We’re nearing the halfway point of the NFL season and it looks like things are starting to settle down. The top 10-12 teams has remained mostly unchanged the last few weeks. It’s becoming clear that the AFC is the superior conference, as the top 6 teams and 8 of the top 10 reside in that half of the league. Here we go:
| Ranking(Last Week) | Team | Commentary |
| 1(1) | New York Jets | The “Bye” week couldn’t have come at a better time for the Jets; with a 5-1 record atop the AFC East, New York got a week of rest before they host a battered Green Bay squad in Week 8. |
| 2(2) | Pittsburgh Steelers | The Steelers had a close call on Sunday, when a controversial call saved their chances of winning against the Dolphins. In a week where teams at the top of this list struggled, they made it out with a win and are still one of the teams to beat in the AFC. |
| 3(3) | New England Patriots | It wasn’t the prettiest ending for Patriots fans, but a 23-20 heart-stopper on the road against the Chargers was enough to put New England at 5-1. Next week is a big match-up as the Vikings come to town with Randy Moss for his first game back at Gillette Stadium. |
| 4(9) | Tennessee Titans | At this time last year, Tennessee was still trying to dig themselves out of an 0-6 start; this year, they’re one of the elite teams in the NFL with 5 wins after Week 7. The Titans won big over Philadelphia and travel to San Diego next week to take on a befuddled Chargers team. |
| 5(4) | Baltimore Ravens | The Ravens had their second overtime game in a row against an inferior Buffalo team, but managed to come away with a win. The return of safety Ed Reed was huge, as he forced 3 turnovers in the game. The Ravens will try to solidify their pass defense and offensive consistency during the bye week. |
| 6(6) | Indianapolis Colts | Despite not playing a game, the Colts managed to receive some bad news on their “Bye” week; fantasy tight end Dallas Clark is out for the season, adding another injury to the list. Indianapolis will have to play hard on the Monday Night stage to take down the Texans. |
| 7(10) | New York Giants | Eli Manning’s Giants took out the Cowboys and Tony Romo despite early turnovers. In what looks to be a weak NFC, expect this team – that seems to have turned the corner – to contend for the conference title. |
| 8(11) | Atlanta Falcons | After a rough loss to Philadelphia the week before, the Falcons bounced back behind Roddy White’s monster 201 yard 2 touchdown day. Atlanta is still one of the best teams in the NFC. |
| 9(7) | Houston Texans | Houston had the week off, and it was a well-timed “Bye” week as they rested up to travel to Indianapolis for Monday Night Football against the Colts. The Texans will have to play hard to try and sweep the season series with their bitter division rival. |
| 10(13) | Kansas City Chiefs | It could have been a “trap” game for the Chiefs against the lowly Jaguars, but then Kansas City fought their way to a 42-20 thumping. With the win, Kansas City remains the top team in the AFC West. Next week, Buffalo; is win #5 on the way? |
| 11(5) | Philadelphia Eagles | The Eagles await the return of Michael Vick, and hope that he will be able to get back to playing at the level he was pre-injury. With the offensive weapons they have, and being in the weakened NFC, Philly will continue to win games and contend for a playoff spot. |
| 12(15) | Washington Redskins | Six of the Redskins’ seven games have been decided by less than a touchdown, and this year’s Shanahan-McNabb led team is coming out on top in these games, when last year’s squad would have likely faltered. |
| 13(14) | Green Bay Packers | The Packers managed to get the monkey off their back by beating Brett Favre, but this game was really more Favre losing it than Green Bay winning. A tough task this week having to go on the road to face the Jets. |
| 14(12) | Miami Dolphins | The Dolphins had yet to win at home entering Week 7, and thanks to some questionable calls on the field they were not able to change that against the Steelers. The 23-22 loss is a heartbreaker for the team; luckily for them, a trip to Cincinnati awaits. |
| 15(8) | New Orleans Saints | The downward spiral of the Saints continued as they reached a new low in losing to the Cleveland Browns…at home. Things are not right in New Orleans and their chances of even making the playoffs, let alone defending their championship, are dwindling. |
| 16(22) | Seattle Seahawks | In the battle for the NFC West division lead (try not to laugh) the Seahawks came away with with the win despite just 302 total yards of offense. A barometer of how bad the NFC is: the Seahawks are tied for the third best record in the conference. |
| 17(23) | Tampa Bay Bucs | Somehow Tampa Bay, through 7 weeks, is one game ahead of the Saints. Josh Freeman is playing actually OK and the Bucs defense isn’t bad, so maybe they found their recipe to stay competitive. |
| 18(29) | Oakland Raiders | Based on the first few weeks of the season, few could have predicted such a points-scoring bonanza for the 2010 Raiders on the road against Denver. The win helps Oakland stay in the AFC West race as they prepare to host the Seahawks. |
| 19(17) | Denver Broncos | Considering how tough the Broncos usually play at home, the 59-14 loss to division rival Oakland was more than unexpected. Jason Campbell outdueled Kyle Orton in a one-sided contest; the Broncos now travel overseas to play the 49ers in London. |
| 20(24) | Cincinnati Bengals | The Bengals struggles will likely continue as their remaining schedule features games against Miami, Pittsburgh(2 times), Indianapolis, NY Jets, New Orleans and Baltimore. |
| 21(16) | Chicago Bears | Da Bears are on da bye this week which is much needed. After starting out 3-0, they’ve lost three of their last four. DeAngelo Hall caught as many or more Jay Cutler passes than all but one Bear, and you don’t need to be a football guru to know that isn’t good. |
| 22(21) | Jacksonville Jaguars | Unfortunately for Jacksonville fans, the high point of the season may have already come and gone. Since defeating the Colts on a last-second FG, the Jaguars have steadily fallen behind the rest of their AFC South rivals. A trip to Dallas next week might help with Romo down for the foreseeable future. |
| 23(20) | St. Louis Rams | It’s been an up and down year for the Rams, but they are performing much better than expected and Rams fans have some hope for the future looking at the play of some of their young players. |
| 24(19) | Minnesota Vikings | The Vikings were literally a few inches away from winning had Percy Harvin’s feet stayed in bounds. That didn’t happen and now Favre might not be able to play the next game which, I can’t believe I’m saying this, might improve the Vikings chances of a win over the Patriots. |
| 25(18) | Arizona Cardinals | 32nd, 28th, 21st, 29th. Those are the offensive and defensive rankings of the Cardinals. How they are somehow 3-3 needs to be investigated by researchers. |
| 26(25) | San Diego Chargers | Given how awful San Diego played in the first half of their showdown with the Patriots, it’s a moral victory that they even came back to make a game of it. Time is running out for the Chargers to turn things around and salvage the season, even in a weak AFC West; hosting the Titans next week won’t bring too much relief. |
| 27(30) | Cleveland Browns | Cleveland got their second win of the season against the defending-champion Saints. A sign of things to come? Probably not. |
| 28(26) | Dallas Cowboys | The Cowboys were dealt a major blow when quarterback Tony Romo went down with an injury this weekend, effectively ending any remote chances of a playoff berth. Clearly, they are not the contender that many thought they were. |
| 29(27) | Detroit Lions | Detroit had a bye this past week and maybe in the meantime they’ve figured out a way to get over the hump and win some of these close games. They’ve played well against good teams so far, despite the odds. |
| 30(32) | Carolina Panthers | Carolina got their first win of the season this week and have a shot to win 2 in a row as they face the Rams next. The Clausen experiment is over for now as Matt Moore had one of the best games of his career. |
| 31(31) | Buffalo Bills | Oh, Buffalo. The Bills put a real scare into the Ravens, and nearly played well enough to take the win in overtime. Unfortunately, a bad fumble doomed their upset hopes and Buffalo remains the lone winless team in the NFL. With a trip to Kansas City awaiting them, prospects of a win in the near future remain poor. |
| 32(28) | San Francisco 49ers | San Francisco’s nightmare season continued with a loss to previously winless Carolina. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what is wrong with this team but you can essentially write this season off. Unfortunately, some of the players will be doing that soon too. |
Commentary breakdown: Alex (AFC North, NFC East), Brian (AFC East/South/West), Pat (NFC North/South/West).
