Week 7 NFL Rankings

In case you missed it... the top two teams in the NFL are MILES ahead of the rest... New England put up only 48 points last Sunday against the Dolphins, while Indianapolis COMPLETELY destroyed a very good (and previously #5 ranked) Jacksonville team (in their own building no less) by a 29-7 score on Monday night... It's to the point where if you play the Patriots or Colts, you almost expect to lose by at least two touchdowns, even if you're a good team. The #7 ranked Redskins get the unenviable task of facing the Patriots in New England this Sunday, while the #11 Carolina Panthers take on Peyton and his boys at home...

As for the rest... the big loser of the week? Well, that would have to be the Pittsburgh Steelers, dropping four spots after losing to a much inferior Denver Bronco team in the mile high city... And how about Rob Bironas? Yes, he's the kicker that beat the Manning brothers in back-to-back weeks last year, including defeating Peyton & the Colts on a 60 yard field goal - the 4th longest kick in NFL History. Well, he worked his magic again this past Sunday, kicking an NFL record EIGHT field goals in Tennessee's thrilling 38-36 win over the Houston Oilers. The Oilers trailed at one point 32-7, but battled back to actually take a 36-35 lead with a minute to play... The Titans drove down the field and Bironas kicked a 29-yard field goal as time ran out to win the game. For his record-setting efforts, Bironas was named the AFC's Special Teams Player of the Week. His efforts also help the Titans sneak back into the Top 10 of my rankings this week.

Here are this week’s rankings with last weeks rank in (). Record is only one consideration. I also take into account strength of schedule, strength of victory (or loss) and other intangibles…

1.(1) New England Patriots (7-0)
2.(2) Indianapolis Colts (6-0)
3.(3) Dallas Cowboys (6-1)
4.(6) Green Bay Packers (5-1)
5.(7) San Diego Chargers (3-3)
6.(5) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2)
7.(8) Washington Redskins (4-2)
8.(4) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)
9.(10) New York Giants (5-2)
10.(12) Tennessee Titans (4-2)
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11.(13) Carolina Panthers (4-2)
12.(9) Baltimore Ravens (4-3)
13.(11) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3)
14.(14) Cleveland Browns (3-3)
15.(20) Seattle Seahawks (4-3)
16.(15) Arizona Cardinals (3-4)
17.(19) Chicago Bears (3-4)
18.(18) Houston Texans (3-4)
19.(21) Kansas City Chiefs (4-3)
20.(22) New Orleans Saints (2-4)
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21.(16) Philadelphia Eagles (2-4)
22.(17) Oakland Raiders (2-4)
23.(25) Detroit Lions (4-2)
24.(26) Buffalo Bills (2-4)
25.(29) Cincinnati Bengals (2-4)
26.(30) Denver Broncos (3-3)
27.(23) San Francisco 49ers (2-4)
28.(24) Minnesota Vikings (2-4)
29.(27) New York Jets (1-6)
30.(28) Atlanta Falcons (1-6)
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31.(31) Miami Dolphins (0-7)
32.(32) St. Louis Rams (0-7)
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