NFL Rankings - Down to Five Undefeated

Ah, the games roll on and we now enter October! Time for bye weeks, teams to starts establishing things, and injuries! This week showed that many bad teams stayed bad and good stayed good. Here are the rankings, enjoy:



1. New England Patriots (3-1) (2) - They were able to handle the Ravens who were really playing well. They did have the home field advantage which was probably the X factor of the game, that and getting Welker back. I may have a team with a loss ranked high but they have Brady!



2. New Orleans Saints (4-0) (6) - Saints move up because they played a good team and handled them nicely. At home they beat the Jets with defense and a nice running game, I did not think that's how I would describe a Saints team.



3. New York Giants (4-0) (1) - I know they didn't lose, but to nit pick they only beat a terrible Chiefs team by 11 (of course Manning was out by that point and Chiefs scored 13 of 16 points in the 4th quarter when Giants were resting). The Manning injury could pave the way to doom aka David Carr.



4. Indianapolis Colts (4-0) (7) - An impressive win against the Seahawks places the high scoring team up in the rankings. I still am not used to seeing the Colts play in place were natural light shines on the field, it looks weird!



5. Minnesota Vikings (4-0) (-) - Vikings are looking pretty good. That old guy is making smart passes and they have that running back who is pretty good too. The D can put pressure on the QB, just ask Aaron Rodgers.



6. Baltimore Ravens (3-1) (4) - They fall off a tad because they lost, but they lost to the Pats at home. Playing the Bengals at home might help them get back on track.



7. New York Jets (3-1) (3) - Mark Sanchez ended up throwing 3 INT's, and the offense never seemed to get it going in New Orleans. Maybe without the turnovers this game could have been closer. But still made it a somewhat close game against a Saints team who is playing like the best team in the NFC.



8. Denver Broncos (4-0) (13) - I feel this team always got put down by my rankings, but they finally beat a somewhat worthy team so they shoot up five spots. They don't win pretty but a win is a win and they are 2 games up over the Chargers, will it last? They play the Pats next.



9. San Francisco 49ers (3-1) (-) - 49ers had a shaky first half against a bad Rams team. The defense really stepped up and Patrick Willis had 2.5 sacks and a interception returned for a TD. In the end they shut out the Rams. They will need that offense to step up against the Falcons. You can tell they miss Gore a lot but Coffee is filling in alright.



10. Chicago Bears (3-1) (12) - Bears can now score some points. They put up 48 against the Lions yet also gave up 24. Forte and Cutler had a nice game and they can rest easy with a win going into their bye week.



11. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) (8) - They were on a much needed bye week, giving time for McNabb and Westbrook to heal. I think they feel much better knowing that Kevin Kolb can fill in and do a good job.



12. Cincinnati Bengals (3-1) (14) - We were :07 seconds away from another tie! The Bengals sure know how to win at the last second, thats now two weeks in a row they won on a last second game by the score of 23-20. I place them higher than the Steelers because they have beaten them, but, they have a tough schedule coming up playing the Ravens and Bears. Can they keep up this surprising run?



13. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) (15) - Got back in the win column with a 3 quarter beat down of the Chargers...but than they go ahead and let up 21 points in the 4th quarter. Is Troy Polamalu really that vital? I look for them to head back up the list, they play the Lions and Browns up next.



14. Atlanta Falcons (2-1) (11) - They had a bye week, and have a tough match up playing in San Francisco this week.



15. San Diego Chargers (2-2) (10) - Drop down because it took them a while to realize they were playing last week until the 4th quarter. This team is capable of much more, but the wrong coach might be leading them to another 8 or 9 win season. They have a bye week and than a big game vs Denver.



16. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) (19) - This team like Chicago has transformed into a high scoring team. David Garrard has been lighting up opposing d's and Jone-Drew can always run. This team beat up on the Titans 37-17. They play Seattle and St Louis next, so they could be much better soon.



17. Dallas Cowboys (2-2) (16) - If you look up inconsistent in the dictionary you might see the Cowboys star. They were really close to tying this game in last few seconds. They switched to the game and I saw them waste around 12 seconds after a 4 yard pass, it was pretty bad. Not sure but this team reeks of 8-8.



18. Houston Texans (2-2) (20) - Beating Oakland on the road is not a great feat, but a win at home is always nice. Slaton seems to be getting back on his game. Up next they take their high scoring offense to play Arizona's high scoring offense, should be fun.

19. Green Bay (2-2) (17) - This is another Cowboys like team. They both have talent but they are lacking in certain really important areas. I know giving up 7 sacks a game is not a good way to keep your Qb happy. They lost that vital Favre game, ESPN ran a few stories on it.

20. Washington Redskins (2-2) (26) - They keep on trucking to 8-8. I don't know why but this team always seems to have some reason for playing average football.

21. Miami Dolphins (1-3) (25) - Miami got its first win of the season with a 38-10 pounding of the Bills. Chad Henne took over at the QB spot but I think the signing of Tyler Thigpen was a nice move, I guess I am the only one who remembers he was good last year?

22. Arizona Cardinals (1-2) (23) - Grumble...they still have time to turn around the season...I hope they do not.

23. Buffalo Bills (1-3) (18) - Good news: They got their #1 RB Marshawn Lynch back! Bad news: He ran 8 times for 4 yards! I will go out on a limb and say head coach Dick Jauron will be gone soon.

24. Seattle Seahawks (1-3) (-) - They long to play the Rams again, who they beat 28-0 in their first game, I guess the Rams can make any team look good.

25. Detroit Lions (1-3) (23) - They lost bad in Chicago yet the offense continues to show they can put up points no matter who they are playing. The game was 21-21 at the half but than the Bears realized who they were playing at scored 27 more points. Still not the worst team in the league by a long shot.

26. Carolina Panthers (0-3) (27) - Not playing last week helped the Panthers move up, bad news for them...they have to play this week!

27. Tennessee Titans (0-4) (21) - This team continues to drop down the list, I am waiting for them to win...any day now....oh giving up an average of 27 points a game might be a reason for this!

28. Oakland Raiders (1-3) (-) - I really try to move this team down, it's just they somehow have managed to get a win and the teams below them just plain SUCK! Raiders offense was sad last weekend. They had 165 total yards, I didn't know that Texans D was so good, oh wait IT'S NOT!

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4) (30) - I give them credit for trying to try something new and start Josh Johnson at QB buuut you guys drafted Josh Freeman in the first round, why not just use him? hmmmmm

30. Kansas City Chiefs (0-4) (29) - They played better against the Giants then they did against the Raiders....makes no sense. They have a pretty tough schedule so look for a long year and another retooling this off season.

31. Cleveland Browns (0-4) (32) - You guys dug your way out of the bottom. I was surprised they hung with the Bengals, I am sure a tie would have been a moral victory of these guys. RB Jerome Harrison may be a sleeper this year if you need a fantasy back.

32. St. Louis Rams (0-4) (31) - Another shut out! They were like 2 feet away from having a field goal though. How long does Stephen Jackson play until he wants a trade? Can you name more then one WR on this team? Next three games- Minnesota, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis...ouch!