1. New England (7-0, Last week’s ranking: 1) – There’s only one word to describe Randy Moss’s two touchdown catches against Miami: sick!
2. Indianapolis (6-0, Last week’s ranking: 2) – It’s hard to believe that a safety can have that much of an impact on the game, but Bob Sanders really is that good.
3. Dallas (6-1, Last week’s ranking: 4) – The Cowboys were very fortunate they faced a quarterback, Tavaris Jackson, who completes passes as frequently as Minnesota’s defense scores touchdowns. Oh, wait, the Vikings’ secondary scored one on Sunday. Nevermind.
4. Green Bay (5-1, Last week’s ranking: 5) – The Packers hope to experience a different fate than Pittsburgh when they travel to Denver for an important Sunday night matchup.
5. Pittsburgh (4-2, Last week’s ranking: 3) – Hard to explain why the Steelers couldn’t handle the undermanned Broncos, who continually pressured Ben Roethlisberger.
6. N.Y. Giants (5-2, Last week’s ranking: 12) – The Giants and Cowboys mirror each other on both sides of the ball. Explosive offenses, playmaking defensive front sevens and suspect secondaries that allow too many big plays.
7. Jacksonville (4-2, Last week’s ranking: 6) – The lack of execution two fourth-down plays just shows how far away the Jaguars are to the Colts. Losing David Garrard in the first half didn’t help matters either.
8. Tennessee (4-2, Last week’s ranking: 8) – Kicker Rob Bironas certainly earned his paycheck against the Texans. He breaks a record with eight field goals, including the game winner with no time left, and gives his team a big win against a division rival on the road.
9. San Diego (3-3, Last week’s ranking: 10) – You would think that the Chargers, after all they’ve been through this year, will not overlook the Houston Texans Sunday.
10. Carolina (4-2, Last week’s ranking: 11) – I don’t like 43-year-old Vinny Testaverde’s chances against the Colts.
11. Detroit (4-2, Last week’s ranking: 14) – I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: DTs Shaun Rogers and Cory Redding are two big reasons why the Lions are off to a quick start.
12. Tampa Bay (4-3, Last week’s ranking: 7) – Jeff Garcia’s two fumbles killed the Buccaneers.
13. Washington (4-3, Last week’s ranking: 13) – The Redskins will be buzzard meat in New England if they continue with the dumb miscues.
14. Seattle (4-3, Last week’s ranking: 15) – What can you say about a win over the worst team in football? Way to go?
15. Baltimore (4-3, Last week’s ranking: 9) – I can easily see the Ravens missing the post-season this year.
16. Kansas City (4-3, Last week’s ranking: 18) – I guess I was wrong about Jared Allen. One man can make a difference as the four-year DE already has eight sacks in five games since returning from his suspension.
17. Denver (3-3, Last week’s ranking: 22) – With the emergence of Elvis Dumervil, I can already see teams and scouts watching film of other 5’11” college DEs.
18. Houston (3-4, Last week’s ranking: 16) – What’s with all this talk about Mario Williams having a breakout year? Aside from the opener, Williams has looked rather ordinary for the most part this season.
19. Arizona (3-4, Last week’s ranking: 17) – Say what you will about this Arizona team, but no one can question Kurt Warner’s guts.
20. Cleveland (3-3, Last week’s ranking: 19) – Hey, a win against the lowly Rams and Cleveland will be over .500 by the halfway point of the season.
21. Chicago (3-4, Last week’s ranking: 21) – Rex Grossman would never have engineered that last-minute 97-yard drive against the Eagles. Like it or not, Brian Griese has had his moments in the last few games.
22. Philadelphia (2-4, Last week’s ranking: 20) – That Eagles’ receiver corps looks like a wasteland.
23. Cincinnati (2-4, Last week’s ranking: 26) – It’s about time some team other than the Bengals suffer through a second-half meltdown.
24. Minnesota (2-4, Last week’s ranking: 23) – Remind me again why Brad Childress is high on Tavaris Jackson?
25. New Orleans (2-4, Last week’s ranking: 27) – The Saints’ offensive line stepped up in protecting Drew Brees against the Falcons.
26. Oakland (2-4, Last week’s ranking: 24) – A 4-for-14 performance on third down will get you beat on most days.
27. San Francisco (2-4, Last week’s ranking: 25) – At least one team is missing Norv Turner. Just ask Frank Gore.
28. Buffalo (2-4, Last week’s ranking: 28) – The Bills finally built up a lead they couldn’t blow.
29. N.Y. Jets (1-6, Last week’s ranking: 29) – Eric Mangini is tired of telling us how bad his team is and we’re tired of hearing it.
30. Atlanta (1-6, Last week’s ranking: 30) – Byron Leftwich can never shake the injury bug no matter where he goes.
31. Miami (0-7, Last week’s ranking: 31) – If it isn’t bad enough, the Dolphins now lose Ronnie Brown, their only productive offensive weapon, for the season with a knee injury.
32. St. Louis (0-7, Last week’s ranking: 32) – My advice for Steven Jackson when he returns to the lineup: run and hide!