By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

Were getting almost to the mid point of the season. The past few weeks we’ve witnessed the teams that jumped out the gates come back to reality. The Chiefs, Buccaneers, and Bears have all dipped. Surfacing to the fore front as teams that will likely get bye weeks are only in the AFC. Pittsburgh and the Jets are playing fantastic football and look like the only clear cut teams that will solidify playoff berths. In the NFC it’s wide open. Divisions will likely flip upside down before years end with the current outlook. Track your teams and see where they fall in this weeks rankings.

1. Pittsburgh- For his first game back Big Ben brought some zeal and normalcy back to the lowest ranked passing offense in the NFL.
2. New York Jets- Sanchez threw some poor throws Sunday and was bailed out on fourth down. Great teams find ways to win and the Jets are looking mighty strong.
3. New England- Were not sold that they’re going to be able to do it in the playoffs. They’ve got a rhythm with their offense that’s just clicking well.
4. New Orleans- It was only a matter of time before this team re-awoke. Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas should be back within weeks.
5. Baltimore Ravens- Blowing a ten point lead in the fourth quarter cancels out their Steelers win. That type of loss just can’t happen to a team expecting to go deep in the playoffs.
6. New York Giants- They’re being overlooked as everyone assumed they were headed for disaster with their early season rust. Don’t look now but the Giants are rolling.
7. Indianapolis Colts- Peyton and the Colts squeaked out yet another ugly win.
8. Houston Texans- Two improbable fourth quarter rallies have the Texans at 4-2 instead of 2-4. They’ve got to find some consistency to their play to stay in the tough AFC playoff race.
9. Atlanta Falcons- Every team has had their ugly outing thus far this season. This past week was the Falcons. They’ll regroup.
10. Philadelphia Eagles- The play of their quarterbacks seems like a good thing, but will likely cause some in-house issues once Mike Vick is 100 percent.
11. Minnesota Vikings- The probability of the Vikings rolling off a four or five game win streak is looking pretty good.
12. Tennessee Titans- Here’s a team that is actually living more off their defense than their offense. The big games from Vince Young haven’t happened, and Chris Johnson’s had to earn every yard.
13. Green Bay Packers- Two straight overtime losses spells trouble.
14. Miami Dolphins- Gaining a victory either over the Pats or Jets would have the Dolphins in prime divisional shape. They’re a solid team but likely not playoff bound.
15. Chicago Bears- Fading quicker than the transition from fall to winter in Chicago.
16. Washington Redskins- Sixteenth bodes them perfectly. They’ll be right at 8-8 when the years done.
17. San Diego Chargers- When will they ever play a whole season up to the caliber of their potential?
18. Dallas Cowboys- A below .500 year is not acceptable for Mike Singletary and the 49ers. If it happens in Dallas who knows how closed door meetings will be.
19. Denver Broncos- An extremely tough game to lose. That’s what happens when you have no running game to close out victories.
20. St. Louis Rams- They’ve got a true quarterback. That’s saying something to around eight to twelve teams that absolutely don’t.
21. Kansas City Chiefs- They had two backs rush for nearly 100 yards each and faulted. Reason why is under center. Matt Cassel should be a backup.

Best of the rest
22. Arizona Cardinals
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
24. Cincinnati Bengals
25. Jacksonville Jaguars
26. Oakland Raiders
27. Seattle Seahawks
28. San Francisco 49ers
29. Detroit Lions
30. Cleveland Browns
31. Buffalo Bills
32. Carolina Panthers

Joe Lopat, Zack Cimini, and Jabbar Harris return once again to talk football hot topics, as well as their usual fantasy football segments. They’ll tell you who to start/sit and provide spread picks for week seven.