1. Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys looked like the Super Bowl contender they’ve been hiped up to be in a very convincing win against the Cleveland Browns.  I would even put Dallas as the number one team in the NFL.  They have such a talented roster both offensively and defensively, and are the team to beat in the NFC.

2. Philadelphia Eagles: Donovan McNabb looked like he is back to 100% in the Eagles blowout of the St. Louis Rams, and even though the Rams are pretty bad, the Eagles were able to dominate them on both sides of the ball.  Defensively the Eagles looked even better, and they may be back to playing the same type of defense that got them to four straight NFC Championships.  The NFC East is looking like it may be the toughest division in Football.

3. Green Bay Packers: Arron Rodgers isn’t Brett Favre, but he certainly got the job done Monday night against a very tough Vikings defense.  The Packers still have that very talented nucleus that got them to the NFC Championship game last season, and I expect them to go deep into the playoffs again this season.

4. Chicago Bears: As much as I hate the Bears, I thought they looked excellent in their Sunday night win against the Colts.  Yeah the Colts were a little rusty, but they would of had their hands full even if they were playing the Bears in week 10.  Kyle Orton fits the Bears style of play perfectly, he’s not going to wow you with his arm, but he’s not going to make any mistakes either.  Matt Forte looked impressive as well.

5. Carolina Panthers: The Panthers travel out to San Diego without Steve Smith, and beat the Chargers on the last play of the game.  Obviously I’m a little biased, but the Panthers showed they should be considered amongst the elite teams in the NFC.  We’ll have to see how they do against the Bears this weekend, because the Chargers have been known to blow games in the first month of the season, and then get it together.

6. New Orleans Saints: The Saints offense looked even more potent with the addition of Jeremy Shockey, and Reggie Bush showed signs of that he’s returned to his 2006 self.  Defensively the Saints also may be a little better than expected, which I thought was going to be their major problem entering 2008.

7. Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings went out and got $80 million worth of free agents over the offseason for the main purpose of overtaking the Packers for the NFC North division title,  but they failed to win, or even keep the game close in the fourth against the Packers on Monday.  I think they should be able to get things together, they’ve got a great running back in Adrian Peterson, and a very stout defensive line, and should be able to make the playoff this season.

8. New York Giants: Okay, the Giants have a tough road ahead without Micheal Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, but they are the Super Bowl Champions, and deserve some recognition.  Eli Manning looks to be a little bit more relaxed with the constant scrutiny from the New York media removed.

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs have one of the oldest rosters in the NFL, and although they were able to somewhat contain the Saints, Jeff Garcia looked a like an old quarterback throwing to an old receiver.

10. Arizona Cardinals: Kurt Warner was able to lead the Cardinals to a victory, but that division is pretty weak, and San Francisco isn’t much of a opponent.  It will be interesting to see how the quarterback situation pans out.

11. Seattle Seahawks: With all three of their top wide receivers out, the Seahawks offense is dead.  Seattle probably would be able to win their division if their defense can hold, but games were they give up 34 points like they gave up against Buffalo, just won’t cut it.  Seattle may finaly be over topped in the NFC West.

12.  Atlanta Falcons: Both Matt Ryan and Micheal Turner had big games Sunday, and the Falcons look like they may finally be getting over the whole Michael Vick Saga.  The only thing is, they beat Detroit, and a lot of mediocre teams can look good against Detroit.  If Matt Ryan can play well against a defense like the Eagles or the Panthers, then I’ll reconsider.

13. San Francisco 49ers: With J. T. O’Sullivan at quarterback San Fran just isn’t going to contend.  Alex Smith needs to step up and reclaim the reigns and show why he was drafted number one in 2005.  Frank Gore is a great running back, and has the ability to carry that offense, but the defense needs to play better than they did last week.

14. Washington Redskins: The Redskins have looked awful, both in preseason and against the Giants.  With blowouts against Carolina and Jacksonville during the preseason, and a poor performance in the opener, the Redskins need to get their stuff together. Maybe with Jason Taylor’s return we’ll see some improvement, but Taylor isn’t going to help all of those missed tackles by the defense.

15. St. Louis Rams: The Rams got blown out against the Eagles, and looked absolutely terrible.  A lot needs to happen on both sides of the ball if the Rams are going to win more that six games this year.

16. Detroit Lions: The Lions are playing like the Lions, enough said.

Tags: carolina panthers, dallas cowboys, NFC, philadelphia eagles