Last week’s rankings in parentheses.
Biggest rise: Baltimore (18th to eighth)
Biggest fall: San Francisco (third to 10th)
1. Denver (1)—10 straight wins pretty impressive.
2. Green Bay (2)—Hitting their peak at the perfect time.
3. Atlanta (5)—Falcons will be tough to beat in Georgia Dome.
4. New England (6)—Patriots still have a shot at home-field advantage.
5. Washington (7)—Win over Dallas gives them NFC East title.
6. Seattle (8)—Will be a tough out in the playoffs.
7. Cincinnati (9)—First back-to-back playoff berths since 1981-82.
8. Baltimore (18)—AFC North champs.
9. Houston (4)—Texans can earn top seed with a win.
10. San Francisco (3)—49ers are tough to figure out.
11. Indianapolis (11)—Colts are on an amazing run.
12. Minnesota (12)—One win away from playoffs.
13. Chicago (22)—Bears still alive for playoff berth.
14. Dallas (10)—Cowboys can still win NFC East.
15. New Orleans (15)—Too little, too late.
16. St. Louis (16)—Winning record would be a nice accomplishment.
17. Miami (19)—Reggie Bush is back.
18. New York Giants (13)—Need a lot of help today.
19. Carolina (14)—Panthers fell far short of expectations.
20. Pittsburgh (17)—Steelers are not used to watching playoffs.
21. San Diego (27)—See ya, Norv Turner.
22. Tennessee (20)—Jake Locker’s not the answer.
23. Cleveland (21)—Browns have a lot of young talent.
24. Arizona (23)—So much for a winning streak.
25. New York Jets (24)—Tim Tebow snubbed again.
26. Tampa Bay (25)—Five straight losses.
27. Oakland (26)—Lost Carson Palmer in the first quarter.
28. Buffalo (28)—Missed playoffs for 13th straight season.
29. Detroit (29)—Calvin Johnson close to 2,000 yards.
30. Philadelphia (30)—Michael Vick is back.
31. Jacksonville (31)—Gave the Patriots a scare.
32. Kansas City (32)—One loss away from No. 1 draft pick.
David Weinberg, 609-272-7186
