NFL rankings

A look at who’s hot — and who’s not — a quarter of the way through the NFL season

ROMER BAUTISTA, STAFF

At press time, all but six teams — Washington, Tennessee, New Orleans, and Jacksonville had a bye week; New England and Cincinnati are currently playing in the Monday Nighter — have completed four games, a quarter of their season. There have been plenty of surprises, both good and bad, and there are teams that have clearly separated themselves as contenders or pretenders. Here is a look at how each team sits after four weeks of action.

1. New England Patriots: Randy Moss has rejuvenated his career, and Tom Brady is showing the NFL what he can do when he actually has talented receivers to work with.
2. Indianapolis Colts: The defence is surprisingly improved despite losing several starters from last year’s team. I can’t wait until the week nine clash-of-titans between the Colts and the Patriots.
3. Dallas Cowboys: It’s safe to say that last year’s disappointing end to the season is long forgotten by Tony Romo.
4. Green Bay Packers: Congrats to Brett Favre for becoming the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdown passes.
5. Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks are one fumbled exchange away from being undefeated.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers: Willie Parker has established himself as one of the top running backs in the league.
7. Tennessee Titans: The Titans have given the Colts their toughest challenge to date. Vince Young continues to find ways to win.
8. Detroit Lions: Maybe Jon Kitna wasn’t so crazy when he predicted 10 wins prior to the season.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars: The defence is on point again this year, but questions remain about whether the offence can hold up their end of the bargain.
10. Denver Broncos: It looks like Travis Henry will become yet another name on the long list of Denver 1,000-yard running backs.
11. New York Giants: The combined record of the two teams that the Giants have lost to is 8-0. They are not as bad as they looked in those first two games.
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Somebody has got to win in the putrid NFC South, and right now the Buccaneers are the most promising candidates.

13. Washington Redskins: Jason Campbell has certainly been impressive in his first full season as a starter.
14. Cincinnati Bengals: As good as the offence has looked, the defence has looked equally as bad.
15. Houston Texans: The Texans are a much better team when they have Andre Johnson on the field. Hopefully his knee sprain doesn’t keep him out much longer.
16. San Diego Chargers: The band-wagon is losing members by the day, but it’s tough to count out a team that has the best running back in the league.
17. Baltimore Ravens: Another team that looks like they were overrated in the pre-season. This once-feared defence has looked as soft as ice cream in the last couple of weeks.
18. Arizona Cardinals: A quarterback controversy is starting in Arizona. I say, go with what works, and right now Kurt Warner is working just fine.
19. Carolina Panthers: Whether it’s Jake Delhomme or David Carr in at quarterback, the key to the Panthers’ success is getting the ball to Steve Smith.
20. San Francisco 49ers: At least head coach Mike Nolan looks classy in defeat.
21. Philadelphia Eagles: One game the offence looks unstoppable and puts up 56 points, the next game they barely manage three. I think we’ll be seeing more of the latter in the rest of the year.

22. Cleveland Browns: The good: victories over division rivals, the Bengals and the Ravens. The bad: a loss to the Raiders.
23. Kansas City Chiefs: The offence is beginning to show signs of life, even with Larry Johnson averaging just 3.5 yards-per-carry.
24. Chicago Bears: The only thing going well for the Bears this season is Devin Hester. You know things are bad when Kyle Orton might be the solution at quarterback.
25. Oakland Raiders: Lane Kiffin has got the Raiders playing with some heart, something which could not be said last year.
26. Buffalo Bills: The best news of the season thus far is that Kevin Edwards’ injuries are not as serious as initially reported.
27. Atlanta Falcons: Joey Harrington’s play has been admirable, but when it comes down to it, this Falcons team just isn’t that good.

28. New York Jets: The Jets barely squeaked out a win against the Dolphins at home — the same Dolphins team that just got smoked out by the Raiders.
29. New Orleans Saints: No one seems to have an answer as to why the Saints have reverted back to the “Aints,” but their weak offensive line would be a good place to start looking.
30. Minnesota Vikings: If only the Vikings can find a franchise quarterback to match with their franchise running back, Adrian Peterson.
31. Miami Dolphins: I doubt we’ll be hearing any more guarantees from Joey Porter — unless he’s guaranteeing another brutal performance by Trent Green.
32. St. Louis Rams: The days of the “Greatest Show on Turf” are long over. The Rams haven’t scored an offensive touchdown in 11 quarters and counting.