LAST WEEK:             9-7            84 points (out of 136)

SEASON:                18-14           89.0 pts/week (out of 136.0)

16 NEW ENGLAND (1-1) over Buffalo (0-2)

The Patriots have beaten the Bills 13 straight times and have won all 8 games played between the two teams at Gillette Stadium. There’s no reason why those trends shouldn’t continue. Division games always have potential of springing surprising upsets, but this is one of the AFC’s best hosting one of the AFC’s worst. Throw in the Pats being mad over losing to the Jets last week, and this one has the makings of an easy rout for New England.

15 BALTIMORE (1-1) over Cleveland (0-2)

On one hand, the Ravens have only managed 10 points in each of their two games, winning one, while losing the other. On the other hand, they’ve yet to give up a touchdown, allowing 8 field goals in those two game. The Browns meanwhile, blew 14-3 lead to lose in Tampa, and managed to lose to the Chiefs at home despite not allowing a defensive touchdown. Baltimore finally gets the offense going at home and rolls to an easy win for the “old Browns” over the “new Browns.”

14 NEW ORLEANS (2-0) over Atlanta (1-1)

The Falcons figured it all out at home last week, crushing Arizona, after a lackluster loss to the shorthanded Steelers in Pittsburgh. The Saints haven’t looked like the defending champs yet, but they’ve found a way two go 2-0. Reggie Bush is a big loss for New Orleans, but it’s lessened in this matchup by the loss of Atlanta’s Jerious Norwood. Drew Brees, who has completed 74.3 percent (55 of 74) of his passes this year, should get the Saints’ passing game rolling and the Superdome rocking.

13 Cincinnati (1-1) over CAROLINA (0-2)

The Bengals will look to tee off on rookie QB Jimmy Claussen, who will make his first NFL start. Other than in garbage time at New England in Week 1, Cincinnati’s offense has struggled thus far. It might benefit from a short field a few times if the Bengals’ defense can rattle the untested Claussen early and often.

12 MINNESOTA (0-2) over Detroit (0-2)

The Lions have fought well and should really be 1-1, so they’ve shown improvement from their dreadful play over the past few years. The Vikings season could be on the line though, and the prospect of going from Super Bowl contenders for a second straight year to a second straight loss at home and a disastrous 0-3 start should be enough motivation to spark Minnesota to its first win.

11 Green Bay (2-0) over CHICAGO (2-0)

A great old school matchup for Monday Night Football. No NFL teams have met more than these two. The Bears will be wearing their throwback 1940’s uniforms to honor the Monsters of the Midway. Unfortunately, the Bears’ defense won’t play that way against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, who looked very sharp against the Bills last week. Green Bay simply has more talent than Chicago, which is lucky to be 2-0 (they should have lost to Detroit). The Bears come back to earth a little bit and the Packers take their rightful control of the NFC North.

10 HOUSTON (2-0) over Dallas (0-2)

Jerry Jones’ dream of hosting Super Bowl XLV in Dallas with his Cowboys as a participant already seems to be slipping away. Dallas gave away a game in Washington and then played uninspired football in losing to Chicago at home. The Cowboys now have to travel to undefeated Houston to face the NFL’s top-ranked offense. Ouch. Interesting stat: for all of the passing that Matt Schaub and the Texans’ offense did to win in Washington last week, the Texans over the past three seasons, are 20-2 when they rush at least 30 times and 2-23 when they rush less than 25 times. They were all rushing against Indianapolis, all passing against Washington. They’ll need to find better balance. A hunch says the Cowboys play a lot more sound than they have the first two weeks, but the Texans, at home, who will want to stake claim as Texas’ number one team over Dallas, will make enough plays on both sides of the ball to go 3-0 for the first time in their history and send the Cowboys to their first 0-3 start since 2001.

9 Philadelphia (1-1) over JACKSONVILLE (1-1)

Andy Reid finally decided to go with Michael Vick over Kevin Kolb (after he went with Kolb over Vick earlier in the week). He might have made that decision after looking at the Jaguars’ Cover 1 defense and the potential for Vick to gain some serious rushing yards if his receivers are covered downfield. A dangerous number for a less than strong road pick in the Eagles, but the Jaguars, after a solid home win against Denver, showed what we might see more of from them last week, in San Diego.

8 NY GIANTS (1-1) over Tennessee (1-1)

The Titans have won 9 straight against the NFC and 4 in a row against the Giants. Those trends will continue if the Giants can’t contain RB Chris Johnson, who is the type of athletic and speedy back who had given the Giants’ defense fits in recent years. Johnson should be highly motivated after being held to just 34 yards against Pittsburgh last week. He’ll get his yards against the Giants, but QB Eli Manning and his wide receiver corps, along with RB Ahmad Bradshaw (both rushing and receiving) should be able to make enough plays to counteract what Johnson will do for Tennessee, while the Giants’ strong secondary will make it tough for QB Vince Young to throw down field.

7 Washington (1-1) over ST. LOUIS (0-2)

Last week, Donovan McNabb gave his new team exactly what they wanted when the Redskins traded for him… except a win, that is. But, that had more to do with the Redskins’ normally very solid defense collapsing against Houston while blowing a 17-point second-half lead in an overtime loss to the Texans. Sam Bradford has been fairly good in his first two NFL games, but he simply doesn’t have the team around him. Washington is the better team here and McNabb, along with Clinton Portis, and Washington getting back to normal Redskin defense, will keep the 2010 top draft pick waiting at least another week for his first NFL win.

6 San Francisco (0-2) over KANSAS CITY (2-0)

The 49ers looked a lot better against the Saints than when they laid an egg in Seattle, but they’re still seeking their first win. The Chiefs meanwhile, failed to reach 10 first downs or 200 total yards against San Diego, and went without an offensive touchdown in Cleveland, yet they’ve started 2-0. Look for things to get back to what was expected here. The Niners finally get their first win while the Chiefs fall back down to earn a little bit as they find it tougher to win yet again with a struggling offense.

5 ARIZONA (1-1) over Oakland (1-1)

RB Beanie Wells, injured earlier in the week, will play for a Cardinals team that finally gets to play its home opener after flying out to St. Louis and then across the country to Atlanta to split its first two games on the road. But, Oakland is stout against the run, so even a healthy Wells won’t help much. Cardinals tough. Offseason acquisition Jason Campbell will remain benched for the start of this one in Bruce Gradkowski, who seems to give the Raiders a lift at home, but almost never on the road. Same here. If in Oakland, the Raiders would be the pick. But, in the dome in the dessert, home opener for the Cards, Arizona will get by.

4 Indianapolis (1-1) over DENVER (1-1)

The Colts must have felt a little like Mark Twain. After setting the record for the most consecutive seasons with at least 12 regular season wins, reports of Indianapolis’ demise were greatly exaggerated after a season-opening loss in Houston. Of particular note, the Colts’ running –- yes, running game, not only their passing game –- keyed a win over the Giants during which the Colts never broke a sweat. Peyton Manning will hurt the Broncos’ pass defense enough to overcome one of the better home field advantages in the NFL, as Denver looks to put together two straight good efforts at home after opening with a road loss in Jacksonville.

3 San Diego (1-1) over SEATTLE (1-1)

Week 1, the Chargers were disappointing in a loss while the Seahawks surprised with an easy win. Last week, San Diego kicked it into high gear with an easy win while Seattle stepped back with a bad loss. Now you know why this one is only a score of 3 (tough to tell what to expect in this league). But, QB Phillip Rivers should have a second straight solid performance and much like Peyton Manning helping the Colts overcome a tough home team in Denver, Rivers should help the Chargers get by a Seattle team that’s the good Jekyll at home and the bad Hyde on the road.

2 NY Jets (1-1) over MIAMI (2-0)

It’s an absolute disgrace that WR Braylon Edwards is playing in this game 562 days after he was out drinking with Donte Stallworth the night Stallworth struck and killed a pedestrian with his car in Florida. Edwards learned nothing from Stallworth’s crime, but thank the overprotective CBA for not allowing the Jets much leeway to appropriately discipline Edwards instead of waiting for the NFL to take care of that. Hopefully, head coach Rex Ryan has the conscience to bench Edwards for most of the game and Edwards isn’t a factor. If Edwards wanted to do the right thing however, he could ask out of the game and Ryan could oblige that way. Don’t expect that, though. All of that drama aside, QB Mark Sanchez played well with the reigns taken off of him last week, and the Jets’ defense shut out New England on the second half without shutdown CB Darrelle Revis, who will miss this game with a hamstring injury. Though the Dolphins have yet to lose, they’ve also yet to score that much. And, although Miami’s defense will again be tough, Sanchez will find enough receivers and TE Dustin Keller (as he did last week) to move the ball, and RB LaDainian Tomlinson should make at least a couple of big plays. If RB Shonn Greene can also produce and keep the ball off the ground, it will be even easier for Gang Green, which after a distracting couple of weeks, tries to put the focus back on the field, instead of off of it.

1 TAMPA BAY (2-0) over Pittsburgh (2-0)

Who would have thought that this would be a fascinating Week 3 matchup between a pair of 2-0 teams? Yet, that’s exactly what it is, with the Steelers going with fourth-string QB Charlie Batch, trying to find a way to win yet again on nothing more than defense and guts, and virtually no offense (see last week’s 127 yards of total offense while winning in Tennessee). The Bucs meanwhile, haven’t been tested (with wins over Cleveland and Carolina). This one might be 6-3 with the way these two defenses can play, and with the offensive issues each team has. Thanks to injury though, the Bucs have the better quarterback, they’re at home, and the Steelers can’t win every game with out Ben Roethlisberger, can they?

Through Week 9:

THE ELITE:

#1  SAINTS [8-0]: New Orleans is averaging 37.9 ppg and has won 7 games by double digits.

#2  COLTS [8-0]: 16-0 for the 2007 Patriots? How about 17 straight regular season wins and counting for Indy?

#3  STEELERS [6-2]: After a 1-2 start, Pittsburgh has won 5 straight to keep pace with the hot Bengals.

#4  VIKINGS [7-1]: Minnesota is positioning itself well for the playoffs, already at 5-0 in the NFC.

SECOND-TIER CONTENDERS:

#5  PATRIOTS [6-2]: All those defensive defections? No problem. New England is allowing just 14.4 ppg.

#6  COWBOYS [6-2]: Dallas didn’t impress much in its 3-2 start, but has played very well since.

#7  BENGALS [6-2]: Cincinnati is looking like the comeback team of the year after a 4-11-1 season in 2008.

#8  BRONCOS [6-2]: After a 6-0 start, Denver has come crashing back to reality losing twice by a combined 58-17.

#9  CHARGERS [5-3] : After a 1-3 start, San Diego is heating up, going 3-0 since as the defense has stepped it up.

#10  CARDINALS [5-3]: Arizona should be a little better. The Cards are 4-0 on the road but just 1-3 at home.

#11  EAGLES [5-3]: Philadelphia has as inconsistent as any team, but remains in the playoff hunt halfway though.

#12  FALCONS [5-3]: Atlanta is 5-0 against teams with non-winning records, but 0-3 against winning teams.

MIRED IN MEDIOCRITY:

#13  TEXANS [5-4]: After a 2-3 start, Houston has played much better going 3-1 since, taking Indy to the wire.

#14  GIANTS [5-4]: Big Blue has gone from the NFL’s elite at 5-0, to four straight losses and trying to find itself.

#15  BALTIMORE [4-4]: Baltimore won three, then lost three, crushed Denver at home, but then lost at Cincy.

#16  JETS [4-4]: Gang Green started 3-0, but has gone 1-4 since, seemingly a myriad of different ways to lose.

#17  BEARS [4-4]: Chicago didn’t lose at home until last week (3-1), but has just one road win (1-3).

#18  PACKERS [4-4]: Minnesota (0-2 vs. the Vikings) and a bad loss at previously winless Tampa has cost Green Bay.

#19  JAGUARS [4-4]: Narrow three-point wins over the lowly Rams and Chiefs have kept Jacksonville alive for now.

#20  PANTHERS [3-5]: After an 0-3 start, Carolina went 3-1 and looked great, but just for a half, in New Orleans.

#21  49ERS [3-5]: It’s all fallen apart for San Francisco, which has lost four straight after starting 3-1.

#22  DOLPHINS [3-5]: Miami began 0-3, but has become very competitive with the wildcat and Chad Henne.

#23  BILLS [3-5]: Starting just 1-5, Buffalo surprised the Jets and Panthers on the road, but lost to Houston at home.

LOOKING TOWARD THE 2010 DRAFT:

#24  SEAHAWKS [3-5]: Seattle was down 17-0 to Detroit last week before rallying to barely stay alive… for now.

#25  TITANS [2-6]: After 6 losses including a 59-0 embarrassment, Tennessee has finally awoken with a pair of wins.

#26  RAIDERS [2-6]: Oakland beat Philly and was competitive twice against San Diego, but has been bad otherwise.

#27  REDSKINS [2-6]: Washington has yet to score over 17 points, and has only narrow wins against two bad teams.

#28  CHIEFS [1-7]: Kansas City took Dallas to OT but has lost twice to Oakland by identical 13-10 scores. Enough said.

#29  RAMS [1-7]: Despite a win in Detroit and road losses by just 2 and 3 points, St. Louis has been outscored 221-77.

#31  BUCCANEERS [1-7]: Throwback uniforms and Josh Freeman at QB ended the NFL’s longest losing streak at 11.

#30  BROWNS [1-7]: St. Louis has company. Cleveland has been outscored 209-78. The win was ugly, 6-3, at Buffalo.

#32  LIONS [1-7]: Detroit has allowed under 26 points just twice while failing to score 20 points in half its games.

Week 8:

THE ELITE:

#1  NEW ORLEANS [7-0]: The Saints latest win over Atlanta was their only one by single digits.

#2  INDIANAPOLIS [7-0]: Peyton has been terrific. The Colts have won 16 straight going back to last year.

#3  MINNESOTA [7-1]: Favre had 7 TD’s in a of sweep Green Bay, as the Vikes pull away in the NFC North.

#4  PITTSBURGH [5-2]: The Steelers rested last week with a 4-game win streak. Denver and Cincy are next.

#5  DENVER [6-1]: After a 6-0 start, the Broncos came crashing back to reality with a 30-7 loss in Baltimore.

#6  NEW ENGLAND [5-2]: four big games coming up, vs. Miami, at Indy, vs. the Jets, and at New Orleans.

SECOND-TIER CONTENDERS:

#7  DALLAS [5-2]: The Cowboys looked rather ordinary the first five weeks, but suddenly very sharp the past two.

#8  PHILADELPHIA [5-2]: The Eagles put the beatdown on the Giants. They’ll get their shot against Dallas next.

#9  CINCINNATI [5-2]: The Bengals enjoyed a bye after crushing Chicago, but Baltimore and Pittsburgh are up next.

#10  NY GIANTS [5-3]: The Giants are suddenly reeling having done a 180 in three bad losses after a 5-0 start.

#11  HOUSTON [5-3]: After a slow start, Houston is starting show why they were a trendy pre-season playoff pick.

#12  BALTIMORE [4-3]: The Ravens won three, then lost three, but then crushed previously undefeated Denver.

#13  ATLANTA [4-3]: Four wins against mediocre competition, but three losses against top teams.

#14  GREEN BAY [4-3]: Favre and his new teammates have hurt the Pack. The wild-card could be their only option.

MIRED IN MEDIOCRITY:

#15  SAN DIEGO [4-3] : The Chargers were up and down, but have won two straight to climb over .500.

#16  ARIZONA [4-3]: The Cardinals have been inconsistent, sometimes looking great, other times, underachieving.

#17  NY JETS [4-4]: The Jets started 3-0 but have gone 1-4 since, finding seemingly a new way to lose each week.

#18  CHICAGO [4-3]: Other than beating up on SEA, DET and CLE, the Bears have gone 1-3 against better teams.

#19  CAROLINA [3-4]: The Panthers have turned it around, going 3-1 after an 0-3 start. 

#20  SAN FRANCISCO [3-4]: The Niners are the opposite. After a 3-1 start, they’re reeling with three straight losses.

#21  MIAMI [3-4]: The Dolphins might ask the NFL to play the Jets more. They’re 2-0 against them, 1-4 otherwise.

#22  JACKSONVILLE [3-4]: Depending on the week, the Jags have surprised and played well, or just not shown up.

#23  BUFFALO [3-5]: T.O. is starting to get frustrated with an offense which can’t score. Anyone need a WR?

LOOKING TOWARD THE 2010 DRAFT:

#24  SEATTLE [2-5]: As in every year, Seattle has been okay at home, and simply non-competitive on the road.

#25  WASHINGTON [2-5]: The Skins have yet to score over 17 points, and wins are by 5 total pts against STL and TB.

#26  OAKLAND [2-6]: Somehow, they the Raiders beat the Eagles, but they’re still bad and the offense is atrocious.

#27  TENNESSEE [1-6]: The Titans get a win, payback for their 20-point loss earlier, in Jacksonville.

#28  KANSAS CITY [1-6]: With Jacksonville and Oakland coming up, the Chiefs have two good chances for a road win.

#29  ST.LOUS [1-7] : It was against the lowly Lions, but it still counts, and the Rams finally get a win.

#30  CLEVELAND [1-7]: The GM fired, fans organizing a protest. Things are just a complete mess in Cleveland now.

#31  DETROIT [1-6]: How bad are the Lions right now? They’re 10-point under dogs going to 2-5 Seattle.

#32  TAMPA BAY [0-7]: The rest of the schedule is fairly tough. The Bucs don’t have a lot of chances left for a ‘W.’

Week 7

THE ELITE

#1  NEW ORLEANS          6-0              –       Week 7: Won at Miami, 46-34

Not even deficits of 24-3 in the first half or 34-24 in the fourth quarter in Miami could lead to a New Orleans loss. The NFL’s best came back to beat the Dolphins with a 22-0 fourth quarter to stay unbeaten. The Saints haven’t scored fewer than 24 point this season and has lit up the scoreboard for at least 45 points in four of their six games.

#2  INDIANAPOLIS           6-0              –       Week 7: Won at St. Louis, 42-6

Peyton Manning was finally “held” under 300 yards for the first time this season, but 235 passing yards was enough for an easy 36-point win in St. Louis. The Colts have allowed 12 or fewer points in four of their six contests.

#3  DENVER                    6-0              –       Week 7: Bye

At 6-0, allowing an NFL-low 66 points on the season, the Broncos enjoyed a well-deserved bye week to ready themselves for a trip to Baltimore, which has been reeling of late, but which will be desperate and dangerous.

#4  PITTSBURGH             5-2              +3      Week 7: Beat Minnesota, 27-17

After a 1-2 start, letting two winnable games get away, the Steelers are back looking like the defending champions they are after four straight wins.

#5  MINNESOTA              6-1              -1       Week 7: Lost at Pittsburgh, 27-17

There were no late heroics this time for the Vikings, who could easily be 4-3, and who finally lost for the first time this season, in Pittsburgh. The big Favre homecoming to Lambeau is up next.

SECOND-TIER CONTENDERS

#6  NEW ENGLAND          5-2              +2      Week 7: Beat Tampa Bay, 35-7 (in London)

After raising some early questions by getting outplayed in a home win over Buffalo and starting a mediocre 3-2, the Patriots and Tom Brady have both answered those questions by beating up on a couple of awful teams (Tennessee and Tampa Bay), first in the snow, and then in London, by a combined score of 94-7 in the past two weeks.

#7  NY GIANTS                5-2              -2       Week 7: Lost to Arizona, 24-17

The Giants went from looking like legitimate Super Bowl contenders during a 5-0 start, to a sloppy, mistake-prone team with several eye-opening flaws in a couple of losses since. That said, beat Philly on the road next, and 6-2 at the halfway point is still on course to achieve what the Giants hope they can this season.

#8  CINCINNATI               5-2              +1      Week 7: Beat Chicago, 45-10

After pulling four wins out of the fire, the Bengals finally has a laugher, and a surprising one at that, as Carson Palmer and the Bengals’ offense were unstoppable in a dismantling of the visiting Bears.

#9  ARIZONA                            4-2              +1      Week 7: Won at NY GIants, 24-17

When most think of the Cardinals, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and a high-powered passing game come to mind first. But, the Cards have actually for the most part, won with a defense which has been the best in the league at stopping the run, while being opportunistic in getting a lot of key takeaways.

#10  ATLANTA                  4-2              -4       Week 7: Lost at Dallas, 37-21

The Falcons looked great at 4-1, crushing the 49ers on the road, and getting a solid home win over he Bears on Sunday Night Football, but a head-scratching 16-point loss to Dallas after leading 7-0 early in the second quarter has Atlanta dropping a few spots this week.

#11  DALLAS                    4-2              +5      Week 7: Beat Atlanta, 37-21

Tony Romo finally found some consistency against the Falcons and he seemed to have found a replacement for the departed T.O. in Monmouth College product Miles Austin, who has receiving games of 250 and 171 yards this season.

#12  GREEN BAY               4-2              +3      Week 7: Won at Cleveland, 31-3

After a loss in the big Favre showdown in Minnesota, the Packers beat up on hapless Detroit and Cleveland by a combined 57-3 to tune up for an even bigger Favre showdown, as the former Packer legend returns this week to the place that started it all.

#13  PHILADELPHIA           4-2              –       Week 7: Won at Washington, 27-17

The Eagles shook off their nightmare embarrassment in Oakland with a win on Monday Night Football in the nation’s capital. With all four wins against bad losing teams (Carolina, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, and Washington), how good the Eagles are, is an uncertainty. The upcoming schedule (hosting the Giants and Cowboys before heading to San Diego and Chicago) should clear up that picture, however. It gets tougher, too. After those four, a break with Washington, but the Eagles finish at Atlanta, at the Giants, and then home for San Francisco and Denver, before closing at Dallas.

MIRED IN MEDIOCRITY

#14  NY JETS                             4-3              +3      Week 7: Won at Oakland, 38-0

The Jets became the first NFL team in over 34 years to rush for consecutive 300-yard games, and they lead the league with 184.9 rushing yards per game. A big rout in Oakland was just what they needed to stop a 3-game losing streak to get back on track for a revenge game at home with Miami.

#15  HOUSTON                 4-3              +3      Week 7: Beat San Francisco, 24-21

Matt Schaub has developed into one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, and he was on fire the past two weeks while leading the Texans to consecutive wins, breaking an alternating loss-win pattern at the start.

#16  BALTIMORE               3-3              -2       Week 7: Bye

The Ravens had the bye week to figure out what went wrong after, like the Jets, a 3-game losing streak followed a great 3-0 start. They will try to get back to their winning ways at home while trying to hand 6-0 Denver it first loss.

#17  SAN FRANCISCO                  3-3              -5       Week 7: Lost at Houston, 24-21

The Niners are another team that started strong but which has faded recently, to fall back to the pack as a .500 team, as they search for some consistency on offense. They’ll see if Alex Smith returning to the starting lineup in Indianapolis will make the difference.

#18  SAN DIEGO                3-3              +2      Week 7: Won at Kansas City, 37-7

The Chargers dominated the Chiefs in KC to get back to .500. Now that they’re there, the schedule gives them plenty of opportunities to challenge Denver for the AFC West title. They have very winnable games left against Oakland, another against Kansas City, Cleveland, Tennessee, and Washington.

#19  CHICAGO                  3-3              -8       Week 7: Lost at Cincinnati, 45-10

The Bears had one of the more surprisingly poor performances of the season last week. Even in their two previous losses, they played Green Bay and Atlanta tough on the road, and all of the Bengals wins were at the wire. Yet, the Bears were thoroughly embarrassed in Cincinnati. The alarming thing for them is that it wasn’t a result of losing the turnover battle 4-0. Their defense, thought to be much stronger, allowed scores on seven straight drives over the first three quarters, five of which were over 60 yards.

#20  JACKSONVILLE          3-3              -1       Week 7: Bye

The Jags haven’t really played like a playoff team, but with Tennessee and Kansas City up next, they can be on pace for 10 wins at the halfway point.

#21  BUFFALO                  3-4              +3      Week 7: Won at Carolina, 20-9

The same Bills team which lost a horrid 6-3 affair at home to Cleveland, to fall to 1-4, saved its season for the time being with road wins at the Meadowlands against the Jets, and in Carolina (despite being outgained by the Panthers by 258 yards). Interesting stat from last week: the Panthers had 20 first downs to the Bills’ 9, but Buffalo flipped those numbers for the only ones that really matter, winning by a score of the same 20-9, thanks largely in part to taking the turnover battle, 4-0.

LOOKING TOWARD THE 2010 DRAFT

#22  MIAMI                       2-4              -1       Week 7: Lost to New Orleans, 46-34

The may be 2-4, but don’t take them lightly when you play them. The Dolphins have looked better than most 2-4 teams would usually. They lost their first three games, but nearly won three straight after that, crushing Buffalo, gutting out a great win late against the Jets, and hanging a three-touchdown lead on the NFL-best Saints before finally succumbing to New Orleans to fall back to two games under .500.

#23  CAROLINA                 2-4              –       Week 7: Lost to Buffalo, 20-9

Jake Delhomme was cruising along last year. Then, he threw a bunch of picks in a divisional playoff game against Arizona, and he hasn’t been able to stop doing that, ever since. After an 0-3 start, the Panthers missed a golden opportunity to get to .500, losing a game at home to the Bills which Carolina statistically dominated. Delhomme has thrown 13 INT’s and just 4 TD’s in 6 games this year.

#24  SEATTLE                            2-4              -2       Week 7: Bye

The Seahawks went 2-0, outscoring St. Louis and Jacksonville by a combined 69-0. In their other four games against stiffer competition, Seattle is 0-4, having been outscored 109-49.

#25  OAKLAND                 2-5              –       Week 7: Lost to NY Jets, 38-0

The Raiders had one of those wins by a bottom-feeder over a playoff contender that makes everyone take notice, playing some good defense in an upset win over the Eagles. So, did they build off of that for an encore? Nope. They did what truly bad teams do. They went right back to their awful selves in a 38-0 embarrassment to the Jets at home.

#26  WASHINGTON            2-5              -1       Week 7: Lost to Philadelphia, 27-17

The Redskins’ only wins are against a pair of 0-7 teams (the Rams and Bucs), and by a combined five points, at that. The defense has been okay, as Washington has allowed no more than 27 points in any game while giving up under 20 in four games this season. However, offensively, they have caused John Riggins to speak out against the leadership and direction of the team online, and have been offensively challenged enough to make the old Fun Bunch and John Theismann cringe, while failing to score more than 17 points in a any contest this year.

#27  KANSAS CITY             1-6              -1       Week 7: Lost to San Diego, 37-7

The Chiefs have shown some respectability in half of their losses, hanging in with Baltimore, taking Dallas to overtime, and dominating Oakland everywhere but on the scoreboard. Still, they’re down here because 1-6 is still 1-6 no matter how you slice it.

#28  CLEVELAND               1-6              –       Week 7: Lost to Green Bay, 31-3

The Browns have also hung in at times against Minnesota and Pittsburgh, and they had Cincinnati beat until they gave that one away. On the flip side, losses to Denver (27-6), Baltimore (34-3), and Green Bay (31-3) have shown the Browns at their futile worst.

#29  DETROIT                            1-5              –       Week 7: Bye

The Lions can’t stop anyone… other than Washington, that is. But, a 19-14 win over the Redskins after the above documentation of Washington’s offensive woes isn’t saying much. Other than that lone victory, the Lions, in their five losses, have allowed 45, 27, 48, 28, and 26.

#30  TENNESSEE               0-6              –       Week 7: Bye

The Titans have just become a sad case as they still seek their first win after a 13-win season last year. Their best week over the past month was last week, during their bye week. That says it all. They’ve been outscored 59-0 in their last game, 90-9 in their past two, and 127-26 over their past three games. They’re only above the Rams and Bucs because at least they did play three close games to start the season. But, it’s all fallen apart since then.

#31  ST.LOUS                            0-7              –       Week 7: Lost to Indianapolis, 42-6

The Rams have lost 17 straight games and now, they head to Detroit, to play the Lions, who are 1-21 in their past 22. And, they black out games in Jacksonville?!?! Detroit viewers might need special glasses or something to keep from going blind, if they stare directly at the screen for that one. The Rams have been outscored by an NFL-worst 211-60. They’ve been shut out twice, and have scored just 7, 10, and 6 in three other losses. But, they stay away from the last spot since they at least took the Redskins and the Jaguars to the wire.

#32  TAMPA BAY               0-7              –       Week 7: Lost to New England, 35-7 (in London)

It’s bad enough that Tampa Bay is winless and just awful, but did the NFL have to make them go all the way to London just to get humiliated by the Patriots? They could have done that on their home field, in Tampa. Other than a couple of close losses (by 3 in Washington and by 7 to Carolina), the Bucs have lost by 13 twice, 24, 19, and 28. At least they can enjoy a week without losing yet again, as they rest up from their London trip with a bye this week.