At last, both these teams are coming back to earth after dominating their respective leagues the past few seasons. Now, there is a chance neither will even make the playoffs.....
1. Indianapolis 7-0
Indianapolis finally plays a real team for once in week 9, as the Colts are headed to New England. Although the 2005 version is a shell of the three-time Super Bowl champs, New England will be Indy's first test of the season. With that said, Indy has been the most complete team in the NFL so far, running the ball and controlling the clock. Indy's defense may be overrated, but as long as the offense continues to be as productive as it is, the defense will not have to spend too much time on the field and continue to put up some of the best numbers in the league.
2. Pittsburgh 5-2
The Steelers didn't bring their A game against the Ravens, but they did just enough to win. Baltimore still has one of the better defenses in the league, so we shouldn't read into too much. However, I certainly didn't expect Pittsburgh to have to kick a field goal in the last 2 minutes to beat a Raven team missing Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.
Nonetheless, Pittsburgh can run the ball as well as anyone in the NFL, and with Ben Roethlisburger making all the passes he needs too, this year's team is as good as last year's 15-1 team. However, with Roethlisburger out for 1, maybe 2 weeks (possibly more), we'll see if the defense and the run game can carry the load.
3. Denver 6-2
Well the Broncos certainly made quite the statement against the Eagles. It's not often a team almost completely blows a 28-point lead, then comes back and wins by 28 points after all. Denver moved the ball at will against a Philadelphia defense ((that shut down the potent Chargers) that was supposed to be one of the best in the league. The Eagles saw firsthand the importance of having a balanced offense, as Jake Plummer and co. illustrated time and time again with the play-action pass. Denver's defense had a great scheme to shut down the Eagles which worked for the whole game, except for 3 series'.
4. Seattle 5-2
Seattle is well-rested after eking out a much-needed victory against Dallas, 13-10, in week 7. The passing game hasn't missed a beat with the Seahawks' top two receivers out the past 4 weeks, and with Bobby Engram back in the lineup in week 9, the offense will be ever more improved. Shaun Alexander is often regarded as a "soft" running back by the experts, and his 72 yard rushing output against Dallas may be a testament to that. He also was shut down this season by Jacksonville (73 yards. With that said, Matt Hasselback has made enough plays to compensate for when the running game is not working, and the defense has risen to the occasion when needed (see Dallas, week 7).
5. Atlanta 5-2
Atlanta's defense is not as good as last year, but can anyone stop Michael Vick and Warrick Dunn? The Jets sure couldn't in week 7 on Monday night. In Week 8 the Falcons had a chance to rest up and decide if they were actually going to attempt any passes the rest of the season, because I sure don't see the point. Vick's passing appears to have regressed this season, but it doesn't matter because has rushed for 302 yards on 49 carries (6.2 ypc). Vick is unstoppable around the goal-line, which is one of the main reasons why Atlanta is in the top 5. Often teams get bogged down in the redzone and have to settle for field goals, but not the Falcons. A Vick play-action fake to Dunn will beat every team. Now, if the defense can get its act together, this team may move up even more.
6. Dallas 5-3
Drew Bledsoe is the number one rated quarterback in the NFL right now and the line is opening up holes for whoever is running the ball. At first I didn't think this would last, but the Cowboys look like they are for real. The defense is much-improved from last season, and the name of the game in the NFL is balance, and the Cowboys have shown they can run the ball to control the clock and put points on the board with the passing game. I'll let the losses to Oakland and Washington slide for now. Dominating wins over New York (I know it went into overtime, but they really did dominate) and Philadelphia more than make up for it.
7. New York Giants 5-2
Who will make it the Super Bowl first? Eli or Peyton? How about who will overreact more to the early success of Eli Manning? Ok, so Eli has looked pretty good so far, especially in the comeback win against the Broncos. But what about that game against San Diego? Everyone was talking about how well he played, but they got blown out of the water. If I'm not mistaken, playing well means more than just picking up garbage touchdowns. And the last time I checked he didn't have a great statistical game in the 26-0 blowout win over Washington in week 8. The real story with this team is the running of Tiki Barber, who is averaging 5.3 ypc. The run defense has also been solid, but the Giants aren't going anywhere allowing 266 yards passing per game.
8. Cincinnati 6-2
Cincinnati should have totally destroyed the Packers. 5 interceptions against Brett Favre and somehow the Packers still had a chance to win at the end, yet the Bengals let them hang around. A win is a win, but Cincy showed me a lot in winning in such an unimpressive way. Yeh they have 20 interceptions on the season, but the offense doesn't appear to be as smooth as it was in the earlygoing, and the Packers aren't exactly a great defensive team. Cincy is struggling to run the ball (and stop the run) and Chad Johnson is not having the impact he should. Cincy has beaten only one team with a winning record (Chicago, 4-3), but Chicago hasn't beaten any good teams, so we can throw that one out). The only thign is Cincinnati has such an easy schedule they could easily finish 11-5. A week 10 showdown awaits with Indianapolis. This game will be a great measuring stick for both teams. Can Cincy stop Edgerrin James? Will Carson Palmer be able to avoid Indy's vaunted pass rush? We'll see.
9. San Diego 4-4
San Diego has lost to Pittsburgh (2) and Denver (3) on last second field goals, and had winnable games against Dallas (6) and Philly. I don't know that we can say San Diego is one of the best teams in the league right now just because they should be 8-0, the fact is they aren't. Somehow they lost four times, and that's what matters. The defense hasn't gotten stops when it needed and the offense has gotten conservative at times when being aggressive could have won the game. Nonetheless, Drew Brees is having another great season and Antonio Gates might have better numbers this year than last year, even playing one less game. The run defense is still playing well, but the secondary is a disaster.
10. New England 4-3
This team is a total mystery to me. They were dominated by Buffalo on Sunday night in week 8, but still found a way to win. I really don't know what to think about this team. They are relying a little much on the pass this year, which is typically not a good thing. The defense is not stopping people the way it has the last few years, and even with Teddy Bear Bruschi back in the lineup, they are still in trouble. Tom Brady will continue to make plays to win games, however, but without a more balanced offense and a stronger defense, the Patriots may not even be able to squeak into the playoffs.
