| 1 ( 1+) | New England Patriots 16-0* |
| Poor division, easy schedule, offensive skill position talent and defensive front 7 is hard to ignore even though their offensive line and defensive backfield were exposed in the Super Bowl. | |
| 2 ( 2) | Indianapolis Colts 13-3 |
| Manning is expected to be ready for the regular season after missing training camp and the preseason with knee problems. Good news obviously made even more so because the thought of Sorgi getting regular season playing time is pretty scary. | |
| 3 ( 6) | San Diego Chargers 11-5 |
| Proved that talent can overcome coaching by adjusting to Turner and turning around their season after a slow start in 2007. | |
| 4 ( 3) | Dallas Cowboys 13-3 |
| Tough competition in the NFC East complicates their championship aspirations. | |
| 5 ( 4) | Jacksonville Jaguars 11-5 |
| Would be even more dangerous if they could find some big play receivers. | |
| 6 ( 8) | Pittsburgh Steelers 10-6 |
| Not your father's Steelers. Dynamic offensive skill position talent should be able to overcome other roster shortcomings. Offensive and defensive lines remain the biggest concerns. Facing the toughest schedule in the league is a challenge. Luckily the rest of the division appears to be in decline. | |
| 7 ( 9) | New York Giants 10-6 |
| The defending Super Bowl champions not making the playoffs wouldn't be a total shock. Retirement of Strahan and season ending injury to Umenyora certainly doesn't help. | |
| 8 (10) | Tennessee Titans 10-6 |
| A third team from the brutal AFC South in the top 8. Winning in spite of VY, not because of him. | |
| 9 (14) | Minnesota Vikings 8-8 |
| Purple Jesus rules. Acquisition of pass rusher Allen should make the defense dominating. Suspension of LT McKinnie for 4 games is a short term problem. | |
| 10 (16) | New Orleans Saints 7-9 |
| Dodged a bullet when Gustav made landfall west of the city. Expected to be able to play their home game Sunday in the Super Dome. | |
| 11 (15) | Philadelphia Eagles 8-8 |
| Reid should be more focused after surviving the fall/winter of his sons' discontent. | |
| 12 ( 7) | Seattle Seahawks 10-6 |
| Could this be the year the upstart Cardinals knock them out of the top spot in the NFC West. Probably not. Interesting to see how the players respond to Holmgren already announcing that he will retire after this season. | |
| 13 ( 5) | Green Bay Packers 13-3 |
| Decision to let Favre go will define the Thompson/McCarthy regime for better or worse. | |
| 14 (12) | Cleveland Browns 10-6 |
| Seem likely to take a step backwards after taking two steps forward last season. Young, developing offensive line could still carry them if Lewis can stay on the field for a second straight season. | |
| 15 (23) | Carolina Panthers 7-9 |
| Delhomme looked fine in the preseason returning from Tommy John surgery. | |
| 16 (17) | Arizona Cardinals 8-8 |
| Warner to Fitzgerald and Boldin gives them a punchers chance in every contest. | |
| 17 (28) | New York Jets 4-12 |
| Favre makes them a story. Lack of dynamic offensive skill position talent makes Favre's job difficult. | |
| 18 (18) | Houston Texans 8-8 |
| Team on the rise has to contend with the toughest division in the toughest conference in football. | |
| 19 (19) | Buffalo Bills 7-9 |
| Edwards and Lynch can not be happy about the prolonged holdout of LT Peters. | |
| 20 (24) | Denver Broncos 7-9 |
| Hoping Cutler rebounds with his diabetes diagnosed and under control. | |
| 21 (11) | Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-7 |
| Surprisingly snuck into the playoffs last year after the Saints got off to a horrendous start and the Panthers were derailed by injuries. Don't expect them to get so lucky again. | |
| 22 (13) | Washington Redskins 9-7 |
| First time head coach Zorn faces a tough task in the NFC North. Season could hinge on how well Campbell adapts to the west coast offense. | |
| 23 (21) | Cincinnati Bengals 7-9 |
| Insert Ocho Stinko joke here. How can the players show Lewis any respect after the resigning of Henry? | |
| 24 (29) | St. Louis Rams 3-13 |
| Key to being competative is keeping Bulger and Jackson healthy. For that to happen Pace needs to stay healthy. | |
| 25 (26) | Oakland Raiders 4-12 |
| McFadden, Fargas and Bush take the pressure off Russell. | |
| 26 (20) | Detroit Lions 7-9 |
| Fell apart completely after a surprising 6-2 start. Increased focus on the running game after the firing of Martz could help on both sides of the ball. | |
| 27 (27) | Baltimore Ravens 5-11 |
| What did Harbaugh get himself into? Offense is a shambles. | |
| 28 (22) | Chicago Bears 7-9 |
| Orton beat out Grossman for the honor of handing off to Forte and Jones. | |
| 29 (32) | Miami Dolphins 1-15 |
| Pennington signing adds some short term stability. Expect Williams and Brown to carry a heavy load on the ground. | |
| 30 (31) | Atlanta Falcons 4-12 |
| Major rebuilding is needed after the Vick and Petrino debacles. At least Ryan gives them some hope for the future. | |
| 31 (25) | San Fransisco 49ers 5-11 |
| Nolan's second season was a huge disappointement. Handing the reigns over to veteran journeyman O'Sullivan is a gamble that shows just how much former first pick Smith has fallen out of favor. | |
| 32 (30) | Kansas City Chiefs 4-12 |
| Starting over. Could win a few extra games if LJ can stay healthy. |
+Last year's final ranking
*Last year's regular season record