These rankings are based on a very complex formula in which I weigh equal parts 1) a team's record, 2) how good I think they are, and 3) the mood I'm in at the time of writing. So I acknowledge it isn't terribly scientific. But it's based on who I personally think are the best teams from top to bottom and who would win if placed in a single-game neutral setting heads up against each other. The best part about it is that, unlike point spread picks, I can't be wrong with these! I will go out on a limb and clue you in on my predictions for the upcoming season at the end of this, so you can get a sense of where I might be coming from if I have a seemingly 'worse' team ahead of one that is seemingly 'good'. It'll clarify why, among other things, I have the 0-1 Colts as the 2nd best team in football despite the great performance of others.

Rank…Team…W/L…(Last week's ranking)

1. New England Patriots 1-0 (-)
   Until they lose, they are clearly the class of the NFL.



2. Indianapolis Colts 0-1 (-)
   Go ahead, laugh at me for having an 0-1 team at #2. But they HAD that game.



3. Minnesota Vikings 1-0 (-)
   Has a team ever looked more unstoppable offensively in the season opener?



4. Green Bay Packers 1-0 (-)
   Crush the defending NFC champs, and then add MORE talent (McKenzie is back).



5. Philadelphia Eagles 1-0 (-)
   Ok, well they were pretty close to Minnesota. Keep in mind, though, it WAS the Giants.



6. Seattle Seahawks 1-0 (-)
   I want them to show me just a little bit more, and then I'll be a true believer.



7. Baltimore Ravens 0-1 (-)
   I know an offensive lineman can't be MVP, but how much does Ogden mean to them?



8. Denver Broncos 1-0 (-)
   Tatum Bell, did you hear that? It was your opportunity…I think it's back in July somewhere.



9. Kansas City Chiefs 0-1 (-)
   Their defensive deficiencies will do them in against good teams, but they'll beat up on others.



10. Dallas Cowboys 0-1 (-)
    Quality of Week 1 opponent earns Dallas a pass. But a loss to Cleveland…



11. New York Jets 1-0 (-)
    Jets fans would never admit this publicly, but this is a FUN team to watch!



12. Washington Redskins 1-0 (-)
    Admittedly, I was concerned about how Portis would do in that system. Well that was dumb.



13. Saint Louis Rams 1-0 (-)
    They statistically dominated the game, as usual. And barely won despite that, as usual.



14. Jacksonville Jaguars 1-0 (-)
    Still love the defense, but they better get Leftwich going - soon.



15. Buffalo Bills 0-1 (-)
    If Drew Bledsoe wasn't their QB, and if Travis Henry wasn't so injury-prone, and if…



16. Cincinnati Bengals 0-1 (-)
    Carson Palmer is as good as he looked. Unfortunately, the D is as bad as it looked.



17. Tennessee Titans 1-0 (-)
    As they say, all good things come to an end. The end is near for this bunch.



18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0-1 (-)
    Safe to say I was unimpressed Week 1. NFC South winner could be an 8-8 team.



19. Atlanta Falcons 1-0 (-)
    The rankings don't go low enough to reflect where they'd be without Vick.



20. Pittsburgh Steelers 1-0 (-)
    Pass defense looks MUCH better. Oh wait…



21. Carolina Panthers 0-1 (-)
    I'm not off the bandwagon; I was never on it. Preseason rank of Davis as RB 21 proof.



22. Cleveland Browns 1-0 (-)
    It was impressive, but until they beat another quality opponent I call it a fluke.



23. New Orleans 0-1 (-)
    Is it me or is this the most static franchise in NFL history?



24. Oakland Raiders 0-1 (-)
    Didn't see much in the run game, or ability to stop the run. They'll want to fix that.



25. San Diego Chargers 1-0 (-)
    If Tomlinson ends his career without a ring, it'll be an absolute shame.



26. San Francisco 49ers 0-1 (-)
    Not as bad as everyone says…still doesn't mean they're all that good.



27. Miami Dolphins 0-1 (-)
    Some think they're even lower, but take a look at the only teams they're ahead of. Ouch.



28. Houston Texans 0-1 (-)
    Lose at home to the Chargers, and this is what you get.



29. Detroit Lions 1-0 (-)
    Only ranked higher than Chicago because they beat them. Loss of Rogers kills them though.



30. Chicago Bears 0-1 (-)
    Bears offense = Thomas Jones. Good for fantasy, bad for real life.



31. New York Giants 0-1 (-)
    It doesn't get much worse than only being better than the Cardinals.



32. Arizona Cardinals 0-1 (-)
    And I'm picking these guys to cover against the Pats? Riiight, that makes sense.

SEASON PREDICTIONS

• AFC East
  1.New England Patriots
  2.New York Jets
  3.Buffalo Bills
  4.Miami Dolphins



• AFC North
  1.Baltimore Ravens
  2.Cincinnati Bengals
  3.Pittsburgh Steelers
  4.Cleveland Browns



• AFC South
  1.Indianapolis Colts
  2.Jacksonville Jaguars
  3.Tennessee Titans
  4.Houston Texans



• AFC West
  1.Denver Broncos (I swear, I picked this before last week)
  2.Kansas City Chiefs
  3.Oakland Raiders
  4.San Diego Chargers



• AFC Playoffs
  1.Indianapolis
  2.New England
  3.Baltimore
  4.Denver
  WC1.New York Jets
  WC2.Jacksonville

AFC Champ - Indianapolis Colts

• NFC East
  1.Dallas Cowboys
  2.Philadelphia Eagles
  3.Washington Redskins
  4.New York Giants



• NFC North
  1.Minnesota Vikings
  2.Green Bay Packers
  3.Detroit Lions
  4.Chicago Bears



• NFC South
  1.Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  2.Atlanta Falcons
  3.Carolina Panthers
  4.New Orleans Saints



• NFC West
  1.Seattle Seahawks
  2.St. Louis Rams
  3.San Francisco 49ers
  4.Arizona Cardinals



• NFC Playoffs
  1.Minnesota
  2.Seattle
  3.Tampa Bay
  4.Dallas
  WC1.Green Bay
  WC2.Philadelphia

NFC Champ - Minnesota Vikings

SUPER BOWL - Indianapolis Colts over Minnesota Vikings