1. Atlanta 4-1 (1)…No change here. All three teams took care of business. Falcons offense isn’t clicking on all cylinders but the defense has been a pleasant surprise. The Falcons defense has actually allowed less points than the Ravens and Jets.
2. Baltimore 4-1 (2)
3. N.Y. Jets 4-1 (3)
4. Pittsburgh 3-1 (4)
5. New England 3-1 (6)
6. Indianapolis 3-2 (10)
7. Chicago 4-1 (11)…When you look around the league at all of the similar records, 4-1 looks good regardless of style points. Julius Peppers has been a huge addition, solidifying that defense once again.
8. Tennessee 3-2 (19)…Close pack of teams but I was impressed with the Titans making the plays in the second half to prevail against the Cowboys. They have an athletic defensive line that can get to the quarterback and obviously some explosiveness on offense, and also in the return game with Mariani.
9. New Orleans 3-2 (5)
10. Washington 3-2 (13)
11. Green Bay 3-2 (7)
12. Kansas City 3-1 (9)
13. N.Y. Giants 3-2 (21)…The light seems to have gone on with this team the past couple weeks. Defense has picked it up and Hakeem Nicks is emerging as one of the NFL's top receivers.
14. Houston 3-2 (8)
15. Philadelphia 3-2 (20)
16. Arizona 3-2 (23)
17. Miami 2-2 (16)
18. Dallas 1-3 (14)
19. Minnesota 1-3 (17)
20. Jacksonville 3-2 (22)
21. Tampa Bay 3-1 (26)
22. Denver 2-3 (18)
23. Oakland 2-3 (28)
24. San Diego 2-3 (15)…I usually give the Chargers a break but it’s starting to get old.
25. Cincinnati 2-3 (12)...As you might expect, the Bengals take quite a tumble.
26. St. Louis 2-3 (24)…It seems a little strange they’re ahead of the Lions despite losing to them 44-6 but the Rams do have two wins, including one over a solid Redskins team.
27. Seattle 2-2 (25)
28. Cleveland 1-4 (27)
29. Detroit 1-4 (29)
30. San Francisco 0-5 (30)
31. Carolina 0-5 (31)
32. Buffalo 0-5 (32)
