1. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1, –)
Jeff Reed missed two field goals otherwise they probably would have beaten the Ravens, and that was with Charlie Batch as quarterback. They get Ben Roethlisberger back for their next game and that will result in more points. As long as the defense stays healthy, they’ll remain the top team in the league.
2. New York Jets (3-1, +1)
Treated the Bills exactly how they should have. The defense is the strength, but the offense is beginning to show they’re not too far behind. Will have a tough matchup Monday night against a rested and prepared Vikings squad.
3. New England Patriots (3-1, +4)
The score got out of hand on Monday night thanks to a record-setting performance, but they looked impressive on a few drives in the second half and their defense managed stops against a pretty good offense. They have holes but they’re still very good.
4. Baltimore Ravens (3-1, +6)
Their 17 points was actually the most allowed by the Steelers all year which is saying something. The defense is awesome and the offense is coming around. A huge week six matchup at New England looms.
5. Atlanta Falcons (3-1, -1)
Kind of sleepwalked against the 49ers Sunday and still squeezed out a win. The defense is looking good but they need some big plays out of Michael Turner. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be 6-1 heading into their week eight bye.
6. New Orleans Saints (3-1, -1)
They’ve been unimpressive most of the season and their offense isn’t anywhere near as electric as it was last year. Still, credit them for being 3-1 and a field goal away from 4-0. They should roll through their next three games.
7. Green Bay Packers (3-1, +1)
They looked good in the first half against the Lions but garbage in the second half. Aaron Rodgers wants to spread out the offense and that might not be a bad idea. They have an extremely difficult schedule ahead — no easy weeks.
8. Indianapolis Colts (2-2, -6)
We dropped them six spots for a tough loss at Jacksonville, but this is still plenty of respect for a 2-2 team. They’re still an excellent team but the injury to Melvin Bullitt (Bob Sanders’ backup) is a concern. They’ll hand KC its first loss of the year.
9. Houston Texans (3-1, +5)
They bounced back nicely from a home loss to the Cowboys with a road win in Oakland. Arian Foster sure bailed them out and hopefully he learned his lesson not to miss any more team meetings. They can’t afford to have him screwing around.
10. San Diego Chargers (2-2, +8)
Nobody has looked better in wins yet they’ve still managed to drop two games. With their kickoff return coverage fixed, their weaknesses are few. Philip Rivers to Antonio Gates may be the best aerial combination in football.
11. Washington Redskins (2-2, +12)
The NFC East is a total mess. No team appears to be on another level from the rest but the Redskins get points for being 2-0 in the division and winning two on the road. Their defense is good and a missed Graham Gano field goal keeps them from being 3-1.
12. Dallas Cowboys (1-2, +4)
What a sweet deal — all they had to do was sit at home to move up the rankings! Their week 3 win at Houston was impressive and they should make a statement coming off their bye. Week six at Minnesota is a season-ending game for the loser.
13. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0, -2)
Spare me the “only undefeated team in the NFL” talk. That will all end Sunday against the Colts. And if it doesn’t, then we’ll have them in Top 10, and potentially Top 5 after that. They still have a lot of proving to do.
14. Miami Dolphins (2-2, -2)
Last week we said the AFC East is sure to be a three-team battle the whole year. Miami has lost two straight at home, but to two very good teams. They’re still a very good team themselves and their defense truly impresses me.
15. Philadelphia Eagles (2-2, -6)
They were the best team in the division until Michael Vick got hurt. The injury looks serious and could keep him out through their bye week. With Kevin Kolb at QB, they’re much less dangerous. This ranking reflects that.
16. Chicago Bears (3-1, -10)
It’s clear they’re not one of the top teams in the NFL, but they’re also not as bad as they looked giving up 10 sacks against the Giants. They better hope Jay Cutler gets healthy because the beating he took could ruin him for the year.
17. New York Giants (2-2, +3)
The defense looked great against Chicago but the offense had a sluggish start. Something just doesn’t seem to be there with this team, but their past success gives them the benefit of the doubt.
18. Tennessee Titans (2-2, -5)
So much for Chris Johnson’s 2,500-yard season. The defense looks pretty good and the offense has its spots, but it’s just too inconsistent. They need to be more reliable scoring points to instill more confidence in us.
19. Minnesota Vikings (1-2, NC)
Tough assignment to play the Jets on the road after their bye. It will be huge if they can get a win but I’m not counting on it. They could be a good team but a bad start and tough schedule may doom them.
20. Cincinnati Bengals (2-2, -5)
They can only rely on their defense so much before the offense needs to start producing. Two costly turnovers by Carson Palmer killed this team on Sunday and is the difference between 2-2 and 3-1. He’s not the same player he once was.
21. Denver Broncos (2-2, +3)
The passing game looks really good and is trying to make up for the absence of a running game. They’re an average team with the potential to knock teams off but they just don’t have enough weapons to be a playoff squad.
22. St.Louis Rams (2-2, –)
Hey, two in a row, how about that! They may be the best team in the NFC West, though that’s not saying much. They need to prove they’ve taken the next step with a road win over the Lions. I think they can get it done.
23. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2, +4)
Big, big home win against the Colts, but it’s hard to have faith in this team with the crappy performances they put up in San Diego and at home against Philly. They have weapons, but they need steady games from David Garrard each week.
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1, +1)
The 2-0 start was nice but we’ll begin to see who they really are in the coming weeks. Are they a young team on the rise or a rebuilding team that still needs a lot of work? I’m guessing it’s more of the latter than the former.
25. Seattle Seahawks (2-2, -8)
They’ve looked pretty good at home but a 20-3 loss to St. Louis shows us how bad this team can be. They don’t get enough consistency from their offense to be higher on the list.
26. Oakland Raiders (1-3, +3)
Moving up the charts despite a loss? With Bruce Gradkowski at quarterback, at least they’re scoring points. They’re just not looking quite as bad as some of the other teams in the league.
27. Cleveland Browns (1-3, +3)
They got their first win like I thought, but it’s hard to have this team very high with that dreadful secondary. Fantasy owners: take whichever quarterback is playing them. They have a nice running game but not much else.
28. Arizona Cardinals (2-2, -7)
Whether it’s Max Hall or Derek Anderson, they have a lot of work to do at the quarterback spot. Losing Kurt Warner may have been the biggest move of the off-season. This team is in a lot of trouble.
29. Detroit Lions (0-4, -3)
Hey, give them credit for competing. They’re not the same without Matthew Stafford but they’re hanging in there. At least the defense is marginally better and the offense has some playmakers. Next year Detroit, next year.
30. San Francisco 49ers (0-4, -2)
Would anyone have expected this? Hard to say. Don’t blame the offensive coordinator — it’s on Alex Smith. Even Michael Crabtree thinks so. Expect Mike Singletary to be one of the first head coaches to lose his job.
31. Carolina Panthers (0-4, –)
They finally looked decent in week four, going up on the Saints on the road. Still, Jimmy Clausen will have to take major steps for this team to move up in the rankings. He has 12 more games to improve. It’s a rebuilding year in Carolina.
32. Buffalo Bills (0-4, –)
Get used to it Bills fans. Allowing 273 rushing yards in one game? Yikes. Trading Marshawn Lynch for two picks was wise. It’s all about getting the top draft pick next year and selecting a quarterback.
