| Rnk | Team (Lst Wk) | Record | Comment |
| 1. | Green Bay Packers (1) | 8-2 | The Packers get a mulligan. The real test for NFC supremacy comes this week in Tampa. |
| 2. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3) | 8-2 | Have to beat the Packers in Tampa to avoid a trip to Lambeau in January. |
| 3. | Denver Broncos (5) | 7-3 | There is basically no drop off from Brian Griese to Steve Beuerlein. |
| 4. | Oakland Raiders (8) | 6-4 | Trying to prove you do not need to run to win. |
| 5. | San Fransisco 49ers (2) | 7-3 | Jeff Garcia has added his complaints to those of Terrell Owens about the conservative nature of the offense. |
| 6. | Atlanta Falcons (10) | 6-3-1 | This is about more than just Micheal Vick. Wade Phillips has done an admirable job implementing his version of the 3-4 defense. |
| 7. | St. Louis Rams (9) | 5-5 | Coming next, the return of Kurt Warner. Considering the Rams are 0-5 with Warner and 5-0 without him, it is going to be interesting to see how the team reacts. |
| 8. | New Orleans Saints (4) | 7-3 | I'm beginning to think that if the Rams can get into the playoffs it will be at the expense of the Saints, not the Falcons. |
| 9. | San Diego Chargers (14) | 7-3 | Trailing by 7 with under 4 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter against an elite team, first year starter Drew Brees drove his team 58 yards for the tying score. Impressive. Then with the help of Jose Cortez's errant overtime kick the Chargers were able to get back on the winning track. |
| 10. | Philadelphia Eagles (6) | 7-3 | Koy Detmer is probably the starter for the rest of the season. This is the reason a good team needs to pay someone like Steve Beuerlein to sit around. |
| 11. | Tennesee Titans (12) | 6-4 | The Titans have still given up more points than they have scored, but a 5 game winning streak has turned around their season. |
| 12. | Indianapolis Colts (13) | 6-4 | Tony Dungy deserves some credit for the Colts being 6th in the NFL in scoring defense. |
| 13. | Miami Dolphins (15) | 6-4 | Jay Fiedler is expected back in 2 more weeks. If the Dolphins can get a split against the Chargers and Bills they should be in decent shape. |
| 14. | New England Patriots (7) | 5-5 | Tom Brady is facing the first really tough stretch of his career. How he reacts will determine if he takes the next step to franchise QB status. |
| 15. | Pittsburgh Steelers (11) | 5-4-1 | The Maddox injury was one of those scary incidents you hate to see anywhere, let alone on a football field. Knowing he is up and walking around is more important than the news that he might only miss 2 or 3 games. The Steelers next 3 opponents are the Bengals, Jaguars, and Texans. These are teams a serious contender for a playoff spot has to beat, even with Kordell Stewart at QB. |
| 16. | New York Giants (17) | 6-4 | Could end up playing the McNabb-less Eagles at the Meadowlands in week 17 for the NFC East title. |
| 17. | New York Jets (18) | 5-5 | After a 1-4 start and a QB change, the Jets suddenly find themselves tied with 3 other teams for second in the AFC East only a game behind the Dolphins. |
| 18. | Kansas City Chiefs (19) | 5-5 | The cardiac Chiefs have played in a grand total of 2 games that were decided by more than 7 points. They have a pair of 1 point wins, a 1 point loss, and 2 overtime losses. |
| 19. | Buffalo Bills (16) | 5-5 | Lost in the hoopla of Drew Bledoe's inagural season in Buffalo is that Travis Henry is currently 6th in the NFL in rushing. |
| 20. | Cleveland Browns (20) | 5-5 | Despite failing to impress me once all season the Browns are only half a game out in the pathetic AFC North. |
| 21. | Jacksonville Jaguars (22) | 5-5 | Tom Coughlin might be doing his best coaching job in guiding a team gutted by cap related losses to a surprising .500 record. |
| 22. | Baltimore Ravens (21) | 4-6 | The Ravens need to get the ball more to Jamal Lewis. OK, I am really only saying that because I have Lewis on my fantasy football team. |
| 23. | Washington Redskins (23) | 4-6 | Steve Spurrier has called 355 passes and 250 runs. The offense is ranked 26th in the league. This doesn't mean a passing offense can't work, just that a passing offense without a QB that has NFL skills can't work. |
| 24. | Seattle Seahawks (24) | 3-7 | The Seahawks were penalized for more yards than they had rushing. The 8-8 record in Dennis Erickson's final season is starting to look good. |
| 25. | Arizona Cardinals (25) | 4-6 | Once tied for first in the NFC West at 4-2, the Cardinals have come crashing to earth. |
| 26. | Minnesota Vikings (29) | 3-7 | The offense finally seems to be coming around, although I would expect a letdown playing outdoors in Foxboro. |
| 27. | Carolina Panthers (26) | 3-7 | Once again managed to hang tough for 3 quarters against a vastly superior foe before fading down the stretch. |
| 28. | Detriot Lions (27) | 3-7 | Marvin Jones' interception of a poorly thrown pass in the endzone on the Lions' first drive immediately turned the tide and serves as a reminder that Joey Harrington is still just a rookie. |
| 29. | Dallas Cowboys (28) | 3-7 | Who would have thought that Chad Hutchinson would make Quincy Carter look good? |
| 30. | Chicago Bears (30) | 2-8 | Last year's 13 win season is a distant memory as the Bears play out the string with what is most likely a lameduck QB and coaching staff. |
| 31. | Cincinnati Bengals (31) | 1-9 | The Bengals last 2 possesions this week ended on the Browns 1 and 24 yard lines. Corey Dillon was stuffed twice at the 1 on 3rd and 4th down. Now here is a team that tries hard to lose on a weekly basis. |
| 32. | Houston Texans (32) | 2-8 | The next big date on their calendar is April 26, 2003. The first day of the 66th annual NFL draft. |