1. Patriots (10-0) (1): Eagles, Ravens, Steelers, Jets, Dolphins, Giants. Can any of these teams remaining on the schedule beat the Patriots? Not if New England keeps playing like this.
2. Cowboys (9-1) (2): So this is what it’s like when Terrell Owens decides to concentrate on football and not the other nonsense. Four more TDs on Sunday ties Bob Hayes’ single-game franchise record.
3. Packers (9-1) (3): We keep talking about Brett Favre, and that’s all well and good. But it’s Green Bay’s defense that’s every bit as good as the offense.
4. Jaguars (7-3) (6): Jags smack Chargers at home and pull to within a game of Colts. If the teams played today, Jacksonville would win.
5. Colts (8-2) (5): Give credit to the Colts for hanging in, but these injuries are really starting to take a toll.
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6. Steelers (7-3) (4): How do you lose to the Jets?
7. Giants (7-3) (9): Giants do just enough to get past Lions on road. Hardly dominating, but you never apologize for a win, no matter how ugly.
8. Browns (6-4) (13): One of the strangest endings to regulation you’ll ever see. Phil Dawson’s kick goes off the upright, caroms off the curved poll holding the crossbar and is initially called no good. Then the officials reverse the call, and Cleveland then wins it in OT. Holy smokes.
9. Seahawks (6-4) (14): Matt Hasselbeck one of the hottest QBs in the game. He’s hurting with a rib problem, but is expected to play at St. Louis.
10. Buccaneers (6-4) (11): Bucs go into Atlanta and thump punchless Falcons. Looks like they’re a safe bet to win the NFC South now that New Orleans is stumbling again.
11. Broncos (5-5) (18): The Broncos have losses of 44-7 and 41-3 this season, leaving Lance to ask us to just put the Broncos out of their misery already. But right here, right now, they were good enough to pound Tennessee at home to move into a first-place tie in the AFC West. C’mon in off the ledge, Lance.
12. Chargers (5-5) (7): Up one week, down the next. That’ll get you 8-8. Not acceptable after a 14-2 record last year. Marty Schottenheimer, where have you gone?
13. Lions (6-4) (10): Jon Kitna says the Lions were the better team, even though they lost to the Giants. Okkaaaaaayyy.
14. Titans (6-4) (8): Still a ways to go for Vince Young, who makes some electrifying plays, but needs to concentrate on the basics – like not throwing interceptions – a lot more.
15. Texans (5-5) (21): Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson are back, and so are the Texans, who beat New Orleans at home and keep their playoff hopes alive.
16. Cardinals (5-5) (22): Love what Ken Whisenhunt has done with this team. After losing three straight, the Cardinals have won two in a row and are right in the thick of the NFC West race and the wild card hunt.
17. Eagles (5-5) (16): Donovan McNabb hurting with knee and thumb injuries, and now it’s off to New England. Just chalk up the loss right now.
18. Saints (4-6) (12): What’s happened to the Saints? They were the hottest team going after an 0-4 start, but now that’s two losses in a row. One or two more, and it’s over.
19. Bills (5-5) (15): Hey, look at the bright side. At least it was 14-7 at one point against New England Sunday night.
20. Redskins (5-5) (17): Redskins tried to make a game of it late, but couldn’t overcome T.O.’s one-man show.
21. Chiefs (4-6) (19): Chiefs hung in against injury-ravaged Colts, but couldn’t seal the deal. As bad as it’s been, they’re still only a game out of first in the worst division in football.
22. Bears (4-6) (20): Defending NFC champs continue to disappoint. Injuries are one thing, but there’s still enough left to be better than this.
23. Vikings (4-6) (27): Chester Taylor fills in for the injured Adrian Peterson and runs wild against the Raiders.
24. Panthers (4-6) (25): If David Carr can’t beat out 44-year-old Vinny Testaverde, something is wrong.
25. Ravens (4-6) (26): Is this the end for Brian Billick?
26. Rams (2-8) (28): Break up the Rams! After an 0-8 start, they’ve won two in a row. Now a chance to ruin things for Seattle on Sunday at home.
27. Bengals (3-7) (23): One of the worst pass defenses we’ve ever seen. Combine that with an off day for Carson Palmer, and you’ve got a loss to the Cardinals at home.
28. Jets (2-8) (31): Jets shock Steelers and wonder where this has been all season.
29. Falcons (3-7) (24): Why in the world did Bobby Petrino think Byron Leftwich could do anything against the Bucs?
30. Raiders (2-8) (29): Daunte Culpepper can’t beat his old team at the Metrodome. Even so, it’s his team for the rest of the season, according to coach Lane Kiffin, who isn’t inclined to see what JaMarcus Russell has just yet.
31. 49ers (2-8) (30): Alex Smith stinks, and that was before the shoulder injury. Trent Dilfer is no better. And no first-round pick next year. This is getting dicey for coach Mike Nolan.
32. Dolphins (0-10) (32): In a year when the Patriots are threatening to match Miami’s unbeaten season of 1972, the Dolphins are threatening to become the first team in NFL history to go 0-16.
Comments (20)
After Charlie Weis' first year at Notre Dame and Romeo Crennel's first year at Cleveland, who would have thought that their teams would be going in complete opposite directions only a few years later?
The Browns could easily be 7-3 and in first place in their division if Phil Dawson put a little extra juice into his kick against Pittsburgh.
also remember the blocked kick against oakland....we could easily be 7-3 or maybe even 8-2
Buffalo is better then Arizona, New Oleans, Philadelphia and Houston. 3 loses are to New England and Dallas, a combined 19-1. They also lost in Denver on a last second field goal. The four teams above them have had far uglier loses.
2 years ago San Diego did the same lose one win one they are doing this year. Maybe last year was the fluke. Perhaps they are simply overrated.
Bob, the kick went off the upright then caroms off the curved poll that holds the cross bar.
Steelers deserved worse so I can't complain.
Agree with jellyfish on the Bills.
Browns fans on the board? Oh no. The problem with the coulda shoulda game is you should have lost to the Ravens and could have lost a few others, so you could also be about 4-7.
RHRN Bob, who wins 49ers or Dolphins? It's the Dolphins in case you are struggling with it.
AFC LEast is worst division in football, not the AFC West. Fish and Jets are a combined 2-18.
Saw a DL get crushed by Brandon Marshall on a block last night. The DL was focused on the RB and didn't see the huge open field hit coming. Brandon Jacobs called the League about it and now wants blocks against unsuspecting players legislated against.
Go donkeys! I don't think the team can beat Indy, NE, and maybe even the bolts, but it has been fun the last few weeks watching Shanny finally let Cutler start airing it out. He's a real keeper and I think the best qb from last draft class.
Lance,
You have to be perplexed by Shanahan's HORRIBLE usage of time-outs yesterday. He scored 10 points for the Titans by himself!
The first time he called a time out after VY got to the goal line, giving Jeff Fisher more time to decide to throw the challenge flag. The second time-out he called was intended to ice Rob Bironas, who missed the psuedo-FG by about 20 yards, and nailed the ensuing legitamite FG with ease.
Bob, a quick editing note...TO is going to get the single game or single season record?
As a Packer fan who shares 2 tv's in my living room during the season with a Brown fan, I am more than happy to see their offensive resurgence. It was a little rough, but now they have some good young players, who hopefully can keep improving and stay healthy.
As for the Packers defense, you are right on. Earlier in the year, the defense was winning games. Now it seems that that the offense is playing to the level of the defense.
:)
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:B Bill
very nice...Jets or Giants fan Bob? And if you say "neither because i'm a reporter" what were you in your former life?
bob, i thought the bucs already went 0-16? was it only twelve games that year?
"Neither because I'm a reporter"
Jets fan growing up.
Giants game at Yankee Stadium was my first pro game. I was probably 8 at the time, but mostly I remember putting my feet in a brown paper bag and freezing my .ss off.
How can you possibly rate the Jags over the Colts??? The Colts beat them by over 20 pts in Jacksonville and have a better record!!! WAKE UP!!! Injured or not,they will demolish the Jags at the thunderdome.
Peyton:
Back then, the Colts were a far healthier team than they are today.
As Big Ben is Back! will tell you, this poll is a right-here, right-now deal.
And I say, right-here, right-now, the Jaguars would win.
you da man bob
Pete:
Sorry I'm late getting to this. The 1976 Bucs went 0-14. Season was expanded to 16 games in 1978, and since then, no team has lost all its games.
Bob,
You really ought to look up Leroy Selmon for an interview if Miami loses this week to the Steelers,(Don't even go there), next week to the Jets and the following week to the Bills to go 0-13.
Leroy would be a great interview. My wife actually has a framed photograph of her and her girlfriend taken with Leroy back in 1978 while her girlfriend was in college down in Tampa, I have to look at the darn thing when I walk down the hall everyday :-)
Leroy was coached by two of the all-time greats in college football. Barry Switzer at Oklahoma (whoonce called Leroy the greatest player he ever coached) and John McCay who had left an outstanding USC program to be the first coach of the Bucs.
Leroy has a restaurant in Tampa these days, so he shouldn't be too hard to find. :-)
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