Four teams went into the week with a 0 on one side of their won/loss column, but only Cincinnati left with one after getting drubbed again, this time at the hands of Pittsburgh, 34-7. Amazing consistency. If you throw out the Indy loss (28-21) they have given up 30 to 34 points while scoring 3 to 7. Ouch. The Rams took care of the goose egg in their win column as well as the one in the Raiders loss column with a stunning 28-13 win. Possibly one of the best finishes ever seen was the ESPN night game where Miami shocked Denver 24-22 after a late exchange of long field goals.

Six of the eight divisions are led by teams with 1 loss, but the NFL is going to have an ugly situation if someone doesn’t step up in the AFC North. Currently Baltimore (2-3) is leading the way, even though they have the 10th best record in a 16 team conference.

1 (2) Miami (5-1) They gave Denver plenty of chances, but their defense finally stood up on the road. Losing Fiedler probably costs them two losses, but for now they are top dog.

2 (4) New Orleans (5-1) After San Francisco this week, they get four in a row against teams .500 or below so they should stay hot.

3 (7) Green Bay (5-1) This was the signature win they were looking for, although big games (‘Fins, Bucs, 49ers) lie ahead.

4 (5) Tampa Bay (5-1) Their defense is punishing, but you have to wonder how long it will take the offense to grasp Gruden’s system. We’re almost half way through the season guys.

5 (1) Oakland (4-1) Consider this. Of the 5 teams they have played only one (Buffalo) has a winning mark against the NFL. Now 3 of their next 4 do. Time to step up.

6 (3) Denver (4-2) Field goals are great if you have Elam in your fantasy league, but you won’t win many games when five drives end in them.

7 (9) San Francisco (4-1) I’m still not sold on them, but at least their offense (65 points in two weeks) is waking up.

8 (8) Philadelphia (3-2) I think the week off will help them realize that they have to prove themselves every week.

9 (11) San Diego (5-1) Drew Brees finally broke out and had a 300-yard game, and make no mistake that was a huge win. This week in Oakland tells the story.

10 (6) New England (3-3) Before the year I thought they could be a .500 team, and so far they are proving I might have been right, although I’ll stay with my 10-6 prediction.

11 (10) Indianapolis (4-1) Quietly taking care of teams that aren’t very good, and suddenly leading their division outright.

12 (14) Chicago (2-3) A bye week should help them gain confidence as they travel to a pair of weak teams (Detroit, Minnesota) and hope to start a wild card run.

13 (15) Buffalo (3-3) Defensively they have obvious deficiencies, and you wonder how long Bledsoe’s circus act can continue to mask that.

14 (13) Jacksonville (3-2) Just when I start to believe in them, they lose to a Titans team doing nothing right. In their defense, they did lose Brunell.

15 (16) Arizona (3-2) A confident bunch right now, but they really need to beat Dallas to hold their momentum following their bye.

16 (12) Kansas City (3-3) The defense can’t stop a soul, and after a while the offense will get tired of scoring 34 and losing.

17 (19) Pittsburgh (2-3) Their confidence is rising, and a win this week over Indianapolis might bring it back to what it was before the season.

18 (25) Dallas (3-3) Last week I said their 14.8 point scoring average was awful, and then they score 14 and win. Make that 3 wins for the defense.

19 (17) Carolina (3-3) How can you not have a winning record when your defense has yet to allow over 17 points? No offense, that’s how.

20 (20) Baltimore (2-3) With Ray Lewis, they might have beaten the Colts, but to be straight about it this team doesn’t have enough talent to beat many other teams.

21 (23) Atlanta (2-3) Stole a win at the Meadowlands behind Doug Johnson, but they have plenty of quality opponents coming up.

22 (18) NY Giants (3-3) They flat out blew it by losing to a team that is not good in the first place, and was playing without their best player.

23 (27) St. Louis (1-5) Holt, Faulk and Bruce all scored, and sans Warner they looked like their 1999-2001 version.

24 (22) Washington (2-3) Ramsey got his first taste of growing pains with 4 picks, 3 in the first quarter, but this team will still scare some contenders.

25 (21) Cleveland (2-4) The Bucs have made a lot of offenses look bad, but the Browns looked very, very bad this week.

26 (28) Tennessee (2-4) Eddie George finally got going, and after their bye this week they visit Cincinnati with a chance to spark their dim playoff hopes.

27 (24) NY Jets (1-4) A week off to reflect is probably what this team needed, but any sort of playoff run is highly unlikely.

28 (26) Seattle (1-4) A close loss is still a loss, and they lost a great chance to get into the division race after a crummy start of the season.

29 (31) Minnesota (1-4) They shot past Detroit, and looked good doing it, but against any decent team they won’t hold up.

30 (29) Detroit (1-4) Joey Harrington is their franchise quarterback, and beyond that there is no good news for this team.

31 (32) Houston (1-4) After putting up 24 points I might leave their offense alone for a week, but this is still not a good team, and I’ll be surprised if they win 3 games.

32 (30) Cincinnati (0-6) Not a lot to say other than that they won’t lose this week. Okay, they’re off.