Because of the short week, the mailbag was fairly empty. Ok, it was completely empty. No matter, I'll blame it on the quick turnaround time from one game to the next. The mailbag will be re-activated immediately. The first 5 e-mails are guaranteed a spot in this column. I fully expect at least four of them to be from my mom.

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 9-1 (1)
   Memories of 1994…dominant Steeler team, an upstart Charger crew looming…okay maybe not.



2. Philadelphia Eagles 9-1 (2)
   Impact of Owen, Lesson #218: Focus on him, and Todd Pinkston/Brian Westbrook go off.



3. New England Patriots 9-1 (3)
   The top three are fairly interchangeable, and have clearly separated themselves from the pack.



4. Indianapolis Colts 7-3 (4)
   Maybe Peyton Manning is selfish. Buf if selfish puts up 40 points every game, I'll take it!



5. Baltimore Ravens 7-3 (5)
   If the Lewis injury is 4-6 weeks, it could be devastating. Few players mean more to their team.



6. Atlanta Falcons 8-2 (7)
   Fourth-best record in the league and only NOW is their offense clicking. Uh-oh, rest of league!



7. Denver Broncos 7-3 (8)
   Last week was Shanahan's perfect formula for winning football. Now it must be repeated.



8. San Diego Chargers 7-3 (10)
   The remaining schedule doesn't look all that daunting, but it's littered with losable games.



9. Jacksonville Jaguars 6-4 (6)
   Too many of these little 'hiccups' are what costs teams home playoff games.



10. New York Jets 7-3 (9)
    Hmm, for some reason they seem like a different team with Pennington in there. Wonder why?



11. Green Bay Packers 6-4 (11)
    Usually, Brett Favre gets a little too much credit. This week, he pretty much deserves it all.



12. Minnesota Vikings 6-4 (12)
    If barely holding on against Detroit doesn't prove Randy Moss's worth, I don't know what will.



13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-6 (15)
    Alive!



14. Buffalo Bills 4-6 (18)
    How many Eric Moulds owners promised vengeance on Mark Campbell last week?



15. Saint Louis Rams 5-5 (13)
    If they can't secure a home playoff game, it's one-and-done for this crew come January.



16. Seattle Seahawks 6-4 (14)
    Way to eke out a last-minute win against one of the worst teams in NFL history.



17. Houston Texans 4-6 (16)
    They've made good strides, but not enough defensive playmakers. They'll get there soon, though.



18. New York Giants 5-5 (19)
    Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the "moral victory" segment of your 2004 Giants season.



19. Cincinnati Bengals 4-6 (20)
    This one hurt. And damn that safety that enabled Pittsburgh to cover the spread!



20. Tennessee Titans 4-6 (24)
    Signs of life, but still too beaten up and too far behind to make up enough ground.



21. Kansas City Chiefs 3-7 (17)
    Derrick Blaylock: 19 carries, 58 yards (3.1 YPC)…maybe it's NOT the system.



22. Dallas Cowboys 3-7 (21)
    Henson, Julius Jones, etc…signs that Parcells is cashing in this season. Watch for them in '05.



23. Detroit Lions 4-6 (22)
    Remember when people were hyping them as a playoff contender? Me either.



24. Cleveland Browns 3-7 (23)
    Congratulations Browns…you have become the 21st-century Chargers. Uh, not good.



25. New Orleans Saints 4-6 (25)
    You know it's bad when you're the most embarrassing SAINTS team ever!



26. Chicago Bears 4-6 (26)
    Oh, so you mean Krenzel isn't another Roethlisberger? Yeah, big surprise there.



27. Carolina Panthers 3-7 (30)
    Best line this week: Carolina is still mathematically alive for the playoffs. To quote Jim Mora…



28. Arizona Cardinals 4-6 (27)
    People act as if benching McCown is akin to benching Montana. It's freakin' Josh McCown!



29. Oakland Raiders 3-7 (28)
    Doesn't it seem like Oakland isn't even playing this year? No success, no turmoil, nothing!



30. Washington Redskins 3-7 (29)
    Well, Mark Brunell can take SOME solace in the overwhelming evidence that it isn't just him.



31. San Francisco 49ers 1-9 (31)
    My dad roots for the Mets, Nets, Fighting Irish, and 49ers…he'll be out of ICU shortly.



32. Miami Dolphins 1-9 (32)
    Great, and now Ricky Williams won't be eligible to play for Miami until the playoffs!

Super Shufflers Of the Week (+)

• Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans (tied) +4…..Mark it down now, the Bills will be a very good football team in 2005. VERY good. Tennessee may not rebound next year, but they can still finish respectably when some injured guys get back.



• Carolina Panthers +3…..Being the best of the worst isn't really anything great.

Plungers Of the Week (-)

• Kansas City Chiefs -4…..There should be two separate rankings for them: With Priest, and without. With, they're a borderline playoff contender, maybe around 15 or so. Without? Well, you see where they are without.



• Jacksonville Jaguars -3…..They're still in the thick of the playoff hunt, but with so many teams around them in the standings, you've got to beat the teams you're supposed to.



• Saint Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks (tied) -2…..One of these teams is going to be exposed big-time in the playoffs. Congrats to Seattle on being the first team to move DOWN more than one slot following a WIN!