gives them hope
| Rnk | LW* | Team | Record+ | Comments |
| 1. | 2. | Seattle Seahawks | 12-4 | Prohibitive favorites to repeat. |
| 2. | 3. | Green Bay Packers | 12-4 | Breathed a sigh of relief when Rodgers returned after being carted off when Suh stepped on his calf. |
| 3. | 1. | New England Patriots | 12-4 | Have made the Super Bowl 3 of 4 times when Belichick/Brady had the first seed. |
| 4. | 5. | Dallas Cowboys | 12-4 | Murray set franchise single season record for rushing yards, Bryant for TD receptions. |
| 5. | 7. | Denver Broncos | 12-4 | Suddenly Anderson is more important to the offense than Peyton. |
| 6. | 8. | Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-5 | Roethlisberger set a franchise record for passing yards, Brown for receiving yards and Bell for yards from scrimmage. Likely loss of Bell for playoff opener a blow. |
| 7. | 9. | Indianapolis Colts | 11-5 | Luck is only the 8th QB in league history to throw for 40 or more TDs in a season. |
| 8. | 4. | Detriot Lions | 11-5 | Still haven't won in Green Bay since '91. Not sure how Suh won the appeal of his suspension for stepping on Rodgers. |
| 9. | 6. | Cincinnati Bengals | 10-5-1 | Dalton has been awful in his 3 previous playoff appearances, all one and done. |
| 10. | 13. | Baltimore Ravens | 10-6 | Beneficiaries of Chargers loss. Return of Ngata obviously helps defense in playoffs. |
| 11. | 10. | Arizona Cardinals | 11-5 | Championship aspirations torpedoed by QB injuries. |
| 12. | 12. | Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | Only double digit winner to miss playoffs. |
| 13. | 15. | Houston Texans | 9-7 | Had a chance until Browns predictably imploded against the Ravens. |
| 14. | 16. | Kansas City Chiefs | 9-7 | Didn't miss Smith. Really need a QB upgrade to take the next step. |
| 15. | 17. | Buffalo Bills | 9-7 | Orton retired for a second time immediately after the season. |
| 16. | 11. | San Diego Chargers | 9-7 | Lost 3 of their last 4 to blow their season. |
| 17. | 18. | Carolina Panthers | 7-8-1 | Won 4 straight to finish the season, win the division. |
| 18. | 20. | San Francisco 49ers | 8-8 | Harbaugh was 44-19-1 as head coach. Things likely to get worse before they get better no matter what York/Belke think. |
| 19. | 14. | Miami Dolphins | 8-8 | Philbin gets an extra season because Michigan alum Ross wanted Harbaugh at his alma mater more than Miami. |
| 20. | 24. | Minnesota Vikings | 7-9 | Bridgewater's development gives them hope for the future. |
| 21. | 25. | New Orleans Saints | 7-9 | Defensive debacle likely to cost the other Ryan his job. |
| 22. | 19. | Cleveland Browns | 7-9 | Had 5 first rounders in the last 3 seasons.... Took Richardson, Weeden, Mingo, Gilbert and Manziel. Seem pretty disastrous so far. |
| 23. | 21. | New York Giants | 6-10 | Coughlin gets another year which seems fair given his pair of Super Bowl rings. |
| 24. | 22. | Atlanta Falcons | 6-10 | Steamrolled at home by Panthers with division on the line. Smith predictably paid with his job. |
| 25. | 23. | St. Louis Rams | 6-10 | In exactly the same situation as last off season. Coming off a losing season wondering if Bradford can be a franchise QB. |
| 26. | 27. | New York Jets | 4-12 | Cleaned house, had little choice. |
| 27. | 26. | Chicago Bears | 5-11 | No way they could bring back Emery or Trestman. Will Cutler return? |
| 28. | 28. | Oakland Raiders | 3-13 | Dream of Harbaugh crossing the bay and taking over the organization is dead. |
| 29. | 29. | Washington Redskins | 4-12 | Gruden the younger lives! What are they going to do with RGIII? |
| 30. | 30. | Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-12 | Gabbert had more wins, TDs and less interceptions in his rookie season than Bortles. |
| 31. | 31. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2-14 | Played numerous backups in the second half to guarantee themselves the top pick. |
| 32. | 32. | Tennessee Titans | 2-14 | Riding a 10 game losing streak to end an abysmal season. |
*Last week's ranking