ESPN Power Rankings
1 (1) Colts 9-0-0 Baby steps to a better defense. In the last two games, the Colts have allowed just 129.5 yards per game and 4 yards an attempt compared to 167.9 and 5.4 in the first seven games.
2 (3) Bears 8-1-0 Weird, didn't hear Plaxico Burress talking too much after the game. Now it seems pretty safe to say that the NFC's road to Super Bowl XLI will end up going through Chicago.
3 (5) Chargers 7-2-0 Obviously having LaDainian Tomlinson helps, but Philip Rivers is just flat-out good.
4 (2) Broncos 7-2-0 Jake Plummer still has to make Broncos fans nervous. Do you have any confidence that he can get you three or four wins in the playoffs without coughing up a game?
5 (7) Ravens 7-2-0 Ravens lurking outside the spotlight, but Steve McNair (aka Capt. Comeback) has Ravens believing anything is possible.
6 (4) Patriots 6-3-0 The Patriots seem to be making a mistake or two a game that they're just not good enough to overcome. Sunday's big one was Doug Gabriel's fumble deep in Jets territory. You can't fumble away chances to score points in the NFL.
7 (12) Seahawks 6-3-0 Seneca Wallace acquitted himself pretty well in place of Matt Hasselbeck. At the least he's proved that he's a legit NFL backup.
8 (6) Giants 6-3-0 The injuries just keep pilling up for the Giants. This week it's OT Luke Petitgout (broken leg), who was lost for the season. The Giants are still in good position to make the playoffs, but who knows what kind of shape they'll be in when they get there.
9 (8) Saints 6-3-0 Even in a loss, it's oh so obvious that Drew Brees is the best free-agent signing of the season. He's emerged as the Saints' leader and best player.
10 (15) Cowboys 5-4-0 So far, so good for Tony Romo. In three starts he's completing over 67 percent (68-101) of his passes and has throw five TDs and just one INT.
11 (16) Eagles 5-4-0 Two weeks ago the Eagles had lost three straight and were reeling, now, they're just one game behind the beat-up Giants and right back in it. Just another example of how up-and-down the NFL season can be.
12 (14) Panthers 5-4-0 The Panthers are sort of starting to look like the team everyone thought they would be in the preseason.
13 (11) Chiefs 5-4-0 Damon Huard or Trent Green? It's clear that it really doesn't matter that much if Larry Johnson and the ground game aren't up to speed.
14 (19) Jets 5-4-0 Very impressive performance by the Jets' defense. Tom Brady was under pressure all game and hardly ever had enough time to do what he wanted. Eric Mangini is moving to the top of any coach of the year discussions.
15 (9) Falcons 5-4-0 Warrick Dunn's words after the Cleveland loss should frighten Falcons' fans: "They played hard for 60 minutes. We played hard for a half. Unfortunately."
16 (10) Jaguars 5-4-0 Sideline fighting. Dumb penalties. Drops. Off-field issues. If "football is 10 percent physical. The rest is mental," as Ernest Wilford says, then the Jags may be in big, big trouble.
17 (13) Bengals 4-5-0 Bengals DT Bryan Robinson said he yelled "Do we need 50 points from our offense to win?" while on the sideline. One 49-41 loss later, the answer was apparently yes.
18 (17) Rams 4-5-0 Even at 4-5 and stuck in a four-game losing streak, the Rams are still in the NFC playoff hunt. Whether they can turn their season around will be a huge test for rookie coach Scott Linehan.
19 (24) Steelers 3-6-0 Just for comparison's sake: The 2005 Steelers averaged 25 points and surrendered just 16 per game through nine games. The '06 Steelers average 24 points but give up 23 a game. Discuss amongst yourselves now.
20 (22) Packers 4-5-0 Brett Favre sprinting to the end zone to toss Donald Driver over his shoulder and carry him around after an 82-yard TD pass is a snapshot of just how much fun Favre is having this year.
21 (25) Dolphins 3-6-0 They almost certainly dug too big a hole to make the playoffs, but the Dolphins are going to be a team that nobody wants to play in the second half.
22 (23) 49ers 4-5-0 Whatever the 49ers' defense changed the last two weeks, it's working. In their five previous games the 49ers gave up 188 points. In their last two games they've given up just 16.
23 (18) Vikings 4-5-0 This was supposed to be the easy part of the schedule. Instead Vikes stub their toe on San Francisco and Green Bay with Miami on deck.
24 (30) Browns 3-6-0 Winning one in a row has made Braylon Edwards cocky. "We're coming after their [BUTT]. You don't beat somebody 41-0 [in 2005] at their own house. We're coming for the Steelers. Point-blank, period."
25 (20) Redskins 3-6-0 Jason Campbell might not make the Redskins any better right now, but at some point he had to play.
26 (28) Texans 3-6-0 Six of Houston's 21 franchise wins have come against Jacksonville and this is the second time in the past three seasons the Texans have swept the Jags. Or, in other words, Jacksonville is Houston's red-headed stepchild.
27 (21) Bills 3-6-0 As they showed Sunday against the Colts, the Bills are a team that can't be taken lightly. They'll upset a playoff-bound team at some point over the next seven weeks.
28 (27) Buccaneers 2-7-0 Last night's game on MNF snapped a 25-month streak between appearances. That's nothing. The Bucs once went 15 years (1983-98) between MNF appearances.
29 (29) Titans 2-7-0 Vince Young keeps making plays (see TD pass to Bo Scaife as he's getting sacked by three Ravens) that makes you wonder if Tennessee didn't actually end up with the best player in the draft.
30 (26) Lions 2-7-0 We're still looking for something positive to say about the Lions after that effort against the 49ers. Can you check back with us next week?
31 (31) Raiders 2-7-0 OK, Andrew Walter might be right about the Raiders' offense, but when you've only started eight games, popping off might not be the best idea.
32 (32) Cardinals 1-8-0 We decided to try to find something positive for the Cardinals this week and this was the best we could do: Edgerrin James averaged over 4 yards per carry Sunday (15 carries for 68 yards) for the first time all season.
