Now that we're a little bit beyond the midway point, I thought it best to offer up a little update on certain teams' placement in the rankings. After all, the questions that come in deal with, for the most part, a disagreement in placement of certain teams. But as the year goes on, it would seem that the rankings pretty much decide themselves. A team that is 7-1 and just beat two undefeated teams is clearly worthy of the top spot. If Team X beats Team Y and they have equal records, then Team X is probably deserving of the higher spot in the rankings, and so on. But the judgment comes in on the 'tweeners'. Those teams that don't have a clear-cut up or down value at the moment either due to injury of a top player (Titans, Vikings), or an unclear talent level (Seattle, Kansas City). Those are the teams that can be anywhere in the rankings. As such, a little explanation is called for.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS - I've seen the Colts ranked as highly as fourth in some rankings and as low as tenth in others. Clearly, this is a team that some get caught up in the offense of (myself included), yet others see as a postseason train wreck waiting to happen because of the atrocity of a defense that they run out there week after week. Granted, the Colts have their flaws but keep in mind, they must be stopped to be beaten. I'm no longer seeing them as a Super Bowl team of course, but would you feel comfortable taking any of the AFC teams below them in these rankings in a heads-up match?

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS - Admittedly, my affinity for Jacksonville entering the season is giving them a lot more leeway than, say, the Rams or Packers would get. But something can be said for finding a way to win. With most NFL games being close affairs, the team that consistently shows the ability to pull it out in the end and/or win the close ones IS, in most cases, the better team. We've seen how many times that NFL teams' ability levels are only separated by the tiniest of margins. The difference between a 6-2 team and a 2-6 team is often not all that great. It's the ability to find a way to win and get the job done that causes one to be a playoff team while the other lands a high spot in the April draft. With Leftwich out, many people are down on the Jags. I'd say to give Garrard a shot before burying him. A lot of teams were interested in obtaining Garrard the past few years, so he's not your typical backup QB. The kid can play, and with talent around him both offensively and defensively, he won't have to do it all alone.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS - With Randy Moss, they're a top-five team. Hell, I had them as my preseason Super Bowl pick. But without him, as we've seen recently, they're perhaps an average NFL team. The impact of Moss is incredible, as if we didn't know that already. It amused me to hear people saying that Minnesota wouldn't lose much in their passing game going from Moss to the likes of Nate Burleson, Marcus Robinson, and Kelly Campbell. Right. Ever watch the Vikings play? Ever notice how when a Vikings receiver NOT named Moss makes a catch, there's usually either one or ZERO guys around him? Know why? Because of Moss, that's why. He draws so much attention that it enables guys like Kelly Campbell to appear like they're real, productive, NFL receivers. In reality, Kelly Campbell would be hard-pressed to make a catch if you put him on, say, the Giants or someone. This Vikings team gets some slack for their recent losses because of the knowledge that Moss will be back soon (probably). But if he's not himself after returning, this team will plummet not just out of the top 10, but out of the playoff picture entirely.

TAMPA BAY BUCS - Call me crazy, but with about half the season remaining, this team intrigues me greatly. Losing Sapp and Lynch hasn't killed them as many predicted it would. Instead, the players still there are reminding everyone that Tampa isn't just some hack of a defense all of a sudden. And for the first time in two years, the offense is showing signs of being a terrific unit. Yes, last week's performance was against the Chiefs so you take it with a grain of salt. But Brian Griese (!) was already performing well heading into last week, they've got a productive back in Michael Pittman (!), and the receiving corps hasn't lost a beat after losing Keenan McCardell and Keyshawn Johnson. Michael Clayton is legit. It's tough to say they have a GOOD shot at the playoffs, but they still get Atlanta twice more (including this week) with a chance to put a serious dent in the Falcons' division lead. Stay tuned.

I could mention several teams toward the bottom of the list that are seemingly up-and-down units (Kansas City, for one), but I wanted to limit this to playoff teams. No, the Chiefs are not one. So if you see some moving and shaking from the teams above, at least you'll have somewhat of a reason why. Still, that's not to say your comments and questions aren't welcome. Please -- send away.

Future questions/comments/rants should be sent to: [email protected]. Please be sure to include your name and hometown/home state so I can properly credit you in the article.

Rank…Team……...W/L…(Last week)

1. Pittsburgh Steelers 7-1 (2)
   Big Ben's performance is overshadowing the return of dominant defense in Pittsburgh.



2. Philadelphia Eagles 7-1 (1)
   One loss doesn't change the fact that they're clearly the class of the NFC.



3. New England Patriots 7-1 (3)
   Showed resiliency and ability by storming back after the streak ended.



4. New York Jets 6-2 (4)
   Forgivable because the Bills are better than most people realize. Could get dicey with Q, though.



5. Indianapolis Colts 5-3 (5)
   Not a very inspiring performance against a Moss-less Vikings team.



6. Jacksonville Jaguars 5-3 (7)
   Big question is whether Garrard can hold the fort while Lefty's out. I say he can.



7. Atlanta Falcons 6-2 (8)
   Keep an eye on the hard-charging Bucs. They're only 3 back and they play twice more.



8. Seattle Seahawks 5-3 (9)
   This offense is really beginning to roll. If the defense returns to form, watch out.



9. Denver Broncos 6-3 (10)
   Did anyone realize Jake Plummer is on pace for over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns?!?



10. Minnesota Vikings 5-3 (6)
    Are you beginning to listen to me? Healthy Moss = very good team. Moss out = baaaad team.



11. Baltimore Ravens 5-3 (11)
    This whole thing about Boller's first 16 games sounds like an excuse for his crappy play in '04.



12. San Diego Chargers 6-3 (13)
    I've been saving this all year, but…San - Di - e - go…..SUPERCHARGERS!!!



13. New York Giants 5-3 (12)
    Behold, the Great Warner! Watch, as he makes receivers disappear before your eyes!



14. Saint Louis Rams 4-4 (14)
    When you lose by as many as they did, the fault lies with your own shortcomings.



15. Green Bay Packers 4-4 (15)
    With Moss out, the Pack can seize control of this suddenly mediocre division.



16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-5 (23)
    You SHOULD score that many against the Chiefs. This team's quickly climbing.



17. Houston Texans 4-4 (16)
    Well, THAT was unexpected. Look for them to regroup, though they're still about a year away.



18. Kansas City Chiefs 3-5 (17)
    Wait, so you mean there are still going to be games where they'll need to play defense?!?



19. Buffalo Bills 3-5 (24)
    This is going to be a team to be reckoned with in 2005.



20. Dallas Cowboys 3-5 (18)
    Note to Coach Parcells: We get it. You hate your team. You think they stink. Now shut up.



21. Detroit Lions 4-4 (19)
    Tough to see them making much noise the rest of the year with a beaten-up offense.



22. Cleveland Browns 3-5 (20)
    Remember a few years ago they lost a ton of close games? That's the mark of bad coaching.



23. Tennessee Titans 3-5 (21)
    Imperative that the stars stay in one piece. More imperative that they actually perform.



24. Cincinnati Bengals 3-5 (25)
    With the way their schedule looks, 7-9 is probably an absolute best-case scenario.



25. New Orleans Saints 3-5 (22)
    There's giving up…and then there's the Saints.



26. Oakland Raiders 3-6 (27)
    This team would be much better if they had better players at every single position.



27. Washington Redskins 3-5 (28)
    Brunell's passer rating: 67.4. Fiedler's passer rating: 67.0. Coach Gibbs, what are you doing?



28. Chicago Bears 3-5 (29)
    Congratulations Bears…you've just won the most impossible team to figure out award!



29. Arizona Cardinals 3-5 (30)
    If they were really better than they seemed, they would've killed Miami instead of squeaking by.



30. Carolina Panthers 1-7 (26)
    Well, well…look who's not making the playoffs. A defending conference champ. Imagine that.



31. San Francisco 49ers 1-7 (31)
    At least they've used this year to figure out who their QB of the future is. Oh wait, nevermind.



32. Miami Dolphins 1-8 (32)
    Would anyone be TRULY shocked to hear Wannstedt went off and beat Ricky Williams to death?

Super Shufflers Of the Week (+)

1. Tampa Bay Bucs +7…..Three games back with two left against the Falcons still. They could yet make some noise, but their margin for error is extremely small.



2. Buffalo Bills +5…..Never wanted to move them down to begin with, and now they're resurfacing as a pretty decent team.



3. Ten teams at +1…No one else made a quantum leap this week outside of Tampa and Buffalo.

Plungers Of the Week (-)

1. Minnesota Vikings -4…..They were my Super Bowl favorite from the NFC, and they can make a deep run. But a healthy Moss is imperative, and playing home playoff games is a must.



2. Carolina Panthers -4…..Amazing that a team which had already hit rock bottom could plummet so much further. Well, that's what happens when you lose convincingly to the Raiders.



3. New Orleans Saints -3…..Who would have ever thought Jim Haslett would last longer than the Wendy's 'Unofficial Spokesman' loser? (Oh, and thank goodness he's gone too)