NFL Power Rankings, Week Six

That loss says as much about how the Saints are playing right now as some announcement that the Cardinals have magically turned it around.  The Giants are the risers this week, as they have had two impressive performances in shutting down/knocking out Jay Cutler and Matt Schaub.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1).  Big Ben is back, and Colt McCoy is, um, in trouble.
2. Baltimore Ravens (4-1).  If Flacco were as good as John Clayton thinks, this team would be #1.
3. New York Jets (4-1).  These are not the clock management rankings, in case you were wondering.
4. Atlanta Falcons (4-1).  Atlanta gets the 4th spot by default, but the underlying numbers don’t look as good.
5. New England Patriots (3-1).  These are not the quarterback hair ratings.
6. Indianapolis Colts (3-2).  The team that just keeps on going, and the Giants win looks a lot better now.
7. Tennessee Titans (3-2).  Road wins at NYG and DAL, and a loss against Pittsburgh have them here.
8. New York Giants (3-2).  Glad I didn’t listen to TBL’s fantasy advice about Nicks when I reached for him in the fourth round this year.
9. Chicago Bears (4-1).  Should have just played without a QB last week.
10. Kansas City Chiefs (3-1).  Defense showed well in the first loss; Cassel and Bowe did not.
11. Washington Redskins (3-2).  McNabb to Moss have been rolling, and Laron Landry playing well.
12. Green Bay Packers (3-2).  Rodgers may miss next game with concussion and Finley out.  Greg Jennings to be featured on milk carton.
13. Philadelphia Eagles (3-2).  Kolb plays better at San Fran, and now the Falcons come to town.
14. San Diego Chargers (2-3).  This team will be working hard on new ways to lose at practice, because they haven’t found them all just yet.
15. New Orleans Saints (3-2).  This is generous considering they barely beat three teams with combined 1-13 record, and just lost to the team that had the worst point differential in the league.
16. Houston Texans (3-2).  Pass defense is brutal, and offense is struggling with Brown out and Andre Johnson playing on bad ankle.
17. Denver Broncos (2-3).  This team can pass the ball, which covers their many other flaws, so they will end up with about 7 to 8 wins.
18. Dallas Cowboys (1-3).  Dallas is working hard on new ways to outdo the Chargers in coming up with inventive ways to lose.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1).  Raheem Morris should send Carson Palmer a fine gift basket of meats and cheeses.
20. Miami Dolphins (2-2).  Brandon Marshall was on the CBS pre game.  Sadly, he was just as good as the regulars.
21. Cincinnati Bengals (2-3).  Carson Palmer = Bert Jones?
22. Cleveland Browns (1-4).  This team might have won another close one if Delhomme hadn’t had to replace Wallace.
23. Minnesota Vikings (1-3).  This team is about a week away from an implosion.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-2).  Garrard has been very good in wins and bad in losses.
25. Detroit Lions (1-4).  A smack down, now let’s see if they can maintain it.
26. Oakland Raiders (2-3).  Zach Miller emerging as a top tight end.
27. Seattle Seahawks (2-2).  Guilt by association, and by how they have played on the road.
28. Arizona Cardinals (3-2).  Max Hall is an exciteable little guy.  Forget Kurt Warner, he is the next Gramatica brother.
29. Saint Louis Rams (2-3).  So much for any good will after two straight wins, and now Mark Clayton is out for the year.
30. San Francisco 49ers (0-5).  Hot Mess.  Someone tell the owner to shut his mouth, too.
31. Buffalo Bills (0-5).  Remember when I said Bills had good pass defense?  You don’t.  Good.  Never mind then.
32. Carolina Panthers (0-5).  When you lose a game, comfortably, where the opposing QB is cut at half time but sticks around because everyone forgets to tell him, yeah, you really suck.