1. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2, +1)
The Bengals almost came from behind to beat the Steelers. That would have been Pittsburgh’s second straight loss with a match-up against the Patriots looming. They hung on for the win and appear to be the more confident team headed into Sunday night’s key match-up.
2. Baltimore Ravens (6-2, +2)
Whether Le’ron McClain spit in Channing Crowder’s face or not, Baltimore dominated the Dolphins and has won five of its last six. Thursday Night Football kicks off this week and the Ravens face the Falcons in what should be a great match-up of 6-2 teams.
3. New York Giants (6-2, +4)
The G-men were the hottest team in football headed into their bye week and Charlie Whitehurst was the perfect candidate to keep that going. They haven’t played many great teams lately, but they’re destroying everything in their path.
4. New England Patriots (6-2, -3)
New England looked downright awful against the Browns, but I don’t want to drop them too far just yet. The 20-point road loss looks like a classic example of a team looking ahead to it’s next match-up. We’ll know more about the AFC after the Pats-Steelers game on Sunday night.
5. New York Jets (6-2, -2)
After being shutout by the Packers, we expected the Jets to bounce back in a big way against the lions. That didn’t happen. As a matter of fact, if Ndamukong Suh didn’t have to attempt an extra point the Jets probably would have lost. They aren’t looking like the dominant team we saw through the first seven weeks.
6. Green Bay Packers (6-3, –)
After taking advantage of the lowly Cowboys, the Packers have won three straight heading into their bye week. I know I sound like a broken record, but this is one of the best teams in football when healthy. The bye week can only improve their health.
7. Atlanta Falcons (6-2, +1)
Atlanta is playing defense when it counts and coming away with wins. They’ve beaten some bad teams, but the Bucs no longer meet that description. A win over the Ravens on Thursday night would quiet most of the skeptics.
8. New Orleans Saints (6-3, +1)
Dare I say the Saints are back on track? When they were able to throw the ball against the Steelers, it looked like that was the case. After struggling against Carolina the first time around, New Orleans blew them out on the road and looked like the defending Super Bowl champs.
9. Philadelphia Eagles (5-3, +5)
Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson returned with an absolute bang against the Colts. It’s amazing how much better Vick makes this team. With Vick playing the way he has been, their defense is strong enough to contend for an NFC Championship.
10. Tennessee Titans (5-3, +1)
We had to move the Titans up a little after crunching these numbers regarding Randy Moss. With Kenny Britt ailing, Moss could obviously be an enormous boost for their offense — “could” being the key word. It almost seems like Randy is incapable of being happy anywhere.
11. Indianapolis Colts (5-3, -6)
Defeating the Eagles on the road would have been very impressive, but this Colts team doesn’t look like the ones we’re used to. Doesn’t it seem like they’re 10-0 to start the regular season every year? Their defense looks too soft to compensate for all the injuries on offense.
12. Oakland Raiders (5-4, +3)
I can’t believe the Raiders are this high, but if the shoe fits… They scratched and clawed their way to an overtime victory against the Chiefs and are now 3-0 in the AFC West. The Chargers are finally making a push, but this division is still ripe for the taking.
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-3, -1)
Plenty of people were expecting the “real” Bucs to show up and get blown out in Tampa Bay. Instead, they almost did it again with a 4th quarter comeback, but came up just short. There’s no doubt this team is vastly improved from a year ago.
14. San Diego Chargers (4-5, +8)
Since this poll is more “what have you done for me lately” than “what have you done,” the Chargers are big movers this week. They beat a tough Titans team two weeks ago and a Texans team that was desperate for a win at home. They always start out poorly and pick it up.
15. Kansas City Chiefs (5-3, +4)
Kansas City is obviously still alive in the AFC West, but they need to stop blowing games. They should have beaten Houston week six and had Oakland against the ropes on Sunday. They should stay in the hunt with a weak schedule.
16. Miami Dolphins (4-4, -3)
Miami was caught in a spit-flying, trash-talking war on Sunday but was never really in the game. Brandon Marshall has guaranteed they’ll be in the playoffs, but they haven’t won two straight since weeks one and two. The AFC East is too tough for them to compete.
17. Chicago Bears (5-3, –)
Letting the 0-8 Bills hang around until the final whistle isn’t a great way to prove you fixed a lot of your issues over the bye week. I’d say the Bears 5-3 record surprises me more than any in the league. This doesn’t look like an above .500 squad at this point.
18. Houston Texans (4-4, -2)
Arian Foster is an absolute animal, but I can’t remember many pass defenses that have been this bad. There’s nothing more discouraging for an offense than knowing your defense can’t stop a drive. They wont win many games when they aren’t the last one’s with the ball.
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4, -1)
With the way David Garrard and the Jags’ offense played in Dallas before the bye, there should be nothing intimidating about a match-up at home vs. Texans. Maurice Jones-Drew looks healthy and the bye week should make him even better.
20. St.Louis Rams (4-4, -1)
The Rams have a friendly date with the 49ers coming out of their bye week. A win would mean the St. Louis Rams have an above .500 record nine games into the season, and that would stun just about everyone.
21. Minnesota Vikings (3-5, +3)
Just when it looked like the Vikings might hit rock bottom by getting owned in Arizona, they overcame a 14-point, fourth quarter deficit and won in overtime. I have no idea how this circus act put together a gut-check victory, but they did.
22. Cleveland Browns (3-5, +5)
Tough to argue with back-to-back wins over the Saints and Patriots. Thus far, it looks like the Browns knew what they were doing when they drafted Colt McCoy. He isn’t setting off any fireworks but he’s been able to prevent turnovers against tough competition. Peyton Hillis is running with a purpose.
23. Washington Redskins (4-4, -2)
The bye week certainly came at a good time with all the Donovan McNabb-Mike Shanahan drama in full force. The media is making life tough on McNabb in his first year in Washington, and the coaches aren’t helping much either.
24. Seattle Seahawks (4-4, -4)
Matt Hasselbeck picked a bad time to have a concussion, as the Giants terrorized Charlie Whitehurst and the Seahawks. They have a winnable match-up in Arizona this weekend — if Hasselbeck is able to play.
25. Arizona Cardinals (3-5, -2)
The Cardinals have no excuse to blow a 14-point lead in the 4th quarter. Losses like those can stick with a team, especially one with no consistency at quarterback that was lacking in confidence to begin with.
26. Detroit Lions (2-6, –)
The Lions followed up a win over the Redskins by hanging tough against one of the better teams in the NFL. Detroit probably should have won the game. The question now becomes whether or not they can continue to improve without Matthew Stafford, who is likely done for the season with another shoulder injury.
27. Cincinnati Bengals (2-6, -2)
Cincinnati almost came from behind to beat the Steelers, but almost doesn’t count. Chad Ochocinco and Carson Palmer don’t seem to be getting along and at this point the T.O. and Ochocinco experiment is working out the way many of us expected it to.
28. Denver Broncos (2-6, –)
After four consecutive losses, the Broncos return from the bye week with two important AFC West games against the Chargers and Chiefs. If they win them both, they might stay in the hunt. I doubt that’s going to happen.
29. San Francisco 49ers (2-6, –)
The 49ers schedule is pretty soft the rest of the way. If they don’t do something with it, Mike Singletary will more than likely be out of a job. Troy Smith probably gives them a better chance to win than Alex Smith.
30. Dallas Cowboys (1-7, –)
The Cowboys continue to crumble. They were mopped up by the Packers, prompting Jerry Jones to fire head coach Wade Phillips after a history of never firing a head coach mid-season. I’m not sure Jason Garrett is the answer.
31. Carolina Panthers (1-6, -1)
The Panthers surprised everyone by hanging with the Saints week four — including the Saints. New Orleans was ready for them this time around and put them away early.
32. Buffalo Bills (0-8, –)
The Bills have to win one eventually, right? They seem to be getting closer every week but can’t get it done. They had every chance to beat the Bears, but Ryan Fitzpatrick is no Josh Freeman.
