(Previous Rank; Previous Result; Rank Change)

1. Indianapolis Colts
(No. 1; W, 20-17 vs. Hou; No Change)
They were down late in the game but managed to come back to beat their division rival.  They now have a showdown with the Patriots on Sunday night.

2. New Orleans Saints
(No. 2; W, 30-20 vs. Car; No Change)
The Panthers had their number early but the Saints are a good enough team to come back and they did.  Should roll over the Rams this week.

3. New England Patriots
(No. 3; W, 27-17 vs. Mia; No Change)
After struggling early this season, the Patriots have been on fire lately and that sets up a great matchup against the Colts this week.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers
(No. 4; W, 28-10 vs. Den; No Change)
Were too much for the Broncos to handle.  They, like the Patriots, struggled early in the season but are playing great football at this point in the season.

5. Minnesota Vikings
(No. 5; Bye; No Change)
Must have enjoyed further distancing themselves in the NFC North while watching the Bears and Packers lose bad games.

6. Atlanta Falcons
(No. 9; W, 31-17 vs. Was; Up 3)
Beat up on a bad Redskins team.  Should be one of the NFC’s wild card teams.

7. San Diego Chargers
(No. 11; W, 21-20 vs. NYG; Up 4)
Handed the Giants their fourth-straight loss.  Great road victory for the Chargers.

8. Cincinnati Bengals
(No. 12; W, 17-7 vs. Bal; Up 4)
They’re a legitimately good football team this year.  They’ll be pushing for the AFC North crown all season.

9. Baltimore Ravens
(No. 6; L, 17-7 vs. Cin; Down 3)
They are no longer one of the NFL’s top run defenses.  They’re a good football team and will be in a fight for the playoffs the rest of the season.

10. Dallas Cowboys
(No. 14; W, 20-16 vs. Phi; Up 4)
Took control of the NFC East division lead with a good road win over the Eagles.

11. Denver Broncos
(No. 10; L, 28-10 vs. Pit; Down 1)
Have now dropped two in a row and teams might have learned how to stop the vaunted Kyle Orton-led offensive attack in Denver.

12. Philadelphia Eagles
(No. 7; L, 20-16 vs. Dal; Down 5)
Dropped an important division game to the Cowboys and now have a tough road game in San Diego.

13. New York Giants
(No. 8; W, 21-20 vs. SD; Down 5)
They dropped their fourth straight game — this one at home — and could struggle to make the playoffs if they can’t right the ship.

14. Arizona Cardinals
(No. 16; W, 41-21 vs. Chi; Up 2)
The Cardinals took the blueprint used by the Bengals to systematically pick apart a bad Bears defense.  They remain unbeaten on the road this season.

15. Green Bay Packers
(No. 13; L, 38-28 vs. TB; Down 2)
Somehow found a way to lose to the previously winless Buccaneers.  Will be in a fight to get a wild card spot, but they have problems on both sides of the ball, specifically the offensive line, though.

16. Chicago Bears
(No. 15; L, 41-21 vs. Ari; Down 1)
Can’t seem to stop anybody defensively and the offense has trouble climbing out of these huge holes that the defense puts them in.

17. Miami Dolphins
(No. 17; L, 27-17 vs. NE; No Change)
Wildcat no match for the better-prepared Patriots.  They’ll compete with just about everybody, but they have talent voids to fill.

18. New York Jets
(No. 18; Bye; No Change)
They’re hoping the bye week can help them get back on track.  They should pick up a win over the Jaguars this week.

19. Houston Texans
(No. 19; L, 20-17 vs. Ind; No Change)
Had the lead late in the game against the Colts but couldn’t hang on.  They’ve got a great offense with a solid quarterback.

20. Carolina Panthers
(No. 20; L, 30-20 vs. NO; No Change)
Took an early lead on the Saints and were looking for an upset, but couldn’t hang on.  They look a lot better now than they did at season’s beginning, though.

21. Jacksonville Jaguars
(No. 22; W, 24-21 vs. KC; Up 1)
Pulled off a close win over a bad Chiefs team.

22. San Francisco 49ers
(No. 21; L, 34-27 vs. Ten; Down 1)
Have now dropped four in a row, but they have a chance to rebound with a home prime time game against the Bears.

23. Seattle Seahawks
(No. 23; W, 32-20 vs. Det; No Change)
Playing Detroit is always a good pick-me-up.

24. Buffalo Bills
(No. 24; Bye; No Change)
After their bye week, they now travel to Tennessee to face a rejuvenated Titans team.

25. Oakland Raiders
(No. 25; Bye; No Change)
A bad team hovering around the bottom of the league with a chance at picking up a win at home against the Chiefs this week.

26. Tennessee Titans
(No. 28; W, 34-27 vs. SF; Up 2)
They lost their first six games and then had their bye week and have since won two in a row.  Winning streak coming? Probably not.  But they have Buffalo coming to town this week.

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(No. 30; W, 38-28 vs. GB; Up 3)
Picked up their first win of the season against the Packers and now have a tough, in-state road game against the Dolphins.

28. Kansas City Chiefs
(No. 26; L, 24-21 vs. Jac; Down 2)
Could have a chance at a victory this week traveling to Oakland, but any game is tough for them.

29. Washington Redskins
(No. 27; L, 31-17 vs. Atl; Down 2)
Still struggling to play consistent football… except for when they’re consistently bad.

30. Cleveland Browns
(No. 29; Bye; Down 1)
Bye week necessary for them, but it won’t accomplish much.

31. St. Louis Rams
(No. 31; Bye; No Change)
After beating Detroit for their first victory, they had a bye week and now will host the undefeated Saints.  Daunting task.

32. Detroit Lions
(No. 32; L, 32-20 vs. Sea; No Change)
Seattle is a tough place to play and they were handled by the Seahawks this week.

(Previous Rank; Previous Result; Rank Change)

1. Indianapolis Colts
(No. 1; W, 42-6 vs. Stl; No Change)
Continue to cruise with little to no resistance.  San Francisco and Houston should be minor speed bumps over the next two weeks, but the real test is in Week 10 against the Patriots.

2. New Orleans Saints
(No. 3; W, 46-34 vs. Mia; Up 1)
Can the Falcons bump them off this week?  It’s in New Orleans and Atlanta doesn’t have a good defense, so I don’t think so.

3. New England Patriots
(No. 5; W, 35-7 vs. TB; Up 2)
Made short work of the Buccaneers in London.  Have a bye week to get ready for Miami.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers
(No. 6; W, 27-17 vs. Min; Up 2)
Showed the rest of the NFL how to stop the mighty Vikings.  Put pressure on the old man Favre and keep containment against the speedster Peterson.

5. Minnesota Vikings
(No. 2; L, 27-17 vs. Pit; Down 3)
They’re not immortal; they can be beaten.  But it’s awfully difficult to stop both Favre and Peterson.  The Steelers proved it can be done, but how often it will happen is the question.

6. New York Giants
(No. 4; L, 24-17 vs. Ari; Down 2)
Have now dropped two straight and look nothing like they did at the beginning of the season.

7. Atlanta Falcons
(No. 7; L, 37-21 vs. Dal; No Change)
Couldn’t handle the Cowboy’s passing attack and now head into New Orleans to face perhaps the league’s best aerial assault.

8. Denver Broncos
(No. 8; Bye; No Change)
Bye week to collect themselves and try to keep their perfect season going.

9. Baltimore Ravens
(No. 9; Bye; No Change)
After starting off the season hot and then dropping three straight, the bye week came at a good time for the Ravens.  They had two weeks to prepare for the undefeated Broncos.

10. Philadelphia Eagles
(No. 10; W, 27-17 vs. Was; No Change)
Well, it was good to see that they wouldn’t lose to bad teams in consecutive weeks.  They took care of the Redskins in short order.

11. Green Bay Packers
(No. 11; W, 31-3 vs. Cle; No Change)
Handled the Browns easily.  It’s scary to think how good Aaron Rodgers could be if he could remain upright more often instead of lying on his back.

12. San Diego Chargers
(No. 12; W, 37-7 vs. KC; No Change)
Punished a Chiefs team that was riding high off a victory.  They have to keep pace with the Broncos in the West by continuing to pick up wins.

13. Cincinnati Bengals
(No. 14; W, 45-10 vs. Chi; Up 1)
Looked unstoppable on offense, but I can’t figure out if it’s more a product of facing a bad Bears defense or if the Bengals are really that good.

14. Arizona Cardinals
(No. 15; W, 24-17 vs. NYG; Up 1)
Went into New York and upset the Giants.  Big victory for a team trying to maintain their hold on the NFC West and remain competitors in the conference.

15. Dallas Cowboys
(No. 16; W, 37-21 vs. Atl; Up 1)
After their bye week, they came out and lit up a bad Falcons defense like a Christmas tree.

16. New York Jets
(No. 17; W, 38-0 vs. Oak; Up 1)
The Jets turned around a losing streak and hammered the Raiders on the road.  Mark Sanchez still appears to have hit a rookie wall at this early stage of the season.

17. Chicago Bears
(No. 13; L, 45-10 vs. Cin; Down 4)
None of the three phases of the Bears played well against the Bengals, but it’s kind of hard to judge the offense when they’re trying to play catch-up all game.

18. Miami Dolphins
(No. 18; L, 46-34 vs. NO; No Change)
Had the Saints right where they wanted them with a big first-half lead, but let it slip away.  Gimmick offense isn’t always effective, is it?

19. Houston Texans
(No. 21; W, 24-21 vs. SF; Up 2)
Schaub and the Texans’ passing attack are still clicking.  They survived a second-half surge by the 49ers.

20. Carolina Panthers
(No. 19; L, 20-9 vs. Buf; Down 1)
If they can’t even beat the Bills at home, they have a serious problem.

21. San Francisco 49ers
(No. 20; L, 24-21 vs. Hou; Down 1)
Made a change to Alex Smith at quarterback and looked much better in the second half against the Texans.  Still have offensive problems, but might be a little better now.

22. Jacksonville Jaguars
(No. 22; Bye; No Change)
Bye week should have helped them figure some things out.

23. Seattle Seahawks
(No. 23; Bye; No Change)
It’s always hard to go into the bye week after a bad loss.  Now they have a tough road game against Dallas.

24. Buffalo Bills
(No. 24; W, 20-9 vs. Car; No Change)
Picked up a second consecutive upset victory.  Could they be gaining some momentum?

25. Oakland Raiders
(No. 25; L, 38-0 vs. NYJ; No Change)
After upsetting the Eagles, they get trounced, 38-0, by the Jets.  Major inconsistencies.

26. Kansas City Chiefs
(No. 26; L, 37-7 vs. SD; No Change)
Didn’t have enough firepower to keep up with division rival San Diego.

27. Washington Redskins
(No. 27; L, 27-17 vs. Phi; No Change)
Couldn’t keep up with the visiting Eagles on Monday night.

28. Tennessee Titans
(No. 28; Bye; No Change)
Perhaps the bye week was able to give them time to right the ship.

29. Cleveland Browns
(No. 29; L, 31-3 vs. GB; No Change)
Terrible team with no quarterback, no head coach, and no direction.

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(No. 30; L, 35-7 vs. NE; No Change)
Still a work in progress and may not see any progression under current head coach Raheem Morris.

31. Detroit Lions
(No. 31; Bye; No Change)
A bye week and then a home game against a bad Rams team.  What more could they ask for?

32. St. Louis Rams
(No. 32; L, 42-6 vs. Ind; No Change)
They have a shot to pick up their first victory of the season against a rebuilding Lions team, but it won’t be easy.

(Previous Rank; Previous Result; Rank Change)

1. Indianapolis Colts
(No. 2; Bye; Up 1)
The Colts had a bye week but moved into the top spot by virtue of the Giants losing big to the Saints.  The Colts should roll this week against the No. 32 team, the Rams.

2. Minnesota Vikings
(No. 3; W, 33-31 vs. Bal; Up 1)
It was a tale of two halves for the Vikings against the Ravens.  In the first half, they looked unbeatable.  In the second, they were very average.  They have a tough test against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

3. New Orleans Saints
(No. 4; W, 48-27 vs. NYG; Up 1)
Maybe the toughest team in the league right now, but I’d like to seem them playing outdoors in the elements before I make that judgment.

4. New York Giants
(No. 1; L, 48-27 vs. NO; Down 3)
Didn’t have much competition the first few games of the season and looked out of place when their first real test came up.  I’ll be interested to see how they bounce back after the loss to the Saints.

5. New England Patriots
(No. 6; W, 59-0 vs. Ten; Up 1)
Simply impressive outing against the Titans in the snow.  Tom Brady had a record second quarter and the Patriots look like they’re still on top despite a shaky performance against the Broncos.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers
(No. 8; W, 27-14 vs. Cle; Up 2)
Rolled over the Browns this week but have their toughest challenge to date when the Vikings come to town.

7. Atlanta Falcons
(No. 9; W, 21-14 vs. Chi; Up 2)
Didn’t play well, but lucky for them, neither did the Bears.  This team will be one of the contenders in the NFC all season.

8. Denver Broncos
(No. 11; W, 34-23 vs. SD; Up 3)
Look like a legitimate team after winning a divisional road game in prime time.  Top defense in the league according to points allowed and a steady offense.

9. Baltimore Ravens
(No. 7; L, 33-31 vs. Min; Down 2)
If it weren’t for a slow start, they might have put away the Vikings.  Then again, they did have the lead late but gave up a Favre-led drive and also missed a game-winning field goal attempt.

10. Philadelphia Eagles
(No. 5; L, 13-9 vs. Oak; Down 5)
How can a team lose to the Raiders and only score 9 points in the process?  They really should be lower, but I’m being generous.

11. Green Bay Packers
(No. 15; W, 26-0 vs. Det; Up 4)
Pummeled the Lions at home.  They still have offensive line troubles which could hurt their playoff aspirations.

12. San Diego Chargers
(No. 10; L, 34-23 vs. Den; Down 2)
Gave up two special teams touchdowns and couldn’t stop the Broncos’ offense.  Probably will be up and down all season.

13. Chicago Bears
(No. 12; L, 21-14 vs. Atl; Down 1)
Second loss of the season came while turning the ball over and failing on all three phases.  I’d like to see them lose games when they play well and the other team plays better; not when they play poorly.

14. Cincinnati Bengals
(No. 13; L, 28-17 vs. Hou; Down 1)
Not a good outing for Cedric Benson and the Bengals’ run game.  They face a tougher Bears run defense this week but should be able to pass the ball.

15. Arizona Cardinals
(No. 17; W, 27-3 vs. Sea; Up 2)
Cruised to a divisional victory over the Seahawks on the road.  They’re trying to overtake the 49ers in the NFC West.

16. Dallas Cowboys
(No. 16; Bye; No Change)
For their sake, hopefully they learned how to play better defense during the bye week.

17. New York Jets
(No. 14; L, 16-13 vs. Buf; Down 3)
The Jets have dropped three in a row and hit their low point by losing to the lowly Bills.

18. Miami Dolphins
(No. 18; Bye; No Change)
Went into the bye week last week after a big Monday night victory over the Jets.  Now they can start making a run in the AFC East, but have to get past a tough Saints team first.

19. Carolina Panthers
(No. 19; W, 28-21 vs. TB; No Change)
Just barely survived the Buccaneers.  I think this team’s window as presently constructed is all but closed.

20. San Francisco 49ers
(No. 20; Bye; No Change)
Bye week came at a good time for them after being destroyed by the Falcons the previous week.  Currently tied with the Cardinals and have a tough road game against the Texans this week.

21. Houston Texans
(No. 21; W, 28-17 vs. Cin; No Change)
Not exactly a playoff contender in my eyes unless they can start winning consistently.  They completely embody a .500 team with the way they play erratically.

22. Jacksonville Jaguars
(No. 23; W, 23-20 vs. Stl; Up 1)
Head into the bye week after surviving the Rams.  Not much to be excited about with this group.

23. Seattle Seahawks
(No. 22; L, 27-3 vs. Ari; Down 1)
A week after dismantling the Jaguars with a shutout, they nearly get shut out by division rival Arizona.  They head to the bye with a bad taste in their mouths.

24. Buffalo Bills
(No. 27; W, 16-13 vs. NYJ; Up 3)
Somehow managed to knock off the Jets in overtime after picking off 5 Mark Sanchez passes.

25. Oakland Raiders
(No. 30; W, 13-9 vs. Phi; Up 5)
I don’t know how they did it, but they upset the Eagles by controlling the line of scrimmage and thanks to JaMarcus Russell’s 224-yard passing day.

26. Kansas City Chiefs
(No. 31; W, 14-6 vs. Was; Up 5)
Picked up their first victory of the season over a bad Redskins team.  All field goals in that game.

27. Washington Redskins
(No. 24; L, 14-6 vs. KC; Down 3)
It could be soon or it could wait until the end of the season, but one thing for sure is that Jim Zorn’s days as head coach are numbered.

28. Tennessee Titans
(No. 25; L, 59-0 vs. NE; Down 3)
And thus, the collapse of the Titans is complete.  Sure, they’ll lose a few more games this season, but a 59-0 drubbing in which they completely laid down and took a beating in the snowy cold weather was about as low as the Titans can get.

29. Cleveland Browns
(No. 26; L, 27-14 vs. Pit; Down 3)
Just a bad football team.  I’ll give them credit for scoring 14 points against the Steelers in Pittsburgh, but they’re no good.

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(No. 28; L, 28-21 vs. Car; Down 2)
They won’t go winless.  They’re staying competitive, but they went from one of the oldest teams in the league to one of the youngest in one off-season and are in total rebuilding mode.

31. Detroit Lions
(No. 29; L, 26-0 vs. GB; Down 2)
I was a little surprised that they got shut out by the Packers considering how well they’ve played — comparatively, of course — all season.  They’re still a below average football team but they’ll bounce back and perhaps pick up another win or two.

32. St. Louis Rams
(No. 32; L, 23-20 vs. Jac; No Change)
They played tough against a bad Jaguars team and nearly won, but they’ve got problems that’ll need time to rectify.