1. Patriots (9-0) (1): Pats’ quest for perfection marches on in Buffalo after a bye week.
2. Cowboys (8-1) (3): Tony Romo sizzles against Giants’ D, and Dallas is the runaway favorite to win the NFC East. And maybe, just maybe, the favorite to reach the Super Bowl. 
3. Packers (8-1) (5): Pack pours it on against Vikes at home. Might as well chalk up another one this weekend, because it’s Carolina at Lambeau.
4. Steelers (7-2) (4): Steelers wobble early against Browns (is that a little better phrasing, BbiB! and Steel Curtain?) but pull off remarkable comeback to maintain control in AFC North. Put down another ‘W’ this Sunday, too. Steelers at Jets.
5. Colts (7-2) (2): Uh-oh. The injuries are starting to mount, and after two straight losses, the Colts are vulnerable. Now it’s Dwight Freeney who’s out (foot), and the Colts had to pick up Simeon Rice as insurance. Trouble.
6. Jaguars (6-3) (10): Man, this team is resilient. They go into Tennessee and grind it out against Titans to pull into tie for second in AFC South.
7. Chargers (5-4) (14): Darren Sproles carries the Chargers on his back with a kickoff and punt return for touchdown as Chargers right themselves with 23-21 win over Colts. (Yes, Sproles should have been our special teams player of the week. Now shyyaaddup, BbiB!)
8. Titans (6-3) (7): After quietly racking up half a dozen wins and giving the Colts something to think about, Titans stumble against Jags. Doesn’t get easier this week against what could be a resurgent Broncos team on the road.
9. Giants (6-3) (6): Giants insist they won’t fall apart in second half, but they’ll have to do some making up after coming up short against Dallas at home. In Detroit this weekend in a game that could have wild card implications.
10. Lions (6-3) (8): You think Giants fans are bummed today? Hey, Lions fans are deservedly paranoid after all this team has put them through in recent years. A loss in Arizona only compounds matters.
11. Buccaneers (5-4) (11): Bucs had week off and visit an improved Falcons team on Sunday.
12. Saints (4-5) (9): Looks like the Saints overlooked the 0-8 Rams and paid for it.
13. Browns (5-4) (12): Browns had it going early against Steelers, but couldn’t close the deal. At Baltimore this weekend in another biggie.
14. Seahawks (5-4) (16): Seahawks thump 49ers in Monday night snoozer. In awful NFC West, they’re still the team to beat.
15. Bills (5-4) (15): After 0-3 start, Bills have quietly won five of their last six. And if they didn’t choke late against Dallas, it would have been six straight. It all ends here, though, ‘cause big, bad Patriots roll into town this weekend.
16. Eagles (4-5) (22): Been a tough go for Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid this year, but they pull it together to beat Redskins.
17. Redskins (5-4) (17): A decidedly average team that just doesn’t cut it right now. They’ve got to show more to get into the tournament.
18. Broncos (4-5) (24): The yo-yo season continues. Broncos get hammered last week in Mike Shanahan’s worst loss in Denver, and then they smack the Chiefs in KC. Despite the brutal season, they’re still only a game out of first.
19. Chiefs (4-5) (13): Brodie Croyle to the rescue … not.
20. Bears (4-5) (23): Rex Grossman lives to see another day. He replaces an injured Brian Griese and does just enough to beat awful Raiders to keep Bears flickering playoff hopes alive.
21. Texans (4-5) (21): Texans are hopeful Andre Johnson can get back from a knee injury. They’re home to New Orleans on Sunday.
22. Cardinals (4-5) (25): Kurt Warner exposes weak underbelly of Lions secondary. At Cincy, home to San Francisco and Cleveland next three weeks. If they win ‘em all … nah.
23. Bengals (3-6) (26): Just shows how bad Ravens have become. Bengals have their way in Baltimore.
24. Falcons (3-6) (27): GM Rich McKay insists Bobby Petrino will be back next season. Sure seems like the Falcons are playing hard for the guy. They stink, but they could be a spoiler for some of the teams they play, including Tampa, Indy, New Orleans and Seattle.
25. Panthers (4-5) (19): Panthers are hopeful for a David Carr return. Not that that would mean much against Pack on Sunday.
26. Ravens (4-5) (18): Steve McNair’s non-throwing shoulder is hurt, so it’s the perfect excuse to put in Kyle Boller. Actually, Boller should be in there regardless.
27. Vikings (3-6) (20): No Adrian Peterson, no chance. Vikes are hopeful he won’t miss too much time with knee injury.
28. Rams (1-8) (31): This was the team we expected to see from the start of the season. Too bad The Greatest Show on Turf waited until halfway through to strut its stuff.
29. Raiders (2-7) (28): JaMarcus Russell must be really, really slow in picking up the offense if he’s not in there yet.
30. 49ers (2-7) (2-9): Wonder if the Niners are regretting their decision to make Alex Smith a No. 1 overall pick.
31. Jets (1-8) (30): With Pittsburgh and Dallas up next, 1-10 looks like a lock.
32. Dolphins (0-9) (32): Dolphins come close to beating Bills, but the nightmare continues. At Philly, then at Pittsburgh looks like 0-11.
Comments (20)
Top 5 is spot on! More changes are a-comin' soon, but for now, that has to be the prevailing thought. Much better wording on the suprising first half of Steelers-Browns. Why? Because it's accurate!
Sproles wins! Sproles wins! He can rest easy now. Those darned 35 yd. FG kickers can kiss his butt.
Know what these rankings really show us? That parity sucks. There are 4 good teams and 1 great one. Then about 20 average teams and a handful of "pathetic choking suckdogs." Gone are the days of 5 quality matchups week in and week out. Now there are 5 a year! When 75% of the all the Vegas lines are 3.5 pts each week, that says, "we all stink equally."
To make you happy with a few complaints: Saints too high after losing to the Rams. RHRN the 49ers are the worst team in the NFL. I'd take the Jets and Fish to beat them.
When was Pittsburgh switched to the NFC?
BBiB!
Oh, thank goodness. OUR day can resume.
Jellyfish:
You'd make a good copy editor. Got it fixed, thanks.
Bob, Glad to see you're going WAY OUT on a limb with that 'Burgh over NYJ prediction!
Think you'll be able to back that one up????
Seriously though, do you think TJ gets a touchdown for the Jets this year?
How weird is it that a simple scenery change (to a dome team, no less) transformed Vinatieri from a clutch kicker to a choke kicker?
Maybe someone needs to sign the Pats' *holder*.
B N G:
A bold prediction: Thomas Jones WILL SCORE A TOUCHDOWN THIS YEAR!!! .... but not against your beloved Steelers, I'm afraid.
Eli (no, not that one):
Not sure if I'd be calling Vinatieria choker just yet. Sure, he blew that one on Sunday night, but you can't take away his resume. Won't ever forget his kick against the Raiders in the snow. Maybe the best kick in history. Really.
AV may have 3 of the top 10 kicks of all time. Maybe even 3 of the top 5 considering the Super Bowls he ended...
BNG, I don't like getting the Jets right now. At home, I'd write it off as a 15+ pt. 'W'. But on the road against a team that is sooo overdue for a win, I just don't like it.
Bob, my memory is probably fuzzy and unreliable, but I could have sworn Vinatieri has had some bad misses since he left the Pats (while Gostkowski has been rock-solid). Maybe not a choke kicker, but not an end-of-game lock like he used to be.
But I agree that when he was with the Pats he was probably the most clutch kicker of all time.
BBiB!
You clearly haven't seen the Jets enough this year. I will eat my notebook if the Steelers don't win.
(I also realize that such confidence on my part makes your trepidation even more severe, because my picks generally stink, and I apologize for that.)
Yes, that clarification makes steeler nation feel a little better. I have had it with some of the talking heads out there who still call Ben a "game manager". The man is 41-14 as a starter and has had a brilliant start to his career. He is currently the second highest rated QB in the league. Tom Jackson actually had the audacity to say that the running game won the game for the Steelers against the Browns. Case and point of a "talking head" that most certainly did not watch the game. He failed to recognize that about 50 of the 154 yards rusing came from Ben, that Parker was pretty much a non-factor, and that most of Parker's yards came on one run. Hence the bashing of your aforementioned article.
Hmmm...you'll eat your notebook..? Now I'm torn. :-)
I read your post from a few days ago about Bradon Jacobs wanting to ban "low hits". When did he become such a big wuss? Or was he always one and I just didn't know it? "They protect the WRs" .. yeah, when they jump and are unprotected, not when they are running down the field with the ball. Seriously, I can't believe he isn't getting killed for this. Waaa waaaa waaaa. Of course, Marion Barber was clearly the tougher runner on Sunday. Guess he isn't running scared every time he touches it.
Why didn't you kill him for these quotes BG??
Here's a quote from a recent interview with every CB in the NFL:
"I see where Brandon Jacobs is sick of "low hits" and think they should be outlawed. I am entirely in favor of this. In fact, in the spirit of fairness, we are proposing that all blocks thrown by an offensive player over the weight of 225 lbs. must be made against a defensive player of equal or greater weight. I mean really, how fair is it that these guards and centers can pull around the corner and knock us into next week? Sure, it will be hard to enforce, but at least we've planted the seed. We need, no demand, equal protection as QBs, WRs, and now Giants' RBs have. Either that, or Brandon Jacobs must wear a skirt from now on. One or the other."
Heard Jim Everitt called Brandon Jacobs. He wants his "wuss" label back.
You almost got it right.
You really should have Green Bay ahead of Dallas.
Are you still thinking Favre when you think Green Bay, you should be thinking DEFENCE!
Besides, look at the record of the teams Green Bay and Dallas have beaten. Green Bay's victories came against teams that were 31 - 32, including road victories @ NYG, Denver, and KC. Dallas has beaten Miami and St Louis among other with a record of 23 - 40.
After watching the Green Bay and Dallas games back to back, Dallas will have to play a LOT better against Green Bay then they did against the Giants if they hope to beat the Packers in a couple of weeks. Personally, I don't think they can.
I sure hope you are right about the Pats/Bills. I will be very grumpy if you are not. VERY grumpy.
NKR:
I will eat my laptop if the Bills beat the Pats. (I would have said I'd eat my notebook, but I already promised BBiB! that I'd eat it if the Jets beat the Steelers.)
If you have your TV tuned to CBS at 4pm this Sunday afternoon, please do yourself a favor and cover your children's eyes. It will not be a pretty sight.
I agree with Handeman, the pack should be ahead of dallas. If you dont mind me asking, what is your reasoning for that decision BOB. I just need to know. Oh and to Black N Gold, did you see Green Bay's Impressive win over Minnesota. Not only did they shut down the top runner in the NFL, but they hurt him too. That is a defense who has stepped it up over the last couple of years. Very underrated. Did you see KGB break Reggie Whites sack record for Green Bay. Steelers did win, but not nearly as impressive as a 34-0 stomping. Oh, one more thing, isnt Brett Favre electrifying?
By the way, of all the 2006 rookie head coaches, Mike McCarthy has the best record, 16-9. Sean Payton is second at 14-11. Other teams with rookie coaches last year: Detroit, MN, St Louis, NY Jets, and Houston Texans. All people could talk about last year is Payton and Mangini. But I am happy with who the Packers got.
Packers #3 and moving up!
Texas packer, you're trying to impress me with a win over Minn? Minnesota? What are we talk'n about? We talk'n about Minnesota?
Let's see how the packers do against Detriot and Dallas in the next couple of weeks, then come talk to me about being in the same discussion as the Steelers.