1. Houston Texans (9-1) | 1 | Ecstatic game against Jaguars is behind them
2. Atlanta Falcons (9-1) | 2 | Winning close is still winning
3. Green Bay Packers (7-3) | 4 | Five games and counting – and getting better and better
4. Baltimore Ravens (8-2) | 5 | Creating separation in NFC North
5. New England Patriots (7-3) | 6 | And suddenly, they look like contenders again
6. San Francisco 49ers (7-2-1) | 10 | Wow
7. Chicago Bears (7-3) | 3 | Loss of Cutler hurting postseason standing
8. Denver Broncos (7-3) | 7 | Rounding out a pretty Great Eight
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4) | 8 | Season could turn versus Baltimore in two weeks
10. New York Giants (6-4) | 9 | Season suddenly in jeopardy
11. Seattle Seahawks (6-4) | 12 | Will be tough to knock out of playoff chase
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-4) | 14 | NFL’s most improved team
13. New Orleans Saints (5-5) | 15 | Path to playoffs still tough
14. Indianapolis Colts (6-4) | 11 | A lot of teams aren’t good enough to stay with New England
15. Minnesota Vikings (6-4) | 13 | May end up needing help to get into postseason
16. Dallas Cowboys (4-5) | 17 | A lot of drama still waiting in this season
17. Cincinnati Bengals (5-5) | 21 | It ain’t pretty but they’re staying alive
18. Detroit Lions (4-6) | 16 | May be too late to save season
19. Miami Dolphins (4-6) | 18 | Still a ways away
20. San Diego Chargers (4-6) | 19 | This may be it for Norv
21. Washington Redskins (4-6) | 23 | So inconsistent, yet so tantalizing
22. Tennessee Titans (4-6) | 22 | Got a week off before heading to EverBank
23. Buffalo Bills (4-6) | 24 | They’re not awful – just not very good
24. Arizona Cardinals (4-6) | 20 | Six consecutive losses... and counting
25. New York Jets (4-6) | 27 | Stormed past Rams in rankings with big victory Sunday
26. St. Louis Rams (3-5-1) | 25 | Up again and down again – sign of a young team
27. Philadelphia Eagles (3-7) | 26 | Way beyond repair
28. Oakland Raiders (3-7) | 28 | Defense stuck in reverse
29. Cleveland Browns (2-8) | 29 | Fighting, scraping – but to no avail
30. Carolina Panthers (2-8) | 30 | Things are getting snippy in Charlotte
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-9) | 31 | Put some distance between themselves and No. 32
32. Kansas City Chiefs (1-9) | 32 | Still need to be here
