As always my rankings go to 12 because that's the number of playoff teams. It really doesn't matter who #13 is when the season is over.
1. New York Giants (6-2): It pains me to say it, but the Giants are the most complete, experienced, and dangerous team in the league this year. They are in a very good position to be the first repeat champ since the '03-'04 Pats. Little Manning is never out of a game and never looks worried. He has great receivers and a strong running game. And they have the best pass rush in the league. The Giants seem to do better when they are the underdog ... they might not get that chance this year.
2. Chicago Bears (6-1): It pains me to say it, but Lovie Smith might actually be a good coach. OK, it doesn't really pain me to say it. Lovie seems like a good guy. I can't root for the Bears to ever win another Super Bowl (see Pats-Bears 1986), but I could root for Lovie. But not Jay Cutler. That guy annoys me. But he looks a lot better now that he has Brandon Marshall to throw to. And they have a great runner in Forte. And a great defense. The Bears and Giants seem on a collision course for the NFC title game.
3. New England Patriots (5-3): I know. The Falcons are 7-0 and the Texans are 6-1. But they don't have Tom Brady. Who according to some in the Blabosphere is starting to lose it a bit. Maybe they should watch his five TDs in five drives against the Rams and see what they think. The Pats are the best offense in the league and they are doing it without Aaron Hernandez and a limping Gronk and Welker. Lloyd -- despite a few drops -- has been a great addition. And the running game when Bolden is healthy is one of the best. I know. The defense has big problems. If they can get safeties Chung and Gregory healthy I think the D will start to improve like it did last year.
4. Atlanta Falcons (7-0): The Falcons just have the smell of that team that goes 15-1 and loses at home in the Divisional Round to the Bears or the Giants. But that's a long ways off. Matt Ryan and the Falcons have been on the verge of taking the next step for the last few years. They have a well balanced offense and a good defense, although they are near the bottom against the run which is a problem come playoff time. The Falcons are the classic dome team that doesn't quite have the grit to win the big one. Not sure that has changed yet.
5. Houston Texans (6-1): The Texans -- after looking bad against Green Bay -- sure looked good against the Ravens last week. They should probably be ranked higher. But like the Falcons, I'm not totally convinced. But unlike the Falcons, they have no weaknesses. The Texans have the second-ranked offense behind the Patriots and are fifth in the league against the pass and fourth against the run. And they play in a pretty easy division. If Houston can come into Gillette in a month and beat the Pats then they'll have home field in the playoffs and be very tough to stop.
6. San Francisco 49ers (6-2): The best defense in the league. And the nastiest. If I were given $1,000 to bet on any team to win the Super Bowl I'd put it on San Fran. Their D is that good. And with Frank Gore they have the best rushing game in the league. A great defense and a great running game. Many a dynasty was built on that. The question is quarterback Alex Smith. Many a Super Bowl was won with lesser QBs. When a team like the Niners is (arguably) your sixth best team ... you have a hell of a league.
7. Denver Broncos (5-3): The Broncos have taken a step up in the last few weeks as Big Manning keeps getting better and better. And that will be a problem for the rest of the AFC come playoff time. Manning is making the young receivers on his team better each week. The Broncos should win the AFC West with ease since the Chargers have decided to get a head start in their yearly collapse and fold early. Denver's weakness is they are average in rushing and below average in stopping the run.
8. Baltimore Ravens (5-2): The Ravens are limping their way down the rankings. Ray Lewis is done for the season. Terrell Suggs is back but it may be too late. The Ravens -- built on defense -- are 24th in the league against the pass and 30th -- that's right, 30th -- against the run. That's not Raven football. And although the offense is good, it is not nearly good enough to carry the team like it is in New England or New York or Atlanta. The Ravens have a tough second half ahead of them.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3): This is the point in the rankings where you can choose from about fifteen teams. I'm going with the proven commodity. Big Ben and the Steelers are getting older and are pretty banged up. But they just schooled RG3 and the Skins on how to play smash-mouth football. As the Ravens are getting more banged up, the Steelers are starting to get healthier. If they get Polamalu back they should win the AFC North and be a team nobody wants to play come January.
10. Green Bay Packers (5-3): It pains me to put them this low. The Pack should be 6-2 if it weren't for the blown call by the fake refs. But the Pack is 26th in the league in rushing. That puts too much pressure on Aaron Rodgers to carry the load. The defense has improved after last year's poor showing but it is still giving up a lot of points. The Pack has a very tough second-half schedule that will make it tough for them to pass the Bears. But they should be a wild card team.
11. Miami Dolphins (4-3): Of all the surprise decent teams in the league this year (Seattle, Arizona, Minnesota, Indy being the others), Miami is the one that is headed in the right direction. A huge win over the Jets puts them into wild card contention. Rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill may not be as good as Indy's Andrew Luck or Washington's RG3, but he has Reggie Bush on his side. And a very good defense that is third in the league against the run.
12. Minnesota Vikings (5-3): The Cardinals and Seahawks sure thought they were top 12 teams after beating the Pats. Look where they are now ... 4-4 and fading fast. The Vikes, on the other hand, are still in the hunt because they can do something the other two can't. Score points. Thanks to Adrian Peterson. Young QB Christian Ponder has good games and bad and the defense is only slightly better than average. And the Vikes didn't look too good against Tampa last week. But like I said ... they have Adrian Peterson.Dishonorable mention: J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets. Skinny Rex's team has been hit hard by injuries, no doubt about it. But what team hasn't? Problem is the Jets didn't have much depth. At the start of the season Ryan proclaimed this the most talented team he's had in his four years in New York. It was pretty funny when he said it. At 3-5, it's really funny now. Teee-bow! Teee-bow! I can't wait for Thanksgiving night.
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