1. Green Bay Packers (5-0): Is Aaron Rodgers the best quarterback in the NFL right now? His stats seem to say so. Rodgers enters week 5 with a 122.9 QB rating, 1,721 passing yards and 16 total touchdowns (14 in the air, 2 on the ground). Looking at the Packers schedule, they have three distinct tough games against the Chargers, Giants, and Lions. Rodgers has Green Bay steamrolling to at least a 14-2 record. This is a team, even with injuries on the offensive line, that just wins.
Last Week: #1
2. New Orleans Saints (4-1): I guess that classic week 1 matchup between the Packers and Saints wasn’t just a game between two good teams, it looks like it was a matchup of the two best teams in football. Drew Brees is one of the best pure passers in the game right now, and if it weren’t for the Saints defense they would be blowing a lot of teams out. Great comeback over the Carolina Newton’s last week.
Last Week: #4
3. New England Patriots (4-1): The Patriots drop a spot in this weeks rankings despite running the ball down the throats of the New York Jets in last weeks 30-21 victory. Tom Brady and Wes Welker have gotten all the press for the Patriots relatively uniform start to the season, but if Benjarvus Green-Ellis can continue to rack up 100-yard games, the offense will become all the more dynamic. The only red flag is the Patriots’ 32nd rank defense.
Last Week: #2
4. Baltimore Ravens (3-1): Baltimore had an early season bye week last week. The defense is playing this season like Ed Reed and Ray Lewis are both in their twenties. This team will only go as far as Joe Flacco can take them, and that should worry Ravens fans.
Last Week: #3
5. Detroit Lions (5-0): The Lions are 5-0! The Lions are 5-0! For the first time in some 30 years, the Detroit Lions are 5-0. Monday night’s game against Chicago showed that the Lions are not perfect because of an easy schedule. The Detroit defense is the modern day version of the steel curtain. Oh, and Calvin Johnson’s pretty good too.
Last Week: #5
6. San Diego Chargers (4-1): San Diego has been able to put together a solid start to the season despite losing Antonio Gates for the last few couple of games to injury. Gates is expected to be back for week 8 against the Jets, but until then Phillip Rivers will have to continue to make due with Vincent Jackson.
Last Week: #6
7. Washington Redskins (3-1): The Redskins make their first appearance in the top 10, and they didn’t even play a game last week. With losses by the Giants, Jets and Bears, the Redskins are given credit for being first in the NFC East. Rex Grossman has caught some heat because of his weight (does anybody remember Donovon McNabb?), but he has put together a bit of a comeback tour. The Redskins picked the perfect year to play like this, with Philadelphia, New York, and Dallas all underperforming.
Last Week: Not Ranked
8. Buffalo Bills (4-1): Is it just me, or has every week had a highlight of a Buffalo player returning an interception for a touchdown then jumping into the stands? The Bills are still riding high this week after embarrassing the Eagles in Buffalo. For the life of me I can’t decide whether the Bills defense is lucky or just down right good. My guess is a little bit of both. Much like the Redskins, the Bills couldn’t have picked a better season for their resurgence, as the Jets are woefully unimpressing.
Last Week: Not Ranked
9. San Francisco 49ers (4-1): As impressing as the play of the Redskins, Bills, and Lions have been this year, the 49ers and rookie head coach Jim Harbaugh have been the most impressive turnaround. The Lions have an amazing group of talent around them, as do the Bills with Fred Jackson. Beyond Patrick Willis and Frank Gore, the 49ers have nothing. Widely expected to win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes at the start of the year, Harbaugh and the Niners have put together an amazing season. The defense can play against anybody, and Alex Smith is showing (some) signs of the skill the Niners drafted him for seven years ago.
Last Week: Not Ranked
10. Oakland Raiders (3-2): I thought the Bills, Lions, Redskins, and 49ers being in the top-10 was weird. Throw in the Raiders? Woah. Oakland is the only 3-2 team on this list, and it isn’t just because of the passing of Al Davis. The Raiders are good. The defense fast and athletic. Darren McFadden is one of the most underrated players in the game. Jason Campbell is playing well enough to win, and Sebastien Janikowski can kick a ball from Connecticut to Massachusetts. When it comes down to it, Hue Jackson just has the Raiders winning...baby.
Last Week: Not Ranked
Honorable Mentions: New York Giants (3-2, lost to Seattle 36-25); Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2, beat Tennessee 38-17); Houston Texans (3-2, lost to Oakland 25-20)
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