| Rnk | LW | Team | Record | Comments |
| 1. | 4. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2-1 | If the offense can get into the endzone the Bucs are next to impossible to beat. Right now despite the loss to the Panthers I would have to pick them in a head-to-head matchup on a nuetral field against any team. That's what being number 1 in the rankings is all about. |
| 2. | 2. | Kansas City Chiefs | 3-0 | Watching the ESPN pregame show last week I was more than a bit surprised to hear Rush Limbaugh pick the Texans to beat the Cheifs outright. A ballsy pick by Rush. Could this be the sign of a man of convictions willing to stick his neck out? Turns out Rush was just an uniformed buffoon. Probably shouldn't have come as a big shock. |
| 3. | 3. | Indianapolis Colts | 3-0 | It has already been firmly established that the Colts can win games in the regular season. With an easy schedule in a lackluster division the Colts have a legitimate shot at a bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The question that remains is whether Dungy and Manning are capable of making that matter. |
| 4. | 6. | Seattle Seahawks | 3-0 | Scored 14 unanswered 4th quarter points to overcome a 12 point deficit. Impressive. Special mention goes to Alexander who arrived late after watching his daughter be born on Sunday morning. Congratulations all around. |
| 5. | 7. | Denver Broncos | 3-0 | I'll admit it.... I am still not a believier in Plummer and the Broncos. I fully expect Plummer to implode and the Broncos to end up missing the playoffs. As of right now though they are 3-0 and I can not ignore the complete devestation they wreaked on last years AFC Champion. |
| 6. | 8. | Tennessee Titans | 2-1 | Will fight and claw behind the leadership of McNair. They have alternated between looking very good and looking very old. Which team will come to Piitsburgh is anybodies guess. |
| 7. | 14. | Miam Dolphins | 2-1 | Regrouped impressively after the opening game shocker against the Texans. Completely dismantled a Bills team that looked like a legitimate Super Bowl contender before they arrived in Miami. Still, nothing is really settled until the 'Phins prove they can win in December and January. |
| 8. | 9. | Pittsburgh Steelers | 2-1 | The Steelers went back in time, using Bettis and the power running game in the second half to protect a lead and bludgeon the Bengals. I am not sure that will work against a good team, but it was nice to see the Steelers manhandle an inferior opponent. Even if they only managed to win by 7 points. Now comes another real test. The Steelers made way to many mistakes in Kansas City. With the Titans coming to Heinz Field they need to open up the offense without turning the ball over repeatedly or allowing the big special teams play. |
| 9. | 10. | New England Patriots | 2-1 | Colvin had season ending hip surgery. Washington broke a leg and will miss 4 to 6 weeks. Ouch. A once promising season has devolved into what should be a fight just to make the playoffs. After quitting in Buffalo the Patriots have at least shown in the last 2 weeks that they are willing to give it their all. |
| 10. | 11. | Carolina Panthers | 2-0 | Repeat after me... You can still win in this league with the power running game and defense. |
| 11. | 12. | Minnesota Vikings | 3-0 | I am not quite ready to jump on the Viking bandwagon. Their opponents so far have won a grand total of 2 games. Culpepper is suffering from transverse fractures in his back and Moss is having back spasm. The schedule makers have been very kind though.... The Vikes should not really be challenged until the Broncos come to town in week 7. |
| 12. | 1. | Buffalo Bills | 2-1 | I was trying to stay off the Bills bandwagon in preseason, but jumped on wholeheartedly after watching them dismantle the Patriots on Sunday night of the first week. I should have known better. Looks like that impressive performance can be chalked up to playing an opponent that was out of sorts following the surprise release of Milloy. The Bills have not shown the ability to run the ball and can not survive mistakes from Bledsoe. |
| 13. | 15. | New York Giants | 2-1 | The Giants have blown big 4th quarter leads in each of the last 2 weeks. At least against the Skins they won the coin toss in overtime and managed to salvage the win. |
| 14. | 5. | Oakland Raiders | 1-2 | Gannon needs to shut up and play. He has spent more time in the first 3 weeks yelling at teamates than making a positive contribution on the field. |
| 15. | 21. | Baltimore Ravens | 2-1 | If you can't stop the run, it is very difficult to beat the Ravens. Then again, as the Steelers showed, against a team that can stop the run the Ravens are in big trouble. |
| 16. | 16. | St. Louis Rams | 1-2 | The Rams always seem to find a way to lose under the tutelage of Martz. This time an interception with a bit over 3 minutes remaining led to the Seahawks winning drive. There were alot of reports that Vermeil was forced out of this job so Martz could take over. At the very least Rams fans and management were not all that sorry to see Vermeil leave because they thought Martz was the real genius behind the Super Bowl win. Clearly that was not the case. |
| 17. | 13. | Green Bay Packers | 1-2 | I have always been confused about how Sherman got the coaching job in Green Bay, let alone how he was also named GM after Wolf left. |
| 18. | 17. | Washington Redskins | 2-1 | Although Ramsey looks like a future star, I still have not bought into the hype surrounding the Old Ball Coach. |
| 19. | 24. | Cleveland Browns | 1-2 | Holcomb played 11 straight quarters of horrible football, then saved the season by rallying the troops while playing with a broken leg. His gutty performance was the reason Davis decided to start him in the first place. Whether he can play this week is in question, but even Couch should be able to lead the team to victory at home over the still bungling Bengals. |
| 20. | 20. | Philadelphia Eagles | 0-2 | A team in turmoil. The early bye should give Reid time to work out some kinks. McNabb looks completely out of sorts. The running game is ordinary. The veterans seem upset with the stingy spending habits of ownership. How this plays out will be an interesting. |
| 21. | 18. | Atlanta Falcons | 1-2 | Paging Vick. Paging Michael Vick. I thought Johnson could hold this team together till Vick returned from injury. I was wrong and a season once filled with promise is quickly slipping away. |
| 22. | 19. | New Orleans Saints | 1-2 | Completely outclassed by the Titans. The Saints need to take GM duties away from Haslett before all the talent is gone. |
| 23. | 23. | Dallas Cowboys | 1-1 | The 'Boys got a week off between trips to the Meadowlands. After shocking the Giants, they get a chance to get over .500 in a very winnable game against the struggling Jets. Perhaps I underestimated Parcells ability to win with this team. |
| 24. | 22. | San Fransisco 49ers | 1-2 | Watching the Niners implode in the fourth quarter against the Browns was like watching a train wreck. You want to turn away, but are strangely transfixed. Does anyone think the Niners would have lost that game with Marriucci as coach instead of Erickson? |
| 25. | 31. | Arizona Cardinals | 1-2 | The Cardinals have something that the other bottom feeders of the NFL don't have. A veteran QB that is adept at making something out of nothing. Blake sometimes makes the big mistake at the wrong time, but he has always had a knack for making a really bad team competative. |
| 26. | 25. | San Diego Chargers | 0-3 | Shottenheimer and Boston are already at odds. Who'd of thunk it.... |
| 27. | 26. | New York Jets | 0-3 | What a mess. The Jets are last in rushing offense and 31st in rushing defense. Now they are talking about replacing Testeverde with Bollinger. I am not exactly sure what purpose that will serve. This has very little to do with who is playing QB and everything to do with an eroding talent base. |
| 28. | 27. | Detriot Lions | 1-2 | I miss Mornhigweg. It seemed like every week last year he would do something stupid and I would have something to write about. Under Marriucci the Lions are no longer a laughingstock. They aren't good, just a young developing team that needs time to develop. |
| 29. | 28. | Houston Texans | 1-2 | The offensive line's solid week 1 performance is seeming more and more like a fluke. |
| 30. | 29. | Jacksonville Jaguars | 0-3 | Could the Leftwich era be about to begin in Jacksonville? Brunell is listed as questionable with an elbow injury. Although Brunell is still a solid veteran presence, he will be long gone the next time the Jags have a winning season. So why not take a look at the future. |
| 31. | 30. | Cincinnati Bengals | 0-3 | Kitna continues to make the big mistake at the wrong time. No surprise, really. I understand the desire not to rush Palmer, but Lewis is going to have to start thinking long and hard about getting the future of the franchise some reps. |
| 32. | 32. | Chicago Bears | 0-2 | The good news.... You can't lose when you don't play. The bad news.... Coming off a bye the Bears have to suit up this week in front of a national television audience on Monday night. I can already hear the boos cascading down in newly renovated Soldier Field. By the way, how did the Bears end up on national TV twice in the first 4 weeks? |