Broncos (7-4)
They took care of an inconsistent Giants sqaud and got back to their winning ways. Despite that four game losing streak, Denver is still alive in the race for the AFC West.
14. Tennessee Titans (5-6)
Tennessee has won five straight with Vince Young behind center, and they are now flirting with a playoff birth. People who question Young’s ability had to eat crow as he marched Tennessee 99 yards down field against Arizona and threw the game winning touchdown to Kenny Britt with time expiring. Next up, undefeated Indianapolis.
15. New York Giants (6-5)
So I guess they were victims of an easy start to their schedule. However, if the Giants beat Dallas and Philadelphia, they’ll be wild card front runners. That’s just not fair, right?
16. Atlanta Falcons (6-5)
Sure Chris Redman filled in admirably for Matt Ryan against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but can he do it against Philadelphia? On paper, no way! If Michael Turner isn’t on the field either? On paper, no way Jose!
17. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-5)
Jacksonville is young, solid, but just not good enough to be a playoff team. Things should improve next year, but if they don’t, heads should start rolling.
18. Miami Dolphins (5-6)
Every time Miami looks to have turned the corner, they slip up. Heck, they were up 14-7 on the Buffalo Bills entering the fourth quarter last Sunday but lost 31-14. Still, if Miami beats New England Sunday, they are still alive in the AFC East race.
19. San Francisco 49ers (5-6)
San Francisco had an impressive win against Jacksonville last Sunday and proved how competitive they are. A win against Seattle will make their NFC West division record a pristine 4-0.
20. Houston Texans (5-6)
They had Indianapolis on the ropes at halftime but eased up enough to let Peyton Manning and company take over. If they continue to lose big games like this, you can bet Gary Kubiak might be out the door sooner than expected.
21. New York Jets (5-6)
The Jets got an impressive win against Carolina last Sunday. Good things happen when Mark Sanchez isn’t asked to do too much, which is usual for most rookies.
22. Carolina Panthers (4-7)
It sounds like Jake Delhomme will be on the bench Sunday against Tampa Bay, but it won’t be because of his bad play. A broken finger could sideline Delhomme. Unfortunately, neither Matt Moore nor Josh McCown will be better alternatives.
23. Buffalo Bills (4-7)
You got to love a team that plays for pride like Buffalo has since Dick Jauron was fired. Ryan Fitzpatrick has actually improved his stock the last couple of weeks, showing he’s better than Trent Edwards behind center.
24. Chicago Bears (4-7)
Clearly, Chicago no longer has a dominant defense, running game, or solid receiving core to be even a mediocre team anymore. And that quarterback everyone thought could do it all is struggling. Things have gone up in flames with GM Jerry Angelo and head coach Lovie Smith in the driver’s seat. Enter Bill Cowher or Mike Shanahan?
25. Seattle Seahawks (4-7)
Justin Forsett had a monster game against the St. Louis Rams and probably earned a spot as Seattle’s starting running back. They get San Francisco at home on Sunday and could hand them their first division loss.
26. Washington Redskins (3-8)
Washington lost a tough one to Philadelphia last Sunday. What was even more impressive was how close they kept it with some key players, like Clinton Portis, out with injuries. Now, imagine if this team had stable ownership, management, and coaching.
27. Kansas City Chiefs (3-8)
Yeah, they got slaughtered by San Diego, but Kansas City still has the chance to end the season with at least a respectable record for a rebuilding franchise.
28. Oakland Raiders (3-8)
It was fitting that Oakland embarrassed themselves in front of the entire nation on Thanksgiving against Dallas. They wouldn’t have it any other way.
29. Detroit Lions (2-9)
Matthew Stafford is learning on the job but is also making it difficult for Detroit to win ball games at times. He tossed four interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown, in a 34-12 loss to Green Bay on Thanksgiving Day.
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-10)
Losing to a Matt Ryan and Michael Turner-less Atlanta team had to be hard on Tampa Bay. Chris Redman throwing the game-winning touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter had to make it an even harder one to swallow.
31. St. Louis Rams (1-10)
St. Louis tried to keep it close against Seattle, but Justin Forsett ran all over them in every which way. Not to mention, having Kyle Boller behind center makes things worse.
32. Cleveland Browns (1-10)
Sure, they played hard against Cincinnati, but you know a team is bad when they consistently struggle to score seven points.
