NFL Contenders and Pretenders

We are seven weeks into the 2011 season, and while a lot can change in a relatively short time in the National Football League, the picture is coming into focus so far as to which teams have a legitimate shot of making some noise in the playoffs, and which teams have a better shot at making some noise in next April's draft.

In the spirit of separating the wheat from the chaff, here's a look—in no particular order—at all 32 NFL teams, from the top playoff contenders to the lowliest of pretenders.

That's right Miami Dolphins, I'm looking at you.

1. Buffalo Bills

Their surprising 4-2 start aside, the Bills defense is a big concern—and their offense just isn't good enough to cover that up.

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2. Miami Dolphins

The only thing the Miami Dolphins are in contention for is the rights to draft Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, but they're right in the thick of that race.

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3. New England Patriots

The New England Patriots' leaky defense may prove to be their undoing, but they're still the class of the AFC East.

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4. New York Jets

The New York Jets got a big win over the San Diego Chargers Sunday, but unless they get more consistent on offense and do a better job of stopping the run, New York may find itself on the outside looking in.

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5. Baltimore Ravens

Assuming that they beat the Jacksonville Jaguars tomorrow (which is a fairly safe assumption), the Baltimore Ravens may well have positioned themselves as the team to beat in the AFC.

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6. Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati has been one of the more pleasant surprises of the 2011 season, but can a team that really doesn't do anything especially well make noise in January?

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7. Cleveland Browns

The Browns got back to .500 with a win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, but they just lack the talent to be anything more than an average football team.

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8. Pittsburgh Steelers

After a bit of a slow start, the Pittsburgh Steelers appear to have righted the ship and are right back in the thick of the AFC North race.

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9. Houston Texans

After shellacking the Tennessee Titans 41-7 Sunday, the Houston Texans are back in the driver's seat in the AFC South.

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10. Indianapolis Colts

The most depressing thing about the Colts is that they'll probably accidentally win a game or two and miss out on Andrew Luck.

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11. Jacksonville Jaguars

Could someone please explain to me how Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio still has a job? I'm baffled.

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12. Tennessee Titans

Coming off back-to-back butt-kickings, the Tennessee Titans are generating a lot of momentum...in the wrong direction.

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13. Denver Broncos

Unless quarterback Tim Tebow develops superpowers and starts playing both ways, the Denver Broncos aren't sniffing the playoffs.

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14. Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs have now won three in a row after opening the season with three straight losses, but the fact remains that this team just really isn't all that good.

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15. Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders had better hope that Carson Palmer's future is bright, because his present sucked big time.

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16. San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers remain the best team in the AFC West, which should afford head coach Norv Turner another opportunity to choke in the playoffs.

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17. Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys may be the hardest team in the NFL to figure out, but until they lay their next egg, they've gotten themselves back in the NFC East hunt.

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18. New York Giants

The Giants have quite a few issues in their secondary, but as things stand today, they appear to be the best bet to emerge as NFC East champions.

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19. Philadelphia Eagles

Apparently it turns out that the Super Bowl champion is crowned in February and not in August—much to the Philadelphia Eagles' chagrin.

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20. Washington Redskins

When your quarterback controversy involves John Beck and Rex Grossman, that really tells you all you need to know.

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21. Chicago Bears

Not good enough to win their division, not bad enough to get a high draft pick. Ladies and gentlemen, the 2011 kings of mediocrity...the Chicago Bears!

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22. Detroit Lions

Coming off consecutive losses, the Detroit Lions had better pray that quarterback Matthew Stafford's foot injury isn't serious, or their proverbial goose might be cooked.

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23. Green Bay Packers

This just in from the breaking news desk: The defending world champs and lone undefeated team left in the NFL are pretty good.

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24. Minnesota Vikings

Quarterback Christian Ponder's first NFL start gave Minnesota Vikings fans some room for optimism...about next year.

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25. Atlanta Falcons

The NFC's top playoff seed in 2010 has had trouble getting it together so far this season, and that inconsistency may well cost them dearly.

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26. Carolina Panthers

Rookie quarterback Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers sure is fun to watch, but unfortunately, fun don't win football games.

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27. New Orleans Saints

The way the New Orleans Saints dismantled the Indianapolis Colts Sunday night makes their loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the week before all the more puzzling.

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28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Quarterback Josh Freeman's regression and mounting injuries are casting serious doubts over the Buccaneers' chances of making a playoff run.

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29. Arizona Cardinals

If Kevin Kolb is the quarterback of the future for the Arizona Cardinals, then the future ain't looking so hot.

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30. San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers appear to be the only team in the NFC West that has any interest whatsoever in winning football games.

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31. Seattle Seahawks

It's mind-boggling that the Seattle Seahawks actually traded for Charlie Whitehurst...on purpose.

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32. St. Louis Rams

If there's a team in the NFL capable of out-sucking the Miami Dolphins this season, then my money's on the Rams.

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