AP
While plenty of teams impressed this week, plenty lived up exactly to their expectations of losing. Mid-way through the season, we now have a clearer picture of what’s going to happen in the playoffs. There are but a few elite teams left and it’s likely the rest will continue to struggle.
- Atlanta Falcons (7-0) [No Change] – The Eagles played way better this week than the last few and the Falcons still embarrassed them.
- Houston Texans (6-1) [No Change] – Bye week is giving me a “no change” here.
- New York Giants (6-2) [No Change] – This is just a different team than the beginning of the season. While they let the Cowboys catch up in the 4th quarter, they never broke. That first half is the real Giants.
- San Francisco 49ers (6-2) [Up 1 Spot] – Did they look great on Monday? Yes. Were they playing a Skelton-led Cardinals? Yes.
- New England Patriots (5-3) [Up 1 Spot] – After embarrassing the Rams in England, the Patriots have easily become the frontrunner to challenge the Texans for the AFC.
- Chicago Bears (6-1) [Down 2 Spots] — The defense is so great. Seriously. But what is up with the offense? You have to score against Cam Newton to win. This week was luck.
- Denver Broncos (4-3) [Up 2 Spots] – The Broncos after the bye week are so much better than they were before the bye week. The Saints still have an amazing offense and they became ineffective against the Broncs-D. This team is going to make the playoffs.
- Green Bay Packers (5-3) [Up 3 Spots] – That Jacksonville pass defense is underrated. The Pack did a good job staying in this game and deserve a top 10 spot finally.
- Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) [Up 2 Spots] – I’d still be afraid that an experienced offense would find a way to dismantle this defense.
- Miami Dolphins (4-3) [Down 10 Spot] – Okay. I’m on board now. That was the height of embarrassment for the Jets this season. All credit goes to the Dolphins.
- Seattle Seahawks (4-4) [Down 4 Spots] – I just don’t believe this record correctly reflects how good this team is. They have had the toughest schedule thus far.
- Minnesota Vikings (5-3) [Down 4 Spots] – This was the first game this season that the defense got absolutely manhandled. They’ll be back (though maybe not this week what with playing in Seattle).
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4) [Up 11 Spots] – Here’s another team that has been impressive post-bye. Freeman and Martin are firing on all cylinders.
- Baltimore Ravens (5-2) [Down 1 Spot] – Not a huge move because of the bye week. This defense still makes me nervous.
- Washington Redskins (3-5) [Down 1 Spot] – The ‘Skins offense can still do some amazing things . . . but haven’t been able to against decent defense lately.
- Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) [Down 1 Spot] – Let’s not panic. It was the Falcons. But that was horrifying to watch.
- Indianapolis Colts (3-4) [Up 6 Spots] – Luck can get it done in the second half.
- Cincinnati Bengals (3-4) [Up 1 Spot] – Bye week boost.
- New York Jets (3-5) [Down 7 Spots] – That was probably the worst performance of any team this season.
- Detroit Lions (3-4) [Up 8 Spots] – A tough, deserved win. But wins are still going to be tough to come by.
- Tennessee Titans (3-5) [Up 4 Spots] – Are you happy, Parker?
- Buffalo Bills (4-4) [Up 4 Spots] – Inconsistent.
- St. Louis Rams (3-5) [Down 8 Spots] – I thought you were supposed to at least be good on the defensive side?
- Arizona Cardinals (4-4) [Down 8 Spots] – John Skelton.
- Carolina Panthers (1-6) [Up 5 Spots] – Things are looking up, but that record hurts to look at.
- San Diego Chargers (3-4) [Down 6 Spots] – Six points in an entire game?
- New Orleans Saints (2-5) [Down 6 Spots] – Those two wins were an accident.
- Oakland Raiders (3-4) [No Change] – Don’t get carried away. That was the Chiefs.
- Cleveland Browns (2-6) [Down 2 Spots] — I told you guys they could win.
- Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6) [No Change] – They offense needs some play-makers, badly.
- Kansas City Chiefs (1-6) [No Change] – Hey, there you are!
