| Week 7 |
| Rank | Team | LW | Comment |
| 1. | Denver Broncos (6-0) | 1 | An
ugly win over a good team. Lombardi's Packers had plenty of
them. |
| 2. | Minnesota Vikings (5-0) | 2 | Bad
practices during the bye week could have cost them, but
everything went like
clockwork. |
| 3. | Jacksonville Jaguars (6-0) | 3 | Heroic performance vs. the Dolphins, battling back
after top runner and leading wideout went
down. |
| 4. | San Francisco 49ers (4-1) | 5 | Businesslike disposal of the Saints in the Superdome
moves them ahead of idle Green
Bay.
|
| 5. | Green Bay Packers (4-1) | 4 | A
loss Thursday night in Detroit, where they've dropped four
out of the last five, could hurt, but I like the Pack in
this
one. |
| 6. | New England Patriots (4-1) | 7 | Maybe
they should be a notch higher, but I'm not as impressed by
blowouts as I am by come-from-behind wins when things
aren't going your
way. |
| 7. | Miami Dolphins (3-2) | 8 | Too
high, perhaps, for those of you who remember the loss to
Jets, but their performance in Jacksonville Monday night
was strictly big
league. |
| 8. | Dallas Cowboys (4-2) | 12 | Could
have gotten beaten by an inspired, fired-up club, but came
on. Don't forget, though, they're still operating with a
backup
QB.
|
| 9. | Kansas City Chiefs (4-2) | 6 | A
rusty Elvis Grbac returned on a day the wheels came off. It
happens. Things'll get
better. |
| 10. | Atlanta Falcons (4-1) | 16 | I
rubbed my eyes, watching the way they manhandled the
Giants—in New Jersey
yet.
|
| 11. | Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) | 9 | Yes,
I know, the Bengals upset them, so why isn't Cincy higher
than the Steelers? Because Cincy lost to two AFC Central
teams, one of which Pittsburgh beat. Sounds lame, I know,
but at this stage you can only go with
the team you think is functionally
sounder.
|
| 12. | Oakland Raiders (3-2) | 10 | I
like to look at the glass as half full rather than half
empty, and I'm calling it a terrific defensive performance
vs. San
Diego. |
| 13. | Seattle Seahawks (3-3) | 13 | Gave
Denver a spirited battle behind an ailing Warren Moon. You
don't lose ground after a performance like
that.
|
| 14. | Tennessee Oilers (2-3) | 17 | Have
beaten both Cincy and Baltimore in the
division. |
| 15. | Baltimore Ravens (2-3) | 15 | Still
can't figure out the identity of this
team.
|
| 16. | Cincinnati Bengals (2-3) | 20 | Would
love to raise the Bengals higher after that terrific win
over the Steelers, but where do I put them?
|
| 17. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3) | 18 | Yes,
I know, they gained a spot during the bye week, but here's
the way it is: I think they're better than the teams below
them, worse than those
above.
|
| 18. | Arizona Cardinals (3-3) | 23 | Preseason predictions about the emergence of that
defensive line are starting to
materialize.
|
| 19. | New Orleans Saints (3-2) | 14 | Yes,
a sorry performance, but look at what they did vs. New
England, which did you know what to
K.C.
|
| 20. | St. Louis Rams (2-3) | 26 | "Can't complete the short, timed pattern"
was the knock on Tony Banks—before he hit the Jets
with 15 straight
completions.
|
| 21. | Buffalo Bills (2-4) | 22 | Many
years ago Hank Stram built an offense around the moving
pocket. I think he had Doug Flutie in
mind. |
| 22. | New York Jets (2-3) | 11 | Thought I'd never get to them, eh? Here's the thing
with this team: It can get it up within the division, can't
win outside of it. Bet they give New England a good tussle
Monday
night. |
| 23. | New York Giants (2-4) | 19 | It
ain't entirely Danny Kanell, it ain't entirely the running
backs, it's the O-line, which can't stand up to any kind of
decent
pressure.
|
| 24. | Chicago Bears (1-5) | 21 | Thought they'd really have it going, coming off the
Detroit win, then they go and turn the ball over eight
times.
|
| 25. | Detroit Lions (1-4) | 24 | Yes,
I feel they might be a better team than Chicago, but we'll
know more after Thursday night, won't
we? |
| 26. | San Diego Chargers (2-4) | 27 | Can
June Jones turn it around? Sure, in about two years, when
Ryan Leaf is ready to run the team for
real. |
| 27. | Carolina Panthers (0-5) | 30 | I was
impressed by the signs of life vs. Dallas, but look, it's a
hard world and a W just has to show up
sometime. |
| 28. | Indianapolis Colts (1-5) | 25 | Flatly, I don't think the Colts are a better team
than the winless Panthers right
now. |
| 29. | Philadelphia Eagles (1-5) | 29 | Squeaking one out vs. the worst team in football
makes you, all together now—second
worst. |
| 30. | Washington Redskins (0-6) | 28 | The
usual formula, this time vs. the Eagles. Some effort to
begin with, then bad breaks, then el
foldo. |
