1. Eagles (7-0; last week No. 1): They’ve matched their best start in franchise history. Only the Texans are standing in the way of 8-0. In other words, they’ll be 8-0.
2. Bills (6-1; No. 2): They get just a little too lackadaisical at times against lesser foes.
3. Chiefs (5-2; No. 3): Kadarius Toney could be a poor man’s Tyreek Hill. Which is still better than no Tyreek Hill at all.
4. Cowboys (6-2; No. 4): If Micah Parsons wants to play offense, let him.
5. Vikings (6-1; No. 6): We’ll find out how good this team really is in November; every opponent this month is currently at or above .500.
6. Giants (6-2; No. 5): It had to end sometime.
7. Ravens (5-3; No. 8): Roquan Smith could be exactly what a defense that struggles to hold leads needs.
8. Titans (5-2; No. 9): The Titans are the most overlooked very good team of the decade.
9. Seahawks (5-3; No. 11): They keep getting better and better.
10. Dolphins (5-3; No. 12): Tyreek Hill has gotten his wish to produce like Cooper Kupp in 2021. Can the Dolphins produce like the Rams did, too?
11. Jets (5-3; No. 7): Zach Wilson could be running out of time to prove he’s the guy.
12. 49ers (4-4; No. 16): If their key players can stay healthy, they can win it all.
13. Patriots (4-4; No. 19): Every time it looks like they’re falling apart, they find a way to get it together.
14. Chargers (4-3; No. 15): Post-bye, the Chargers need to start getting more out of Justin Herbert. Otherwise, he may be the only one left next year.
15. Bengals (4-4; No. 10): They need Ja’Marr Chase back on the field ASAP.
16. Falcons (4-4; No. 21): Alone in first place in the NFC South. Just like we all expected.
17. Commanders (4-4; No. 22): The football team plays surprisingly well when ownership is under siege.
18. Packers (3-5; No. 13): It’s not hyperbole to say that any remaining hope they have hinges on beating the Lions.
19. Buccaneers (3-5; No. 14): The Rams officially ended Tom Brady’s 2021 season in January. They could unofficially end his 2022 season on Sunday.
20. Rams (3-4; No. 17): Sean McVay may be wishing he’d taken the Amazon money when he could have.
21. Browns (3-5; No. 27): Where has this team been hiding all year?
22. Bears (3-5; No. 18): They’re content to plan for a potential takeover of the NFC North, as soon as 2023.
23. Cardinals (3-5; No. 20): One step forward, one step back.
24. Colts (3-4-1; No. 23): The best outcome at this point would be for them to launch a nature-takes-it-course tank job, right into potential franchise quarterback in the draft.
25. Saints (3-5; No. 29): If the defense keeps playing like it did on Sunday, they can become a factor.
26. Broncos (3-5; No. 30): Barely beating a bad team doesn’t really change anything.
27. Panthers (2-6; No. 25): If they can recover from what happened in Atlanta, Steve Wilks definitely should keep the job for 2023.
28. Jaguars (2-6; No. 26): The clock is already ticking on Trevor Lawrence.
29. Steelers (2-6; No. 28): The fact that it’s been so long that they’ve been this bad makes it even more jarring to see.
30. Raiders (2-5; No. 24): Maybe they should have given Rich Bisaccia a chance.
31. Texans (1-5-1; No. 31): Twenty years after joining the league, they feel like an expansion team all over again.
32. Lions (1-6; No. 32): Having a coach who’s a real character is good. Having a coach who wins at least once per month would be even better.
