Week 5 Ranks

1. Indianapolis: The Colts are playing too well right now and scoring too many points not to be first. Although the Titans do not represent a formidable challenge, the Colts have had a slightly tougher set of opponents than the Giants so far.
2. New York Giants: The Giants just wrapped up three blowouts of three of the worst teams in the NFL. They'll have to dial it up a notch this week against New Orleans.
3. Minnesota: Like New York, the Vikings have played some pretty light teams. The Ravens will not be an easy match-up for the Vikings.
4. New Orleans: The Saints look good even when they have the week off. Darren Sharper loves playing against Eli Manning.
5. Denver: The Broncos defense is really good. Josh McDaniels might be crazier than Mike Singletary in the heat of the moment (who wouldn't be after 4th down penalties extended a Patriots drive twice). Kyle Orton really is not that bad, Bears fans.
6. Atlanta: I thought they had some things to prove. Well, completely dominating the 49ers on both sides of the ball proves a lot.
7. Philadelphia: The Eagles have yet to be put to much of a test, but they are taking care of business.
8. Cincinnati: It is hard not to like a team that plays solid defense, forces turnovers, runs the ball well (Hi, again, Bears fans), and has a solid, experienced quarterback.
9. New England: With a 17-7 lead at halftime, you would expect the Patriots to win. Instead, they went scoreless the rest of the game and lost in overtime. I hesitate to drop the Pats down too far as losing to what is clearly a very good team in a very good game.
10. Baltimore: Two hard losses to two good teams. Add a third against the Vikings this week, and people can start sounding the alarm, but the Ravens are still pretty solid all around, and will be a tough out in the playoffs.
11. Pittsburgh: The Steelers may be a team to watch out for. They seem to be 'getting by' so far, but we know they are capable of playing a lot better than this, and when Troy Polamalu returns, they could start winning easy again.
12. Miami: After their 0-3 start, which included the loss of Chad Pennington forever, I was already writing off the Dolphins. But the fact is that the 'Wildcat' is a truly dynamic and effective offense in the hands of Ronnie Brown, and the Dolphins defense is pretty good too. I think they can win the AFC East this season.
13. New York Jets: After their 3-0 start, I was ready to write off the Jets. I think Mark Sanchez will be a good quarterback, but there is a lot missing right now. And did you see the Dolphins move the ball on Monday night? Wow.
14. San Diego: Like the Steelers, the Chargers almost look like they are biding their time. If they do ever get hot, the Broncos may be looking at another race for the AFC West down the stretch.
15. San Francisco: On the one hand, I don't think we can read too much into their horrible loss to Atlanta (at home). They are still 3-2 in a so-so division, and they still have a very good defense. On the other hand, it isn't (and wasn't) reasonable to have high hopes for a team with a barely-get-you-by quarterback and no other real scoring threat.
16. Chicago: The Bears have two tough road games coming next (at Atlanta and at Cincinnati). If they make it out of that 4-2, that's a huge victory.
17. Dallas: Another team sitting at 3-2 after sneaking past some bad teams. The Cowboys can't survive in the NFC East...unless they get back to running the ball, and find a way to win close games against quality teams (the Chiefs DO NOT count, overtime or not).
18. Green Bay: The Packers have a very good chance to be 4-2--they face Detroit at home and travel to Cleveland--heading into the big Favor rematch at Lambeau field in Week 8. The Packers aren't good enough to look past the Browns and Lions, but they are certainly good enough to beat both easily.
19. Arizona: A huge win over Houston keeps them alive, and the rest of the NFC West isn't looking that hot.
20. Seattle: With Matt Hasselbeck in the line-up, the NFC West becomes a three-team race.
21. Houston: The Texans did their best to get back into a game that saw them fall 21 points behind in the first half, but Matt Schaub's 4th quarter interception sunk them.
22. Jacksonville: I guess that two-game winning streak didn't mean much. What a horrible loss to Seattle (41-0).
23. Carolina: Down 17-2, the Panthers came back to beat Washington. Atlanta and New Orleans will be very tough to catch.
24. Detroit: 24 looks high for a 1-4 team, but the Lions are playing better than those below. They really made Pittsburgh work, and I expect the same in Green Bay this week, where Calvin Johnson should be able to take advantage of the Packers new zone defense, if he is healthy.
25. Washington: Washington is strange: If I could, I would rank them last. Yes, these other seven teams are worse, but Washington just seems like a complete waste this year. Todd Collins should get a chance at quarterback, and I'm not joking.
26. Buffalo: If they can trade Terrell Owens for anything, they should. I wish putting the back-up quarterback in could spark this team, but Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn't present an improvement over Trent Edwards in any area.
27. Tennessee: Like Washington, the Titans are sort of un-rankable. They are bad, that is for sure.
28. Kansas City: Like last year, the Chiefs are fighters if nothing else. They may lose every game this year, but the first half of each game is always interesting.
29. Oakland: Yes, they beat Kansas City. Whatever.
30. Cleveland: Yes, they beat Buffalo. Whatever.
31. Tampa Bay: Yes, they... No, they are just horrible.
32. St. Louis

Week 4 Rankings

1. New York Giants: I always like to give good teams credit for really crushing bad teams. It is so horrible when they don't, I feel like the Giants should get at least a nod for dominating the Buccaneers and Chiefs so thoroughly.
2. Indianapolis: The Colts offense is scary.
3. Minnesota: The Vikings didn't play their best defensive game, but they made so many big plays that the Packers offense looked a lot worse than the numbers show.
4. New Orleans: The Saints have shown they can way all different ways: With huge offense in Weeks 1 and 2, with stifling defense against Buffalo, and with defensive touchdowns against the Jets.
5. New England: Yeah, they're still pretty good. Watch out AFC East.
6. Baltimore: The Ravens won't lose many this season.
7. New York Jets: Their defense is outrageous right now. I'm not sure anybody could have success against them, maybe not even the Colts.
8. Philadelphia: Donovan McNabb should settle things down in Philly, if he stays healthy.
9. San Francisco: That was one dominating performance for San Francisco. Shaun Hill refuses to make mistakes.
10. Atlanta: The Falcons still have a lot to prove.
11. Denver: How did this defense get so much better. Sure, they have played an easy schedule, but they are dominating.
12. Cincinnati: Not pretty, but you have to like where the Bengals are sitting right now (tied for first place)
13. Pittsburgh: A horrible 4th quarter, but a lot of be encouraged by.
14. San Diego: A valiant comeback, but, really, Pittsburgh crushed them.
15. Chicago: They gave up a lot of points, but they are proving to be a big-play threat.
16. Green Bay: What happened to running the ball?
17. Dallas: What happened to running the ball?
18. Houston: Houston is still that team that can only win against bad opponents.
19. Arizona: The bye week was their best yet.
20. Miami: The Dolphins moved the ball very easily against the Bills. 1-3 is not enough to give up on Miami just yet.
21. Jacksonville: 2-2? Whatever works.
22. Washington: Jason Campbell trading interceptions for wins? I guess he is trying something new.
23. Buffalo: Terrell Owens is having no effect; partially because he drops a lot of passes, and partially because Trent Edwards is really struggling. It looks like Edwards still has good chemistry with Lee Evans though.
24. Seattle: Without Matt Hasselbeck, they are simply not very good.
25. Carolina: They didn't get a chance to lose this week.
26. Detroit: Calvin Johnson can be unstoppable at times, and is reason alone why no team should look forward to playing the Lions.
27. Tennessee: I suppose it is time to see what Vince Young can do, but the 2009 season is already lost
28. Oakland: Again, JaMarcus Russell is not a good quarterback right now.
29. Tampa Bay: If anybody can make you look not so bad, it is Washington.
30. Kansas City: They are over matched in almost every game they play.
31. Cleveland: They got within seven seconds of their first...non-loss. Better luck next time!
32. St. Louis

Week 3 Power Rankings

1. Baltimore: The Ravens are suddenly a scoring machine, on offense. The defense may not be as nasty as we are used to, but it doesn't matter so far.
2. New York Giants: The Giants are 2-0 in the NFC East and dominated the Buccaneers this week.
3. Indianapolis: With Payton Manning around, the Colts can beat anybody.
4. Minnesota: It looks like the run defense will be OK, but is it really possible that Minnesota hasn't fixed their special teams problems?
5. New York Jets: Mark Sanchez is doing better than anybody could have expected, but their defense is driving them.
6. New Orleans: Nine passing touchdowns in Weeks 1 and 2, and zero against the Bills in Week 3. The 27-7 win was not as impressive as the score, but 3-0 is 3-0.
7. Philadelphia: Apparently Philadelphia is the big play team this year. Kevin Kolb is filling in nicely for Donovan McNabb.
8. San Francisco: The 49ers defense will keep them in contention all season, and Shaun Hill is exactly the game manager they need right now.
9. New England: We saw that old will to win again this week at home against Atlanta. Tom Brady is still working himself back to form.
10. Atlanta: There were a couple of bad breaks for the Falcons in New England, but they didn't look like an elite team last week. They are close though.
11. San Diego: For as inconsistent as the Chargers can be, overall they look solid.
12. Denver: The Broncos have the number 1 defense in the NFL. Unbelievable.
13. Cincinnati: The Bengals defense is really tough. Add a competent quarterback and Cedric Benson to the fold, and you have a contender.
14. Dallas: The Cowboys lead the league in rushing. That's probably the best way to keep Tony Romo from messing things up.
15. Green Bay: The Packers are an interesting mix of good and bad. They throw as good as anybody, and can't run. They force a lot of turnovers on defense, and give up a lot of yards. So far the good is outweighing the bad.
16. Chicago: Jay Cutler has settled in a little, but is tied for second-most turnovers in the league with six.
17. Pittsburgh: Super Bowl hangover, or whatever.
18. Arizona: Maybe a worse Super Bowl hangover. Kurt Warner got beat up last week.
19. Seattle: Luckily for the Seahawks, uniforms don't count in the standings. Seneca Wallace is a solid back-up, but they are better off when he is on the sideline.
20. Buffalo: Terrell Owens is doing nothing. At all. Trent Edwards has to play better for the Bills to win.
21. Jacksonville: Who knows what to think about the Jags? The 'team-most-likely-to-be-contracted' wins a big division game to pull to 1-2.
22. Houston: It turns out that the Texans do not have it figured out this season.
23. Tennessee: The Titans are better than their 0-3 record, and I wouldn't write them off yet. Almost, but not yet.
24. Miami: Like Tennessee, they are better than their 0-3 record. But now Chad Pennington is out for the year (maybe forever), and Tyler Thigpen could be starting in a few weeks. Maybe next year...
25. Carolina: Tempted to put Carolina even lower, but they could still win a few games this year, if Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith stop sabotaging them.
26. Detroit: They are in the 20s! The Lions run the ball pretty well, and if they beat Chicago this week, who knows where the 2009 season could go! ...er...
27. Washington: Jason Campbell might not ever figure it out, though he had a whole lot of yards in Detroit.
28. Oakland: JaMarcus Russell is not going to be a good quarterback for the Raiders. Probably not for anybody.
29. Kansas City: I'm not sure when it is going to get any better for the Chiefs.
30. St. Louis: With Kyle Boller, the Rams actually staged a mini-comeback, getting with in a touchdown of Green Bay after falling behind 16-0 early. That count's as a 'sign of life' for this team.
31. Tampa Bay: The Bucs didn't get a first down until the 3rd quarter, and at one point in the 4th they had 30 net yards. Those are numbers that are usually found in high school football games.
32. Cleveland: This year's Browns may be worse than the 1999 expansion team.

Week 2 "Rankings"

This early in the season rankings just don't work. It is near-impossible attach a meaningful number in front of every team. So, I copped out and put them into equally meaningless categories.

These teams really should make the playoffs:
Atlanta: A pretty solid team all around, they don't have to lean to heavily on any part of the team. If they continue to hold serve, I like them to finish with double-digit wins.
Baltimore: Baltimore suddenly is not just a defensive team. They have score 38 and 31 so far, and the defense is just fine.
Indianapolis: The Colts are still pretty good. The offense will never get completely shut down this year.
New Orleans: Right now they are following that old super-offense path: Score an outrageous amount of points, and give your defense free rein to take a lot of chances with a lead.
New York Giants: Eli Manning may not be pretty, but he does a bit of his brother's winning streak in him. The Giants are still solid across the board, and it is hard to imagine them not at least grabbing a wildcard spot, even this early in the season.

I'll believe it when their 12-4 and hosting a playoff game, but until then...
Minnesota: It's still not clear if Brett Favre can make plays downfield. And where has that vaunted run defense been so far?
New York Jets: Is Mark Sanchez going to go down the Matt Ryan path this season? What happens when he falters?
Pittsburgh: Hard to believe that they lost to the Bears.
New England: Why are they passing so much? Until Tom Brady starts throwing more accurately, they are definitely beatable.
San Francisco: What will they do when somebody finally slows down Frank Gore? I'm not sure they have a passing game that get them to the playoffs.
Philadelphia: The longer McNabb is out, the further they get from the top of the NFC East.

Need Work:
Arizona: Kurt Warner had an amazing day against the Jaguars, but the Cardinals are still the same old from what we can tell so far.
Buffalo: The Bills defense looks good so far, especially against the run. The Saints will test them, but not many defenses are going to stop the Saints this year. The true test will be whether Trent Edwards and the offense has success against the so-so Saints defense.
Chicago: Jay Cutler has shown his two main traits: He can lose a game by himself, and win a game by himself.
Cincinnati:The Bengals defense is good, but it might need to be great to get this team into the playoffs.
Dallas: The Cowboys responded well to most of what they saw from the Giants this week, but Tony Romo has to be smarter with the ball, and that will be the deciding factor for Dallas this year.
Green Bay: Scoring on defense is great, but it doesn't do much good when you can't stop the run and give up 31 points. Oh, and Aaron Rodgers is getting hit, a lot.
Houston: Well, the offense isn't dead after all. The defense needs to play better against the run, but the Texans could still challenge the Colts this year.
San Diego: Inconsistency is their calling card.
Seattle: Without Matt Hasselbeck... well, they are not very good.
Tennessee: 0-2 already, and probably not thrilled to see that the Colts are still pretty good.

Teams that probably won't hang around past November, but aren't finished yet:
Carolina: An 0-2 start looks a lot worse when New Orleans and Atlanta are already 2-0 (one win against the Panthers). The worst part is that the Panthers don't really match up well with either of those teams, and could get swept by both.
Denver: The 2-0 start is nice, and San Diego doesn't look all that scary, but the Broncos will have to play a couple of good teams, and Oakland and Kansas City aren't pushovers for Denver anymore.
Miami: 0-2 in the AFC East is almost a deathknell. The Dolphins will have to do very well in their division schedule to catch up.
Oakland: JaMarcus Russell isn't very good.
Washington: They just can't seem to play full games, and sometimes the simplest things go awry.

Teams that I'm pretty sure are already finished:
Cleveland: No offense, no defense. Their return team is pretty good though.
Detroit: I have tried not to say anything about the Lions for a while now, but they are finally improving. Kevin Jones is a solid running back and their defense is a little better.
Jacksonville: The Jaguars can't throw the ball enough to make their offense a even a small threat, and their defense isn't that good either.
Kansas City: The Chiefs are still a long ways off. They just don't have the players right now.
St. Louis: Worst team in the NFL.
Tampa Bay: The Bucs defense is actually not horrible. Byron Leftwich probably won't start this entire season.

Power Rankings

I think this is probably the most difficult and meaningless (saying a lot) post I could possibly write. But here goes, power rankings heading into the first week of the regular season:

1. Pittsburgh: I'm abiding by the old number-one-until-somebody-beats-them rule here, against my gut feeling that the Steelers are not the best team in the league right now, even with the fancy ring.

2. New England: There are some questions about their pass defense, but they can out-gun any team in the league with Tom Brady healthy, and with Brandon Meriweather at safety, things can't be all bad.

3. Philadelphia: I feel like I've been brainwashed to believe that the Eagles are this good. Their offense is pretty good when they are on, and even without Jim Johnson the defense is still top 15, right?

4. Baltimore: I like any team that can play as physical as the Ravens. And I like their schedule. (AFC West, NFC North)

5. New York Giants: Like the Steelers, the Giants are high because, as of yet, nobody has de-throned them. I don't particularly like Eli Manning, and without a solid receiver, I think he will struggle more than usual.

6. Tennessee: Like the Ravens, they should be able to pound a lot of their opponents, especially early in the year. I'd like to guess that the Kerry Collins era is about to run its course, but I'm usually wrong about things like that (see numerous posts about Brett Favre retiring).

7. Indianapolis: Conventional wisdom tells us that losing a bunch of coaches, chiefly Tony Dungy, and Marvin Harrison would be enough to sink a team before they start. But conventional wisdom also tells us that any team with Payton Manning has a fighting chance. Plus he gets to throw against the NFC West four times.

8. Carolina: Jake Delhomme could ruin this ranking. He struggled mightily in the playoffs at home against the Cardinals, and if any of that carries over, the Panthers are sunk.

9. Minnesota: With Brett Favre, Tarvaris Jackson, or Sage Rosenfels, this is probably a 10-6 team, but they will start out very fast (maybe 5-0 before hosting Baltimore in Week 6).

10. Atlanta: Matt Ryan has to prove that he can do it again, but it didn't look like beginner's luck. If the defense comes together, the Falcons will rise from 10 pretty fast.

11. Miami: See note above; replace Delhomme with Chad Pennington. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams will rush for a combined 2,000 yards.

12. Arizona: The fact of the matter is that Arizona lost eight games last season including the Super Bowl. They made an excellent run at the right time, but they still have a lot of weaknesses that can and will be exploited. And Kurt Warner is a year older.

13. San Diego: Talent, talent, talent. We'll see if they make a go at it this season, though something about them (Norv Turner) tells me they won't.

14. Green Bay: Everybody is the world loves the Packers after that spirited preseason, but they are going to have to prove it in a real game first. It is very hard to judge a defense that just switched schemes by a few quarters against offenses that are spending more time learning their base plays than they are game-planning for Green Bay.

15. Dallas: It's hard to believe that Tony Romo won't lead the Cowboys to eight or nine wins. It is also hard to believe that Tony Romo will play in a playoff game this season.

16. New Orleans: Like the Packers, the Saints will probably be more fun than good this season.

17. Chicago: Jay Cutler is pretty good at times, but he also will lose the Bears a couple games this season. Throw in an aging and declining defense, and I see 8-8.

18. Houston: If Houston can manage a sweep of either Indianapolis or Tennessee, they will win the division. If.

19. Seattle: A lot of folks like Matt Hasselbeck and the Seahawks this season. And why not? They play in the worst division in the NFC and have a frightening receiving corps.

20. Washington: Washington finished number four on the defensive side last season, and added Albert Haynesworth to the fold. Yes, that's right. The number four defense in the NFL added arguably the most valuable defensive player in the league. The question remains: Can Jason Campbell do enough to help the defense win games?

21. San Francisco: Mike Singletary adds a lot of fire to the team, but they still don't have the

players.

22. Cincinnati: With Carson Palmer healthy they should at least win three or four more games.

23. Buffalo: Ultimately, the young and inexperienced offensive line will be their undoing.

24. Jacksonville: Nice to see Jack Del Rio clean house a little, casting out receivers Reggie Williams and Matt Jones in favor of veteran Torry Holt. Probably won't translate to many wins this season though.

25. New York Jets: Starting a rookie quarterback as a rookie coach worked for both John Harbaugh and Mike Smith last year. Rex Ryan will not join the club.

26. Kansas City: It's kind of hard to believe that they thought Chan Gailey was a good idea to start with.

27. Tampa Bay: Starting over. We'll forgive them a couple years to rebuild around Josh Freeman.

28. Cleveland: Like the Steelers and Giants, we're waiting for them to prove us wrong. They could start by scoring a touchdown.

29. Oakland: There's not enough space here to fully explain why the Raiders are the 29th best team in the NFL.

30. St. Louis: Maybe Marc Bulger will bring the Rams back to live after two awful seasons. Maybe?

31. Denver: Hard to like any of the moves they made this off season. Except for benching Brandon Marshall in the preseason.

32. Detroit

Playoff Rankings, Week 2

1. Pittsburgh Steelers: Most impressive win in these playoffs. San Diego got off to a fast start, and Pittsburgh spent the rest of the game asserting their will, as it were.

2. Baltimore Ravens: They just keep beating people up. Pittsburgh is the team best equipped to beat Baltimore (they've done it twice this season).

3. Philadelphia Eagles: Donovan McNabb outplayed Eli Manning. Vast understatement. The Eagles run defense won the game in the second half.

4. Tennessee Titans: They probably could have won that game. Turnovers are rough.

5. Arizona Cardinals: Here comes Kurt Warner! 

6. New York Giants: What happened? 

7. Carolina Panthers: We know what happened to Carolina: Jake Delhomme.

8. Indianapolis Colts: It seems like a safe bet that the Colts will fall a little ways with Tony Dungy gone.

9. Miami Dolphins

10. San Diego Chargers: I still can't believe they extended their season two weeks. 

11. Atlanta Falcons

12. Minnesota Vikings

Final Regular Season Ranks

1. New York Giants: They lost, and I moved them up. what gives? Seeing them up close made me realize how dominant their offensive line is, and Steve Spagnuolo has some pretty nice blitz packages. I'm guessing it will come down to a game at the Meadowlands against Carolina.

2. Tennessee Titans: Baltimore could make things tough on the Titans come round two. But I think the Colts would beat them.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers: Byron Leftwich probably could win a couple playoff games with this team. Steelers fans should probably hope he stays on the bench though.

4. Indianapolis Colts: Nine wins in a row is nothing to scoff at. I think they will challenge either Pittsburgh or Tennessee in the second round, and if they get through there, might be Super.

5. Baltimore Ravens: Here's hoping we get to see Baltimore play Miami, Tennessee, and Pittsburgh in the playoffs. Talk about some old-school football.

6. Carolina Panthers: Will anybody be able to stop DeAngelo Williams and Steve Smith in the playoffs?

7. Miami Dolphins: They just keep on winning. Their defense deserves a lot of credit. How valuable is Ricky Williams? Because of him the Dolphins go into the playoffs with two relatively fresh running backs.

8. New England Patriots: By far the best team to miss the playoffs, probably playing as well as anybody right now. Matt Cassel appears to be the real deal, and if reports that Tom Brady's recovery is going slowly are correct, New England might have to throw Cassel a fat one-year deal.

9. Atlanta Falcons: Not the way you would like to handle the Rams at home going into the playoffs, but they should beat the Cardinals in round one.

10. Minnesota Vikings: Granted, it was against some of the Giants back-ups. But the Vikings made a pretty nice 4th-quarter comeback Sunday, and clinched the NFC North.

11. Philadelphia Eagles: They have played a lot better in December, but this big win over Dallas isn't enough to wash that performance against Washington out of my memory.

12. San Diego Chargers: I guess you have to give them credit for fighting and getting back into the mix. They still aren't that good.

13. Dallas Cowboys: Tony Romo and Brett Favre looked a lot alike in the last few weeks. And they both cost their teams a shot at the playoffs.

14. Arizona Cardinals: Maybe the most one-dimensional team in the NFL. Probably won't win a playoff game.

15. Houston Texans: I like Matt Schuab and Andre Johnson is the best receiver in the league. Steve Slaton looks to be their running back for a few years also. If they can improve on defense, they will be a contender next year. (Yes, everybody said the exact same thing last year. It's true.)

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bucs were one of the more balanced teams for a lot of this season, but the run defense wore down, and Jeff Garcia couldn't stay healthy. I think they will challenge the NFC South again next season.

17. Chicago Bears: The Bears defense was simply terrible. They are the biggest reason this team missed the playoffs. And, really, the only really they even hung around was because of some weird special teams plays.

18. Denver Broncos: Their defense was awful all year, and it didn't come through Sunday night.

19. New York Jets: At 8-3 they were on the fast track to an AFC East title and maybe even a first-round bye. Then all of their weaknesses got exposed, over and over. Brett Favre needs to retire. The Jets should look at what Aaron Rodgers did, and hope that Clemens can be the man by 2010.

20. New Orleans: Aside from some individual performances, the Saints were a big disappointment.

21. San Francisco 49ers: Mike Singletary got this team to play with some guts in the second half of the season. I think they are a better team than most people know.

22. Washington: They need more from the quarterback position.

23. Buffalo Bills: Overachieved for a little while, but came down to Earth hard. Will have to start finishing drives before they can be taken seriously. 

24. Oakland Raiders: A pretty solid defense, a quarterback who is almost ready to step up and be the man, and a couple good running backs. 8-8 next year?

25. Green Bay Packers: They had some of the same problems last year, but Brett Favre helped hide them. I don't think he would have made much difference this year.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars: Somewhere along the line this team completely lost focus, and despite a couple nice efforts at the end of the year, I would be worried about them were I a fan.

27. Cincinnati Bengals: If they had played as hard as a unit with Carson Palmer, they might have stayed relevant for a little while. 

28. Seattle Seahawks: I might buy the injury argument with this team, but with everybody healthy could they have accounted for even half of their 12 losses? Doubtful.

29. Kansas City Chiefs: This team is so young. They took a lot of lumps this year. Hopefully Tony Gonzalez gets a chance somewhere else next year, because he can still play.

30. Cleveland Browns: I am really shocked by how bad the Browns are. Last year was a fluke, apparently.

31. St. Louis Rams: I feel like St. Louis has a couple nice pieces. Marc Bulger probably needs to be on a good team to be an elite quarterback. This team has a long way to go.

32. Detroit Lions: I don't know that there is anything to say about the Lions.

Late Rankings

1. Tennessee Titans: Didn't see that coming. Their defense might be able to carry them.

2. New York Giants: Way to snap back into it in time to save home-field advantage. Now they will probably rest for the Vikings.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers: I'll give them a break. With this schedule, you are going to lose on the road a couple times.

4. Indianapolis Colts: Win, win, win.

5. Baltimore Ravens: Huge win over Dallas, the kind that should get them a ton of respect. 

6. Carolina Panthers: I don't see this team going far in the playoffs.

7. New England Patriots: They look pretty good to me. Too bad they are going to miss the playoffs.

8. Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan is the real deal, but their defense is going to lose them a playoff game.

9. Miami Dolphins: About as consistent this year as any other team.

10. Minnesota Vikings: No other team gives away more games that they should win.

12. Chicago Bears: They are starting to look destined for a playoff spot. Or maybe the Packers and Saints are just proving how bad they are.

26. Green Bay Packers: What an awful, awful second half. Losing streaks don't just happen.

28. Oakland Raiders: Nice, unexpected win over Houston. Will they reach .500 next year? Doubt it.

29. Kansas City Chiefs: This team cannot hold on to a lead. Ever.

30. Cleveland Browns: Bruce Gradkowski gets the start this week. Not sure what to say.

31. St. Louis Rams: So the Dolphins added Chad Pennington and have won nine more games than they did last year. Maybe the Rams should look into signing Matt Hasselbeck, their version of a long-time divisional rival...

32. Detroit Lions

Since I was a little late with this, I added Sports Illustrated, which comes out with their rankings on Wednesdays.

ESPN.com: MIN-11, CHI-13, G.B.-24

Michael Silver (Yahoo!): MIN-10, CHI-13, G.B.-25

CBS Sports: MIN-13, CHI-14, G.B.-25

Don Banks (SI): MIN-11, CHI-13, G.B.-25

Jeff Sagarin (USA Today): MIN-9, CHI-11, G.B.-16

Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): MIN-11, CHI-14, G.B.-24

FOX Sports: MIN-12, CHI-13, G.B.-25

Another ranking

I decided that only showing a Top 5 is a bit of a cop-out this late in the year, with things so tight. The rest of the way I will give the Top 10. Philadelphia is going to have to win one more before I elevate them. That losing streak was just too ugly. The Jets will have to win and actually play well before they get back in there. 

1. Tennessee Titans: I have to move them up simply because they only have played poorly in one game.

2. New York Giants: No need to worry just yet, though Dallas, Carolina, and Minnesota will all challenge them down the stretch.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers: They just keep chipping away at it. Amazing defense.

4. Indianapolis Colts: Quietly having a really nice year. Should at least win a playoff game.

5. Carolina Panthers: They could steal home field advantage from the Giants if they win out.

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: I thought Tampa Bay would win on Monday night. But I didn't account for them giving up a million rushing yards.

7. Baltimore Ravens. Such a play-making defense. Hard to see them making it late January, but a great season for an old team with a rookie coach.

8. New England Patriots: As up and down as this year has been, I think you have to keep an eye on them the rest of the way. 

9. Atlanta Falcons: Tough loss, but they can still secure a wildcard spot, barring a huge collapse. Watch out for Philadelphia.

10. Dallas Cowboys: Tony Romo definitely makes them a better team, but he will lose a game for them now and then. They better hope he doesn't do it again this year.

13. Minnesota Vikings: I have a hard time thinking they will win more than one more game, which should open the door for Chicago.

18. Chicago Bears: They have as real a shot as the Vikings have, as long as they can take care of the Packers and Texans.

24. Green Bay Packers: The defense really sucks. That is a lot of yards to give up.

28. Oakland Raiders: I'm not sure there is even hope in the near future here.

29. Seattle Seahawks: They seem to keep games close at least.

30. Cincinnati Bengals: What an awful loss. The Colts crushed them.

31. St. Louis Rams: They are at least staying close the last couple weeks.

32. Detroit Lions

Green Bay continues to fall, their highest ranking coming from Jeff Sagarin, whose computer put them at 15. Minnesota managed two Top 10 votes.

ESPN.com: MIN-15, CHI-19, G.B.-23

Michael Silver (Yahoo!): MIN-9, CHI-17, G.B.-22

CBS Sports: MIN-10, CHI-16, G.B.-23

Jeff Sagarin (USA Today): MIN-9, CHI-12, G.B.-15

FOX Sports: MIN-14, CHI-17, G.B.-21

Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): MIN-11, CHI-18, G.B. 23

Top Five, Bottom Five

1. New York Giants: Best team in the league, not even close.

2. Tennessee Titans: One of the easiest wins I have ever seen. They should wrap up the AFC South soon.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers: Toughest schedule in the league, and they just keep winning. Really one of the better defenses in recent memory, at least statistically. 

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: I still feel like after Pittsburgh, the next six or seven spots are a jumble. Dallas is really close to getting back into the Top Five. Tampa is playing as consistent as anybody.

5. Indianapolis Colts: An ugly win against Cleveland, but when a team keeps winning, that means they are good.

12. Minnesota Vikings: If they had Kevin and Pat Williams the rest of the way, and could beat Detroit this week, the division would pretty much be theirs. But they almost certainly won't have those two, and without them, even Detroit is not a guaranteed win.

19. Chicago Bears: They have officially come back to Earth. They did a good job up piling up wins before this bad stretch though, and still have a shot at the playoffs.

21. Green Bay Packers: Their schedule is seriously weak, and that is their only hope. Houston, Jacksonville, Chicago, and Detroit are all very beatable, even for the struggling Packers. They'll have to win all four.

28. Oakland Raiders: Not sure what to say about the Raiders. They show up every week, but they aren't that good. Nice defense though. 

29. Seattle Seahawks: Mike Holmgren should have sat this year out. He could have started fresh in 2009 with San Francisco, a team that he might be able to take to 9-7 or so. Instead, he either won't get that year off, or he won't get a shot with the 49ers.

30. Cincinnati Bengals: I think the Bengals and Chiefs deserve some sort of consolation pat on the back for fighting so hard despite never having a chance in 2008. A lot of injuries here, too.

31. St. Louis Rams: The Rams are actually almost as bad as the Lions, if you can believe that. It is too bad for Marc Bulger, who is having an awful year. I would like to see him get a shot on a better team, because he is a legit quarterback, probably could win a Super Bowl with a decent team around him.

32. Detroit Lions: 

ESPN.com: MIN-15, CHI-19, G.B.-20

Michael Silver (Yahoo!): MIN-9, CHI-17, G.B. 20

CBS Sports: MIN- 13, CHI-18, G.B.-21

Jeff Sagarin (USA Today): MIN-8, G.B.-12, CHI-13

FOX Sports: MIN-14, CHI-18, G.B.-20

Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): MIN-12, CHI-19, G.B.-21

Rankeroo

No changes in the top seven this week. They didn't all win, but none lost. The middle continues its muddled ways, and the bottom has a few new-comers. Excitement!

1. Tennessee Titans: Another big win. How will they handle the up and down Colts?

2. Pittsburgh Steelers: They play a consistent and balanced brand of football, something that most teams could learn from this year.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Like the others in the Top 5, they took care of business.

4. New York Giants: Too bad they lost to such a bad team. They'd still be in the top spot otherwise.

5. Buffalo Bills: I was wrong about this team. Will they continue to prove me wrong?

13. Chicago Bears: A win's a win, but they have a lot of work to do if they want to get out of the wildcard round.

17. Green Bay Packers: I need to see more. Two dominating wins in a row, though.

22. Minnesota Vikings: Huge day on offense, but you can't win when you give away points.

28. Cleveland Browns: They are better than the four teams below them, but they just aren't going to win a lot of games this year.

29. Kansas City Chiefs: One week they show some fight. The next they get completely embarrassed.

30. Seattle Seahawks: Another team that just isn't very good.

31. Cincinnati Bengals: There's a lot of fight in this team, considering.

32. Detroit Lions: With Roy Williams gone, they have nothing to even remotely scare opposing teams. Calvin Johnson can't do it all.

Experts: Silver continues to love the NFC North (at least relative to the rest of 'em).

ESPN.com: G.B.-10, CHI-13, MIN-22, DET-32

CBS Sportsline: G.B.-11, CHI-18, MIN-24, DET-32

Michael Silver (Yahoo!): G.B.-9, CHI-13, MIN-17, DET-32

Jeff Sagarin (USA Today): CHI-6, G.B.-16, MIN-17, DET-32

Rankings

After Week 6 there is further proof that the NFL has turned into a mush of mediocre teams. Whether they are mediocre relative to each other or the NFL of 10, 20, or 30 years ago, I'm not sure. But there sure aren't any clear cut favorites so far, and only a couple teams are out of it.

1. Tennessee Titans: The bye week was good to a couple teams. The Titans should go into their Monday Night Football match up with Indianapolis 6-0.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers: Three of my top five teams had byes this week. Shows how quickly things change.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Very impressive win, even if I think the Panthers have been overrated so far.

4. New York Giants: Not a good loss, but the Giants still are in control of a tough division.

5. Buffalo Bills: At five for now, but they could have a losing record a month from now. Next four games: SD, at MIA, NY Jets, at NE.

18. Chicago Bears: The Bears could open a nice NFC North lead if they can take care of Minnesota and Detroit at home in their next two games (with a bye sandwiched between).

19. Minnesota Vikings: A win is a win in this league. They are right there in the middle of things, with some big divisional games coming up.

20. Green Bay Packers: Good job taking care of a lesser team. That is something that shouldn't be taken for granted in the NFL.

28. Oakland Raiders: The Saints needed a win, and they took out some frustration on the Raiders

29. Seattle Seahawks: Hard to imagine things getting much better for this team.

30. St. Louis Rams: Good win, but I'm not moving them up yet. I still remember their September.

31. Cincinnati Bengals: They look pretty good for an 0-6 team, but they still are 0-6.

32. Detroit Lions: Score was close, which is a step in the right direction. But they only gained 212 yards, and couldn't maintain drives.

The Experts:

ESPN.com: G.B.-19, CHI-20, MIN-21, DET-32

CBS Sportsline: G.B.-16, CHI-21, MIN-22, DET-32

Michael Silver (Yahoo!): G.B.-14, MIN-15, CHI-16, DET-32

Jeff Sagarin (USA Today): CHI-8, MIN-18, G.B.-22, DET-32