FAVORITES
New York Giants – Fine, sign me up for a carafe of Kool-Aid. Best O-Line, great D, solid running game, cakewalk schedule…that’ll do it.
Tennessee – Won a game they should have lost twice. Some will blame the refs. Others will salute the D and offensive line.

CONTENDERS
Carolina – Shutouts are hard in the NFL. They’re easier against the Chiefs, but whatever. 4-1 is no fluke.
Dallas – Every indication they’ll be playing in the NFC final unless T.O. takes all of the footballs and refuses to come out of his bedroom.
Denver – Finally slowed someone down. Granted, it was the Brian Griese Experience.
Pittsburgh – Getting the benefit of the doubt by winning two close games against good teams. Ben Roethlisberger is the only thing left on this team.
Washington – Another team I’d rather not salute, but the offense hasn’t committed a turnover this season. That’s insane.

ALLIGATOR BLOOD
Baltimore – So Flacco can’t throw when rolling right. Losing two games to the two best teams in the division doesn’t bury them. The lack of a bye might.
Chicago – I still think playing Devin Hester so much is going to be a problem. But he won’t stop scoring from everywhere.
Jacksonville – Need to take the same “Closing Teams Out” course at the Learning Annex as the Ravens.
Minnesota – No one’s corners hit as hard as the Vikes’.
New England – Matt Cassel finally figured out how to throw the ball to Randy Moss.
New Orleans – Ridiculous offense. Reggie Bush finally showed up. If their cover guys can learn to…uh…cover, they’ve got a shot.

SPOILERS
Arizona – Okay, they can score again.
Buffalo – Wrecked by the Cards. Losing Trent Edwards will cost them their season.
Miami – Becoming the very epitome of spoiler. Who loves the Wildcat?!?
New York Jets – Brett Favre threw eight more TDs during the bye.
Philadelphia – What a disaster. They’re looking like the odd man out in the division.
San Diego – Who can they blame this one on?

ONE MAJOR FLAW
Atlanta – The flaw is that they’re inexperienced. Matt Ryan made the Pack look like Georgia Tech.
Green Bay – Catastrophic home loss to Falcons. Maybe Aaron Rodgers shouldn’t relax just yet.
Indianapolis – Yeah, it was an amazing comeback. But they were in a 17 point hole because their defense is a sieve.

MAYBE IN ’08
Cleveland – Monday Night Showdown will be Brady Quinn’s first action. That action will be getting sacked.
Houston – Sage Rosenfels slides and they beat the Colts.
Oakland – What’s the over/under on weeks until Al Davis wants Tom Cable’s head? And I mean for drinking.
San Francisco – Perfectly mediocre, bad last weekend.
Seattle – Zero fight against the defending champs.

DEAD TO RIGHTS
Cincinnati – Think Ocho Cinco wants to get last-minute traded to Dallas? Think Jerry Jones would say yes?
Detroit – Yuck.
Kansas City – Yeech.

ON THE CLOCK
St. Louis – Intense vomiting sounds, followed by dry heaves, more vomiting, then a spit into the toilet, a shot of Listerine to cleanse the palate, minty vomiting.