| Rnk | LW | Team | Record | Comments |
| 1. | 1. | Kansas City Chiefs | 9-1 | Keep the top spot in the rankings despite suffering their first loss. Run defense was exploited by Bengals. This could be a big problem going forward, especially in the playoffs. |
| 2. | 2. | Tennessee Titans | 8-2 | Showed they can win with dominating defense when the passing attack sputters. Subpar running game continues to be an issue. |
| 3. | 3. | Indianapolis Colts | 8-2 | Got a win they desperately needed with Harrison out due to a hamstring injury. Decision to fake a FG with the score tied in the fourth quarter took big cahones. |
| 4. | 4. | New England Patriots | 8-2 | Won the battle of the Bill's for Belicheck. Keep plugging along despite lack of eye popping offensive skill position talent and a long list of injuries on defense. |
| 5. | 5. | Carolina Panthers | 8-2 | Fox has completely turned around a franchise that managed only a single win just two short years ago. |
| 6. | 7. | Philadelphia Eagles | 7-3 | Turned around their season after opening with two losses at home. McNabb proving that he is far from overrated when healthy. |
| 7. | 8. | St. Louis Rams | 7-3 | Bulger may have turned around his season in the second half at Soldier Field after Martz considered switching back to Warner. |
| 8. | 9. | Seattle Seahawks | 7-3 | Tough to beat at home. Have problems on the road. Need to figure out a way to beat the offensively challenged Ravens in Baltimore. |
| 9. | 11. | Denver Broncos | 6-4 | Those that thought Plummer could resurrect his career outside of Arizona appear to have been correct. |
| 10. | 6. | Dallas Cowboys | 7-3 | Scored 31 points in their last four games. Carter has proven incapable of getting his team into the endzone against a good defense. |
| 11. | 12. | San Fransisco 49ers | 5-5 | Have a tough road to the playoffs with four of their last six games away from 3Com Park. |
| 12. | 13. | Miami Dolphins | 6-4 | Even in victory their abysmal offensive display in Baltimore set football back decades. |
| 13. | 15. | Green Bay Packers | 5-5 | Back in the race because of the complete collapse of the Vikings. |
| 14. | 10. | Minnesota Vikings | 6-4 | Have lost four straight including the last two against bottom feeders Oakland and San Diego. Early season defensive improvement appears to have been a mirage. |
| 15. | 18. | Cincinnati Bengals | 5-5 | Warrick has finally blossomed into the type of player most envisioned when he came out of Florida State. |
| 16. | 17. | New Orleans Saints | 5-5 | Big second half comeback and overtime win against the Falcons saved their season. |
| 17. | 14. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-6 | Gruden put his foot down in a season gone horribly wrong and announced Johnson would be deactivated for the remaining six games. Clubhouse harmony is always a bigger issue when a team is losing instead of winning. Sitting Johnson won't make much difference if the defense can't return to last year's form. |
| 18. | 16. | Baltimore Ravens | 5-5 | Descension between defense and offense boiled over after home loss to Dolphins. Hard to blame Lewis for being upset with Billick's handling of the offense. Wright doesn't even belong on an NFL roster, let alone starting. |
| 19. | 24. | Cleveland Browns | 4-6 | Much like the Steelers the week before, a convincing win at home over the Cardinals is not necessarily a sign that a team has turned it around. |
| 20. | 25. | Houston Texans | 4-6 | Don't have as much talent as the two teams with four wins ranked directly below them, but play hard every week. Wonder if Capers would consider returning to Pittsburgh as head coach. |
| 21. | 19. | New York Giants | 4-6 | Quit on Fassel in the second half at Philadelphia. Recent history of late season playoff drives looks like a thing of the past. |
| 22. | 20. | Buffalo Bills | 4-6 | Season of promise has turned sour. Williams and Gillbride will probably pay with their jobs. |
| 23. | 21. | New York Jets | 3-7 | Pennington to Moss at least gives them hope fo the future. |
| 24. | 22. | Pittsburgh Steelers | 3-7 | Completely lost their identity. Rushing offense is 31st in the NFL. Defense has forced a paltry 11 turnovers. The decline of the once vaunted Steel Curtain defense is a painful thing for all Steeler fans to contemplate. |
| 25. | 23. | Washington Redskins | 4-6 | Spurrier had decided to take back the playcalling duties after just two weeks. Ramsey beware.... |
| 26. | 26. | Detriot Lions | 3-7 | Have lost a mind-boggling 21 straight road games. |
| 27. | 27. | Chicago Bears | 3-7 | Playing out the string under a lame duck coach. |
| 28. | 32. | Oakland Raiders | 3-7 | Recaptured a modicum of respect by manhandling the Vikings on the ground. Will try the same formula at Arrowhead. |
| 29. | 29. | Atlanta Falcons | 2-8 | Vick reinjured his lower leg in practice this week when it was stepped on by an offensive lineman. Really doesn't matter much in what has become a lost season. |
| 30. | 30. | Jacksonville Jaguars | 2-8 | At least Leftwich is getting valuable experience. |
| 31. | 28. | Arizona Cardinals | 3-7 | Can be competative in the heat of the desert, but just horrendous on the road. |
| 32. | 31. | San Diego Chargers | 2-8 | Would have been better off not even getting on the plane to Denver. |