Weird week. I'm handing out lots of mulligans. We're starting to see some distinct tiers developing. Tier 1 is the top 9 or so, tier 2 (teams that I can't figure out) is 10-20, and tier 3 is the rest. I feel like these warrant explanations again, so here goes...
1: New Orleans Saints - This doesn't need much explanation. They haven't just been winning...they've been dominating, with formerly-number-one New York the latest victim.
2: Indianapolis Colts - They will be even more dangerous after a bye week.
3: Denver Broncos - They went to San Diego and won a game I wasn't sure that they could win. The division is theirs, and they continue to impress me. I really like the way Kyle Orton plays.
4: New England Patriots - They may be 4-2, but their record-setting blowout win this week reminds us that they are still a dominant team. When they are clicking, they're unstoppable.
5: Minnesota Vikings - They deserved to lose that game, the way the defense played. That has to be fixed if they want to keep their unbeaten streak going. The good news is the offense had its way with the Baltimore defense.
6: Atlanta Falcons - This is one of the most complete teams in the league. They took advantage of Chicago's mistakes and won a tough game this week.
7: New York Giants - They may have been exposed in a big way this week. They just got manhandled. The defense that had been so stout before needs to regroup if they want to climb back up.
8: Pittsburgh Steelers - They've found a running game in Rashard Mendenhall, and Troy Polamalu is back from his injury. This team is back in business. Watch out.
9: Baltimore Ravens - Despite the three-game losing streak, this is still a very tough and talented team. Their only real issue is the pass defense, and something tells me they get that resolved sooner rather than later.
10: Philadelphia Eagles - Wow. That one will be a mulligan. They moved the ball fairly well and didn't turn it over, but they need to score touchdowns. Injuries to the offensive line hurt, and it is very unlike an Andy Reid team to lose a game they should win. I'm betting he'll fix that quick.
11: Chicago Bears - They kept shooting themselves in the foot with all those penalties and turnovers in the red zone. They need to clean that up. They didn't play too poorly against the Falcons though. Where is Matt Forte?
12: Cincinnati Bengals - Their (supposedly) outstanding secondary got shredded by Matt Schaub and the loss of Antwan Odom for the season hurts in a big way. At least the offense still has talent with Cedric Benson and Carson Palmer. They'll be feisty, but I just don't think this is their year.
13: Green Bay Packers - When they play as well as they did Sunday (which isn't too hard against the Lions), they are tough to stop. Aaron Rodgers is really good when he's not getting beaten up and sacked. The defense was good, but has been inconsistent over the year.
14: Arizona Cardinals - Where did that defense come from? They completely shut down the Seahawks' offense. If the defense can keep up a high level of play, they are going to be a dangerous team again.
15: San Francisco 49ers - A week off couldn't have come at a better time, after getting embarrassed at home. Michael Crabtree should help the offense, but what would help the most is the return of Frank Gore. He makes them a lot better.
16: Miami Dolphins - They were starting to look like the Dolphins of last year: protecting the football and running the ball well. That controls the clock and usually is a good formula for wins.
17: New York Jets - They probably aren't this bad, but as long as Mark Sanchez is in his funk (and his receivers aren't helping much), they aren't going to win much. They ran the football well and still play pretty good defense, but you just can't turn the ball over that much.
18: Houston Texans - This team is VERY inconsistent. The offense (namely the passing game) have been playing at a high level every week, but the defense can never seem to decide whether or not to show up every week. At least this week was a good one. Who knows about next week?
19: San Diego Chargers - This team is still very good (Philip Rivers is very good), but have to be a little deflated after falling to 2-3. They are playing for a wild card spot now. Their defense still needs to generate more pressure. Shawne Merriman has been a ghost.
20: Dallas Cowboys - Here's hoping they figured out some stuff on their bye. It was bad going into it...
21: Carolina Panthers - They won the way they should have been playing all year: running the ball down the defense's throats. I don't have a lot of confidence in Jake Delhomme any more. He turns the ball over too much.
22: Jacksonville Jaguars - Here is another inconsistent team. Last week they got blown out by the Seahawks, then this week they barely beat the Rams at home (it wasn't as close as the score indicated). Yet they still managed to play very well against the Colts and Texans. Weird.
23: Seattle Seahawks - Talk about a bipolar team. They won 41-0 last week, then didn't bother to even show up this week. Matt Hasselbeck gives them a better chance than Seneca Wallace, but he didn't do much of anything this week.
24: Buffalo Bills - They got a good win on the road Sunday night against the Jets. The defense played very well, and I liked the way the offense kept fighting, even with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. Maybe that will jolt some life into this team.
25: Oakland Raiders - I hate rating them even this high, but you've got to like the way they came out and actually played with emotion this week. They changed their defensive strategy and it effectively confused an Eagles team that was caught completely off guard. Maybe this will be a stepping stone towards improvement. JaMarcus Russell was better, but still not very good.
26: Tampa Bay Buccaneers - The defense can't stop anyone. Time to see what the rookie quarterback has got.
27: St. Louis Rams - They are showing signs of life finally. Marc Bulger played well, and the defense was pretty good (considering past outings)
28: Kansas City Chiefs - The defense played very well, but the offense needs to score touchdowns. I think Matt Cassel is the right guy, but has no support from his offensive line. I'm looking for them to take a tackle early in next year's draft.
29: Cleveland Browns - Josh Cribbs is the only guy on this team worth his salt. Sorry, Josh. Sorry for having to play for Cleveland.
30: Detroit Lions - That was ugly. They need Matt Stafford back.
31: Washington Redskins - I don't think they are
actually the second worst team, but they are indeed dysfunctional. They are shifting up the front office, and their offense looks sickly. What's Clinton Portis on your team for anyways, guys?
32: Tennessee Titans - While they probably aren't the worst, they deserve this ranking in every way for this week. 0-59! Ouch. I think it's time to bench Kerry Collins.
(see him with his crutch?)
