A few of the top teams have experienced losses in the last few weeks, so there’s been quite a shakeup in the Top 10. The Ravens are back in front, mostly because they haven’t slipped up against inferior teams like some of the other AFC teams.
Also, the NFC appears to be making a comeback after weeks of AFC dominance. Teams like New Orleans, New York, Atlanta and Philadelphia seem to be making strides toward consistency as the season continues.
| Rank | Team | Commentary |
| 1 | Baltimore Ravens | The Ravens got their most complete win of the season on Sunday. The return of Ed Reed has been huge. After only 2 games, he has already come up with 3 interceptions and a forced fumble, and a team that has struggled to get turnovers has 7 in the those games. |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers | The Steelers nearly let a lead slip away against the Bengals, but made just enough plays to get the win. It’s tempting to count a near-loss against them, but in the NFL in 2010 anything can happen, so a win is a win. |
| 3 | New York Jets | For much of their time at Ford Field in Detroit, the Jets were behind the Lions; fortunately for New York, they were able to tie the game up in the waning seconds and win on a FG in overtime. Next week is a visit to Cleveland who are coming off a big win over New England. |
| 4 | New York Giants | After going 1-2 to start the season, the Giants have won 5 straight, albeit against mediocre teams. Barring any catastrophic collapse, the Giants will be in the thick of things in the NFC come January. |
| 5 | New England Patriots | One week after surmounting the Power Rankings, the Patriots laid an egg in Cleveland and lost 34-14 to the Browns. All facets of the game looked rough, and New England will need much better with a visit to Pittsburgh looming next week. |
| 6 | Atlanta Falcons | Atlanta tallied a big victory over division foe Tampa Bay to put them in first place of the NFC South. They have the Ravens coming to town for a Thursday night showdown (suck it NFL Network) which will really put this team to the test. |
| 7 | New Orleans Saints | The Saints have quietly snuck back into the NFC South race and find them just one game back of Atlanta. They have to wait until week 16 to even the score with the Falcons, but outside of a matchup with the Ravens they have a favorable schedule. |
| 8 | Green Bay Packers | Green Bay helped send Wade Phillips packing after a 45-7 beat down of the Cowboys. That’s three wins in a row for a banged up team who has the bye week to rest up before a big game in Minnesota in week 11. |
| 9 | Indianapolis Colts | What was billed as a big AFC versus NFC showdown will be remembered for a serious concussion-causing hit on Austin Collie of the already injury-plagued Colts; the 26-24 loss to the Eagles doesn’t hurt Indianapolis as much as the prospect of another receiving target being out. Next week the Bengals visit Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium. |
| 10 | Philadelphia Eagles | Michael Vick’s first game back was nothing short of brilliant, as he led the Eagles to a win over Peyton Manning and the Colts. Vick has played about 4 games and has a QB rating of 105.3 with no interceptions and 260+ rushing yards. MVP??? |
| 11 | Tennessee Titans | With their waiver acquisition of Randy Moss, the Titans’ “Bye” week couldn’t have come at a better time. Their first opportunity to use the “new” WR comes next week on the road in Miami. |
| 12 | Oakland Raiders | Many people had high expectations for the Raiders in the offseason; after a 4-4 start, disappointment began to spread. With a 23-20 OT win over the Chiefs, however, the Raiders have put together their first 3 game win streak since 2002; the “Bye” week is next. |
| 13 | Kansas City Chiefs | The Chiefs still hold the AFC West lead, but a 23-20 loss in OT to their rival Raiders hurts the cushion they’d built up. It won’t get any easier for Kansas City next week with a visit to Denver and the rested Broncos. |
| 14 | San Diego Chargers | Don’t look now, but the talented San Diego Chargers are finally starting to win games; a 29-23 win over the Texans in Houston helped keep San Diego in the AFC West race. Next week will be a restful “Bye” week. |
| 15 | Tampa Bay Bucs | Going into last week the Bucs were tied for first place with the Falcons, now they find themselves behind both the Falcons and Saints. They’ve lost to both teams once, so they have some ground to cover if they want to see the postseason. |
| 16 | Miami Dolphins | Despite putting up good drives to begin the game, it didn’t take long for the Ravens to figure out Miami and keep the Dolphins to only 10 points in the game. Miami will need to rebound with a home win versus the Titans next week to keep pace in the AFC East. |
| 17 | St. Louis Rams | Saint Louis, who had their bye last week, have looked good as of late and are right in the mix for a playoff spot. If someone told you they saw this coming, they were either a member of the Rams or a liar. |
| 18 | Houston Texans | In a game which could’ve gone either way, the Texans ultimately fell to the Chargers by a final score of 29-23 with a last-second drive failing on an INT by San Diego. Houston will travel to Jacksonville for a divisional matchup next week. |
| 19 | Washington Redskins | The Redskins were on a bye this week, but they managed to stay in the news as a supposed feud between the Shanahans and Donovan McNabb lingered. It will be interesting to see how they respond against Mike Vick and the Eagles. |
| 20 | Chicago Bears | The Bears walked out of Canada, yes Canada, with a close win against the 0 for the season Bills. Their upcoming game against the Vikings would help them pad their lead over the Vikings in the central. |
| 21 | Jacksonville Jaguars | After putting up a big win in Dallas, the Jaguars got the week off to gameplan for their divisional rivals from Houston. David Garrard will look to keep the Jaguars in the AFC South race with another underdog win. |
| 22 | Minnesota Vikings | The Vikings had a nice come from behind win over the Cardinals that likely saved Brad Childress’ job, at least for another week. This team is close to mutiny and it wouldn’t be too surprising for them to coach themselves next week. |
| 23 | Cleveland Browns | The Browns got their second marquee win of the season against New England. They won’t be in the playoff picture this season, but Colt McCoy’s play/leadership (though his numbers have not been spectacular) has to be encouraging as they plan for the future. |
| 24 | Seattle Seahawks | Seattle got roughed up at the hands of the Giants as their season of mediocrity continues. Despite this, they are 4-4 and tied for first place in the West. |
| 25 | Denver Broncos | With their London visit out of the way, the Broncos had a “Bye” week to prepare for a home game against the surprising Kansas City Chiefs next week. The season may already be on the line in Denver. |
| 26 | Detroit Lions | Another valiant effort by the Lions only to end with a loss. Taking the Jets to OT is not an easy task and while Detroit may not win many games, teams can’t afford to look past them. |
| 27 | Arizona Cardinals | Arizona gave up a late lead to the Vikings and fell in overtime to drop to 3-5. Despite it all, the Cardinals can’t be completely counted out of the playoff race just yet. |
| 28 | Cincinnati Bengals | Cincinnati got off to an awful start against Pittsburgh on Monday night, but made things interesting with a furious comeback led by none other than Terrell Owens. They continue to struggle with offensive consistency and poor special teams play. |
| 29 | San Francisco 49ers | The 49ers, who were on their bye week, have won 2 of their past 3 but it could be too little too late. If it weren’t for the Cowboys, the 49ers could easily be the most disappointing team in the league this year. |
| 30 | Carolina Panthers | Carolina got beat up by the Saints last week and, well, there isn’t a lot of things to say about the Panthers. |
| 31 | Dallas Cowboys | The woeful Cowboys got dominated by Green Bay, and head coach Wade Phillips was let go the day after. We don’t expect any sort of resurgence from “America’s Team”. |
| 32 | Buffalo Bills | As has been the case all season, the Bills had a chance to win–in their “Bills Toronto Series” game this week–over the Bears at the Rogers Centre before falling 22-19. Next week the Bills return to Orchard Park, New York to host the Lions; it may be their best chance for a win all year. |
Commentary breakdown: Alex (AFC North, NFC East), Brian (AFC East/South/West), Pat (NFC North/South/West).
