Basically every sports website does these, and I've done it in the past, and with 7 weeks in the books, I think we have a decent idea of which teams are for real and which ones are not. So, here we go...
1. Chicago Bears (6-0) - It will be interesting to see if their poor performance at Arizona was an aberration, or a sign of things to come.
2. Indianapolis Colts (6-0) - They were one of the worst teams against the rush this year, and then they went out and got Booger McFarland. They're still the team to beat in the AFC
3. New England (5-1) - I thought they would be worse, but I guess I was wrong. They are still the class of the AFC East
4. New Orleans Saints (5-1) - They are for real. Drew Brees has shown what they were missing when they had Aaron Brooks under center these last few years. Deuce is running wild, and Reggie Bush has been dangerous in the passing game.
5. Denver Broncos (5-1) - Awesome defense, mediocre offense
6. Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) - That win against Carolina was big, after losing two in a row.
7. San Diego Chargers (4-2) - Philip Rivers has played well, tomlinson is incredible, and the defense has been stellar. But, the suspension to Shawne Merriman will probably hurt them.
8. New York Giants (4-2) - Three very impressive wins following the shellacking by the Seahawks. The D-line has finally started getting pressure, which they lacked early on.
9. Atlanta Falcons (4-2) - I think they finally realized how to use Michael Vick. They can be very dangerous, running on teams all day. They also have a stout defense.
10. Carolina Panthers (4-3) - They are 4-1 since Steve Smith came back from his injury, and lost a close one to a good Cincy team
11. Baltimore Ravens (4-2) - Same old story. Great defense, terrible offense. I think the 4-2 start is a bit fluky, although I am impressed with their 2.7 yards per rush on defense.
12. Minnesota Vikings (4-2) - Chester Taylor is much better than I thought he would be. I'm still not sold on Brad Johnson at QB though
13. Seattle Seahawks (4-2) - No Shaun Alexander, no Matt Hasselbeck. I expect them to struggle the next few weeks.
14. St. Louis Rams (4-2) - They missed a chance to make a name for themselves in the Seattle game. They've benefited from an easy schedule thus far, and the upcoming killer stretch (@ San Diego, Kansas City, @ Seattle, @ Carolina) should let everyone know if they are contenders or pretenders.
15. Philadelphia Eagles (4-3) - McNabb was having an awesome year until the Tampa Bay game, where he threw two interceptions to Ronde Barber, who returned them both for TDs. Still, they seem to be back, and McNabb is making stars out of no-names like Reggie Brown. Their lack of a running game may bite them in the ass.
16. New York Jets (4-3) - Wow, who saw this coming? With a soft schedule in their remaining games (games against Oakland, Green Bay, Cleveland, Houston, and Buffalo), this team could finish 10-6 and make the playoffs.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3) - That loss to Houston was a killer. I really dont know what else to say
18. Kansas City (3-3) - They've held up pretty well in the face of Trent Green's injury. Larry Johnson is finally starting to run like everyone expected.
19. Dallas Cowboys (3-3) - It's Romo time!!! He's definitely a better option than Bledsoe at this point, because he can at least elude the pass rushes that the Dallas O-line can't block
20. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4) - Ben's had a pretty shitty few months, huh? Almost died in a motorcycle accident, had an emergency appendectomy, threw no TDs and 7 INTs in his first three games back, then gets knocked out with a concussion.
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4) - They are a miracle 62-yard field goal away from being 1-5, but I have no idea who else to put in this spot. They did beat a quality team in the Eagles, but needed two INT returns and 3 field goals (including the afrementioned 62-yarder) to win it.
22. San Francisco 49ers (2-4) - Alex Smith has improved by leaps and bounds over his atrocious rookie year, and frank Gore has run well. It may take a few years, but they could ake some noise down the road.
23. Green Bay Packers (2-4) - I thought they would be much worse than they've shown so far, but they're still not very good. Then again, their two wins have come aganst the Lions and Dolphins, so...
24. Washington Redskins (2-5) - They went out and imported a bunch of receivers, and then refuse to throw the ball downfield
25. Houston Texans (2-4) - Big win for them. They've already matched last year's win total! And Mario Williams had his first big game.
26. Buffalo Bills (2-5) - They showed some scrappiness at the start, but have played terrible the last few weeks.
27. Tennessee Titans (1-5) - I'm interested to see how Michael Vick II fares the rest of the way
28. Cleveland Browns (1-5) - I have nothing to say about them, except that they're not quite as bad as the teams below them.
29. Detroit Lions (1-6) - Without Shaun Rogers, the Jets were able to run all over them. How does Matt Millen still have a job? How could they pass on Leinart?
30. Miami Dolphins (1-5) - So much for that trendy Super Bowl pick, huh?
31. Oakland Raiders (1-5) - My dream of an winless Raiders season was shattered last week. By...
32. Arizona Cardinals (1-6) - This ship is sinking, and sinking fast. Leinart looks like the real deal, but they have no running game behind that putrid O-line
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