1. Arizona Cardinals (8-1): It may be more difficult for the Cardinals to make the Super Bowl without Carson Palmer at quarterback, but they're an incredibly solid and balanced team in all three phases of the game, have some of the best coaches in all of football, and due to that, their quality of play likely won't drop off as significantly as some believe with Drew Stanton behind center.
2. New England Patriots (7-2): Following a bye week, the Pats will have a key road game against Indianapolis, which could very well factor into whom has home-field advantage in the playoffs.
3. Denver Broncos (7-2): To this point in the season, Denver appears to me to have the highest ceiling among AFC teams this year. The only potential problem is if they don't have home-field advantage in the playoffs and are forced to square off against Tom Brady and the Patriots in Foxboro again.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (7-2): Nick who? Whether it's been Michael Vick, Nick Foles, or Mark Sanchez behind center, Chip Kelly has seemed to find a way to make it work. Perhaps even better news from Monday night's blowout win over Carolina was how well the defense, without DeMeco Ryans, played. If the defense continues to play that well, regardless of who's at quarterback, Philly will be legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
5. Dallas Cowboys (7-3): I'm still not 100% sold on this team. While they've definitely improved from a season ago (they actually run the ball now!), Tony Romo always seems to be one hit away from being put on IR and the offense just isn't the same with Brandon Weeden behind center.
6. Seattle Seahawks (6-3): Seattle has benefited from a fairly weak schedule following a disappointing 3-3 start. In the past three weeks, they've defeated Carolina, Oakland, and the New York Giants, whom have a combined record of 6-21-1. So, while people might be saying, "The Seahawks are back!" let's not jump the shark quite yet. Their tough road test at Arrowhead against Kansas City this week will be much more indicative of whether or not they're "back" than their previous three victories.
7. Detroit Lions (7-2): The Lions may be 7-2, but I still don't know what to make of this team. Perhaps that's because they started 6-3 a year ago, before going 1-6 the rest of the way. One reason to believe this Lions team might be different, however, is that they're not hurting themselves with penalties and turnovers as much this year as they had under Jim Schwartz. It'll be interesting to see how the sometimes turnover-prone Matthew Stafford fares against the aggressive Arizona Cardinals defense this coming weekend. If he stays turnover-free, however, the Lions may generate enough on offense to beat the Carson Palmer-less Cardinals (and possibly Drew Stanton-less if his wife goes into labor).
8. Kansas City Chiefs (6-3): They may not be the most exciting team in the league to watch, but ever since their disappointing 0-2 start, the Chiefs have played some of the most fundamentally sound football in all the league, going 6-1 in that time-frame. Up next on the slate is a home game against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks. If you like hard-hitting, smash-mouth football, this will be like a porno.
9. Indianapolis Colts (6-3): I'll be curious to see how the Colts' inconsistent defense plays at home against the Patriots this coming weekend. After shutting out Cincinnati, they got lit up by Pittsburgh, before playing well against the Giants. If the Colts defense can play more consistently, they could contend with Denver and New England for the AFC championship. Their one-dimensional offense does still make me nervous, however.
10. Green Bay Packers (6-3): It seems that a lot of analysts are now on the Packers bandwagon after they lit up the Chicago Bears on Sunday night. Newsflash - the Chicago Bears defense regularly gets lit up, as they've allowed 50 or more points in back-to-back games. Granted, so long as Aaron Rodgers is healthy, the Packers have a chance. However, both their running game and defense have been inconsistent this year, so until they improve in those areas, I'm not ready to write them in as the NFC favorite.
11. Cincinnati Bengals (5-3-1): Speaking of inconsistency, this could be the most inconsistent team in football this year. They started off the year at 3-0 with wins over Baltimore, Atlanta, and Tennessee by the combined score of 80-33. They then got trounced by New England 43-17, tied Carolina, got shut out by Indianapolis 27-0, beat Baltimore and Jacksonville, and then got pummeled at home by Cleveland by the final score of 24-3. In their three losses this year, the Bengals have been outscored 94-20 (average of 31.3 - 6.7 = 24.6), and in their five wins, they've outscored their opponents 140-80 (average of 28.0 - 16.0 = 12.0). This week, they go to New Orleans to take on the 4-5 Saints. What can one expect from the Bengals in that game? Who in the hell knows?
12. Baltimore Ravens (6-4): After getting off to a solid start this year, the Ravens have appeared to regress some, and unless they can start playing more consistently on offense and overcome an injury-riddled secondary, it could be difficult for them to make a serious run in the playoffs, if they make it at all.
13. San Francisco 49ers (5-4): The bad news for the 49ers is that they play in the same division as the 8-1 Arizona Cardinals. The good news for the Niners is that they're still in the thick of the Wild Card race after playing the toughest schedule of any team in the NFL through 10 weeks, and should start seeing some of their defensive playmakers coming back from suspension and injury in the coming weeks. It's been a bumpy road through 9 games, but given the team's history under Jim Harbaugh, don't count them out until they've been officially eliminated.
14. San Diego Chargers (5-4): The struggling Chargers will likely have back-to-back positive weeks - a bye this past weekend and the 0-9 Oakland Raiders this coming weekend. Granted, if they lose that game, they may be all but done. However, they should win and go to 6-4, which will keep them right in the thick of the Wild Card race.
15. Cleveland Browns (6-3): Don't ask me how they keep on winning, because I honestly don't know. But, believe it or not, Cleveland is 6-3 and in first place in the AFC North (even after losing to 1-9 Jacksonville). Their match-up with Houston this coming weekend could prove troublesome for them, but as I've learned, it's best not to doubt the Browns, at least to this point in the season.
16. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4): After their passing attack looked unstoppable in back-to-back games against Indianapolis and Baltimore, the Steelers offense couldn't do anything until late against the hapless New York Jets secondary. Like the rest of the AFC North, good luck trying to figure out the Pittsburgh Steelers. Two of their four losses have come to teams with a combined record of 3-16 (Tampa Bay and the New York Jets).
17. Miami Dolphins (5-4): While Miami looks to be improved from a year ago, they're still too inconsistent on offense to pose much of a threat to the best teams in the AFC come season's end. While it appears as if the team may be on the right track, the earliest I can see them making a serious run toward the playoffs is next year.
18. New Orleans Saints (4-5): The bad news? New Orleans is 4-5 and far from reaching pre-season expectations. The good news? They play in the NFC South, where the teams have a combined record of 11-25-1, and that puts the Saints on top.
19. Buffalo Bills (5-4): Six of Buffalo's nine games have been decided by 6 points or less, and three of their five wins have come by 3 points or less. Expect another close game with fellow 5-4 AFC East team Miami on the road Thursday night. While the winner of that game will still be in the Wild Card race, the loser may be hard-pressed to make the playoffs this year.
20. Houston Texans (4-5): After finishing 2-14 a year ago, Houston has to be at least somewhat pleased with being close to .500 nine games into the season and not being completely out of the Wild Card race. It will still be difficult for the Texans to get in, but if they beat the 6-3 Browns on Sunday and improve to 5-5 as a result, they won't be completely out of the woods yet (so to speak)...
21. Minnesota Vikings (4-5): Minnesota's defense has improved this season and is one of the more underrated defenses, at least in the NFC. Their offense, led by a rookie quarterback (and without Adrian Peterson), has, understandably, been inconsistent. Perhaps fortunately for them, the well-rested Vikings come off a bye week to square off against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The Bears are 0-3 at home this year, have lost five of their last six, and have allowed 50 or more points in their past two games. If Minnesota can win that game and improve to 5-5, they could still have an outside shot at the playoffs, which would be quite a feat considering all of the distractions concerning Adrian Peterson and their change at quarterback early in the season.
22. St. Louis Rams (3-6): This team is full of fighters and tends to keep things close until the very end. However, at this point, upper management has to be thinking, "Well, Sam Bradford won't ever start for us again. Where do you think Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariotta will go in the draft?"
23. Carolina Panthers (3-6-1): After seeing how good this team was a year ago, that Monday night beat-down the Panthers suffered at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles was painful to watch. The Eagles didn't lose a step with Mark Sanchez at quarterback, and Cam Newton and the Panthers offense made the somewhat inconsistent Eagles defense look like the Steel Curtain at times. Crazy enough, the 3-6-1 Panthers are only one game behind the 4-5 Saints in the NFC South and if they beat the 3-6 Falcons on Sunday, they could still have a shot at winning the division. The way they've played to this point in the season, however, I wouldn't bet on it.
24. Washington Redskins (3-6): Coming off a bye week, we'll see how much better Robert Griffin III and the offense looks, especially going against Tampa Bay's defense. While the season is all but lost from a playoff contention standpoint, it's not lost when it comes to the question, "Is Robert Griffin III truly our quarterback of the future?" I see the team giving him one more year to work on his game and stay healthy, but if he has another serious setback, he'll likely follow a similar fate as Sam Bradford and need to find work elsewhere.
25. New York Giants (3-6): After getting run over (literally) by Marshawn Lynch and the Seattle Seahawks, the Giants have to square off against Frank Gore and the San Francisco 49ers. Just when Tom Coughlin and company thought things couldn't get any worse...
26. Chicago Bears (3-6): While, on the whole, I see the Carolina Panthers as the most disappointing team in football to this point in the season, just from an offensive perspective, I see the Chicago Bears as the most disappointing team. Granted, it's difficult for any offense to keep pace with the defense allowing 50 points. However, some of that is due to the ineffectiveness and turnover problems of the offense. Nine games into the season, the Bears almost look like they've given up, which means the coaches will likely be gone by season's end and Jay Cutler's fate may be up in the air as well.
27. Atlanta Falcons (3-6): So, Atlanta actually won a road game and actually scored in the 4th quarter in their game against Tampa Bay on Sunday. As Falcons fans know, those are both oddities. Now they'll have to go to Carolina to take on the 3-6-1 Panthers to try and stay in contention for the NFC South title. This could be the most disappointing game of the season thus far, as Carolina is coming off a 12-win season and looks nothing like that team, and Atlanta hasn't shown much progression from their disappointing season a year ago, being just two years removed from an NFC South title. Sadly, whomever wins this game and goes to 4-6 (or 4-6-1), will, at worst, remain just one game back of New Orleans in the division.
28. New York Jets (2-8): Well, I think we can all say what we secretly thought at the beginning of the year, that the Jets would be better this season with Michael Vick at quarterback. However, even though Vick has brought some stability and excitement to the offense, the most surprising aspect of the Jets' upset victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday was their defense. Through 9 games, the Jets defense had only forced 3 turnovers and their secondary had allowed the highest passer rating of any in the league. Yet, on Sunday, against the red-hot quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jets forced more turnovers in 60 minutes than they had forced the entire season leading up to the game. After a bye week, we'll see if the team can repeat their crazy act against fellow AFC East team Buffalo.
29. Tennessee Titans (2-7): It's a bad day when your team (the Titans) plays fairly well against a tough Baltimore Ravens squad, yet still finds a way to lose by two touchdowns. The question now is, will the Titans stick with rookie quarterback Zack Mettenburger or try to nab a quarterback in the first round of next year's draft?
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-8): Remember when Tampa Bay was many "experts''" sleeper playoff team in the NFC? Oh, how long ago that seems...
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-9): At this point in the season, the Jags are simply hoping that the rough year benefits rookie quarterback Blake Bortles as opposed to setting him back some.
32. Oakland Raiders (0-9): The Raiders led the Broncos 10-6 in the second quarter of Sunday's game, so they had that going for them, which was nice...
2. New England Patriots (7-2): Following a bye week, the Pats will have a key road game against Indianapolis, which could very well factor into whom has home-field advantage in the playoffs.
3. Denver Broncos (7-2): To this point in the season, Denver appears to me to have the highest ceiling among AFC teams this year. The only potential problem is if they don't have home-field advantage in the playoffs and are forced to square off against Tom Brady and the Patriots in Foxboro again.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (7-2): Nick who? Whether it's been Michael Vick, Nick Foles, or Mark Sanchez behind center, Chip Kelly has seemed to find a way to make it work. Perhaps even better news from Monday night's blowout win over Carolina was how well the defense, without DeMeco Ryans, played. If the defense continues to play that well, regardless of who's at quarterback, Philly will be legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
5. Dallas Cowboys (7-3): I'm still not 100% sold on this team. While they've definitely improved from a season ago (they actually run the ball now!), Tony Romo always seems to be one hit away from being put on IR and the offense just isn't the same with Brandon Weeden behind center.
6. Seattle Seahawks (6-3): Seattle has benefited from a fairly weak schedule following a disappointing 3-3 start. In the past three weeks, they've defeated Carolina, Oakland, and the New York Giants, whom have a combined record of 6-21-1. So, while people might be saying, "The Seahawks are back!" let's not jump the shark quite yet. Their tough road test at Arrowhead against Kansas City this week will be much more indicative of whether or not they're "back" than their previous three victories.
7. Detroit Lions (7-2): The Lions may be 7-2, but I still don't know what to make of this team. Perhaps that's because they started 6-3 a year ago, before going 1-6 the rest of the way. One reason to believe this Lions team might be different, however, is that they're not hurting themselves with penalties and turnovers as much this year as they had under Jim Schwartz. It'll be interesting to see how the sometimes turnover-prone Matthew Stafford fares against the aggressive Arizona Cardinals defense this coming weekend. If he stays turnover-free, however, the Lions may generate enough on offense to beat the Carson Palmer-less Cardinals (and possibly Drew Stanton-less if his wife goes into labor).
8. Kansas City Chiefs (6-3): They may not be the most exciting team in the league to watch, but ever since their disappointing 0-2 start, the Chiefs have played some of the most fundamentally sound football in all the league, going 6-1 in that time-frame. Up next on the slate is a home game against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks. If you like hard-hitting, smash-mouth football, this will be like a porno.
9. Indianapolis Colts (6-3): I'll be curious to see how the Colts' inconsistent defense plays at home against the Patriots this coming weekend. After shutting out Cincinnati, they got lit up by Pittsburgh, before playing well against the Giants. If the Colts defense can play more consistently, they could contend with Denver and New England for the AFC championship. Their one-dimensional offense does still make me nervous, however.
10. Green Bay Packers (6-3): It seems that a lot of analysts are now on the Packers bandwagon after they lit up the Chicago Bears on Sunday night. Newsflash - the Chicago Bears defense regularly gets lit up, as they've allowed 50 or more points in back-to-back games. Granted, so long as Aaron Rodgers is healthy, the Packers have a chance. However, both their running game and defense have been inconsistent this year, so until they improve in those areas, I'm not ready to write them in as the NFC favorite.
11. Cincinnati Bengals (5-3-1): Speaking of inconsistency, this could be the most inconsistent team in football this year. They started off the year at 3-0 with wins over Baltimore, Atlanta, and Tennessee by the combined score of 80-33. They then got trounced by New England 43-17, tied Carolina, got shut out by Indianapolis 27-0, beat Baltimore and Jacksonville, and then got pummeled at home by Cleveland by the final score of 24-3. In their three losses this year, the Bengals have been outscored 94-20 (average of 31.3 - 6.7 = 24.6), and in their five wins, they've outscored their opponents 140-80 (average of 28.0 - 16.0 = 12.0). This week, they go to New Orleans to take on the 4-5 Saints. What can one expect from the Bengals in that game? Who in the hell knows?
12. Baltimore Ravens (6-4): After getting off to a solid start this year, the Ravens have appeared to regress some, and unless they can start playing more consistently on offense and overcome an injury-riddled secondary, it could be difficult for them to make a serious run in the playoffs, if they make it at all.
13. San Francisco 49ers (5-4): The bad news for the 49ers is that they play in the same division as the 8-1 Arizona Cardinals. The good news for the Niners is that they're still in the thick of the Wild Card race after playing the toughest schedule of any team in the NFL through 10 weeks, and should start seeing some of their defensive playmakers coming back from suspension and injury in the coming weeks. It's been a bumpy road through 9 games, but given the team's history under Jim Harbaugh, don't count them out until they've been officially eliminated.
14. San Diego Chargers (5-4): The struggling Chargers will likely have back-to-back positive weeks - a bye this past weekend and the 0-9 Oakland Raiders this coming weekend. Granted, if they lose that game, they may be all but done. However, they should win and go to 6-4, which will keep them right in the thick of the Wild Card race.
15. Cleveland Browns (6-3): Don't ask me how they keep on winning, because I honestly don't know. But, believe it or not, Cleveland is 6-3 and in first place in the AFC North (even after losing to 1-9 Jacksonville). Their match-up with Houston this coming weekend could prove troublesome for them, but as I've learned, it's best not to doubt the Browns, at least to this point in the season.
16. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4): After their passing attack looked unstoppable in back-to-back games against Indianapolis and Baltimore, the Steelers offense couldn't do anything until late against the hapless New York Jets secondary. Like the rest of the AFC North, good luck trying to figure out the Pittsburgh Steelers. Two of their four losses have come to teams with a combined record of 3-16 (Tampa Bay and the New York Jets).
17. Miami Dolphins (5-4): While Miami looks to be improved from a year ago, they're still too inconsistent on offense to pose much of a threat to the best teams in the AFC come season's end. While it appears as if the team may be on the right track, the earliest I can see them making a serious run toward the playoffs is next year.
18. New Orleans Saints (4-5): The bad news? New Orleans is 4-5 and far from reaching pre-season expectations. The good news? They play in the NFC South, where the teams have a combined record of 11-25-1, and that puts the Saints on top.
19. Buffalo Bills (5-4): Six of Buffalo's nine games have been decided by 6 points or less, and three of their five wins have come by 3 points or less. Expect another close game with fellow 5-4 AFC East team Miami on the road Thursday night. While the winner of that game will still be in the Wild Card race, the loser may be hard-pressed to make the playoffs this year.
20. Houston Texans (4-5): After finishing 2-14 a year ago, Houston has to be at least somewhat pleased with being close to .500 nine games into the season and not being completely out of the Wild Card race. It will still be difficult for the Texans to get in, but if they beat the 6-3 Browns on Sunday and improve to 5-5 as a result, they won't be completely out of the woods yet (so to speak)...
21. Minnesota Vikings (4-5): Minnesota's defense has improved this season and is one of the more underrated defenses, at least in the NFC. Their offense, led by a rookie quarterback (and without Adrian Peterson), has, understandably, been inconsistent. Perhaps fortunately for them, the well-rested Vikings come off a bye week to square off against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The Bears are 0-3 at home this year, have lost five of their last six, and have allowed 50 or more points in their past two games. If Minnesota can win that game and improve to 5-5, they could still have an outside shot at the playoffs, which would be quite a feat considering all of the distractions concerning Adrian Peterson and their change at quarterback early in the season.
22. St. Louis Rams (3-6): This team is full of fighters and tends to keep things close until the very end. However, at this point, upper management has to be thinking, "Well, Sam Bradford won't ever start for us again. Where do you think Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariotta will go in the draft?"
23. Carolina Panthers (3-6-1): After seeing how good this team was a year ago, that Monday night beat-down the Panthers suffered at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles was painful to watch. The Eagles didn't lose a step with Mark Sanchez at quarterback, and Cam Newton and the Panthers offense made the somewhat inconsistent Eagles defense look like the Steel Curtain at times. Crazy enough, the 3-6-1 Panthers are only one game behind the 4-5 Saints in the NFC South and if they beat the 3-6 Falcons on Sunday, they could still have a shot at winning the division. The way they've played to this point in the season, however, I wouldn't bet on it.
24. Washington Redskins (3-6): Coming off a bye week, we'll see how much better Robert Griffin III and the offense looks, especially going against Tampa Bay's defense. While the season is all but lost from a playoff contention standpoint, it's not lost when it comes to the question, "Is Robert Griffin III truly our quarterback of the future?" I see the team giving him one more year to work on his game and stay healthy, but if he has another serious setback, he'll likely follow a similar fate as Sam Bradford and need to find work elsewhere.
25. New York Giants (3-6): After getting run over (literally) by Marshawn Lynch and the Seattle Seahawks, the Giants have to square off against Frank Gore and the San Francisco 49ers. Just when Tom Coughlin and company thought things couldn't get any worse...
26. Chicago Bears (3-6): While, on the whole, I see the Carolina Panthers as the most disappointing team in football to this point in the season, just from an offensive perspective, I see the Chicago Bears as the most disappointing team. Granted, it's difficult for any offense to keep pace with the defense allowing 50 points. However, some of that is due to the ineffectiveness and turnover problems of the offense. Nine games into the season, the Bears almost look like they've given up, which means the coaches will likely be gone by season's end and Jay Cutler's fate may be up in the air as well.
27. Atlanta Falcons (3-6): So, Atlanta actually won a road game and actually scored in the 4th quarter in their game against Tampa Bay on Sunday. As Falcons fans know, those are both oddities. Now they'll have to go to Carolina to take on the 3-6-1 Panthers to try and stay in contention for the NFC South title. This could be the most disappointing game of the season thus far, as Carolina is coming off a 12-win season and looks nothing like that team, and Atlanta hasn't shown much progression from their disappointing season a year ago, being just two years removed from an NFC South title. Sadly, whomever wins this game and goes to 4-6 (or 4-6-1), will, at worst, remain just one game back of New Orleans in the division.
28. New York Jets (2-8): Well, I think we can all say what we secretly thought at the beginning of the year, that the Jets would be better this season with Michael Vick at quarterback. However, even though Vick has brought some stability and excitement to the offense, the most surprising aspect of the Jets' upset victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday was their defense. Through 9 games, the Jets defense had only forced 3 turnovers and their secondary had allowed the highest passer rating of any in the league. Yet, on Sunday, against the red-hot quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jets forced more turnovers in 60 minutes than they had forced the entire season leading up to the game. After a bye week, we'll see if the team can repeat their crazy act against fellow AFC East team Buffalo.
29. Tennessee Titans (2-7): It's a bad day when your team (the Titans) plays fairly well against a tough Baltimore Ravens squad, yet still finds a way to lose by two touchdowns. The question now is, will the Titans stick with rookie quarterback Zack Mettenburger or try to nab a quarterback in the first round of next year's draft?
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-8): Remember when Tampa Bay was many "experts''" sleeper playoff team in the NFC? Oh, how long ago that seems...
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-9): At this point in the season, the Jags are simply hoping that the rough year benefits rookie quarterback Blake Bortles as opposed to setting him back some.
32. Oakland Raiders (0-9): The Raiders led the Broncos 10-6 in the second quarter of Sunday's game, so they had that going for them, which was nice...
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