We’ve hit Week Six and once again we don’t have a lot of movement at the top or the bottom of the list. One bottom dweller does jump into the mix, so let’s see how long that lasts.
1. New England Patriots – (4-0) The Pats get a bye and then basically enjoy a second bye thanks to a cakewalk game against the Brandon Weedon-led Cowboys. They get the Colts this week and we’ve all been waiting for this one. Last week: No. 1
2. Green Bay Packers – (5-0) Not only did Aaron Rodgers throw his first pick at Lambeau Field in about 400 games, he tossed his second a little later against the Rams. He still beat them and looked plenty good to me. Last week: No. 2
3. Atlanta Falcons – (5-0) The Falcons needed overtime to shed a plucky Washington Redskins team, but I won’t hold that against them. Atlanta hasn’t really been tested yet, and with the Saints coming up this week, won’t be for at least another 11 days. Last week: No. 3
4. Cincinnati Bengals – (5-0) The Bengals are our only mover at the top of the list, jumping the Broncos by unleashing a come-from-behind win that might just take them all the way to the Super Bowl. Andy Dalton is in the MVP conversation. He won’t win it because of Aaron Rodgers, but he’s in the conversation and that’s something. Last week: No. 5
5. Denver Broncos – (5-0) Boomer Esiason has a theory that the Broncos are putting together these ugly wins early to save Peyton Manning for the playoffs. It’s as good a theory as any. Last week: 4
6. Arizona Cardinals – (4-1) The Cardinals do what good teams do. They bounced back from a tough loss and shoved their next opponent’s face in it. In this case, it was the Lions and that face, as usual, belongs to Jim Caldwell. Last week: No. 7
7. Carolina Panthers – (4-0) The Panthers and Ron Rivera had two weeks to prepare for a pissed off Seattle Seahawks team trying to keep its season alive. They probably needed three weeks. Last week: No. 8
8. New York Jets – (3-1) With the Redskins coming to town, we might finally get a gauge on these two teams. How good are the Jets? Are the Redskins good? I don’t have an answer for either question. Last week: No. 9
9. New York Giants – (3-2) The Giants can take complete control of the NFC East against the Eagles this week and unlike last Sunday night, Eli Manning may have a few NFL receivers on the field with which to do it. Last week: No. 10
10. Seattle Seahawks – (2-3) With this record and this early, it’s hard to say the Seahawks’ season is on the line, but certainly the NFC West and home field advantage in the playoffs get further away every week. Last week: No. 6
11. Buffalo Bills – (3-2) The Bills host their second big game of the year against a hot, undefeated team in the Cincinnati Bengals. The last time that happened they trailed by about 135 points at halftime. Last week: No. 11
12. Pittsburgh Steelers – (3-2) The Steelers stole a game on Monday Night Football with an incredible call at the end of the game. They’ll need about 50 of those to beat the Cardinals. Last week: No. 15
13. Indianapolis Colts – (3-2) Andrew Luck is back just in time to face down the white hot vengeance of the New England Patriots and plenty of angry twitter posts from a microphallic Bostonian living in his dad’s garage. Last week: No. 16
14. Philadelphia Eagles – (2-3) I would send a congratulatory email to Chip Kelly for the win over the Saints, but I’m not sure the email would get through past all those contract offers and not-so-subtle inquiries from USC. Last week: No. 17
15. St. Louis Rams – (2-3) I’m not bothered by the loss to the Packers. The upcoming games against the Browns, the 49ers, the Vikings and the Bears, though, have to be won. You’ve lost your margin of error. Last week: No. 12
16. Minnesota Vikings – (2-2) It’s early to be talking playoffs, but the Vikings were a popular bandwagon team before the season. That wagon emptied way early, but with the Chiefs coming up Sunday, Minnesota is as in good a shape as anyone. Last week: No. 13
17. Chicago Bears – (2-3) Speaking of early playoff talk, look who decided to play real football for the last two weeks. Jay Cutler has tossed away his cigarettes and started chewing nicorette. And the Bears still haven’t traded away all their good players. Who knows what can happen now?. Last week: No. 29
18. Dallas Cowboys – (2-3) The Cowboys have sent Brandon Weedon back to the bench and replaced him with Matt Cassel, who has already been cut twice by the Bills this season. I’m sure that will fix everything. Last week: No. 14
19. Houston Texans – (1-4) Hey Texans. It was fun feeling relavent to the outcome of the NFL season for a whole month, didn’t it? Last week: No. 18
20. New Orleans Saints – (1-4) The good news is, if your season continues to tank, Sean Payton appears to be a pretty hot commodity in the upcoming coaching market. Last week: No. 19
21. Baltimore Ravens – (1-4) The Ravens find their season on the line again, we’ll say, even though everyone pretty much knows they’re fighting for 8-8 at this point. Hey, the 49ers are coming up on the schedule so that should help your spirits if nothing else. Last week: No. 20
22. San Diego Chargers – (2-3) The Chargers had a real chance to get into the mix facing a Steelers team without Ben Roethlisberger. Instead, they decided to be the centerpiece of Pittsburgh’s playoff run. Charitable of them. Last week: No. 21
23. Oakland Raiders – (2-3) The Raiders battled the Broncos down to the wire. They didn’t quite get there and now have a week off to think about it and prepare for the Chargers. Last week: No. 22
24. Washington Redskins – (2-3) Do the Redskins play up to opponents? Do they link their play to the phases of the moon or some kind of astrological sign? Last week: No. 23
25. Tennessee Titans – (1-3) The Titans need a good cupcake to put a couple of hard-fought losses behind them and luckily for them the Miami Dolphins have baked up a fresh batch. Last week: No. 24
26. Kansas City Chiefs – (1-4) Andy Reid’s career as an NFL head coach is coming to an end, but his career as a gourmet corn dog restaurateur has only just begun. Last week: No. 25
27. Miami Dolphins – (1-3) There’s an idea that new interim head coach Dan Campbell can light a fire under the Dolphins. I think he’d have an easier time lighting a fire under a real dolphin. In the ocean. Last week: No. 26
28. Cleveland Browns – (2-3) Josh McCown got his first win of his Browns’ career and all it took was the best passing performance from a Browns quarterback in the team’s history to beat a team with a losing record by a field goal in overtime to get to not even get to a .500 record. Last week: No. 27
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – (2-3) Congratulations, Tampa Bay. You’ve not beaten Jacksonville in something other than total number of chlamydia infections. Last week: No. 30
30. Jacksonville Jaguars – (1-4) That game against the Bucs must have felt like the Jaguars’ Super Bowl. Especially since the Jags have never been to a Super Bowl and have no idea what that’s supposed to feel like. Last week: No. 28
31. San Francisco 49ers – (1-4) Colin Kaepernick played his best game of the season, actually looking at times like he belonged on an NFL field and they still lost. Last week: No. 31
32. Detroit Lions – (0-5) I don’t want to hear any of that 0-16 talk. That 2008 Lions team was historic. They were, unquestionably, the worst NFL team of all time. In the modern and free agent era to go completely winless is something no NFL team should be able to do, but those heroes did. You’re not them. You’re not in their league. Last week: No. 32
