How many good teams are there after seven weeks? I'm going to go with nine.
Is that problematic when I do a top ten every week? Yeah, but somehow I manage. And this week, I have both teams that ostensibly play in NY (though it's actually New Jersey) in at the bottom.
No sign of Buffalo, but hey, that's what they get for losing to Jacksonville, because no matter where the game is played, you can't lose to Jacksonville and still be taken seriously.
I went 9-5 straight up in Week 7, thanks to somewhat explicable losses by Indy and Pittsburgh, the aforementioned trip to London for Buffalo, and San Diego being one of the worst teams in the league despite having the "perpetually underrated" Philip Rivers.
Here are the Rankings for Week 7:
1.) New England (6-0) [steady]
After beating the Jets on Sunday, the Pats are 2-0 in the division and look to go 3-0 on Thursday against the Dolphins. Brady continues to be on fire, having thrown 16 TD's to a measly one INT. As Mr. Tony would say: "Is that something I can interest you in"? My interest is piqued, you could say.
Next opponent: vs. Miami (10/29)
2.) Green Bay (6-0) [steady]
The bye was kind to the Packers. We'll see how Week 8 treats them.
Next opponent: at Denver (11/1)
3.) Denver (6-0) [steady]
The bye was kind to the Broncos. Week 8, on the other hand, not so much.
Next opponent: vs. Green Bay (11/1)
4.) Carolina (6-0) [steady]
Somehow, the Panthers survived Cam Newton's three INT's to win in an unconvincing fashion. If that's the kind of performance we can expect to see from Cam, he not only won't win MVP, but they will do next to nothing in the playoffs. And I think we can readily assume that Carolina will be in the playoffs (though seeding is still wildly up in the air).
Next opponent: vs. Indianapolis (11/2)
5.) Cincinnati (6-0) [steady]
The bye was kind to the Bengals (as far as I know).
Next opponent: at Pittsburgh (11/1)
6.) Atlanta (6-1) [+1]
Despite having a lot of trouble with Tennessee, Atlanta won and still looks like a contender for the NFC South. We still have a long time to wait until they face off with Carolina, but in the meantime there are definitely things to improve. Matt Ryan started off hot by connecting liberally with Julio Jones. In the past four weeks, he's struggled with ball security and Julio's receptions (and touchdowns) have gone down as well.
Next opponent: vs. Tampa Bay (11/1)
7.) Arizona (5-2) [+2]
By the skin of their teeth, really. The Cardinals dominated once they went up 14-10. Then they allowed a punt block that still doesn't really make sense; Baltimore scored and was in the game from that point until the end. But Arizona's secondary saved their collective bacon by intercepting the delightfully non-elite Flacco. The NFC West as a whole is a bit of a joke after some strong recent showings. Arizona is at the top, but who knows for how long?
Next opponent: at Cleveland (11/1)
8.) Minnesota (4-2) [+2]
Quite the ride for Vikings fans since Week 1, huh? Bridgewater has gotten back on the horse nicely, and while Adrian Peterson hasn't done a whole lot, he's done enough to keep the offense balanced. I don't foresee them taking out Green Bay still, but 2nd place in that division is eminently doable and a Wild Card could be the reward.
Next opponent: at Chicago (11/1)
9.) NY Jets (4-2) [-3]
There's really no shame in losing to the Pats, despite the drop. And now they can take a closer look at their pass defense that let 'em down in the 2nd half. So I guess that's a positive? They're still a good team, but it doesn't look like anyone is beating out the Pats in the AFC East.
Next opponent: at Oakland (11/1)
10.) NY Giants (4-3) [-]
A win is a win, no matter how it goes down. Let's face it, Dwayne Harris and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie won this game with their individual efforts. It really had nothing to do with Eli Manning whatsoever. He had no impact on the game for good or ill. And if the Giants can win like that, I'm sure they'll take it. It beats having Eli throw a bunch of picks.
Next opponent: at New Orleans (11/1)
That's all for this week. See you next week.
