Rank. Team (rec) | Comment
- New York Giants (9-7) | Defending champs start No. 1 in these rankings
- New England Patriots (13-3) | Super Bowl runners-up start No. 2, too
- Green Bay Packers (15-1) | Will be at or near top all season
- Baltimore Ravens (12-4) | Gut feeling: they're at the top spot before long
- New Orleans Saints (13-3) | An awful lot to overcome, but they're Top 5
- Houston Texans (10-6) | A chance to be really good; team to beat in AFC South early
- San Francisco (13-3) | In for a fall?
- Detroit Lions (10-6) | Can they maintain what they began last year?
- Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) | Different team than last year; must prove themselves
- Chicago Bears (8-8) | Better than many believe; all depends on Cutler
- Atlanta Falcons (10-6) | Three straight playoff appearances; they want more
- Philadelphia Eagles (8-8) | Around here, we'll wait and see
- Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) | Waiting to see how Andy Dalton fares Year 2
- Denver Broncos (8-8) | Manning>Tebow, but what will than mean for record?
- Tennessee Titans (9-7) | Tough to prognosticate, so put 'em in middle
- San Diego Chargers (8-8) | We'll see if window is closing
- Oakland Raiders (8-8) | This ranking could improve in a hurry
- Dallas Cowboys (8-8) | A lot to prove in Big D . . . again
- Seattle Seahawks (7-9) | Will Pete Carroll's gutsy quarterback call pay dividends?
- New York Jets (8-8) | This ranking could drop in a hurry
- Kansas City Chiefs (7-9) | Tougher division gives them tall task
- Carolina Panthers (6-10) | Could be better; gotta prove it first
- Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11) | Better than the analysts believe – but how much?
- Washington Redskins (5-11) | Critical year for Shanahan?
- Arizona Cardinals (8-8) | Another candidate for a big slide
- Buffalo Bills (6-10) | As good as they were early last season? Or as bad as they were late?
- Minnesota Vikings (3-13) | It's Christian Ponder time in Minneapolis
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12) | Is offseason enough to clean up last year's mess?
- Cleveland Browns (4-12) | A long climb in brutally tough division
- Indianapolis Colts (2-14) | Offensive line could negate their Luck
- Miami Dolphins (6-10) | Hard to pick them much higher than this
- St. Louis Rams (2-14) | Finished here last year; will start here again
