Best of the best
The Giants, the Redskins and the Cowboys. Three teams in what is widely considered to be the strongest division in football al fell to what could be considered lesser opponents. So what does this mean for them, the league and these rankings? Well, even despite the hiccup, the best team in the NFL remains...
The New York Giants (Last week: No. 1)
Let the skepticism about the Giants' legitimacy as a top team begin again. Certainly the Monday night loss to the Cleveland Browns was the ugliest performance of the year by far, but consider this: Maybe the Browns aren't quite as bad as we all thought they were. This was the team that was supposed to give Pittsburgh a run for their money in the AFC North. Or perhaps Eli Manning and company just had a really bad game. Either way, anyone who was considering a 16-0 season was dreaming anyway. The Giants were bound to lose, though it was much more likely to come against one of their NFC East rivals.
Tennessee Titans (Last week: No. 3)
Being on the bye week was a good way to be if you're a Top-5 team this week. The Titans now stand alone as the lone unbeaten team in football. This week, they take on the 1-4 Kansas City Chiefs, who are also coming off a bye and will have their starting quarterback beack. While this week has proven you can't overlook anyone in the NFL, Tennessee's style of play perfectly matches the Kansas City weaknesses on both sides of the ball.
Washington Redskins (Last week: No. 2)
Yes, the Redskins made a mistake in looking past the Rams, but this loss was not as bad as it all seemed. The Redskins defense didn't allow anything more than a field goal and now hasn't given up a touchdown in their last 112 minutes of play. The offense does need to find a way to get going if teams continue to be able to shut down Santana Moss the way they have the last two weeks. Clinton Portis remains on pace for the best season of his career, but he can't do it alone.
Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: NR)
For the first time in a while, the Eagles showed off that prolific offense that had everyone buzzing at the beginning of the season. Correll Buckhalter has done a fine job as the starting running back with Brian Westbrook out and Donovan McNabb made good uses of his young, talented receivers. Granted, the win was against the mediocre 49ers and it didn't help the team in the standings, as they still sit last in their division, but it was a very positive way to go into the bye week.
Indianapolis Colts (Last week: NR)
Maybe it's getting hopes up a little too high for Indianapolis, but after struggling mightily to find an offenseive rhythm, it appears they may have - against the best defense in the league, no less. Manning has looked strong in the past two weeks coming off the bye and maybe that extra week was just what he needed, considering he didn't have a preseason to work with his offense. Since the bye, Manning has completed 71 percent of his passes (44 for 62) for 518 yards and five touchdowns with just one interception.
Worst of the worst
Oakland Raiders (Last week: NR)
Has the Raiders' putrid offensive output been the fault of JaMarcus Russell, or has he just been a victim of bad receivers. Well, it's both, and it doesn't look to get better anytime soon. Russell has the second-lowest completion percentage in the league.
Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: No. 3 worst)
The Chiefs are coming off a bye and are getting their starting quarterback back. That's the good news. The bad news is they're looking their fifth loss of the season in the face as they take on the Titans in Week 7.
St. Louis Rams (Last week: No. 1 worst)
Is Jim Haslett a genius, or did he just catch lightning in a bottle? Odds are the latter. The 19 points they scored last week are the most the Rams have scored all season and seven of those points came on just a very bad play by the Redskins.
Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: No. 4 worst)
After becoming the league's first team to 0-6 this season, the Bengals press on with backup Ryan Fitzpatrick as the team has already ruled out Carson Palmer as the Week 7 starter. It's not even as if Fitzpatrick has a running game he can lean on. Chris Perry is averaging a dismal 2.6 yards per carry.
Detroit Lions (Last week: No. 2 worst)
The Lions were basically robbed of their first win on a bad pass interference call, but that doesn't mean the team didn't look bad on Sunday. Dan Orlovsky's jaunt out the back of the end zone just epitomized the Lions season in one play.
