Things change. In August the hot team was Tampa Bay. Defending champ and all that. In September a new nation emerged, Kansas City. We rubbed our eyes. Minnesota was the darling of October, right up to the final week. Tennessee is now the November blue plate special, although K.C. still holds a place of honor. In December a new horse, probably the team that's injured the least, will pick up ground on the backstretch. And all I can tell you about January is that something strange will happen. It always does, except sometimes when it doesn't.

And then there's February. Ah, February. Which team will wear the crown? My prediction is ... get ready now ... the team that will win it all, the team that will be the king of February, will be ... the AFC in the Pro Bowl. Hey, wait. Don't throw me off the stage. I'm just kidding. The Super Bowl, as you know, will be held on Feb. 1. And I'll throw this one out for public consumption: The team that won the only Super Bowl ever played in February was the New England Patriots. And while you're digesting that tasty appetizer, I'll get on with the bitter main course.

NFL Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 1 Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) Oooh, storm warnings. Dick Vermeil told everyone how great his guys did against the Browns. A nasty, hungry team is waiting in a nasty stadium (This is just a joke, Bengals fans, a play on words. Actually, your stadium reminds me of the Colosseum of Rome) in Cincinnati, and I think it's upset time. Don't feel bad, Chiefs. Everyone has gone through it, except the 1972 Dolphins, and those guys are getting along in years now, with hip replacements and stuff like that. 2 3 Tennessee Titans (7-2) The only area in which they're not impressive is the one that used to be their trademark, the running game. They've been grooming Robert Holcombe to take some of the load off Eddie George, but Holcombe's an average back, at best. Rookie Chris Brown looked impressive in mop-up duties against the Dolphins, but that's an artificial situation. I just have the feeling that if the Titans get involved in a contest in which they have to win the game on the ground, they'll come up short. 3 5 Carolina Panthers (7-2) This week I had to do a prediction piece for Sports Illustrated on how the postseason would play out. I predicted a St. Louis-K.C. Super Bowl. Then I saw the way the Ravens took that Rams offense apart, and I did a switch and picked the Panthers. Jake Delhomme passed a milestone (passed a kidney stone?) against the Bucs. He won the game with his arm against a serious defense. Was this a mere aberration, or something a bit more permanent? I lean toward the latter. 4 4 New England Patriots (7-2) Look, all you e-mailers from Malden and Roxbury and Jamaica Plain -- no more nasty letters about how the Pats beat the Titans and why they should climb out of their bye week into the No. 2 spot. Just keep winning instead of whining and things will work out. (Seems like I've heard that before). 5 2 Indianapolis Colts (7-2) Just received this notice from the Department of Goofy Stats, Motivational Division: The Jaguars, by beating Indianapolis, prevented the Colts from accomplishing a feat that's never been done, beating all three Florida teams on the road. I can hear Jack Del Rio's pregame speech now: "Guys, the Dolphins are counting on you, the Bucs are counting on you." Time to get serious. When Marvin Harrison went down with a strained hamstring, the offense turned into Screen Central. According to our Jacksonville correspondent's actual count, Peyton Manning threw 12 of those little screen passes. He can probably get by without Harrison against the Jets, but the week after, in Buffalo, it'll be another story. 6 9 Dallas Cowboys (7-2) I'm going to say an arrogant, overbearing thing that'll send the e-mailers scurrying to their hell machines: If you're a real football fan, you had to like the Buffalo-Dallas game. A heavyweight slugfest, nothing coming cheaply, every inch dearly won. The best thing about the Cowboys defense is the way the backs can lock onto the hot receivers to cover for the blitz. The second best thing is MLB Dat Nguyen, who is getting a serious look from old Z for his all-pro team. 7 15 Philadelphia Eagles (6-3) I'm not interested in hearing about which part of the team is strong, which part is weak. What the Eagles showed me Monday night is that they know how to win. Some teams with fancier personnel still have to learn that. 8 10 St. Louis Rams (6-3) Well, the Ravens handed them the game, but if you're a Ram fan you had to like the way their defense, which was very thin along the line, hung in and fought the fatigue after being on the field for 45 snaps in the first half. Tyoka Jackson got the start for injured DLE Leonard Little, and he was terrific. Jackson has been good every time I've seen him. Too bad he can't crack the regular lineup, but I guess it's a real luxury, being able to bring in a guy like this as a situation pass rusher. 9 7 Seattle Seahawks (6-3) The formula isn't hard to figure out. They win 'em all at home, lose to every halfway decent opponent on the road. They'd better hope 9-7 will get them into the playoffs, because they have roadies coming up against the Ravens, Vikings, Rams and Niners. 10 6 Minnesota Vikings (6-3) I'm surprised that USA Today or another one of those Goofy Stat collectors hasn't come up with the record for most consecutive games allowing 450 yards or more (three in a row for the Vikes ... 450, 451, 458), while still maintaining an overall winning record. And if this one doesn't fly, then there are all sorts of variations available off this theme. 11 8 Miami Dolphins (5-4) If Nguyen isn't my all-pro MLB, then it'll probably be Zach Thomas. Did you see what the Miami defense looked like without him in the middle? Did you see how helpless the Dolphins were when they tried to go with six DBs, which became an even worse seven-back set? They went with the seven backs because the 4-1-6 wouldn't work without Thomas as its lone linebacker. This concept is known, among professors in the ethics department, as assumed excellence through negative availability. 12 12 Baltimore Ravens (5-4) Ray Lewis was miked up for the Rams game, and usually I don't pay much attention to this gimmick, but he said something very poignant and meaningful during the course of the evening. This was addressed to the Ravens' offense. "Just don't give 'em a score," he pleaded. They didn't listen to him. It's sad. Why can't the organization put the components of a passing game on the field? I'm talking about quarterback and wideouts, all of which are missing in Baltimore. 13 11 Green Bay Packers (4-5) The wet ball flew out of Brett Favre's hand (the one with the broken thumb) three times, the last one drawing the curtain on the Monday nighter against Philly. I harken back to a quote of his that the networks used not once but twice Monday, in their usual run of Favre features. "It's mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." It's catchy. I like it. I don't understand it. Explanatory e-mails are welcome. Jimmy, let the best three of them through. 14 14 Denver Broncos (5-4) Is Jake back yet? Not today, but maybe on Sunday? Fine, then I'll keep the Broncs treading water after their bye. 15 13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5) If I were running this country, I would put out the following memo: "The Justice Department will prosecute any newspaper that refers to the phrases 'swagger' or 'trash talk' or 'overconfidence' in reference to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This also refers to TV and radio networks and affiliates, as well as wall posters, leaflets, fliers and floppers. It will also take a hard look at any such conversation overheard." 16 16 San Francisco 49ers (4-5) Nothing to say, On bye week, no play, The Steelers, this day, And then it's Green Bay. (Just lost a wager. The Flaming Redhead bet me I wouldn't have the nerve to work "gay" into my rhyme scheme). 17 21 Cincinnati Bengals (4-5) This is my hot team, the club I've designated as the one that will record the weekend's most shocking upset when it upends Kansas City. Don't be surprised that the Bengals like to run so much. Marvin Lewis is a defensive coach, and those people always favor a ground game, whether it's Corey Dillon or Rudi Johnson or Rudy Giuliani carrying the ball. From that nasty part of my brain comes the little voice: Well, Dick LeBeau was a defensive coach, too, and he never ran anyone the way Lewis ran Johnson last week. That's the good thing about arguments with yourself. You always break even. 18 18 Buffalo Bills (4-5) Loved their defense last Sunday, especially the play of left corner Antoine Winfield. What I didn't love was the way Drew Bledsoe failed to protect the ball, even with no one actually slamming it out of there. Bore an eerie resemblance to some of Kurt Warner's fumbles in Week 1. 19 19 New Orleans Saints (4-5) The final bye team, and yes, all four have held their spots from last week, which might be a record, and at this point I say let's move on to a team that's really interesting, and that would be the ... 20 17 New York Giants (4-5) n my long career as a beat man I never wrote a "fire the coach" piece -- or even a speculative one on when he'd be canned -- while the season was going on. After the season ... well, OK, kind of, although I never got on the soap box and said "this guy absolutely has to go." My feeling is, the poor devils have a hard enough job. They work impossible hours. Let 'em alone, for God's sake. But yet, one local paper on Tuesday carried no less than three major pieces on Jim Fassel's future with the club. I know all the writers. One or two are pretty good friends. But I'll say this to my fellow journalists: How would you like it if every time you blow a deadline or miss an angle, there are people standing behind you taking a pro or con on your future? The season has seven games to run. Take a position on the man, if you must, and then get off it. Leave him alone while his guys are still playing. And now the prosecution may proceed with its argument. 21 25 Washington Redskins (4-5) Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, flushed with success, is now calling the plays. And what happens if this rosy glow darkens, and next week the offense gets stuffed? Will the fans be screaming for Jackson's head? One of the great difficulties in life, I find, is to organize your priorities on just whom to get mad at. 22 23 Pittsburgh Steelers (3-6) Joey Porter, after the Cardinals victory: "You hear the locker room? It's buzzing right now. Everyone's not quiet. This is a locker room I'm used to." I've got another explanation. Flies. 23 20 Houston Texans (3-6) Last year at this stage they ranked 11th in the NFL in defense. Fine, that part's OK, so this season we'll concentrate on the attack. And now the defense has slipped to 31st, and it has allowed 500 yards more than it did after nine games in 2002. We're collecting explanation forms at that desk over there. Players have been hurt. Better caliber of opposition. Well, those are a start. 24 22 Cleveland Browns (3-6) I hear a feeble murmuring ... they killed the Steelers, but Pittsburgh's rated higher. It's feeble because true Browns fans are so upset by three straight losses that they can't worry about minor issues such as the Z Rankings. 25 32 San Diego Chargers (2-7) Leave it to a fellow Columbia guy to come up with the right answer. Defensive end Marcellus Wiley said Doug Flutie, not Drew Brees, should be running the show. "Hey you," he was told, "shaddup and siddown!" And now look what happened. Boy, am I glad that Chargers-Vikings was one of the games I taped. I'm going to enjoy watching it at my leisure. 26 24 Arizona Cardinals (3-6) They're on the road again, then they come home to meet the Rams. They don't even have the stove advantage anymore, since the desert has cooled off to the 90s ... yeah, OK, Linda, I won't make it any worse than it is ... to the 70s. Well, what the heck. Phoenix just landed the Super Bowl for 2008, edging out Washington, New Jersey and Wilmington, Del. Big news, Cardinals fans, even though you'll never see your team in it as long as Bidwill & Co. is steering the ship. 27 27 Detroit Lions (3-6) A Detroit writer called me to ask what I thought of Joey Harrington against the Bears. I didn't have the heart to tell him that it wasn't one of the games on my tape menu last weekend. Or my dinner menu, either. In general, I see a headstrong kid who will throw the pick every so often but isn't a goody-goody, take-your-five-yard-gain-and-be-happy kind of guy, either. 28 28 New York Jets (3-6) My late game, Buffalo-Dallas, finished in time for me to catch the end of Jets-Raiders. I saw them lining up for the field goal. I saw the kicker, Doug Brien, crank himself up, doing his routine. I expected to see a frog come hopping out onto the field. Or the stadium lights explode. Or a streaker, or a stalker. Anything that would put a further hex on this snake-bitten team. But no, straight through the uprights went Brien's kick, and it was high fives all around, they had beaten one of the few NFL teams worse than they are. Here in New York we are thankful for small things. Such as kickers. 29 30 Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7) Payback is a lost art in the NFL. In the old days a player would get even with someone who did him dirty, but now everyone's making too much money for such trivia. Thus it was a rare and heartwarming sight to see Fred Taylor get even with a Colts' guy who had taunted him, SS Reggie Doss, by running over him on the way to a TD. Next Sunday many sermons will be devoted to the topic of how you can get even in a clean and manly way, without resorting to the sneaky, awful things your faithful narrator used to be guilty of. 30 31 Atlanta Falcons (2-7) On the heels of four Giant turnovers (actually, let's lower-case that ... four giant turnovers) comes Dan Reeves' 200th victory. If I were Dan, I'd have Tiki Barber and Kerry Collins sign the ball, which will find its way to his trophy case. 31 26 Chicago Bears (3-6) Teams with worse records are ranked higher, a team with a worse record is ranked lower. The great melting pot of the Bowery soup kitchens down here. 32 29 Oakland Raiders (2-7) Last year it was all pass and no run. Last week it was all run and no pass. This is called balancing your offense.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Paul Zimmerman covers the NFL for the magazine and SI.com. Click here to send Dr. Z a question.