Team who gained the most spots: Cincinnati Bengals—jumped from 21 to 12.

Team who lost the most spots: Pittsburgh Steelers—fell from 6 to 17.

Team who I have yet to figure out: The Arizona Cardinals—lost two home games and looked bad; went to the East Coast at a functional 10 o'clock in the morning start and looked great.

Game I can’t wait for next week: Green Bay-Minnesota. Need I say more? I’m always up for a little Brett Favre revenge, as in Green Bay getting revenge.

 

1. (1) New York Giants

Giants take it to the lowly Buccaneers. Defense held the Bucs to five first downs and only 86 total yards. Won’t get another true test for their defense until week six against the Saints. 226 rushing yards will help out Eli Manning as well.

 

2. (2) New York Jets

Jets played a tough game against a feisty, desperate Titans team. Despite a second quarter where they only gained three total yards, defense played well enough to keep them in it. Held Kerry Collins to 15-of-37 passing. Mark Sanchez continues to shine.

 

3. (8) Baltimore Ravens

Beat down a Browns team who has no identity or continuity. It didn’t matter who played QB; they intercepted both of them. Holding the Browns to 186 yards a game, but next week should show people who they really are, traveling to the Patriots, who looked good.

 

4. (3) Minnesota Vikings

A good win for the Vikings and their worries about Brett Favre. Throwing 46 times and only rushing Adrian Peterson 19 times is concerning. Sticking to their game plan would have helped a lot in this game. Defense held the 49ers in check. No Frank Gore did help.

 

5. (7) Indianapolis Colts

Colts took it to the Cardinals, racking up 505 yards of offense and forcing two red zone turnovers. Peyton Manning was near perfect, and both Joseph Addai and Donald Brown looked solid. Look to do more of the same against the Seahawks.

 

6. (9) New England Patriots

Back to the Patriots of old it appears, racking up 445 yards of offense and shutting down a solid Falcon team. Tom Brady looked back on track, and this is the exact momentum they needed going into the Ravens game. Wes Welker needs to come back, and Randy Moss looked excellent.

 

7. (5) New Orleans Saints

Despite the score, didn’t pummel the Bills. Drew Brees had a modest 172 yards, but Pierre Thomas had 126 on the ground. Reggie Bush also chimed in with 60. If the running game gets going, they won't be stopped.

 

8. (4) Atlanta Falcons

Falcons looked like they could do nothing against the Patriots. There seems to be a theme: Shut down Tony Gonzalez, and you shut down the Falcons offense. Because the game got away from them in the second half, Michael Turner only got 15 carries. Need to give him the ball more in the future, however. 49ers, Bears, and Cowboys should tell us whether this team was a fluke or not.

 

9. (10) Philadelphia Eagles

Good news: Kevin Kolb looked good, but it was, of course, the Chiefs. Donovan McNabb should be back after the bye week, and we will see if they can live up to expectations. Also, we will see how they work Michael Vick into the contest.

 

10. (11) Chicago Bears

It's all okay in Chicago after Jay Cutler again makes magic with a 38-yard TD pass to Devin Hester to win the game. The defense did what it had to do to win the game. After the Lions next week, the game against the Falcons should be a classic.

 

11. (12) San Diego Chargers

Not a convincing win against Miami, but still better than how they usually start. Philip Rivers made some amazing throws. However, better red zone scoring is needed. Need to average more than 2.5 yards a carry if they want to go to a Super Bowl.

 

12. (21) Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals never cease to amaze me. After what seemed to be a season filled with turmoil and bad luck, they have turned it around in their favor. Carson Palmer looks to be back in form, the defense is doing enough, and Cedric Benson seems to have revitalized his career. Browns and Ravens up next means they could make some nice headway in the AFC North.

 

13. (13) San Francisco 49ers

A tough loss for the Niners, but the biggest lost might have been Frank Gore. Backup Glen Coffee only averaged 2.2 yards per carry, although the Vikings have a good rush defense. Good signs from Vernon Davis, but you have to be worried about Shaun Hill trying to win you games.

 

14. (14) Dallas Cowboys

Struggled mightily against the Panthers until Jake Delhomme realized he was Jake Delhomme. Play calling was horrendous as multiple goal line situations were blown. Felix Jones looked excellent until he got hurt.

 

15. (23) Denver Broncos

The Broncos dominated the Raiders in every aspect of the game. Only 137 total yards, 42 of those passing. Kyle Orton didn’t make any mistakes against a solid defense. Clearly the most surprising 3-0 team, but with the Cowboys, Patriots, and Chargers next, this could change quickly.

 

16. (19) Green Bay Packers

Packers dominate a lesser opponent, which is exactly what you need after a loss like that to the Bengals. Aaron Rodgers only had to endure two sacks this weekend. Big game next week against Brett Favre and company.

 

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