1. Green Bay (9-0) LW: 1 – The Packer put together an all-around impressive offensive display Monday Night, while the defense finally put pressure on the QB. Green Bay’s defense also had their best outing of the season, the only TD they allowed following a muffed punt by Randall Cobb. The Packers now change their focus to Tampa Bay in bid to remain undefeated.
2. San Francisco (8-1) LW: 2 – The 49ers continued their 7 game win streak with two early 4th quarter scores to take a 27-13 lead. The Giants offense stalled at the SF 10 yard line, as San Francisco claimed victory in a matchup of division leaders. The 49ers welcome Arizona next week, as they finish the season with 5 of their final 7 games against division opponents.
3. Pittsburgh (7-3) LW: 6 – The Steelers took advantage of their fast start, holding off the Bengals for a 24-17 road victory. Pittsburgh will take its ½ game lead into their Week 11 bye, as they prepare for a trip to Kansas City.
4. New Orleans (7-3) LW: 7 – The Saints rebounded nicely from the Week 8 loss to the Rams, defeating division foes Tampa Bay and Atlanta in consecutive weeks to open up a 1 ½ game lead heading into this week’s bye. The Saints next two games will be against NFC playoff contenders, New York Giants and Detroit Lions, both in the Superdome.
5. Chicago (6-3) LW: 8 – The Bears earned a season split with the Lions this weekend, beating Detroit by a score of 37-13. Consecutive INTs returned for TDs early in the 3rd quarter all but put this game out of reach. The Bears scored 24 points off Lions TOs, and another on Devin Hester’s 18th career return TD. Next week, the Bears become an honorary member of the AFC West, as they play four consecutive games against AFC West teams.
6. Houston (7-3) LW: 9 – Houston takes a 4 game winning streak and the AFC’s best record with them into the bye week following their 37-9 road victory against Tampa Bay. Andre Johnson is expected back after the bye week, adding another dimension to the NFL’s 3rd best rushing team, #1 ranked defense, and #2 ranked scoring defense. The road only gets tougher from here for the Texans, as Matt Schaub is out for the rest of the season. Matt Leinart will start at QB for the Texans.
7. New York Giants (6-3) LW: 3 – Eli Manning’s 2nd INT from Sunday’s game was the deciding moment for the Giants. Already trailing 20-13, San Francisco got the ball at the New York 17, setting up Kendall Hunter’s TD run. The Giants did, however, score on their next drive and get to the 49ers 10 before stalling out with 34 seconds on the clock. New York’s difficult 2nd half schedule continues this week, with a divisional matchup against Philadelphia before back to back games against New Orleans and Green Bay.
8. New England (6-3) LW: 11 – New England ended their 2 game losing streak with a big Sunday Night victory over division rival New York. The win gave New England a 1 game lead over both NYJ and Buffalo, and a season sweep of the Jets. Up next for the Patriots are 4-5 Kansas City, who will also be breaking in a new starting QB, as Matt Cassel has also been ruled out for the rest of the season.
9. Baltimore (6-3) LW: 4 – The Ravens inexplicably lost to Seattle this weekend, 22-17. This was the 3rd let down game of the year for the Ravens following big wins (PIT, HOU, @PIT). The question is whether the Ravens offensive inconsistency or a simple lack of focus is the problem. Up next for Baltimore are the 6-3 Bengals and 8-1 49ers.
10. Detroit (6-3) LW: 5 – Following their feel good 5-0 start, the Lions have lost 3 of their last 4 games, including potential playoff opponents San Francisco, Atlanta, and Chicago. Detroit will need to bounce back this week against Carolina, with a Thanksgiving matchup against the Packers looming right around the corner.
11. Dallas (5-4) LW: 15 – The Cowboys were all over the Bills this weekend, winning easily, 44-7. Dallas scored TDs on each of their first 4 possessions, the 5th drive ending at halftime. In fact, aside from both end of half drives, Dallas was held scoreless just once all afternoon. The Cowboys climb to just 1 game behind New York in the NFC East, with a markedly easier schedule the rest of the season. Here is a breakdown for the Giants and Cowboys remaining schedules - Combined Remaining Opponents’ Records: DAL – (27-36 .428) NYG – (37-27, .578)
12. Cincinnati (6-3) LW: 10 – The Bengals showed great resolve this weekend against the Steelers. While they still lost, the climbed right back into the game after Pittsburgh jumped out to a 14-0 lead. Andy Dalton’s INT with 2:27 left at PIT’s 25 yard line sealed the fate of the Bengals. Next week, the Bengals travel to Baltimore in an attempt to keep pace with the AFC North leaders.
13. Oakland (5-4) LW: 19 – Following a 24-17 road victory over the Chargers, the Raiders are in sole possession of 1st place in the AFC West at 5-4. Michael Bush, who has played well in Darren McFadden’s absence, had a great game Thursday night, racking up 242 total yards, the most since the Raiders joined the NFL in 1970. The Raiders travel to Minnesota as they prepare to play the 4 NFC North teams over the course of the next 5 games.
14. New York Jets (5-4) LW: 12 – The Jets AFC East hopes took a hit Sunday Night, following their 37-16 loss to the Patriots. Now New York travels to Denver on a short week to face a surging Broncos team. While not a must win just yet, a Jets win would move them into a tie for the final wildcard spot with the loser of the Baltimore / Cincinnati game.
15. Atlanta (5-4) LW: 13 – Difficult loss for the Falcons to swallow, as head coach Mike Smith’s strategy of going for a 4th and inches on their own 29 has be questioned endlessly following Atlanta’s OT loss to the Saints. Lost in the din was the Falcons ability to erase a 10 point deficit with just over 10 minutes to play. The Falcons will now face a 5-4 Titans team also fighting to remain in the playoff race.
16. Tennessee (5-4) LW: 21 – The Titans are coming off a big 30-3 victory over the Cam Newton led Panthers, in which Chris Johnson (finally) began to show shades of his former self, gaining 130 yards on 27 carries. The Titans find themselves with a chance to cut the Texans division lead to just one game with a win this weekend in Atlanta.
17. Buffalo (5-4) LW: 14 – The Bills have lost their last two games by a combined score of 71-18 following their 44-7 loss to Dallas. The Bills offense has struggled with pass protection, resulting in TOs and rushed passes. Now Buffalo, who is 1-3 away from home, must travel to Miami to play a Dolphins team on a two game winning streak.
18. San Diego (4-5) LW: 16 – The Chargers have lost 4 straight games since starting the season 4-1, including 2 divisional games. Last Thursday’s game exposed San Diego’s shortcomings against the run and along the offensive line. Now the Chargers travel to Chicago to face a streaking Bears team in the midst of a playoff hunt.
19. Denver (4-5) LW: 24 – As aesthetically unappealing as it may be, the Broncos are now 3-1 with Tim Tebow as the starting QB, following their 17-10 victory in Kansas City. The Broncos won despite only 8 pass attempts and leading rushers Willis McGahee and Knowshon Moreno leaving the game with injuries. The Broncos prepare for a Thursday Night game against the New York Jets this week.
20. Tampa Bay (4-5) LW: 18 – The Buccaneers find themselves in the midst of a brutal stretch, including next week’s trip to Green Bay. Playoff hopes are fading, as Tampa Bay has lost 4 or their last 5 to potential playoff teams (@SF, CHI, @NO, HOU) and are currently 2 ½ games behind New Orleans and 2 games behind CHI and DET (both own tiebreaker victories over TB) for the wildcard.
21. Kansas City (4-5) LW: 17 – Not only lose its 2nd straight game and fall to 2-2 in the AFC West against Denver, QB Matt Cassel is likely out for the season with a hand injury. Tyler Palko, with just 13 career pass attempts, has been named the starter for the foreseeable future. The road doesn’t get any easier, with New England, Pittsburgh, Chicago, New York Jets, and Green Bay (in that order) left before two divisional games against the Raiders and Broncos.
22. Arizona (3-6) LW: 27 – The Cardinals erased two 4th quarter deficits to upset the Eagles 21-17 in Philadelphia on Sunday. Led by John Skelton filling in for Kevin Kolb, the Cardinals were the latest team to take advantage of the Eagles inability to close out football games, with the game winning TD pass to Early Doucet with just 1:53 left in the game.
23. Philadelphia (3-6) LW: 20 – The Eagle blew their fourth 4th quarter lead of the season, dropping them to 1-4 at home this season. The big story Sunday Morning was Andy Reid’s decision to sit WR DeSean Jackson for missing a team meeting on Saturday. The story following the game was the pass defense which allowed another late game lead to slip away. Mike Vick is questionable for next week, after revealing the he suffered a couple broken ribs early in the game. The Eagles playoff hopes are dimming, as they face the Giants and Patriots in the coming weeks, and have very little margin for error.
24. Seattle (3-6) LW: 29 – Seattle pulled their second big upset this season with their 22-17 win against the visiting Baltimore Ravens. The Seahawks capitalized on great field position to gain an early 10 point lead. Playing stingy defense and forcing turnovers were key, as the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the Ravens offense was held in check. The Seahawks travel to St. Louis this weekend, as Seattle tries to climb back to .500.
25. Minnesota (2-7) LW: 23 – The Vikings struggles were on full display against the Packers on Monday Night Football. Aside from the pass rush, there were few bright spots for Minnesota. Ponder made a couple nice completions, but the offense as a whole seemed out of rhythm. Minnesota welcomes the Raiders next week in a matchup of two Top 5 rushing offenses.
26. Cleveland (3-6) LW: 22 – The Browns have lost 3 straight since their 3-3 start following Sunday’s loss to St. Louis on a Phil Dawson missed field goal. This weekend they will host Jacksonville.
27. Miami (2-7) LW: 28 – The Dolphins are winners of two straight following their 20-9 victory over the Rex Grossman led Redskins. Reggie Bush has just played arguably the best three game stretch of his career, averaging 80 yards rushing and 22 yards receiving to go with his 3 TDs. Miami now hosts a now-struggling Bills team looking to turn around their fortunes.
28. Washington (3-6) LW: 25 – The Redskins own the league’s 2nd longest losing streak at 5 games following their loss to Miami last Sunday. Shanahan changed his mind once again, benching John Beck (who started the previous 3 games) in favor is opening day starter Rex Grossman. The ‘Skins will look to play the spoiler this week against a red hot Dallas team as they too look to get back on track.
29. Jacksonville (3-6) LW: 29 – Jacksonville emerged victorious, 17-3, against last place Indianapolis this weekend, on the strength of Maurice Jones-Drew’s 114 yard, 1 TD rushing performance. The Jaguars travel to Cleveland this weekend looking to get back into the suddenly wide open AFC South.
30. St. Louis (2-7) LW: 30 – The Rams got win #2 this weekend, after watching a Phil Dawson field goal attempt go wide left late in the 4th quarter. The Rams now prepare for 4 consecutive division games, starting with Seattle this Sunday.
31. Carolina (2-7) LW: 26 – The Panthers continue to struggle against mediocre opponents, this time falling 30-3 to the Titans. The path doesn’t get any easier with a trip to Detroit on tap next week.
32. Indianapolis (0-10) LW: 32 – The Colts continue their free fall into oblivion, this time losing 17-3 to the Jaguars. They’ve now reached their bye week at 0-10, well ahead of the competition in the Suck for Luck sweepstakes.
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