NFL Awesome Rankings 5

Man the NFL is fun. The Jets, a top three team throughout the rankings put up a big fat ZERO against Green Bay, while two NFC teams beat two of the best AFC teams. You never know what is going to happen. After last night’s game, the Peyton Manning’s (Colts) are rising up quickly. Here are the rankings this week:

1. New England Patriots (6-1): Honestly, I am not sure if I would favor them against teams like Baltimore or Pittsburgh right now, but the record says it all. Tom Brady continues to impress with lesser known weapons like Danny Woodhead. The defense is playing well, being lead by young playmakers. The win against the Vikings last week was a big one, considering Minnesota’s need for a win.

2. Baltimore Ravens (5-2): A bye week helps this team out. You can get guys healthy and hope that some other top teams lose, kind of like last week. The Ravens are tough and will have to show how good they are with games against Miami and Atlanta in the next two weeks.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2): Even though they lost this past week, the Steelers are still a top three team. The Saints were DESPERATE for a win at home on Sunday night, and the Steelers just had no answer. This week the Steelers take on division rival Cincinnati, which should help get another one in the win column.

4. New York Jets (5-2): While their loss to Green Bay was awful, the Jets are still a good team. Mark Sanchez was not helped out by all of the dropped passes, and the defense did play well. Sanchez will bounce back with games against Detroit and Cleveland in the next two weeks. While both of those teams have been playing good football, the Jets should be favored in each game.

5. Indianapolis Colts (5-2): Peyton Manning is Peyton Manning. Even though he had Reggie Wayne to throw to, the Colts were without big time weapons Austin Collie, Dallas Clark and Joseph Addai, but they were still good enough to beat last week’s No. 9 team, the Houston Texans. It was a huge win for Indy. This weekend's game against Philly is another big one. Andy Reid is great after bye weeks, but he will have his hands full with the Colts coming to town.

6. New York Giants (5-2): Hey, they dropped three spots. I know they didn’t lose, but if you aren’t playing, I will probably forget about you. This week the Giants take on the up and down Seattle Seahawks. Eli Manning will try and continue his hot play while the Giants D looks to tee off on a questionable Seahawk offense.

7. Atlanta Falcons (5-2): Another team coming off a bye, but they only move down one spot. Not fair? Perhaps. The Falcons come back this weekend with a game against the surprising Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While the Bucs are 5-2, they have not really won against good competition. In their games against Top 10 Awesome Rankings teams (Saints, Steelers) they have not looked good at all. Atlanta will try and show why they are one of the top teams in the NFC.

8. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2): While they made an appearance on the first Power Rankings, the Chiefs have been absent until now. While their win over the winless Bills wasn’t much, they continued to show an ability to win close games. This is a fun team to watch, especially speedster Jamaal Charles.

9. Green Bay Packers (5-3): Coming off an “impressive” win over the No. 4 ranked Jets, the Pack look to head in the right direction. Their division is still winnable, and teams are not stepping up to take command. Aaron Rodgers needs to play smarter and more consistent, but this defense is able to pick up the slack.

10. Oakland Raiders (4-4): WHOOA, WHAT? Yeah, I did it. The Raiders are THE hottest team in the league right now. The No. 8 ranked offense and the No. 9 ranked defense have kept the Raiders in the AFC West hunt. A convincing win over Seattle last week was big.

Just Missed the Cut: New Orleans Saints; Miami Dolphins; Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Philadelphia Eagles