Best of the best
With the season now officially half over for the NFL's lone undefeated team, is it time to begin wondering if they can run the table? Probably not, but the top two teams remain steadfast in while change beneath them seems constant. Still in the top spot are...
The Tennessee Titans (Last week: No. 1)
The Titans game plan is simple - they are going to run the ball and they dare anyone to stop them. So far, not many have been able to and those who have haven't been able to do anything against that defense of theirs. They got a bit of a scare from the Packers, who are still a decent team in their own right, but the ability to pull out the tough wins is even more valuable than the blowouts. With a Rex-Grossman led Bears offense next on the schedule, it might not matter too much if the Chicago defense slows the Titans running game. 9-0 is a very real possibility.
New York Giants (Last week: No. 2)
Regardless of how desperate a situation the Cowboys are in right now, winning an NFC East game by three touchdowns just goes to show how dangerous the Giants are. Since losing to Cleveland - a game in which Eli Manning threw three interceptions - the Giants have outscored their opponents, 85-45, and Eli Manning has tossed five touchdowns while only getting picked off once. But more impressive is the way the Giants are running the football. All three running backs are averaging over five yards per carry.
Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: No. 3)
Even without Ben Roethlisberger for half the game, the Steelers made short work of the Washington Redskins. It now appears that Big Ben avoided a serious injury, which is a good thing, considering their next two games come against teams desperate for wins to stay in playoff contention (Indianapolis and San Diego). Willie Parker wasn't incredibly impressive, but that he got 22 carries to a combined five by Mewelde Moore and Najeh Davenport, it's clear that the team views him as 100-percent.
Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: No. 5)
Sure, the Eagles' last three games have come against defenses that are lacking in several areas, but they are rolling to a tune of an average of almost 29 points per game in those contests. That's a good thing, because they'll need everyone to perform in Week 10 when they take on the Giants.
Carolina Panthers (Last week: NR)
Coming off the bye, the Panthers must be salivating at the sight of their upcoming schedule, which consists of Oakland, Detroit and Atlanta over its next three games. Carolina runs the ball more times per game than 78 percent of the league and their next three opponents are 30th, 31st and 22nd in the league against the run, respectively.
Worst of the worst
San Francisco 49ers (Last week: No. 4 worst)
The timing for the QB switch to Shaun Hill couldn't have been better. Now he's had two weeks to get acclimated with the Niners' lack of pass catchers.
Seattle Seahawks (Last week: No. 5 worst)
The win against San Francisco obviously was not the corner the Seahawks needed to turn. Philadelphia saw to that.
Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: No. 1 worst)
The Bengals got their first win, but almost coughed it up in the fourth quarter as Jacksonville scored 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Lucky for them, the Jaguars needed 18 and couldn't convert the two-point conversion.
Oakland Raiders (Last week: NR)
No, it's not a typo. The Raiders really did put together just 77 yards of offense against the Falcons. This team was at least competitive in its losses when Lane Kiffin was there. Now it's just a sad joke.
Detroit Lions (Last week: No. 2 worst)
Yikes. You know things are bad when fans are worried about losing Dan Orlovsky as the starting quarterback.
