1. Giants (1 last week): How would an Eli Manning-Peyton Manning Super Bowl strike you?
2. Falcons (3): When everyone was busy watching Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, Matt Ryan was the best passer in the first half of the NFL season.
3. Bears (2): Their offense has been all promise, no payoff. Unless Jay Cutler and company start putting together more scoring drives, the Bears can't keep it going.
4. Texans (4): They will get a chance to show Mario Williams how much he is missed Sunday.
5. 49ers (5): If they can keep Alex Smith playing like he played Monday night, look out.
6. Packers (6): They are managing to tread water through some injuries — that's the sign of a strong team.
7. Patriots (10): After the off week, the Patriots could be ready to embark on their annual second half tear.
8. Ravens (8): No truth to the rumor Joe Flacco is going to play both ways to do for the Ravens defense what he has done for their offense.
9. Broncos (11): Looks like they should keep getting better and run away with the AFC West.
10. Vikings (7): They cannot be as bad as the team we saw Thursday. Can they?
11. Dolphins (20): Joe Philbin is an early candidate for coach of the year and the Dolphins are the NFL's surprise team so far.
12. Steelers (13): What does it tell us when more people are talking about the uniform than the team?
13. Colts (21): The Colts are not a bad football team. And with Vick Ballard, they might not be a bad high jump team either.
14. Lions (18): If anyone can find Calvin Johnson, please let Matthew Stafford know where he is.
15. Seahawks (9): If you judged them strictly by their road record (1-4), they would be at the bottom of these rankings.
16. Cowboys (15): They remain a scary team to play. And a scary team to coach, apparently.
17. Cardinals. (14): If history is a guide, the Cardinals, who started 4-0 and then lost four straight, are due for a four-game winning streak.
18. Redskins (12): Injuries on both sides of the ball have affected this team to a significant degree.
19. Eagles (19): It's difficult to envision Nick Foles saving the season for the Eagles.
20. Buccaneers (27): They might not be Super Bowl bound, but you can see progress under first-year coach Greg Schiano.
