Each week, we compare all 32 NFL teams using our Football Relativity comparison. On the comparison, the 10 level is reserved for the best teams, and the 1 level for the worst. We’ll note throughout where teams have moved up or down from last week.
Ravens OLB Jarrett Johnson sacks Texans QB Matt Schaub, via cleveland.com
10 – Green Bay Packers – The Packers jumped out to a quick lead and cruised to a 24-3 victory over the lowly Rams. They’re playing in top form right now, and the offense is so explosive that it’s going to be hard for lower-tier teams to pull an upset.
9 – Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints – We discussed the Saints in detail in this game post. The Patriots needed a two-minute drill to score the game-winning touchdown against the Cowboys, but the fact that they pulled out a win against a solid team is a credit. So is the Ravens’ 29-14 win over the Texans, which demonstrates just how good the Ravens are. Like the Packers, the Ravens and Saints have games they should win this week, while the Pats are on bye.
8 – Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers – The Chargers were on bye. They travel to face the Jets this week in a game that could impact the AFC wild-card race. The Lions fell in a tough home game to the 49ers, and now they must bounce back against the Falcons. It’ll be curious how Detroit responds to its first loss of the year. The Steelers weren’t impressive, but they held on for a 17-13 win over the Jaguars. If they can take care of business in Arizona this week, the margin of victory won’t matter nearly as much as piling up wins to keep pace with the Ravens in the AFC North.
7 – Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, New York Giants, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers (UP A LEVEL), Tampa Bay Buccaneers – We discussed how the 49ers struck gold in Detroit in Rise/Sink/Float, and we discussed the Bills/Giants game in this post, and we talked about the Buccaneers’ big win in this post. The Falcons beat the Panthers 31-17 in a game they had to have. Now the Falcons need to steal a win in Detroit to keep pace in the NFC South. The Texans lost 29-14 in Baltimore and now face a trip to Tennessee that will have huge bearing in the AFC South. The opportunity the Texans have in the division could slip away with a third straight loss. The Raiders took care of business at home against Cleveland, and if they can beat the Chiefs at home this week, they’ll be firmly in the AFC West race with the Chargers. The Jets didn’t win any style points but did beat the Dolphins on Monday night. Now they must face the Chargers at home.
6 – Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles – We covered the Cowboys in Rise/Sink/Float. The Bears beat down the Vikings on Sunday night, and seemed to start to fix some of their protection problems. That’s a big step forward. Now they travel to London to face the Buccaneers in a game that could impact the NFC wild card race. The Eagles beat the Redskins 20-13, and while it wasn’t a dynamic performance, at least it was a win. At 2-4, the Eagles are still hovering on the fringes of the NFC East race as they head into their bye.
5 – Cincinnati Bengals (UP A LEVEL), Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins (DOWN A LEVEL) – The Redskins blew a golden opportunity at home against the Redskins, and Rex Grossman’s awful play created a quarterback controversy. A trip to Carolina this week is no gimme, and another loss would completely reverse all the early-season momentum. The Titans were on bye leading up to what is now a key AFC South battle against the Texans in Nashville. The Bengals got another win to move to 4-2 heading into their bye. The Bengals have had a little help from the schedule, but the results are good enough that they’ll be a factor moving into midseason.
4 – Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks – The Browns lost in Oakland and need to get back on track at home against the Seahawks, who were on bye. At 2-3, both teams can still harbor playoff hopes, but this becomes a key chance to get a win this week.
3 – Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs – The Chiefs and Broncos were on bye. The Panthers lost to Atlanta to fall to 1-5. They have a chance to get a win at home against the Redskins, but that’s no guarantee. (We’ll have much more on the Panthers later today.)
2 – Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings – The Cardinals were on bye. The Jaguars lost in Pittsburgh, but the effort was better than in recent weeks. The Vikings, on the other hand, put up a stinker in Chicago and now must answer questions about switching quarterbacks from Donovan McNabb to Christian Ponder.
1 – Miami Dolphins (DOWN A LEVEL), Indianapolis Colts (DOWN A LEVEL), St. Louis Rams – We discussed the Colts in Rise/Sink/Float. The Rams lost 24-3 in Green Bay, which is no surprise. They hope adding WR Brandon Lloyd will help an offense that desperately needs it. The Dolphins came off their bye and lost to the Jets to fall to 0-5. The quarterback situation with Matt Moore is a major problem.
