| Rnk | LW* | Team | Record | Comments |
| 1. | 3. | New England Patriots | 3-0 | Scary. |
| 2. | 4. | Indianapolis Colts | 3-0 | Haven't missed a beat with Ugoh, Johnson, Keiaho, Hayden, Jackson and Bethea all making Polian look like a genius. |
| 3. | 11. | Pittsburgh Steelers | 3-0 | First 3-0 start since 1992. Lead the NFL in scoring defense and second to the Patriots in total defense. Third behind the Cowboys and Patriots in scoring offense and first in rushing offense. |
| 4. | 15. | Dallas Cowboys | 3-0 | Romo has put last season's botched hold in the playoffs behind him and looks like the real deal. |
| 5. | 2. | Baltimore Ravens | 2-1 | The light seems to have come on for Boller. Good thing because McNair is shot. |
| 6. | 17. | Green Bay Packers | 3-0 | Not a fluke. First three victores came against 2006 playoff teams. |
| 7. | 13. | Tennessee Titans | 2-1 | Young is an impressive 10-6 in his first 16 starts. |
| 8. | 18. | Jacksonville Jaguars | 2-1 | Head into the bye on a high note after physically dominating the Broncos in Denver. |
| 9. | 10. | Denver Broncos | 2-1 | Sluggish start has to be a concern even though their division as a whole is off to a slow start. |
| 10. | 14. | Seattle Seahawks | 2-1 | Upcoming showdown with the 49ers will determine the class of the NFC West. |
| 11. | 20. | Carolina Panthers | 2-1 | Continue to be a tough team to figure. Were handed a victory in Atlanta by the antics of Hall. It really shouldn't have been that difficult. |
| 12. | 1. | San Diego Chargers | 1-2 | At least Schottenheimer could win regular season games. |
| 13. | 5. | Chicago Bears | 1-2 | Had to bench Grossman. Unfortunately they can't bench Benson. |
| 14. | 22. | San Fransisco 49ers | 2-1 | Need more out of Smith and the passing game. Injury to Davis doesn't help. |
| 15. | 25. | Houston Texans | 2-1 | Schaub has changed their fortunes. |
| 16. | 7. | Philadelphia Eagles | 1-2 | Exploded against the Lions secondary. Can't afford any more slip ups after losing winnable games against the Packers and Redskins to start the season. |
| 17. | 29. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2-1 | Garcia provides Gruden with the type of wily veteran he needs to run his offense. |
| 18. | 8. | New York Jets | 1-2 | Perfect example of how strength of schedule affects the bottom line. Could be improved from last season and still lose two more games. |
| 19. | 12. | Cincinnati Bengals | 1-2 | A disappointment. Especially defensively. Things don't get any easier with the Patriots coming to town. |
| 20. | 16. | New York Giants | 1-2 | Overcame 17-3 halftime deficit to keep their season alive. Manning the younger actually seems to be developing into a solid performer and leader. What he really needs now is for Burress and Shockey to stop dropping so many catchable balls. |
| 21. | 28. | Washington Redskins | 2-1 | Blew chance to go undefeated with a second half collapse in the Meadowlands that ended with one of the worst final two minute redzone sequences in recent memory. |
| 22. | 30. | Detriot Lions | 2-1 | I am not on the bandwagon. Winners are built in the trenches and on defense, not around young receivers and a veteran QB that continues to make the big mistake at the wrong time. |
| 23. | 26. | Arizona Cardinals | 1-2 | Playing a tougher, more physical game under Whisenhunt and Grimm. |
| 24. | 6. | New Orleans Saints | 0-3 | Was last year a fluke? What's wrong with Brees? Can Bush be a featured back with McAllister on the shelf?. The bye week couldn't come early enough for last season's darlings. |
| 25. | 9. | Kansas City Chiefs | 1-2 | Bowe looks like a keeper. The rest of the offense needs plenty of work. |
| 26. | 27. | Minnesota Vikings | 1-2 | Offense is so bad that they lost in Arrowhead even though the defense held LJ to 42 yards on 24 carries. |
| 27. | 32. | Oakland Raiders | 1-2 | Snapped an 11 game losing streak at home against the Browns. Definitely more organized under Kiffin. |
| 28. | 31. | Cleveland Browns | 1-2 | After the opening week debacle against the Steelers nobody could have expected them to be within a last second FG of being 2-1. |
| 29. | 21. | Buffalo Bills | 0-3 | Brutal early season schedule doesn't get any easier with the Jets and Cowboys before the bye. Loss of Posluszny adds injury to insult. |
| 30. | 19. | St. Louis Rams | 0-3 | The greatest show on turf is no more with Pace and Setterstrom out for the season, Jackson out for at least two weeks, Holt playing with a bad knee and Bulger playing with broken ribs. |
| 31. | 24. | Miami Dolphins | 0-3 | Huizenga has destroyed this once proud franchise. |
| 32. | 23. | Atlanta Falcons | 0-3 | Petrino should have saved himself the trouble and stayed at Louisville. |
*Last year's final ranking