The race is on in the NFC, but it isn’t for playoff spots it is for playoff position. A huge game between the only two teams with playoff spots in their pocket takes place in Northern California this week when the 49ers host the Packers. Another battle of division leaders that will impact position is Oakland at Miami. The final game pitting division leaders is on Monday Night Football, which is starved for a good match-up, when New England visits Tennessee. In the poll this week the Falcons took a bit of a dive while the Titans, Dolphins and Patriots all shot up the poll while moving atop their divisions.

1 (1) Tampa Bay (10-3) Now for all of you idiots out there who wondered why I left them in the top spot, you can now stop wondering. Clearly the top dog until proven otherwise on their home turf, where they might stay until a trip to San Diego.

2 (2) Green Bay (10-3) I still have my doubts about this team, but a loss might not be a bad thing this weekend. You see, that puts them in line for a semi-finals meeting in Philly, where they won’t be cold weather strangers and won’t face a top QB.

3 (4) Oakland (9-4) Anybody realize they have done this while guys like Woodson, Upshaw, Buchanan, James, Harris, Gibson, and Bryant have all missed time on their defense?

4 (5) Philadelphia (10-3) I don’t know how they will stack up in the playoffs, but I do know that they are likely to get teams right where they want them – Veterans Stadium.

5 (8) San Francisco (9-4) They are only the second team to really punish this Dallas defense, and in so doing they showed their offense is in high gear. Hearst’s injury could be a problem since Barlow is already down, however.

6 (3) Atlanta (8-4-1) Teams now have a blueprint for how to stop Vick. Unfortunately, none of the other 30 teams in the NFL have the personnel to execute it the way the Bucs did.

7 (6) New Orleans (9-4) Sooner or later, giving up 20 or more points every week is going to hurt them.

8 (12) New England (8-5) They are surging at just the right time, but if they want a return to the Super Bowl they will need home field in the playoffs.

9 (18) Tennessee (8-5) With a lot of good teams looking bad, I’m giving them a big boost because they might be the NFL’s best over the past 8 weeks while going 7-1.

10 (14) Miami (8-5) I will wait until I see what they do against real competition now that Fiedler is back in the mix before I lift them any more, but they simply over matched Chicago.

11 (9) Indianapolis (8-5) Manning’s return to Volunteer Country wasn’t all that pleasant, but they will have a clear path to the playoffs.

12 (7) Pittsburgh (7-5-1) I am still trying to understand how you out gain an opponent 9-1 and lose 24-6, but I’m convinced they would have won this one with Kordell at the helm.

13 (10) San Diego (8-5) The Raiders made them look downright awful in a game featuring a depleted wide receiving corps against a depleted secondary.

14 (15) NY Jets (7-6) A gritty win over Denver keeps them in the hunt, but this week at New England is another game they have to win.

15 (11) Denver (7-6) Suddenly the finale in Oakland looks like it might not decide the AFC West after all.

16 (19) Kansas City (7-6) They put up 49 for the second week in a row, and now look to wreak havoc on their AFC West foe’s playoff hopes.

17 (13) Buffalo (6-7) A week after I thought they were back, they still can’t solve the Pats and will be home for Christmas as a result.

18 (21) Cleveland (7-6) They won because of a stupid rule that was modified this season in which the ball can touch the ground in the process of being caught. This comes from the same people who brought you the “tuck” rule.

19 (23) NY Giants (7-6) They will be pondering “what if” while watching the playoffs, remembering games against the Titans and Texans that they let slip away.

20 (17) Baltimore (6-7) They continued to fight the good fight, but are likely out of the playoffs unless Pittsburgh collapses.

21 (20) Dallas (5-8) The offense can’t be blamed for this one. When the chips were down, their vaunted defense got crunched.

22 (16) St. Louis (5-8) There is no leadership on this team anymore, and I don’t really think any of them care about winning from here on out.

23 (26) Carolina (5-8) The anti-Rams. A team with odds stacked against it that continues to put forth a 100% effort. A clear reflection of their head coach John Fox.

24 (22) Washington (5-8) The final nail in their slim playoff hopes was driven home, and now Spurrier has three games to experiment with which is a scary thought for the unconventional head coach.

25 (24) Seattle (4-9) They simply don’t have the overall personnel to compete, which is why Holmgren is best served to stick to coaching and drop the GM tag.

26 (28) Arizona (5-8) A week after getting flattened 49-0, they give their home fans a treat with a comeback victory in OT.

27 (25) Jacksonville (5-8) When you have two defensive players whose only mission is to knock down a hail mary, and they can’t do it, you deserve to lose the game.

28 (30) Houston (4-9) I don’t have verification, but I do believe they set a record in winning a game while being out gained by the most yards (375). It also might be the only win where the winning team had only one receiver (actually tight end Billy Miller) catch any passes. Ugly does not begin to describe them.

29 (27) Minnesota (3-10) It is one thing to play hard, which they have. It is another thing to win football games, which they have not.

30 (29) Chicago (3-10) Lucky for them they beat Detroit and Cincinnati keeps losing, because I could easily say they are the worst team in the NFL right now. Over the past 11 weeks no team has lost more games.

31 (31) Detroit (3-10) I am now homeless, because before this week I said to bet the house on the Lions to beat the Cards, who are decimated with wide receiver injuries. Flat out awful effort in giving up the lead and the game.

32 (32) Cincinnati (1-12) They keep finding new ways to lose, but I’m not sure they care seeing as every loss puts them closer to landing Byron Leftwich at quarterback.