1. Indianapolis (10-1, Last week’s ranking: 1) – I think Joseph Addai proved he can do everything that Edgerrin James did for the Colts. It took him a while to grab the starting job, but Addai will make defenses pay for playing nickel packages to prevent big plays through the air.

2. San Diego (9-2, Last week’s ranking: 2) – The Chargers were lucky to beat the Raiders, I know, but I attribute that to overconfidence. They won’t make the same mistake when they face the Bills this Sunday.

3. Baltimore (9-2, Last week’s ranking: 4) – Brian Billick is 5-0 since replacing Jim Fassel as playcaller and the team is averaging nearly 28 points a game. That’s more than enough for one of the best defenses in the league.

4. New England (8-3, Last week’s ranking: 7) – The Patriots were fortunate they were playing against an offense that can’t score consistently. Otherwise, Cory Dillon’s fumble with less than two minutes remaining may have cost New England a very important game.

5. Chicago (9-2, Last week’s ranking: 3) – Rex Grossman better learn that he doesn’t need to make a late-game comeback all in one shot. Trailing by four points with 1:52 remaining, the ever impetuous Grossman had time to drive his team down the field for the winning score. Instead, he threw a foolish interception that ended the game. As for the fan who called me an idiot for saying the Bears’ offense is shaky, I have a question for you. How are you enjoying the 23 points your team has scored over the last two games? I’m sure that will serve them well in the playoffs. The bottom line is statistics are fool’s gold if you can’t put the ball in the end zone.

6. Dallas (7-4, Last week’s ranking: 6) – The Cowboys can’t afford a slip up this Sunday at the Meadowlands. The Giants are hurting and dysfunctional right now and the Cowboys need to keep them that way if they want to take control of the NFC East.

7. New Orleans (7-4, Last week’s ranking: 9) – Drew Brees managed to avoid the inceptions that plagued him the last two weeks. He needs to maintain that consistency because the Saints’ defense isn’t good enough to hold teams a bay without some help.

8. Seattle (7-4, Last week’s ranking: 10) – Now that’s the Shaun Alexander I remember from last year. With the team relatively healthy once again, the Seahawks should pose major problems for their remaining opponents.

9. Kansas City (6-4, Last week’s ranking: 13) – If the Chiefs continue to rank as one of the top-12 defenses in the league, then this team could make some noise should they qualify for the playoffs.

10. Denver (7-4, Last week’s ranking: 5) – Jay Cutler will soon learn he won’t be facing vanilla defenses in the regular season. We’ll find out how quickly he adapts against the Seahawks.

11. Cincinnati (6-5, Last week’s ranking: 14) – It will take quite the effort for the Bengals to upset the Ravens Thursday. The Bengals have the second worst defense in the league and Baltimore’s running game has definitely picked up the pace.

12. Jacksonville (6-5, Last week’s ranking: 11) – The Jaguars are going to point to their three pathetic losses – two to Houston and one against Buffalo – as the games that cost them a playoff berth.

13. Carolina (6-5, Last week’s ranking: 8) – See Jacksonville.

14. N.Y. Jets (6-5, Last week’s ranking: 16) – Did anyone see the Jets posting an above .500 record after 11 games? I sure didn’t.

15. N.Y. Giants (6-5, Last week’s ranking: 12) – Of all the dump plays committed by the Giants against the Titans, Mathias Kiwanuka takes the cake. The rookie has Vince Young in his grasp on fourth down and lets him go? Unbelievable!

16. Atlanta (6-5, Last week’s ranking: 15) – I wouldn’t blame Michael Vick if he didn’t throw another pass again this year. His butterfingered receivers won’t know the difference.

17. Miami (5-6, Last week’s ranking: 20) – That must have been some sweet plane ride back to Miami for Joey Harrington. He savored his Thanksgiving dinner while the Lions remain turkeys.

18. Minnesota (5-6, Last week’s ranking: 22) – I’ll get more excited about the Vikings if they can actually beat a decent team. Arizona doesn’t count.

19. St. Louis (5-6, Last week’s ranking: 23) – The Rams have to be kicking themselves for not taking advantage when Matt Hasslebeck and Shaun Alexander were out of the Seattle lineup.

20. Buffalo (5-6, Last week’s ranking: 24) – J.P. Losman earned another impressive win last Sunday and Bills fans are still undecided if he should be the starting quarterback next year. Don’t you just love talk radio?

21. San Francisco (5-6, Last week’s ranking: 18) – The 49ers probably won’t make the playoffs this year, but they sure have a strong foundation for next season.

22. Philadelphia (5-6, Last week’s ranking: 18) – Some one should tell defensive coordinator Jim Johnson that the Colts don’t need help racking up points. That’s the worst display of tackling I’ve seen this year.

23. Tennessee (4-7, Last week’s ranking: 26) – Is there anybody out there that still thinks the Titans made a mistake taking Vince Young in the draft? Young has won four of his last six games, but that fourth-quarter comeback against the Giants was a masterpiece.

24. Pittsburgh (4-7, Last week’s ranking: 23) – After the team gave up the most sacks (9) in franchise history, Ben Roethlisberger may want to check if his offensive line wants to show up for work again this year.

25. Green Bay (4-7, Last week’s ranking: 21) – Brett Favre can’t seem to shake that interception bug.

26. Washington (4-7, Last week’s ranking: 25) – The more I watch Jason Campbell play, the more I like what I see. He isn’t putting up great numbers, but he’s not making a lot of mistakes either.

27. Tampa Bay (3-8, Last week’s ranking: 27) – Bruce Gradkowski had Joey Galloway wide open twice for certain touchdowns against the Cowboys and badly under threw him both times. That would be disturbing to me if I were a Bucs fan.

28. Cleveland (3-8, Last week’s ranking: 28) – So now teammates are screaming at one another on the Browns’ sideline. Well, at least they’re passionate about something.

29. Houston (3-8, Last week’s ranking: 29) – Despite throwing for 321 yards against the Jets, I just don’t see David Carr as the face of this struggling franchise any longer.

30. Oakland (2-9, Last week’s ranking: 32) – So Art Shell finally decided to demote good friend and offensive coordinator Tom Walsh. Good strategy Art. Wait until your team is completely out of the playoff picture before you correct an obvious blunder.

31. Arizona (2-9, Last week’s ranking: 30) – Matt Leinart learned quickly that throwing for over 400 yards in a game doesn’t always equate to wins. This isn’t USC, Matt.

32. Detroit (2-9, Last week’s ranking: 31) – I’m still trying to figure out why Matt Millen is still running this stinking ship. If I were Brady Quinn, I’d worry.