We've got a brief but unbelievably exciting mailbag this week. Now that you're properly hooked, I regretfully inform you that it is neither exciting nor unbelievably so. It's all about tickling the fancy, though, so I had to begin that way.

From Cory in New Jersey: Is it me, or is NO ONE talking about the Jets as being a possible AFC champ? I'm not saying they are going to do it, but you don't hear ANYTHING about them going anywhere. If you look at the Jets' ground game and defense - it's like what everyone says: "Defense wins championships".

Cory, I'm sure Chase Stuart will tell you otherwise, but the Jets, while a solid football team, aren't really in the class of Super Bowl contenders. Sure, they should get into the playoffs and once there they can put a scare into some teams. They'll perhaps even win a game. But A) They've got to get there first, and B) I wouldn't feel confident seeing them against either New England, Pittsburgh, or Indianapolis at home let alone on the road (where they'd have to play any of those teams, likely two of them). The Jets are comfortably in that second tier of teams in the AFC because the top three are so far above and beyond everyone else that I'd be utterly shocked to see someone NOT in those three get in.

Now, let's mix things up a little this week.

Rank…Team……...W/L…(Last week)

1. Pittsburgh Steelers 12-1 (1)
   Look up 'team player' and you'll see a photo of Jerome Bettis. Actually you won't. But he is one.



2. New England Patriots 12-1 (3)
   I say again, can you imagine a team going 15-1 and not getting home-field advantage?!?



3. Philadelphia Eagles 12-1 (2)
   I wonder if I'll get any mail on this one for moving them down following a win.



4. Indianapolis Colts 10-3 (4)
   The most important wins will be the ones that come in January. (That's never been said before.)



5. San Diego Chargers 10-3 (5)
   This is blasphemy, but Donnie Edwards is playing like Jun…like Junio…no, I can't say it - yet.



6. New York Jets 9-4 (6)
   With Pennington's shoulder still an issue, that could derail the Jets from a deep playoff run.



7. Atlanta Falcons 10-3 (7)
   It's like this: against bad defenses, Atlanta goes nuts. Against good ones, they do nothing. Got it..



8. Baltimore Ravens 8-5 (9)
   Now let's see what this defense can do when they have to play the REAL Manning.



9. Jacksonville Jaguars 7-6 (12)
   This team will keep fighting and scratching right up the end, you can be sure of that.



10. Buffalo Bills 7-6 (13)
    Why isn't a bigger deal being made of them holding a real NFL team to 17 yards of offense?!?



11. Denver Broncos 7-6 (8)
    Most unimpressive against such an awful team.



12. Green Bay Packers 8-5 (10)
    Seriously, guys - you're just delaying the inevitable playoff loss to Philly again.



13. Carolina Panthers 6-7 (16)
    If they make the playoffs after 1-7, that would be one of the most amazing things I'll ever see.



14. Minnesota Vikings 7-6 (11)
    2003 Vikings to 2004 Vikings: "Stop copying me. I'm not copying you, you're copying me."



15. Cincinnati Bengals 6-7 (14)
    Tough loss plus Palmer injury puts playoff hopes in limbo. Season's a success either way though.



16. Dallas Cowboys 5-8 (15)
    I might be alone here, but I liked ranting and raving Parcells a whole lot more.



17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-8 (17)
    Remember when Tampa won the Super Bowl and Jon Gruden was the next Shula? Me either.



18. Saint Louis Rams 6-7 (18)
    What happened to the ol' "Rams system = great QB numbers"?



19. Houston Texans 5-8 (19)
    Memo to Dom Davis: Your owners would appreciate it if you'd decide whether to suck or not.



20. Seattle Seahawks 7-6 (20)
    I had a joke all lined up about the latest Seattle loss, but I guess it'll have to wait til next week.



21. Kansas City Chiefs 5-8 (22)
    Wow, the Chiefs offense IS good, especially when no one covers their WRs or tackles their RBs.



22. Tennessee Titans 4-9 (21)
    I'd like to remind you all that I predicted the end of this era back in Week 2 of this season. (Bow)



23. Washington Redskins 4-9 (28)
    Not being sarcastic here, but at least Washington has something to build on for '05.



24. New Orleans Saints 5-8 (24)
    So - Seattle, Kansas City, and New Orleans all won games in the same week, huh? Makes sense.



25. Detroit Lions 5-8 (26)
    Stop me if you've heard this one. Ok, so the Lions lost a game they should have won…



26. Chicago Bears 5-8 (27)
    Wai, wai, wait just one minute there! You're telling me Chad Hutchinson ISN'T a stud QB?!?



27. New York Giants 5-8 (23)
    The current Giants team as presently constructed is easily the worst Giants team of my lifetime.



28. Cleveland Browns 3-10 (25)
    SEVENTEEN YARDS!!!



29. Oakland Raiders 4-9 (29)
    The one thing more satisfying this fall than seeing Chris win Survivor is seeing the Raiders stink.



30. Arizona Cardinals 4-9 (30)
    At this very moment, they might be the worst - but they're ranked on the whole body of work.



31. Miami Dolphins 2-11 (31)
    I know Ricky Williams is great and all - but this team was going nowhere with or without him.



32. San Francisco 49ers 2-11 (32)
    Let's talk openly about another job, then come back to the old one. Really shows commitment.

Super Shufflers Of the Week (+)

1. Washington Redskins +5…..A move up five spots after a loss?!? Well, a lot of teams that were ahead of them are proving to be an atrocity, while Washington dominated the Giants and nearly upended Philly. That counts for a lot.



2. Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers (tied) +3…..Three teams peaking at the right time.

Plungers Of the Week (-)

1. New York Giants -4…..The Giants have pretty much come full circle since Week one.



2. Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns (tied) -3…..Cleveland deserved a drop after that performance. The other two can still get it going, but it's getting late.