Miami Dolphins @ Carolina Panthers (Thurs)

The Panthers should win this game, right? They are at home. The Dolphins will be without Ronnie Brown. The Dolphins just barely beat the Buccaneers. The Panthers just beat a (possibly) good Falcons team. In case you're wondering, that was just me talking myself into picking the Panthers. I'm never confident picking a team that starts Jake Delhomme at QB. Never.

Washington Redskins @ Dallas Cowboys

After a shaking outing in Green Bay, a home game against the Redskins is just what the doctor ordered for Dallas. Granted Washington did beat Denver last week, but lightning isn't going to strike twice for the Skins. And if it does, I will never trust Tony Romo in the second half of the season EVER again.

Cleveland Browns @ Detroit Lions

Sweet hellacious beast, this is going to be one terrible game. I know the Lions lost to the Rams at home, but there is no way they lose to Cleveland at home. If they do, I think they are actually worse off than they were last year.

San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers

I'm not crazy about San Francisco on the road and I'm even less crazy about them at Green Bay after the Packers just took down the Cowboys.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs

Even though the Steelers will most likely be without Troy Polamalu, they should be able to handle Kansas City. Does anybody think the Chiefs can win this game? Do the Chiefs players or coaches think they can win this game? Should we just call this one over before it starts and avoid any injuries? I say yes to the last question.

Atlanta Falcons @ NY Giants

Even though I've already ruled the Giants out, they are coming off a bye and the Falcons did just lose to the Panthers. Of course, this is the classic game that I get wrong because I'm not picking the road team that just suffered a terrible loss against the obvious home team that is coming off the bye and is well rested. Sometimes the NFL makes no sense at all.

New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Hopefully the Saints have enough sense in them to not overlook this game towards next week's matchup with New England and continue their undefeated quest. Josh Freeman has the Bucs playing much better as of late, but they still aren't anywhere near where the Saints are at. The real question for me is do I play Josh Freeman on my one fantasy team where I'm already eliminated from the playoffs. Wait a second, that is a terrible question.

Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Nobody has any idea how happy I am right now. As it stood, this was the hardest game to write anything about because I was running out of clever ways to bash the Jacksonville fan base and Dick Jauron. It was only a few short hours later that the news broke that Dick Jauron would no longer be ruining my life coaching the Buffalo Bills. Before I go any further, I want everybody know that this is a temporary happiness and the minute the Bills hire another unknown coordinator or another career loser, I'll be back to being bitter old Devin.

But for now, let me enjoy this. The man who guided the Bills to three consecutive 7-9 seasons and somehow managed to get a contract extension in the middle of it is finally gone. The man who showed such little emotion that people regularly had to take his pulse during the game is finally gone. The man who continually clapped on the sidelines as his team was imploding is finally gone. The man who sucked the life out of Terrell Owens is finally gone. The man who thought it was a good idea to move Langston Walker to left tackle and then release him right before the season is finally gone. The man who benched Trent Edwards and put Ryan Fitzpatrick into the game with a little over two minutes to go and facing a 17 point deficit is finally gone. Finally.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go pour Gatorade on my head and celebrate.

Indianapolis Colts @ Baltimore Ravens

We've reached that point in the season where I'm going to need to start taking chances to catch the leader. I can say in full confidence that I've tried this every season since I've been doing picks, and every season it blows up in my face. However, what choice do I have? In my current pick group I'm down seven games to the overall leader so I need to try and make up ground somewhere along the line. So with that in my mind, the Ravens over the Colts are my upset of the week.

The Colts should be flying high as they hit 9-0 thanks to a huge win over New England which eventually sets them up for the trap game. The road game. Against a sometimes tough Baltimore defense. Against a QB who has the ability to shred their suspect secondary. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Seattle Seahawks @ Minnesota Vikings

The cakewalk continues for the Vikings as they get another easy game at home. The best part about this easy schedule is the quicker they clinch the division, the closer we are to watching Tavaris Jackson play some football again. Fun times!

Arizona Cardinals @ St Louis Rams

This should be another easy win for the Cardinals. As long as they stop Steven Jackson (if it's possible), the Rams should never within 10 points of the lead.

NY Jets @ New England Patriots

Let's see; tough loss for the Patriots (check), people calling Bill Belicheck out (check), cocky Jets team reeling (check), Mark Sanchez playing in non-ideal weather conditions (check), and Patriots wanting to stick it to the Jets for talking trash (check). Yeah, this game isn't going to end well for the Jets.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Oakland Raiders

I'm not confident in this pick at all. On paper the Bengals overmatch the Raiders in even single aspect possible. But the Raiders always seem to have those few fluky home wins where the East Coast team is traveling out West. They already pulled one of those wins off this season against Philadelphia. Last season, they beat the Jets and Texans at home. In 2007, they beat the 10-6 Browns at home. In 2006, it was the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. It must be something about playing in the Black Hole.

On the topic of the Bengals, how lucky is Larry Johnson? The guy hasn't surpassed 1,000 yards in Kansas City since the 2006 season, does nothing this year, rips his coach on Twitter, gets released, and then gets signed on the division leading Bengals. Talk about winning the lottery. If he is a smart man (which I highly doubt), he should probably shut his mouth and be thankful that he is in this situation and use it to rejuvenate his career.

San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos

I'm doing an entire flip flop on the whole Chargers/Broncos scenario. Denver basically had the division in their control and then proceeded to lose three games in a row and most likely their division lead this weekend. Even worse for them is if Kyle Orton misses this game and Chris Simms is the starting QB. Who knows. Maybe Simms will play well and lead Denver to victory. After seeing his little bit of game action against Washington, I'm not totally banking on it.

Meanwhile, San Diego has been on fire. They've pulled off four consecutive victories and are starting to look like the team that we thought they were in the pre-season. LDT played probably his best game of the season last week after finding out that he was going to be a father, if he continues to play like his old self, look out AFC.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Chicago Bears

Both teams need this game bad but the Eagles should win. They have the better QB and the better coach and quite frankly, if Philly loses again they will have a tough time making the playoffs. Losing Brian Westbrook won't help their cause but I don't think anybody can actually say they are shocked by this news.

Tennessee Titans @ Houston Texans

Houston should be rocking and rolling this Monday night for a rare primetime appearance by the Texans. The Titans are much improved since making the switch to Vince Young at QB, but that doesn't mean much for them the rest of the season. A 0-6 hole isn't something easy to overcome.

On the positive side for Tennessee, Chris Johnson is a beast of a running back that can barely be stopped. He should give the Texans fits all night and as long as the Titans can keep it close, he should be a major deciding factor in the game. Also factoring into this game, Vince Young's return to his home state and facing the team that passed him over. Granted I don't think anybody blames Houston for doing it now when we look back on it, but VY still carries that grudge and will probably play his best game of the season for Tennessee.

Still, Houston is the better team. They are in a divisional tie with Jacksonville and if they have any realistic expectations of making the playoffs, they absolutely must win this game. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt after a late bye week and the Texans should win this game.

Last Week: 9-6

NFL Season: 95-62

Scott's Picks:

Miami Dolphins @ Carolina Panthers (Thurs)

Washington Redskins @ Dallas Cowboys

Cleveland Browns @ Detroit Lions

San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs

Atlanta Falcons @ NY Giants

New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Indianapolis Colts @ Baltimore Ravens

Seattle Seahawks @ Minnesota Vikings

Arizona Cardinals @ St Louis Rams

NY Jets @ New England Patriots

Cincinnati Bengals @ Oakland Raiders

San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos

Philadelphia Eagles @ Chicago Bears

Tennessee Titans @ Houston Texans

Last Week: 10-5

NFL Season: 96-61

LEGIT SUPER BOWL CONTENDERS

1. New Orleans Saints (1) – It wasn't exactly pretty but the Saints got their ninth win in a row to extend their undefeated season. I really only see one more difficult game for the rest of the season and that will be played in two weeks against the Patriots. They should be able to beat Tampa Bay twice, Washington, Atlanta, Carolina, and Dallas. I'm definitely pulling for them since they are easily the most likeable team in this bracket from my vantage point.

2. Indianapolis Colts (2) – The Colts also remain undefeated after a huge comeback victory against New England on Sunday. Is it possible that we could have two 16-0 teams at the end of the regular season? I'm sure it is, but I don't see it happening. It should be interesting to see who falls first considering Indianapolis just passed their toughest test yet.

3. Minnesota Vikings (3) – Not surprising at all but the Vikings continued their dominant season by plowing through the Lions and it's pretty much a two horse race for home field in the NFC. Regardless of who gets it, it will be a dome team so weather won't even be a discussion for the NFC.

4. New England Patriots (4) – Yes I'm leaving New England at number four and I'll explain why. I now believe in the Bengals as a legit team. However, I'm not fully convinced that they are a Super Bowl contender yet. The only playoff experience they've had didn't exactly go to well and I just don't know how well they will play when all the chips are on the table. If the Patriots were to face the Bengals in the playoffs, I would definitely be picking New England for the experience factor.

While we're discussing the Patriots, I'll join in and be the 10,385 person to voice my opinion on the decision of Bill Belicheck. I loved it. If they get those few yards, everybody would be praising him today. Sure he showed little to no confidence in his defense by going for it, but I would like to think that he knows his team better than all the "experts" that are slamming him today. He knew he was going to give Manning more than enough time to get the winning score and he rolled the dice. It didn't work out, but I still think it was the right decision. Everybody praised Mike Shannahan last season when he went for two instead of the tie against San Diego because it worked out. If that didn't work out, people would've bashed him. It's a double standard and it's pretty annoying.

POTENTIALLY FRISKY PLAYOFF TEAMS

5. Cincinnati Bengals (6) – The Bengals are easily the best team in this bracket and I mean no disrespect by not placing them higher. I would just like to see them finish this season strong and carry that into the playoffs first. I would still be pretty surprised if they were able to beat Indianapolis or New England. I just think experience carries a lot of weight in those situations. But for the record, THANK YOU CINCINNATI!!!!

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (5) –Despite being swept by Cincinnati and really digging themselves a hole in the AFC North, Pittsburgh still controls their own destiny and is clearly in the driver's seat for a wild card berth. Does anybody remember their first Super Bowl run? They were a six seed and won all three road games leading to the Super Bowl. This is exactly why they can't be ruled out at all. Pittsburgh will still be heard from before this season comes to a close.

7. Denver Broncos (7) – Oh my Denver. At least last season the Broncos waited until the very last season to completely collapse. They were in complete control of the AFC West a few weeks ago but they stand to lose that lead this weekend when they face the number eight team on my list. The good news for them is that the playoffs wouldn't be out of the question even if they did hand the AFC West title on a platter to San Diego. Of course, that is assuming they don't continue their collapse and finally win a game.

8. San Diego Chargers (13) – The Chargers have been the complete opposite of the Broncos in the past few weeks and it's exactly why they stand a chance to take sole possession of first place this weekend. Since losing to Denver in Week Six, the Chargers have reeled off four straight victories. If they beat Denver that would make five and they would then get number six and seven in the two weeks following. To make this easier to understand, the Broncos are screwed if they lose this weekend.

9. Dallas Cowboys (8) – I'm not dropping Dallas too far after their disappointing showing in Green Bay. However, I have a keen eye on them. I mentioned last week that I'll be interested to see how Dallas plays down the stretch because this is usually the time Tony Romo and company start to falter so I wasn't completely shocked they lost on Sunday. I'm avoiding the classic overreaction that I've been known to do in the past and I'll give Dallas a second chance. They have two incredibly easy games coming up so as long as they win those, they should be fine.

10. Baltimore Ravens (12) – Thankfully due to my Monday night TV schedule, I wasn't subjected to watching the first half of the Ravens/Browns game. The Ravens did eventually pull it out but they are going to need to be much better as we head towards the most important part of the season.

11. Arizona Cardinals (10) – The Cardinals are starting to get their legs under them and that is a dangerous sign for the other teams in the NFC. I still can't figure out if they are really good, just ok, a decent team that takes advantage of a bad division, or all of the above. Does that make any sense? I swear it did in my head. One thing is for sure, I won't completely rule them out come January this time around.

12 Philadelphia Eagles (9) – The Eagles are slipping further and further away as the season moves on. They really need to get it going this week or things will only get worse for Philly. It doesn't help that Brian Westbrook is probably finished for the season, but I'm thinking LeSean McCoy should be a very fine replacement for him.

13. Atlanta Falcons (11) – The Falcons have really had a rough time recently and it won't be any easier if Michael Turner is out for an extended period of time. We'll know all we need to know about Atlanta after the next three weeks are played out. If they go 3-0, they are definitely in it. If they lose even one of the two games against the Giants or Eagles, they are moving down to my mathematical bracket.

MATHEMATICALLY IN IT

14. Green Bay Packers (15) – Huge win for the Packers when they needed it most. I'm refraining from moving Green Bay up to the next bracket until I see them win on a more consistent basis. They are tied with the Eagles and Falcons for what would be one of the two wild card berths, but I can't fully trust a team that lost to the Buccaneers. Not just yet anyways.

15. New York Giants (14) – The Giants got a little help as they were off and the Eagles and Cowboys both lost. If they corrected things on the bye they should still be in good shape but they can't afford to lose this coming Sunday again.

16. Houston Texans (17) – The Texans were off but the Colts won to extend their division lead. The combination of a Colts collapse and Texans run isn't happening, sorry Houston.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars (19) – The Jags are quietly playing themselves back into playoff contention which each passing week. They should be able to handle Buffalo with a fair amount of ease this weekend. It's just a shame nobody will get to see it. Well, nobody in the Jacksonville area anyways.

18. Miami Dolphins (18) – The Dolphins pulled out a squeaker against Tampa Bay. That loss would have been crushing to any chances that they have this season, which aren't much. With the wild card looking like one of the teams sitting at 6-3 right now, Miami is going to have to pull off a long run of wins to get back into the thick of things.

19. Carolina Panthers (21) – The Panthers are making things interesting as the season goes on. I can easily see them falling just short of the playoffs though. It would probably be at that time that the Panthers would like to have one of those bad losses back, like the game against Buffalo.

20. New York Jets (20) –Ouch. Another rough outing for the Sanchize. The Jets have now lost five out of their last six games and are pretty much finished in the AFC East. They are only one game ahead of the cellar dwelling Bills and the Bills already beat them once. It should be fun to watch the Jets continually go down in flames since Rex Ryan found it necessary to run his mouth so much before the season and people were so quick to anoint the Sanchize as a Hall of Fame quarterback.

21. San Francisco 49ers (22) – The 49ers got a big win on Thursday night to keep themselves (slightly) in the race out West. They currently stand two full games behind Arizona with a chance to play them once more. If they could even their record or even cut the lead to one, it would end up being a very big game considering that they already beat the Cardinals once this season

22. Chicago Bears (16) - I still don't know why people are shocked over the struggles Jay Cutler is having. Granted the struggles the Bears are having aren't necessarily all his fault, but he is getting most of the blame since he was supposed to be the savior for Chicago. I'm thinking unless the Bears pull off two consecutive upsets in the upcoming weeks, you can officially stick a fork in their season (not that I haven't already).

23. Tennessee Titans (24) – Don't let the 41-17 score fool you. This game reminded me of a Madden game where you struggle for almost the entire afternoon to win a game you should, then grab a bunch of garbage touchdowns right at the end to pad the stats. Chris Johnson ran well as expected, but the Titans were very beatable on Sunday. I'd be more upset about the Titans owner Bud Adams flipping the Bills sideline the bird, but I pretty much did it all afternoon so I think it would be a bit hypocritical of myself.

BOTTOM OF THE BARREL

24. Seattle Seahawks (25) – Seattle gave Arizona a game for a little bit before finally slinking back down and losing yet another game. While Seattle isn't out of it technically, they actually are. They are 1-3 in their (crappy) division and with a three game deficit already, it would take an epic collapse by Arizona to not win the division this year.

25. Buffalo Bills (23) – Even though I knew the Bills are a terrible team, I still had them in the above bracket because I thought they did just enough to always be "in the hunt" or "mathematically in it", like they have been in every year of the Dick Jauron era. It's probably a good thing the Bills lost the game though, since it means the odds increase of both Jauron and Edwards being gone after this season. With every win they gain some credibility back, so it's better for the future if they continue to get rolled over on Sundays.

And just a little side note about the game on Sunday. I mean this with all my heart; Rich Gannon is by far the worst commentator that has ever done an NFL game. The guy is so incredibly biased and his opinions are terrible. Almost everything he says is the complete opposite of the truth. For instance, Trent Edwards "lit it up" against New England in Week One. WHAT?? He did? I must have missed something. Coming from a guy who didn't even understand the basic rules of NFL overtime earlier this season, I feel insulted when he gets his know-it-all attitude going and tries to educate everybody on the game of football. My favorite part when he does a game is when he slams a quarterback for a mistake and points out every little thing a player did wrong. Maybe he forgot about his impressive Super Bowl performance. You know, the game where he threw five interceptions and got completely shellacked by the Buccaneers. Remember that Rich?

And one more side note. If Jairus Byrd doesn't win the Defensive Rookie of the Year, I will have officially lost faith in the system. This kid is amazing.

26. Washington Redskins (31) – I wrote about it in my picks and it happened, the classic trap game for the Broncos and a big win for the Redskins. Washington isn't going anywhere but for at least one week they can stake their claim to a solid victory against a team with a winning record. They can also be proud that they just about finished off anybody that was remaining in any eliminator leagues.

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (27) – The Bucs almost won and got their second straight victory in the Josh Freeman era. However, usually the bad teams find a way to still lose the game and the Buccaneers did just that on Sunday. After taking a 25-23 lead with 1:14 left on the clock, they allowed Miami to come right back down the field and win the game with only 10 seconds remaining. I've seen it a million times which watching the Bills. I believe the term is snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (28) – In their first game since releasing Larry Johnson, the Chiefs got the win and improved their record to 2-7. The biggest highlight from the day was a 44 yard touchdown run by Jamaal Charles as he finished the day with 103 yards. For all of you fantasy owners that picked up Kolby Smith early Sunday morning, that must really suck for you.

29. Oakland Raiders (26) – Sometimes I feel like I'm especially hard on certain players when they don't always deserve it. In the case of JaMarcus Russell, he completely deserves it. After playing horrendously bad against the Chiefs earlier this season and someone still winning the game, Russell was determined to not only play bad this past Sunday, but also make sure that the Raiders lost the game too. His line from the game is as follows. Nine for 24, 67 yards, zero touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a 45.8 QB rating. He is jaw dropping bad. If he isn't playing in the UFL next season, I will have lost a little more faith in the NFL.

30. St Louis Rams (29) – Read what I wrote below about the Lions and you'll see what I mean when you look at the Rams/Saints game. I didn't think St Louis would stand a chance with the Saints but they at least hung in the game and made things interesting for the fans involved. When your team is as bad as the Rams are, a good honest effort is about all you can ask for.

31. Detroit Lions (30) – The game against the Vikings was one of those games where you knew Detroit didn't even stand a chance. Even so, usually those games are close for at least a half while Detroit puts a scare into Minnesota and all those people who bet on the Vikings or picked them outright to win. However, the Lions couldn't even pull that one off on Sunday. From the moment the clock hit 1:00, it was my impression that the Lions were already losing and they weren't even in the game. Granted I didn't watch the game, but I never for a second thought it was even in doubt.

32. Cleveland Browns (32) – 13 for 31, 99 yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 23.5 QB rating. Ladies and Gentleman, the 22^nd overall pick of the 2007 draft from Notre Dame, Brady Quinn!!

Chicago Bears @ San Francisco 49ers (Thurs)

Ah, the first Thursday night game of the year. Of course, I'm one of the lucky people that can't see the game at home because I'm stuck with Time Warner and their suck ass service. Of course I could go to a friend's house or even the bar to watch this game, but that would require me to go out of my way to watch this game. Um, no thank you. The only interest this game holds for me is whether or not Greg Olsen tears it up again. Otherwise, I'll pass.

New Orleans Saints @ St Louis Rams

This game would definitely be my eliminator pick if I hadn't pick New Orleans in Week One, or if Tampa Bay wouldn't screwed me over last Sunday. Seriously, Vegas couldn't make the line high enough in this game to not bet on New Orleans. (Assuming I actually bet on games) The real worry for me in this game is that I'm facing Scott in a do-or-die fantasy week in my ESPN league and he has Drew Brees. An ideal day for my team would be Brees handing the ball off for the majority, letting him throw one or two touchdowns, and then bringing the backups in to show the Rams some mercy. On the flip side, if Brees goes off for six touchdowns like he did against Detroit, I'm officially screwed.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Miami Dolphins

I'm tempted to pick Tampa Bay again because they did screw me over and now I have this fear of picking against them. However, they are still the Buccaneers and the Dolphins are still a better team. Now if you will all excuse me for a moment, I'm going to spend the next few minutes patting myself on the back.

If you click here and here to check out my End of the Pre Season and Week Two power rankings, you will notice what I wrote both times about Tampa Bay. For those who don't want to click, I asked the question as to why the Bucs even wasted their time starting Byron Leftwich when it was clear that Josh Freeman was going eventually be the starting QB. I wasn't very high on Tampa Bay's chances this season and figured it would be a good opportunity for Freeman to get his playing time in now so he'll be more prepared for when (if) the Bucs are actually a good team. Well, it only took the Buccaneers to start off 0-7 before they decided to make the switch to Freeman. How did it work out? Well Freeman threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns in leading Tampa Bay to their first win of the season.

Ahem….told you so.

Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings

With a 7-1 start in the books and two convincing wins over Green Bay, Minnesota is officially on cruise control towards the playoffs. After last week's bye, they now face Detroit, Seattle, and Chicago in three consecutive home games. For those doing the math, that will make their record 10-1 when they head to Arizona to face the Cardinals in Week 13. In fact, when looking at the remaining schedule, besides a Week 15 game in Carolina and Week 16 in Chicago, it's pretty much smooth sailing for the Vikings in terms of either playing in a dome or playing in beautiful weather. That is a huge advantage when you have a dinosaur playing quarterback.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ NY Jets

I really wanted to pick Jacksonville here but I had to go with the home team. I'm not sure why because so far Mark Sanchez has proven that he is actually worse at home than on the road. Those pesky weather conditions have been getting the best of the California boy. But on a more serious note, if the Jets are having any hopes of the playoffs, they absolutely have to win this week to setup a more important matchup with New England in Week 11. In doing some quick math, if the Jets win this week that will push them to 5-4 and if the Patriots lose to the Colts it would make them 6-3. That would mean the game in Week 11 would be for sole possession of first place in the AFC East. Scary to think that in a few weeks the same Jets team that threw a team total of six interceptions and lost at home to the Bills could actually be in first place.

Buffalo Bills @ Tennessee Titans

In the most lopsided matchup of the day, we have the NFL rushing leader Chris Johnson going up against a Bills run defense that is currently ranked number 32 in the league and averages 173.6 yards per game. I really feel bad for those that are going against Johnson in any fantasy leagues this week. On top of that, since having their bye week and inserting Vince Young into the starting lineup, the Titans have actually won two games in a row and resemble a team that may have been a playoff team one year ago. I've flip flopped my thoughts on this game more than I have on Terrell Owens. I really feared this game before the season, then was looking forward to it by Week Four, and I'm now cringing again at the thought of it.

But don't fret Bills fans, there is a positive this week. The Bills will be wearing their sweet white throwbacks this week and the Titans will be wearing their old Oilers uniforms. YES!

Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers

The Bengals and Steelers both sit at the top of the AFC North with identical 6-2 records, but the Bengals have the 0.5 game lead because they beat Pittsburgh head to head earlier this season. So as you can see, this game carries a lot of weight for Pittsburgh. If they lose, they will be one game back in the standings but it will feel like two games having been swept by the Bengals. Of course, I don't mean to minimize the important for the Bengals either because this game is absolutely huge for them as well. A win means they have a full game lead plus the tie-breaker, plus people will definitely be taking them more seriously as we head down the stretch run.

A quick glance at the schedule shows me that if the Bengals can beat Pittsburgh this week, they would have three automatics wins in the following weeks (Oakland, Cleveland, and Detroit) before facing Minnesota in Week 14. Pittsburgh still has the Ravens twice and while they apparently aren't the team we thought they were, you can never rule out a tough game when those two teams are involved.

As tempted as I am to pick the Bengals, I have to go with the Steelers. They are at home, this game can make or break their season, and they are far more experienced in these situations than Cincinnati is.

Denver Broncos @ Washington Redskins

This has "trap game" written all over it. Washington is an absolutely horrendous team and nobody will be giving them a chance, especially because one of their few offensive weapons (Clinton Portis) won't be playing. Denver is clearly a better team but they are also on a two game losing streak. And to top it off, the Broncos are on a short work week and have to travel cross country for the game. Listen, I'm still picking Denver (mostly because I will NEVER pick Washington), but if the Redskins win don't be shocked. This is the Eagles/Raiders game all over again.

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers

The Panthers have been much improved in the recent weeks. Unfortunately for them, "much improved" means going 1-1 and choking away a lead against the undefeated Saints. The Panthers still have at least four losses remaining this season and with them sitting at 3-5, they can pretty much start preparing for the draft now.

Atlanta hasn't been especially overwhelming but they do sit at 5-3 and control their own destiny in terms of a playoff spot. In fact, they actually face the Giants and Eagles in the next four weeks and with wins in those games, they are a sure thing. As if you had any doubt, they finish the season against Buffalo and Tampa Bay which is two guaranteed wins. That reminds me; yes I'm looking forward to Week 13 when the Falcons host the Eagles. Sometimes I love the drama of the NFL, just not all the hype during the week.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Oakland Raiders

If this game is as painful to watch as it was to write about, I feel sorry for those that have to watch it. In case you're not sure why, let me remind you what happened last time these two teams met in Week Two.

The Raiders led for most of the game on two Sebastian Janikowski field goals, 6-3. It wasn't until there was 2:38 remaining in the fourth quarter before the Chiefs decided to score a touchdown and take the 10-6 lead. Before this drive, there were a total of 12 punts between the two teams. But not to be outdone, the Raiders proceeded to drive down the field and give themselves the lead (and win) with 1:07 remaining in the game. JaMarcus Russell was the winning QB in this game and he finished with an impressive 7 for 24, 109 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and 46.0 QB rating.

Yeah, I don't think I'll be watching this game on Sunday.

Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals

After a somewhat slow start, the Cardinals have taken control of the NFC West and are now in the driver's seat towards another playoff berth. I really don't know what to make of Arizona sometimes and that frustrates the living hell out of me seeing that I have Kurt Warner as my fantasy QB. One week the guy throws five interceptions and loses to Carolina, the next he throws five touchdowns and throttles Chicago. If someone can make sense of this for me, I'd love to hear it.

Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers

What can I say about Green Bay that doesn't contain at least a dozen expletives? Nothing really, so let's talk about Dallas instead.

The Cowboys have really come on strong lately in winning their last four games. I hate to play the "what if" game, but I'll do it for the sake of writing. If the Cowboys didn't lose to the Giants by two points and if the Cowboys had finished off the game tying drive against Denver, they'd be sitting at 8-0 right now. It's a scary thought when you actually consider it. Like I said in this week's rankings though, this is usually the time when the Cowboys and Tony Romo crumble and fade away. It will be interesting to see if he can continue to play well and actually finish off what he started for once. If not, well I won't be shocked.

Philadelphia Eagles @ San Diego Chargers

Andy Reid vs Norv Turner. Yikes. If that isn't a scary coaching matchup, I'm not sure what is. I never feel safe picking the Chargers anymore because every time I think their good, they suck. And when I think they suck, they come out and look good. However, there are two reasons I'm picking them this week. 1) They are coming off a huge comeback win and will have momentum on their side. 2) The Eagles are traveling cross country and last time they did it, it didn't work out so well.

New England Patriots @ Indianapolis Colts

I went back and forth on this pick more times than you can imagine. I initially picked the Colts because well, they are the better team on paper, and they are at home. But then I started thinking that Indianapolis is due for a loss and the Patriots are the perfect team to deal them their first of the season. Then I flipped back to my Colts back once I realized that I need to start just picking with my gut instinct and so that is what I did.

The Colts are the better team. Although I think Tom Brady is the better QB over his career, right now I'd choose Peyton Manning (mostly for health reasons). The one thing that worries me about the Colts is that their secondary is seriously banged up and the Patriots are very dangerous through the air. However, I gotta go with my gut feeling so I'm going with the Colts.

Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns

Reasons why ESPN would like to flex Monday night games: Ravens at Browns in Week 10.

BYE: NY Giants, Houston

Last Week: 10-3

NFL Season: 86-56

Scott's Picks:

Chicago Bears @ San Francisco 49ers (Thurs)

New Orleans Saints @ St Louis Rams

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Miami Dolphins

Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings

Jacksonville Jaguars @ NY Jets

Buffalo Bills @ Tennessee Titans

Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Denver Broncos @ Washington Redskins

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers

Kansas City Chiefs @ Oakland Raiders

Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals

Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers

Philadelphia Eagles @ San Diego Chargers

New England Patriots @ Indianapolis Colts

Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns

Last Week: 8-5

NFL Season: 86-56

Finally. I'm back and so are my rankings. As you may or may not have noticed, I've been missing for the past week or two while real life completely interrupted with writing for the site. I suppose that is the price you pay when the writing is done for free in my spare time and other people actually pay for my services. It's all about priorities my friends and unfortunately, sometimes the writing falls behind. Nevertheless, I'm back and we're ready to go.

Before we get started, you're going to notice a different approach to the rankings from this point on. This is something I wanted to do at the beginning of the season but it's basically impossible to do until we've all sampled a decent portion of the season to really get a feel of all the teams. Because this is the first week, I'll briefly explain what I mean by each bracket so that you get a feel for what I'm writing. I'll then rank within those so you still get my overall rankings. So without any further rambling, let's get this started.

LEGIT SUPER BOWL CONTENDERS

(This is a pretty straight forward bracket. These are the teams that I feel are legit contenders for going to the Super Bowl and even winning it. To put it simply, if we're heading to the Super Bowl and any of these teams are in it, I won't be surprised in the least. If you're a fan of one of these teams, you may want to see what kind of prices you can get on a hotel and plane ticket to Miami.)

1. New Orleans Saints (1) – The Saints are halfway to the perfect regular season that Reggie Bush boldly predicted. If they make it to 11-0 this season, I fully expect to see Mercury Morris on ESPN rapping about how bad every other team is and how great the 1972 Miami Dolphins were. That's just what America needs, that insufferable jerk living in the past. It will be at that point that I'll drive a nail directly into my temple. Don't do it ESPN. Don't. Do. It.

2. Indianapolis Colts (2) - Call me crazy, but I'm really wondering just how good of a coach Tony Dungy was. If I recall correctly, he helped build up Tampa Bay but could never get them over the hump. Jon Gruden came in with the same exact team and won the Super Bowl the following year. People soon forgot about that because Dungy won his own Super Bowl in Indianapolis and helped cement his legacy. However, I've noticed the Colts are undefeated this season with a rookie Head Coach that I think some NFL fans still don't know who he is. The mainstay through this all? Peyton Manning. I'm not saying Dungy is a bad coach by any stretch, but I'm starting to wonder just how good he really was.

3. Minnesota Vikings (3) – When I'm wrong, I'm wrong…I guess. For the record, I never said the Vikings were a bad team. I'm just the biggest non-fan of Brett Favre outside of Wisconsin and I suppose that hindered my view on the Vikings. For the record, Brad Childress has made a career so far of being a mediocre coach who makes dicey decisions, yet they are working on a contract extension for him. This is about as good of an idea as the Bills re-signing Dick Jauron for three more years after their 5-1 start last season. What happens if they don't win the Super Bowl this year? What happens if Favre falls apart in the second half of the season? What happens when Favre leaves the team and they are once again stuck with the Jackson/Rosenfels combo? I would be so against this contract extension if I were a Vikings fan. It's a bad move.

While we're on the topic of the Vikings, I once again feel the need to discuss the notion of Vikings fans not only rooting for Brett Favre, but wearing the man's jersey. On the imaginary list of things that should be illegal in sports, this principal idea has to be number one. Minnesota fans spent 16 years not just rooting against the man, but HATING him. Flash back to two years ago, simply ask a Vikings fan what their opinion of Favre was and you could count the seconds it took their face to turn bright red on one hand. I realize Minnesota has never won a Super Bowl, but there has to be some kind of limit as to how much you're willing to sell yourself out. Would Pittsburgh fans welcome Ray Lewis with open arms? Would Dallas welcome Donovan McNabb with open arms? Probably not.

I tried really hard to come up with a scenario that was of equal comparison with my beloved Buffalo Bills. I couldn't. Thurman Thomas did spend his final season with the hated Miami Dolphins but the circumstances were completely different. For the record, I covered up my large plaque of Thomas on my wall with a large "Traitor" sign until he re-signed and retired as a Buffalo Bill. It still bothers me that he went to Miami, but again, the circumstances were completely different. The only other situation I can think of is when Drew Bledsoe came to Buffalo. I still feel this situation was a little different. The Patriots and the Bills weren't rivals on the level that Minnesota and Green Bay are. Also, most Bills fans (that I know) never truly hated Bledsoe to the level that Minnesota fans hated Favre. Third, Bledsoe was replaced with Brady and literally forced to move on, where as Favre retired (and please, save the "he was forced into retirement" argument for someone else) and then came back just to spite the Packers. Would I root for Dan Marino if he came to Buffalo at the end of his career? No way. I don't get it. The Vikings fans have sold their sports souls for a shot at the Super Bowl. Karma works in funny ways. Remember that Vikings fans.

4. New England Patriots (4) – The Patriots still haven't looked completely unbeatable this season, but they are winning and that is all that matters. They actually remind me of those old Super Bowl teams they had earlier this decade. Not always pretty, but always getting the win. We'll definitely know a lot more after they face Indianapolis this week. By the way, if you want to ensure yourself a loss to the Patriots, make sure you run your mouth the week leading up to the game. That's always a smart move.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (8) – I don't want to rank the Steelers this high but I have to face the facts, they are really good. You can never count out the defending champs once they start rolling in the second half of the season. They have a QB who has won the Super Bowl twice in his young career and that is the biggest factor of them all. Sure Rashard Mendenhall carries the football like a slippery bar of soap and Willie Parker is now the opposite of fast, but Roethlisberger knows how to win and that is so important that it can't be accurately measured. Did the Patriots always look unstoppable during their Super Bowl run? No. But when it became crunch time, they had a QB who found a way to win, no matter how ugly it may have been. To put this thought into perspective…Do I think Pittsburgh is actually better than Dallas or Cincinnati? I'm not sure. If they met in the postseason, who would I pick? Pittsburgh.

POTENTIALLY FRISKY PLAYOFF TEAMS

(This bracket can get a little dicey. These are the teams that I feel have a real shot at going to the playoffs, but I'm not saying it's a sure thing. The name basically comes from the 2007 New York Giants who kind of squeezed their way into the playoffs and caught fire at the perfect time which coincided with a Super Bowl victory. Now I'm not saying these teams are going to win a Super Bowl by any means, but I'm not ruling out. They may fall apart in the second half and miss the playoffs altogether (2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers) or they may make the playoffs and simply flame out in the first round (2008 Atlanta Falcons). Really, anything can happen with these guys. If you're a fan of one of these teams, there is definitely reason to be excited as we continue through the second half of the season. Stranger things have happened.)

6. Cincinnati Bengals (6) – I know, I know, I moved the Bengals down after another big division victory and despite the fact that they are in first place in the AFC North. They mostly got moved down because Pittsburgh moved up so high. Like I said in the beginning, these aren't my normal rankings. I really don't think Cincinnati is a legit Super Bowl contender just yet. They are definitely frisky and definitely look like a playoff team, but they still have a lot to prove in my eyes before I start considering them for the Super Bowl.

7. Denver Broncos (5) – I know I'm going to get some flak for this, but I refuse to apologize. The Broncos are a very good team and should be headed to the postseason this year, but they still have a rookie head coach and Kyle Orton starting at QB. It's those two reasons that I don't consider them a legit Super Bowl contender just yet. Maybe I'll be proven wrong; it's been known to happen from time to time.

8. Dallas Cowboys (10) – Dallas has proven me wrong so far in going 6-2 to start the season. They have three absolutely winnable games coming up and should be 9-2 when they face the Giants again. I'm still skeptical of the Cowboys only because I want to see Tony Romo really do it when it counts. It's usually around this November/December time that he crumbles so I'll be keeping a close eye on him.

On a somewhat related side note, will someone tell Roy E. Williams to shut the hell up? Look Roy, you're just not that good. You're absolutely right, you're not T.O. You know why? Because even when T.O. was "complaining" in Dallas, he was still catching double digit touchdowns. You? Not so much. In fact, you're stats are almost dead even with T.O. this year, and in case you haven't noticed, he's on a REALLY BAD team. T.O. is heading for his 1000^th career reception this year. Let us know when you hit 400.

9. Philadelphia Eagles (7) - The Eagles suffered a huge loss at home to Dallas but still clearly control their own destiny in terms of the postseason. I have to wonder what I was thinking when I made them my preseason Super Bowl pick for the NFC. I mean, how many years have to go by before Andy Reid figures out this whole coaching thing? Sure he is a very good coach overall, but he makes some very questionable decisions on an almost weekly basis. Going for the field goal, down by seven, with under five minutes to go in the game? Holy Dick Jauron that was a terrible decision.

10. Arizona Cardinals (18) – I'm bumping the Cardinals way up this week after beating down on the lowly Bears. Why? Because they are 5-3 and it's pretty much smooth sailing to the NFC West crown again. They have Seattle, St Louis, and Tennessee on their upcoming schedule. The way I see it, they should be 8-3 by the time they meet up with Minnesota (and lose). Then at 8-4 they will get their re-match with the 49ers and officially seal the deal on the division title. Normally I wouldn't put much stock into them still, but I think Arizona proved what they can do once the playoffs start. I absolutely cannot rule them out for that very reason. I wouldn't exactly bet on it, but I'm not betting against it. Also, a huge two thumbs up to Arizona coach Ken Wisenhunt for his postgame quote, "We didn't let them off the hook." Great…great stuff.

11. Atlanta Falcons (13) – The only real shot I see for Atlanta is squeaking in as a Wild Card team. They are still a full three games behind New Orleans for the division and that is including their one loss to the Saints. They could still beat the Saints and go on a mini-run, but I'm not banking on it. However, the Wild Card is theirs for the taking. The only other definite team I see competing with them for it is Philadelphia. The Giants have completely lost their way and nobody in the North or West deserves the other spot. The Falcons define what I was saying above as potentially frisky. Can they go on a little three game run once the playoffs? Absolutely.

12. Baltimore Ravens (9) – Another team I grossly overrated is Baltimore. Not only have they completely fallen apart, but they just got swept by the Bengals and really shot themselves in the foot. The wild card is still a possibility with them but it will really depend on their two games remaining against Pittsburgh. This past weekend put them in the position of having to sweep the Steelers instead of maybe just getting the split. Judging on their 0-3 record against Pittsburgh last season, things aren't looking very good right now for Baltimore.

13. San Diego Chargers (14) – I originally had San Diego in the "mathematical" category before the weekend, but had to move them up after their comeback win against the Giants. What a great drive by Phillip Rivers. He only had one timeout and didn't even have to use it. It was about as picture perfect as you can get. They face Philadelphia at home and if they win (very likely) they could be just one game out with a re-match against Denver. Things could get very interesting out West again.

MATHEMATICALLY IN IT

(This bracket belongs to those teams who are mathematically in it. By that, I simply mean that every major sports outlet (NBC, FOX, CBS, ESPN) will use the word "mathematical" at least 10,498 times between now and the end of the season when referencing these teams. Despite them always using this phrase, these teams are not in it. They just are not. The reason the word "mathematical" needs to be used is because it takes at least 10 minutes to calculate a scenario for them to actually make the playoffs. Instead of just rooting for your team, you're also rooting for seven other teams to lose and one to tie. Sorry, it isn't going to happen. If you're a fan of one of these teams, do yourself a favor and don't figure out any playoff scenarios because you're wasting your time.)

14. New York Giants (12) – I initially did these groupings late last week because I knew it was going to be a little more extensive than my normal rankings. I didn't even hesitate to put the Giants into this category because I'm 100% certain that you can stick a fork in them. Before I go on about the Giants, I'd like to apologize to those readers who have followed us since the beginning of the season and actually witnessed me rankings them number one in the league. I'm sorry. I grossly overrated them. It won't happen again.

Back to the Giants. Of their 5-0 start, one win came against a team with a winning record. That would be the Week Two victory over Dallas, 33-31. While it was a nice win, it was extremely close and I should've taken that into consideration. Since then they have played four consecutive games against teams with winning records and imagine that, four straight losses. Granted they do have a nicely timed bye week coming up, but it isn't going to help. After the bye they have Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, and Philadelphia in four consecutive weeks. Right now I see an 8-8 finish at best, and that's assuming Minnesota rests their starters in the final week of the season.

15. Green Bay Packers (11) – The Packers were my one surprise team that I had winning the NFC North before the season, however I should've factored in that they have zero offensive line and Aaron Rodgers doesn't know how to get rid of the ball. Honestly, I felt like I was watching the Bills play in Tampa Bay yesterday. Except the fact that the Bills actually beat Tampa Bay. The Packers have at least three definite losses on their remaining schedule and I'm not very confident that 9-7 is going to get them a wildcard spot. Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy are officially on the hot seat.

16. Chicago Bears (17) - The Bears/Cardinals game was amazing on so many levels yesterday. Let's go over the different ways. 1) Tommie Harris completely lost his cool and set the tone for the entire afternoon. If there was an option to change my pick within the first minute of a game, I would've broken my neck running the computer so fast to change it. 2) Jay Cutler continued to struggle and further proved what I said before the season, he is a glorified fantasy QB with limited weapons in Chicago. How is Denver doing this season? 3) Kurt Warner finally lived up to his potential and rewarded me with one of the biggest upsets in my fantasy keeper league. 4) In the same league, I benched Greg Olsen but didn't in the others I care about. Three touchdowns are very nice for the former Miami tight end.

17. Houston Texans (15) – Houston came oh so close to beating Indianapolis, but failed once again, and will be watching the playoffs from home once again. This really wasn't your typical loss halfway through the season. It knocked them to 5-4 and even if the Colts were to lose next weekend to New England, Houston would still be a full three games behind them. Oh, and they play again in three weeks. I'd like to say Houston stands a chance to make a run but they don't. They might be the most inconsistent team ever. When they lose to Indianapolis in Week 12, go ahead and crown the Colts.

18. Miami Dolphins (16) – Along with the other teams that are toast, add Miami to that list. It's a real shame that they can't play the Bills and Jets every week or they would surely go undefeated. In my favorite twist of irony during the week, I thoroughly enjoyed how the Dolphins players and fans stated numerous times just how un-classy the Jets are these days. While I don't totally disagree, I did find it interesting that Joey Porter then proceeded to open up his big yapper again before the Patriots game. I do understand that Porter is a totally different situation though; he actually backs his words up. On the positive side, the Dolphins do have a favorable three game stretch coming up, but it's pretty much too little too late with Miami. Things might change if the Patriots go 1-2 in the next three and Miami goes 3-0, but that is a discussion to be had in three weeks.

19. Jacksonville Jaguars (22) – I'd like to give a real in depth analysis of the Jackonville game, but just like the entire city of Jacksonville, I didn't see a single second of it. What an embarrassment. On the list of cities that should never own an NFL teams, Jacksonville has to be ranked right around 87. I find it extremely laughable when people make comments about the Bills moving to Los Angeles or Toronto. Last time I checked, the Bills haven't made the playoffs in a decade, they still suck this year, and they still sell out all the games. Meanwhile, Jacksonville has fielded some very competitive teams in the past and they still can't sell out their stadium. And that is after the fact that they tarp off half the upper deck to cut back on the stadium capacity. MOVE THEM ALREADY. I'm done with you Jacksonville. Done.

20. New York Jets (19) – I'm going to have to check the box scores again but I'm pretty sure I saw that despite having a bye week, Mark Sanchez still threw two interceptions over the weekend. The worst part about the upcoming schedule is that the Bills moved their Jets home game to Toronto this year. I would absolutely LOVE to see Sanchez try and throw in the December wind in Ralph Wilson Stadium. Oh well, maybe next year.

21. Carolina Panthers (21) – Carolina really made a game out of it in New Orleans before finally losing. As a Bills fan who has seen that so many times before, there was no doubt the Saints were going to come back. It's what good teams do. Or better yet, the Panthers were going to find a way to lose. It's what really bad teams do.

22. San Francisco 49ers (20) – The Niners have really slipped up and let this season get away from them. What was once a division leading team is now a 3-5 team staring at a two game hole in their division. You gotta love the NFC West. And by love I mean despise. What a crappy division.

23. Buffalo Bills (23) – Before you get all up in arms about the Bills being in this bracket and not the one below, just settle it down and hear me out. The Buffalo Bills are not going to the playoffs. I don't care what happens during the rest of the regular season, there is absolutely no way they are even sniffing the playoffs. In fact, I tried to convince a group of friends before the season that we should pool together our money and place a bet on the under for Bills total season wins, which were set at 7.5. I told them there is no way the Bills finish .500 or better and now I feel even better about those chances.

However, the Bills did win the last two games on the road which officially placed them in the mathematical category. Nobody who watches the Bills thinks that they are any good. The Bills wouldn't have even won those games if it wasn't for super-rookie Jairus Byrd. But to those who only check the box scores, they are 3-5 and that means they still have an outside shot at making the playoffs. The optimistic side of me is saying that the Bills have two games on the road coming up against Jacksonville and Tennessee. I wouldn't be completely shocked to see them sitting at 5-5 near the end of November which is exactly why they are in this category. However, the realist side of me saying that they are still facing the Jets, Dolphins, Patriots, Falcons, and Colts to close out the season. Hello top 10 draft pick! (I wrote this before the news broke about the possibilities of Vick and Buffalo next season. I'll have more to say about that in the coming weeks but for now I've already written enough about the Bills.)

BOTTOM OF THE BARREL

(This bracket is self explanatory. These teams are the cream of the crap. They are the most dreadful to watch and the most embarrassing to root for. Even though you're probably one of the biggest die-hard fans, you don't even look forward to the games anymore because you know it will be a constant headache and a true test of your patience. Chances are you are more excited for college football because it gives you a chance to scout players entering next year's draft. It's just shame your team will probably blow that too. If you're a fan of one of these teams, I really hope you gamble or play fantasy football because it's going to be a loooooooong rest of the season.)

24. Tennessee Titans (27) – I feel bad putting the Titans in this category but two wins in a row doesn't necessarily excuse them for the 0-6 start, especially coming off a 13-3 season a year ago. The good news for the Titans is that Chris Johnson is well on his way to taking home the rushing title this season. He is actually at 959 for the season which is a solid 122 over the second place rusher, Cedric Benson. What's that? He faces Buffalo this week at home? Go ahead and chalk up another 200+ yard game for Johnson.

25. Seattle Seahawks (24) – Seattle did their best to scare the crap out of their fans before finally taking over and beating Detroit. I really have no idea what to make of this team. Although I have them in the really bad category, they are 3-5 and that is better than some of the teams above them. Then again, their three wins came against teams with a combined record of 6-18. They face Arizona this week and I could argue that with a win they will be only one game out in their division and right in the thick of things out West. But, that would be arguing that Seattle can actually beat Arizona. Yeah, it's not happening.

26. Oakland Raiders (25) – Wow, what a season Oakland has had so far. Although to be honest, it's pretty much par for the course as far as things go in Oakland. JaMarcus Russell has been absolutely putrid this season and has gone a long way to surpass Ryan Leaf as the biggest draft bust in NFL history. His QB rating is currently at 48.3, which is better than only Derek Anderson of the Cleveland Browns and both have identical touchdown to interception ratios (2 to 9). I actually just sat at this screen for a good five minutes trying to find the words to fully describe just how bad Russell is and I couldn't do it. I suppose things could be worse for the Raiders though. Their Head Coach could've been accused of beating women after it was just announced that he wouldn't face charges for breaking the jaw of his assistant coach.

Wait…what?

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (32) – I knew something had to go wrong. I have never made it very far into eliminator/survivor leagues and this year I was going all the way. That is, until I picked the Packers to beat the Buccaneers. The worst part had to be Tampa Bay wearing the throwback creamsicle uniforms. It was like rubbing salt in the wound. Hey, not only are we going to win and destroy your eliminator league, but we're going to do it in these horrendous orange uniforms. Jerks.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (26) – The Chiefs finally have had enough of Larry Johnson and I have to assume that his era in Kansas City is coming to an end. For all the great things Twitter provides, the one bad thing is giving athletes an uncensored voice. One has to wonder how many times in the past Johnson was told to shut up by the few smart people around him…assuming there are any. I still remember the days of Johnson and Priest Holmes running all over the rest of the NFL. Those days are long gone. I'll be shocked if Johnson ever tops 1,000 yards in one season for the rest of his career.

(Note: After writing the above paragraph, it was announced that the Chiefs have released Larry Johnson.)

29. St Louis Rams (30) – I really thought the Rams were going to go winless this year so I'm a little disappointed that they beat Detroit. Then again, I guess that's what you get for trusting Detroit. I will give the Rams credit for their comical safety in that game though. Sometimes it amazes me how such amateur plays happen at the highest level. Good stuff.

30. Detroit Lions (29) – Word was spreading about how the St Louis Rams were a legit contender to go winless and join the Lions in winless history. Well, that news must've spread to Detroit and the Lions weren't about to have any of that. I would've argued a few weeks ago that the Lions were much improved from last year but now I'm thinking I have to take back those words. Granted they have already improved on last season's impressive 0-16 record, but that isn't saying a whole lot for Detroit. At some point I would think the NFL actually needs to step in for these teams. How can you be this bad for this long with a salary cap in place? It goes beyond logical reasoning.

31. Washington Redskins (28) – I'm sure by now everyone has seen the video of DeAngelo Hall being a complete jackass in Atlanta. Nicely done DeAngelo. I can just see Atlanta ownership up in the press box laughing hysterically at the fact that someone else paid Hall and is now dealing with his problems. What a loser.

32. Cleveland Browns (31) – I've been pretty harsh on the Browns this year and so far it's been completely justified. In fact, I don't think I've ever nailed down a team before the season started as well as I've nailed down Cleveland. To be fair though, it is the Browns we're talking about so it's not like I went out on a limb with my comments. Next thing you know I'll be taking credit for telling you that the sky is blue and the grass is green.

I like to consider myself to be a fair man and with that being said, I want to give the Browns some credit. As you may have heard, Browns owner Randy Lerner met with two members of the famous Dawg Pound last week to discuss the team and the path they were heading on. I have no idea what was said in that meeting but the fact that there was even a meeting to begin with deserves some praise. What other owner would actually sit down with two fans for two hours and discuss the team with them? What a great move. Even if nothing actually comes of it, the actual gesture is enough to show that the owner might actually care about the fans. Granted, he may have met with them because he's afraid of losing money and it's all a business to him, but I'm going with the 'glass half full' approach on the meeting. Nice job.

1. New Orleans Saints (1) - When you think of the Saints, your first thought is probably an all out passing attack lead by Drew Brees. They certainly have that, but they've proved themselves to be a very well rounded team. They are scary good right now and have another divisional home game this Sunday against a struggling Carolina team.

2. Indianapolis Colts (2) - It may not have looked pretty for the most part, but the Colts got the job done once again against San Francisco. They remain undefeated and have a chance to put a huge gap between them and the Texans in the AFC South when they play Houston at home this week. I think their offense is still a little too pass heavy at this point, but with Peyton Manning at the helm, it's difficult not to rely on him.

3. Minnesota Vikings (5) - The Vikings move right back up to the 3 slot this week after handling the Packers at Lambeau. They let Green Bay back in the game in the 2nd half, but held on for the win and now have a 2.5 game lead on the division heading into their bye week. Favre was spectacular by no means, but he has been plenty effective enough to lead the very good team around him thus far. With Detroit and Seattle at home in consecutive weeks after the bye, the Vikings are primed to put the NFC North in a stranglehold.

4. New England Patriots (4) - With many of the top teams on byes this last week, the upper part of the rankings are going to look pretty similar. The Pats have begun to look like their old selves once again and with the rest of the AFC East floundering, it's theirs for the taking. They are home against Miami this week and then off to Indy for the yearly battle of the power houses.

5. Denver Broncos (5) - I considered dropping the Broncos even further, but with just one loss, they have to remain above some of the other teams still. Baltimore really didn't have any difficulty in taking down Denver at all on Sunday and my season long concern as to whether Denver is for real or not has only grown. Their defense which had looked extremely good up until this week had no answer for the Ravens, who aren't exactly an offensive juggernaut. Meanwhile, Kyle Orton couldn't complete anything but short passes and the running game never got going at all. The Broncos had a total of 200 yards. Perhaps it was just an off week for Denver, but with Pittsburgh coming to town for Monday Night Football this week, we're going to find out just how legit the Broncos really are.

6. Cincinnati Bengals (6) - The Bengals had the week off after impressively taking care of Chicago in Week 6, and hopefully used the bye to their advantage as Baltimore is coming to town this week. The AFC North is going to be a battle throughout and if the Bengals can continue to beat division opponents at home, it would go a long way towards them making the playoffs. Cinncy better study the Broncos/Ravens game tape thoroughly and come up with a better plan of attack for the Ravens defense if they want to hang on to this spot in the rankings.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (9) - The Eagles have been floating around in the 7-10 range of our rankings all season and an impressive win against the Giants moves them back to the 7 spot this week. Philly is now tied with the Cowboys for the NFC East lead and are a half game up on the Giants as well. This division looks like it's going to take all year to decide at this point and you never really know what you're going to get on a weekly basis. They have a tough three game stretch coming up, hosting Dallas in a huge game on Sunday night this week before heading to San Diego and then off to Chicago. I expect them to continue to bounce the rankings for a few more weeks.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers (7) - The Steelers didn't do anything to deserve a drop in the rankings, but being idle while the Eagles beat up on the Giants gives them the bump. They're currently 5-2 and tied atop the AFC North with the Bengals, though they did suffer a loss to them already this season. The Steelers have relied heavily on Big Ben this year in contrast to past season where the running game and their defense were their strong suits, and he'll get a chance to prove the Steelers are still for real at mile high altitudes on Monday night. Week 10 brings a huge rematch against the Bengals, this time at Heinz Field, but I'd suggest the Steelers don't look past Denver in the meantime.

9. Baltimore Ravens (12) - The Ravens have been a real question mark so far this year, showing flashes of being a top level team, mixed in with equal amounts of "are these guys really any good?". Well, knocking off one of the last remaining unbeatens in very impressive fashion is a good way to gain credibility. The next few weeks will tell us what we need to know though. This week it's at the Bengals, then a breather in Cleveland on Monday Night Football, followed by hosting Indy and Pittsburgh in consecutive weeks. Baltimore probably needs to win 3 out of those 4 if they want a shot at the AFC North and the playoffs in my estimation.

10. Dallas Cowboys (11) - The Cowboys have rather quietly looked impressive lately and now sit in a tie at the top of the NFC East at 5-2. The Sunday Night game at Philly is a big one for this reason, but the whole division will likely change multiple times between now and late December. Tony Romo is 12-0 as a starter in November, but we all know how well he's fared in December too. The Cowboys looked impressive in beating Atlanta, but otherwise have not beaten anybody of quality, so they need to prove themselves, starting with this week.

11. Green Bay Packers (10) - Green Bay frustrates me, because they are really difficult to get a finger on. They seem like they are a pretty good team, but then they struggle at times. Losing twice to Minnesota is a killer in terms of having a chance to win that division and now they face an uphill battle at making the playoffs with so many evenly matched teams in the NFC. If Aaron Rodgers had any real pass protection, I think Green Bay would be an upper tier team in this league, but instead he's constantly pressured and has to force throws or eat sacks. Some of that falls on him though too as he tends to not have great pocket presence and move away from the heat at times. Playing Tampa this week is always a good cure for what ails you though.

12. New York Giants (8) - The Giants have done a great job of reminding us just how quickly the wheels can come off in the NFL. After getting out to a 5-0 start and looking like the best team in the league, they've lost 3 straight. Not only did Philly beat them on Sunday, but they pretty much embarrassed them in the process. They host San Diego this Sunday and absolutely need to win that game before they head to their bye week to try and create a little momentum for the second half of the season. I really don't know what exactly the problem is for New York, but as competitive as the division is, they need to get a handle on it sooner rather than later.

13. Atlanta Falcons (13) - I know the Falcons lost last night, but it was to the best team in the league and they played fairly well. Additionally, the teams below them in the rankings didn't do much to prove that they belonged ahead of Atlanta. The Falcons are similar to the Packers for me, as both teams seem to have the potential to be very good, but hit too many bumps in the road along the way. Atlanta looked solid last night in New Orleans and I definitely believe Matt Ryan is the real deal. Michael Turner finally got going and that could be big for them in the 2nd half of the season. The defense is the glaring issue it seems and needs to pick up their play. They have Washington and Carolina in consecutive weeks now and could very easily be 6-3 afterwards. With the Saints having the keys to the division, the Falcons focus now should be entirely on the Wild Card.

14. San Diego Chargers (15) - Not a lot of movement in the middle of the pack, as nothing much changed this week. The Chargers got another win, but again looked far from impressive against the Raiders. Well, other than LT anyways, who absolutely owns Oakland. The Chargers are 4-3 and their wins are Oakland twice, Kansas City, and Miami... not exactly impressive. Then again, they pull this every year and then get hot late to make the playoffs. It's too early to determine their fate this season, but middle of the pack seems about the best this team is going to manage.

15. Houston Texans (18) - I realize it was only the Bills that they beat this week, but they did drop 30 on a defense that hasn't allowed too many points as of late. A running back nobody knew about had 3 TDs and a ton of yards, but I wouldn't be running to pick him up in your fantasy league just yet. Again, it was the Bills, and EVERYBODY gets 100+ on the ground against them. You can't ignore the fact that they are 5-3 however, and that Matt Schaub has been one of the most effective quarterbacks in the league so far this year. They are at Indy this week before their bye, which is going to be a daunting task. I'd like to see them finally finish above .500 this year and have a shot at the postseason. They've been trying to build things the right way in Houston, it's just been a slow process.

16. Miami Dolphins (16) - The Dolphins pulled off the sweep of the Jets, but needed 2 Ted Ginn kickoff return TDs to do it. We all laughed at Miami for drafting Ted Ginn 9th overall in 2007 and said he'd never be more than a kickoff returner. That's pretty much accurate at this point, but you know what, it's still worked out better than the Bills wasting the #8 pick on Donte Whitner the year before... The Dolphins weren't very impressive in the victory, but every win counts. The AFC East is pretty horrendous after New England and I'd be amazed if any of the other 3 made the playoffs.

17. Chicago Bears (19) - There's no better way to bounce back from a big loss than playing the Cleveland Browns. The Bears had no trouble handling Cleveland and moved themselves to 4-3. The Bears are another of those teams that really haven't indicated they will be anything more than middle of the road as of yet. They host the Cardinals this week and then have a short week before heading to San Francisco for a Thursday night game. Those could be tricky games and the schedule gets harder after that, so now would be a good time for the Bears to kick it into gear if they want to live up to a lot of people's preseason hype.

18. Arizona Cardinals (14) - How do you go into New York and beat down the Giants one week, then come back home and get your tail kicked by the Panthers the next? Kurt Warner was awful on Sunday, doing his best Jake Delhomme impression and turning the ball over 5 times. Arizona should be walking away with the awful NFC West, but they're doing their best to keep it close at this point. The Cardinals are 4-3 and after heading to Chicago this Sunday, have a stretch where their next 3 opponents have a combined 4 wins. They need to capitalize on this fact and stretch that division lead back out.

19. New York Jets (17) - The Jets are probably the worst 4-3 team in the league and have done themselves no favors at all in the division losing to the Bills and the Dolphins twice. They were awful proud to hang their hat on the win against New England, but they've been exposed as a not so good team in recent weeks. To top it off, Rex Ryan and Bart Scott refused to give Miami any credit at all in defeat, so they actually still think they are a really good team. They are off this week, but have the rematch with New England in Week 11, which will likely cement the fact that they aren't going to the playoffs this year.

20. San Francisco 49ers (21) - It's not too normal for a team to move up in the rankings after a loss, but San Francisco earned it by hanging tough with the Colts in Indianapolis. Well, that and the all the teams around them continued to lose for the most part. Mike Singletary seems to me making the best of what little talent he has and some guys are stepping up with big contributions. This week it was Frank Gore and Vernon Davis had another solid week as well. They are very slowly moving in the right direction and if Arizona isn't careful, they're going to let the 49ers catch them at some point. I think San Fran can finish close to .500 given their remaining schedule and playoffs or not, it's a definite step up.

21. Carolina Panthers (24) - Don't be fooled, Carolina is really not very good, but having Arizona hand them a game on a silver platter can make them look like they are. I will give the running game some credit though as they absolutely tore through the Cardinals top ranked run defense, to the tune of 270 yards. Taking the game out of Delhomme's hands worked well for Carolina, and I'd expect them try more of it as the weeks go by, assuming Delhomme is healthy enough to play anyways after leaving Sunday's game with an injury.

22. Jacksonville Jaguars (20) - Somebody had to surrender Tennessee's first win of the year right? I actually called this one in the picks column and was really quite confident it would play out as it did. Chris Johnson single handedly destroyed the Jaguars and Maurice Jones-Drew seemed to be the only guy to show up for Jacksonville. On the bright side, Jacksonville Municipal Stadium had almost 85,000 people at the game this weekend. Oh... what's that you say? The Jaguars were on the road and it was a college game? Maybe that's not so bright after all then.

23. Buffalo Bills (23) - The bottom third of these rankings are really just a grab bag of crap and I'm not very confident that the Bills could beat half the teams around them at this point. There are 3 sides to a football team... Special teams has been the best unit as per usual for the Bills the past few weeks, playing very solidly and giving them great field position on more than one occasion. The Defense has been stingy with points for the most part until the 2nd half of this week's game and all the turnovers they've caused are pretty much the only reason they won two in a row. Jairus Byrd has put his name in contention for AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year in a huge way with 7 interceptions in 4 games (Donte Whitner has 3 in 4 seasons). The run defense looks like Swiss cheese however and is allowing everybody they face to rack up the yards. The 3rd side of most NFL teams is the offense, but since the Bills don't seem to have one of those, I guess we can forget that. I was seriously more impressed by the offense I saw at a local high school game on Friday night than I am with Buffalo's. It all starts with the offensive line and I feel like I've been saying that to no avail for about 6 years now.

24. Seattle Seahawks (22) - Seattle didn't even look like they belonged on the same field as Dallas and I now completely retract my statement from before the season that they would have something of a bounce back year. The Seahawks are a flat out bad football team and need to officially begin the rebuilding process. First item on the list is a new quarterback, good thing there are several available in this year's draft, and they figure to have a pretty decent spot to take one.

25. Oakland Raiders (26) - Yup, I just bumped the Raiders up a spot after a loss. It's more by default than anything else really. The Raiders found a way to hang tough with the Chargers yet again despite JaMarcus Russell, the worst (well, Derek Anderson is right with him) starting quarterback in the NFL. You know it's bad when your head coach currently has more people accusing him of assault then the team has wins...

26. Kansas City Chiefs (25) - The Chiefs have two of their more winnable games coming up after this week's bye when they head to Jacksonville followed by going to Oakland. They still have Cleveland and Buffalo on the schedule as well, so some small miracle might afford them 5 wins for the year. Honestly, I just don't have much to say about Kansas City because watching their games would be coma inducing.

27. Tennessee Titans (30) - The Titans finally got a win and almost looked like a competent team on Sunday. As I called in last week's picks column, Chris Johnson had a monstrous day with 228 yards and 2 touchdowns. Vince Young went 15/18 and didn't turn the ball over, which is really about the most you could hope for from him. If the Titans don't rely on Young to win them games, they'll be all the better for it. Their remaining schedule is far from difficult and I wouldn't be surprised to see them end up with about 6 wins at all. I think it will be a continuous rise up the rankings for Tennessee the rest of the way out.

28. Washington Redskins (28) - Mercifully the Redskins were on a bye this week and they stay put at 28 because of it. They seriously need to move past Jason Campbell at this point because he is downright terrible and removing him as a starter does not lessen their ability to win in the least. Washington's schedule is brutal with their next 5 opponents holding a combined 27-8 record. Much like Seattle, the Redskins best hopes now lie in a high draft pick with which they can select a quarterback.

29. Detroit Lions (27) - Losing to the Rams has to drop the Lions some, but I still think they are a better team than the other remaining teams. Being without Calvin Johnson clearly hurt their offense as they were forced to try and pound Kevin Smith and Maurice Morris all day long. Matthew Stafford is taking his lumps, but will likely be better off for it in the long run. The Lions have Seattle and Cleveland over the course of the next 3 weeks and should certainly pick up at least one more win in the process. Things are bad for the Lions, but definitely better than last year.

30. St. Louis Rams (32) - The streak finally snaps after 17 games and almost 13 months. The Rams just happened to be the better of two very bad teams on Sunday afternoon and finally got Steve Spagnolo a victory. The Rams can savor this one as they are off this week, but the joy will be short lived however as their reward is to host New Orleans in Week 9. I really only see one more potential win for the Rams when they play Seattle at home later in a few weeks, so I hope they get the most out of this one.

31. Cleveland Browns (29) - Count Cleveland in amongst the several lousy teams that are on a bye this week, and therefore will make my NFL Sunday much more watchable. The Browns are comically bad and managed less than 200 yards of offense in this week's drubbing at the hands of Chicago. Derek Anderson was 6/17 for 76 yards with 2 INTs and a spectacular 10.5 QB rating. As bad as Brady Quinn was to start the year, he wasn't as horrendous as Anderson has been and I'll be amazed if he doesn't return at starter when they host Baltimore for Monday Night Football in 2 weeks. The most depressing thing I can think of at the moment: The Browns lone win came in Buffalo.

32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31) - Hopefully the Bucs made the most of their bye week in getting Josh Freeman ready for his first career start at QB. He'll be facing a talented Green Bay defense this Sunday and is likely in for a very long day. Of course, being a part of Tampa's team this year means a whole lot of long days all the way around. The Buccaneers are the lone winless team left in the NFL and I honestly think at Seattle on December 20th is their sole chance to pick up a win, and even that is pretty questionable. The "Yucks" are officially back and have the distinct chance of being the only team to have 2 winless seasons in NFL history.