| Rnk | LW | Team | Record | Comments |
| 1. | 1. | Indianapolis Colts | 14-2 | Needed to have a touchdown overturned on review to escape with a victory over the Cardinals. Struggled in the final 3 games after home field advantage throughout the playoffs was clinched. This despite having the chance to make history by going undefeated. Off the field issues didn't help. Will it matter? Probably not. Plenty of teams have turned it back on in the playoffs after shutting things down when they weren't playing for anything. |
| 2. | 2. | Seattle Seahawks | 13-3 | Alexander got the rushing title and single season touchdown record. He is the only back in history to score 15 or more touchdowns in 5 consecutive seasons. For next season the question is whether he gets a new contract to stay in the Pacific Northwest. For now that doesn't really matter. Things have turned around since Holmgren was forced to give up GM duties to focus on coaching. Travelling to Seattle will not be easy for the other NFC playoff participants. |
| 3. | 3. | Denver Broncos | 13-3 | Turned their season around after what at the time seemed like a shocking opening week loss in Miami. Plummer stopped making costly mistakes. That of course needs to continue for them to have success in the playoffs. |
| 4. | 4. | New England Patriots | 10-6 | Can't write off the defending champions. Brady kept them alive through a series of debilitating injuries. Have gotten progressively better as they have gotten healthier. Knocking them out of the playoffs will not be easy. |
| 5. | 5. | Jacksonville Jaguars | 12-4 | Kept winning after injuries to Leftwich and Taylor. Garrard got things done with his arm and legs. Jones and Pearman were a solid combination on the ground. Leftwich and Taylor are expected to play in Foxboro. That may or may not be good news. |
| 6. | 7. | Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-5 | Dropoff from 15 to 11 wins cost them the division title due to tie breakers. Injuries to Roethlisberger were tough to overcome. Especially when Maddox was behind center instead of Batch. That doesn't explain all of their problems. Randle El could not replace the big play capability of Burress. The defensive front 7 struggled until the final month. At least the secondary continued to develop into a dominating unit. The injury they couldn't afford most besides Roethlisberger happened when Marvel Smith sprained his ankle. Luckily Essex started to prove his worth after a slow start. Faneca and Hartings again made the Pro Bowl. Simmons and Starks played better as the season progressed. Especially Simmons. That fueled the running game. Parker had his first 1000 yard season. Not bad for a former rookie free agent that was a backup at North Carolina. Bettis flashed power and surprisingly quick feet in what was likely his last season. First round pick Miller provided another option when he didn't have to help Essex and Starks in pass protection. They enter the playoffs on a high note. Can they win on the road in successive games at Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Denver/New England/Jacksonville and Detroit? That might be too much to ask. They do seem primed to have multi-year success with Roethlisberger hopefully eventually getting them over the top. |
| 7. | 6. | Cincinnati Bengals | 11-5 | Finished poorly after clinching the AFC North title. Any thought of a first round bye was erased by a loss in Buffalo. Then they got blown out in Kansas City. More established teams should be able to rebound from poor finishes. Can a young team with no playoff experience? Only time will tell. |
| 8. | 8. | Chicago Bears | 11-5 | Came out of nowhere to dominate the NFC North and secure a first round bye with a rookie quarteback playing most of the season. Kudos to Smith for an impressive coaching job. Return of Grossman gives them hope for the playoff. |
| 9. | 9. | New York Giants | 11-5 | Won in spite of the younger Manning, not because of him. Coughlin deserves a lot of credit. His tough approach was needed after Fassel lost the team in 2003. Have the defense and offensive skill position talent to go far. Just need Manning to hit more receivers and minimize turnovers. |
| 10. | 10. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 11-5 | Surprisingly return to the playoffs as a division winner after finishing below .500 for 2 consecutive seasons since winning the Super Bowl. Led by a first year starting quarterback, rookie runner and veteran receiver returning from injury. Simms, Williams and Galloway all deserve kudos for their contributions to the offensive resurgence. |
| 11. | 11. | Washington Redskins | 10-6 | Wrapped 3 and 5 game winning streaks around a 2 and 6 midseason stretch. Maybe the hottest team in the NFC and Gibbs knows how to win playoff games. Winning 3 in a row on the road seems improbable. |
| 12. | 13. | Carolina Panthers | 11-5 | Return to the playoffs relatively healthy after a 1 year absence. Smith came back from a torn ACL to have an MVP type season. Foster took over and finally managed to stay on the field. The key will be Delhomme staying consistent. That might be asking a lot. |
| 13. | 14. | Kansas City Chiefs | 10-6 | Fell short of the playoffs even though Johnson rushed for 1750 yards in only 9 starts. What a testament to the offensive line. Vermeil has decided to retire. Or was told to retire. This is the job that any coach would be lucky to get. |
| 14. | 12. | Dallas Cowboys | 9-7 | Needed a loss by the Redskins or Panthers to make the Sunday night game against the Rams meaningful. It didn't happen. Their subsequent loss should probably have been expected given the circumstances. Late seasons wins over the Chiefs and Panthers kept them alive. A pair of losses to the Redskins sealed their fate. The defense has young talent and Parcells is expected to return so all is not lost. |
| 15. | 15. | San Diego Chargers | 9-7 | Probably the most disappointing team in the NFL. Yes, the schedule was tough. But inconsistency was their downfall. Were competative with the upper echelon. Gave the Colts their first loss. Yet found a way to lose at home to the Dolphins and away in Kansas City when the season was on the line. The torn labrum suffered by Brees in the season finale added injury to insult. |
| 16. | 16. | Miami Dolphins | 9-7 | Saban was a breathe of fresh air. May have to take a step backward before becoming a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The defense is getting older. Frerotte is not the long term answer at quarterback. Saban should eventually be able to get to the next level. Even if it is in 2007 or 2008 and not in 2006. |
| 17. | 17. | Minnesota Vikings | 9-7 | Ticket scalping, the whizzinator and the love boat scandal cost Tice his job. That and missing the playoffs. Have the talent to help a new coach make an immediate impact. Especially in the NFC North. |
| 18. | 18. | Atlanta Falcons | 8-8 | Went 2 and 6 during the second half. Collapse kept them from putting together back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history. Have to be concerned about how the team quit on Mora Jr. Doesn't help that Vick just is not developing as a passer and opponents seem to have figured out how to contain him. |
| 19. | 23. | Cleveland Browns | 6-10 | Rumors that Savage would be fired proved untrue. Club president Collins lost a power struggle and resigned. That is bad news for opponents. Savage and Crennel provide the kind of direction that has been missing since pro football returned to Northeastern Ohio. They just need more time to add talent. Lerner allowing Collins to fire Savage would have been a very bad sign. |
| 20. | 24. | St. Louis Rams | 6-10 | Martz is gone. Vitt will also be gone. Change should be benificial. Things have gotten progressively worse since Vermeil left. New leadership is needed. |
| 21. | 19. | Baltimore Ravens | 6-10 | Could not overcome injures to Lewis and Reed. Whether the injury to Boller was a hinderance is open to debate. Boller was again maddeningly inconsistent when on the field. He did play better toward the end of the season. Was it just a tease? Billick's job security beyond the 2006 season will depend on Boller's development. |
| 22. | 20. | Arizona Cardinals | 5-11 | Rackers set the NFL single season field goal record with 40. Boldin and Fitzgerald both topped 100 receptions. That was the only good news. The defense took a step back after playing surprisingly well in 2004. The offensive line could not run block. Arrington's tentative style didn't help. A disappointment in Denny Green's second season. |
| 23. | 21. | Philadelphia Eagles | 6-10 | Their downfall was shocking. Owens dragged down the entire organization. Injuries to McNabb and Westbrook put the nail in the coffin. Don't write them off going forward. |
| 24. | 22. | Buffalo Bills | 5-11 | Ex-Steelers Donahoe and Mullarkey had their problems. Donahoe always thought he was smarter than everyone else.... McGahee and Losman proved that wasn't true. Hiring Williams and Mullarkey instead of Lewis, Smith or one of the old Patriots' coordinators was also a big mistake. Donahoe got the axe for his troubles. It was well deserved. Mullarkey stays. He is unlikely to get much leeway. |
| 25. | 25. | Tennessee Titans | 4-12 | The present is bleak. The future could be worse. Painfully young and probably getting younger. The chances of McNair returning seem remote. Recent drafts have yet to produce any real difference makers. Just not a good situation. Fisher would be better off getting fired. He won't.... |
| 26. | 26. | Detriot Lions | 5-11 | Jauron replacing Mariucci made little difference. The problem is Millen. Ford has just been too stubborn or stupid to accept the obvious. |
| 27. | 28. | Green Bay Packers | 4-12 | Suffered through their first losing season since Favre came to town. Sherman paid with his job. Whether Favre comes back or not is an open question. They might bring in a disciplinarian that wants to change the offense. That would likely spell the end of Favre's career. |
| 28. | 29. | New York Jets | 4-12 | Losing Pennington and Fiedler to injury in the third week effectively ended their season. Testeverde was signed as a stopgap. Bollinger ended up being the better option. The offseason trade of Moss for Coles was a huge mistake. Letting Ferguson and McKenzie walk as free agents also didn't help. Losing Mawae and Martin later in the season made things worse. Can they recover quickly? The defense has talent if the offense can be retooled. |
| 29. | 30. | San Fransisco 49ers | 4-12 | Played hard for Nolan. A good sign. Smith threw his first touchdown in the final week to go with 11 interceptions. He needs to develop for them to have any hope. |
| 30. | 27. | Oakland Raiders | 4-12 | Have only won 13 games in the last 3 years since losing the Super Bowl. Turner was 9-23 during his tenure. Collins, Jordan and Moss were supposed to revitalize the offense. Only Jordan played up to expectations. |
| 31. | 31. | Houston Texans | 2-14 | Capers definitely deserved to be fired. Decision to keep Casserly makes no sense. Casserly's failure to find quality offensive lineman and his string of questionable draft day decisions were just as much a problem as Capers' coaching. |
| 32. | 32. | New Orleans Saints | 3-13 | Homeless team with no direction. The problem starts in the owners box and permeates throughout the organization. Firing Haslett is a start. Unfortunately trying to find a coach to straighten out this mess will not be easy. Especially considering the uncertainty surrounding the franchise. |