	1. ATLANTA FALCONS [unchanged] Overall record: 10-2 Streak: Won six Look, I’ve been a big Matt Ryan fan since the Falcons drafted “Matty Ice” with the No. 3 overall pick in 2008. And he’s getting – rightly so – big props for rallying Atlanta in Tampa Bay. But Eric Weems certainly made Ryan’s life easier in the fourth quarter, when he answered a Bucs’ touchdown with a 102-yard kickoff return for a score that cut Tampa Bay’s lead to only four points. Ryan took it from there.
	2. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS [unchanged] Overall record: 10-2 Streak: Won four With a virtuoso performance on Monday night against the Jets, quarterback Tom Brady ended the MVP debate in my mind. Brady’s dissection of Rex Ryan’s bunch should put the finishing touches on his second career award.
	3. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS [up from 5] Overall record: 9-3 Streak: Won five Quarterback Drew Brees is directing an offence that’s scored at least 30 points in the team’s last four games.
	4. PITTSBURGH STEELERS [up from 6] Overall record: 9-3 Streak: Won three No one can ever question the toughness of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben started the game against the Ravens on a gimpy foot, endured a broken nose in the first half, and – à la Eli Manning – escaped the clutches of linebacker Terrell Suggs to avoid a big sack on the Steelers’ winning drive. That, my friends, is the definition of a leader.
	5. BALTIMORE RAVENS [down from 4] Overall record: 8-4 Streak: Lost one The one time the Ravens’ protection doesn’t account for Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and it ends up costing the team dearly. This one is on offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. Why would you even call a pass play that late in the game when the defence is playing lights out?
	6. N.Y. JETS [down from 3] Overall record: 9-3 Streak: Lost one I said last week that there’s no way the Jets beat New England unless they play consistent offence. Well now there’s a new problem. Brady and company may have given other playoff-bound teams in the AFC an outline on how to attack a confidence-shaken defence.
	7.CHICAGO BEARS [unchanged] Overall record: 9-3 Streak: Won five Are the Bears for real? We’ll find out soon enough. Chicago hosts the red-hot Patriots on Sunday, which should give fans a good gauge of whether this team is a legitimate title contender.
	8. GREEN BAY PACKERS [unchanged] Overall record: 8-4 Streak: Won one Donald Driver’s tackle-breaking 61-yard touchdown against the 49ers was a sight to behold. And he accomplished this after waking up with food poisoning the morning of the game. Perhaps the veteran wide out should eat a batch of bad spicy chicken wings the night before every Packers’ game.
	9. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES [unchanged] Overall record: 8-4 Streak: Won one With all the hoopla surrounding quarterback Michael Vick, many are not paying attention to the importance of running back LeSean McCoy. The exciting tailback is shredding defences on the ground and as a pass catcher, which frees up Vick and the rest of the offence.
	10. N.Y. GIANTS [unchanged] Overall record: 8-4 Streak: Won two With the calendar quickly turning to frigid temperatures, the Giants’ running game has emerged at the perfect time.
	11. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS [up from 13] Overall record: 8-4 Streak: Won three A victory in San Diego would pretty well clinch an unlikely AFC West title for the Chiefs.
	12. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS [up from 15] Overall record: 7-5 Streak: Won one The battle for the AFC South crown all comes down to a meeting in Indianapolis in two weeks.
	13. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS [down from 12] Overall record: 7-5 Streak: Lost two The Bucs are not out of this thing. They have winnable games against Washington, Detroit and Seattle before facing a huge test in New Orleans in the final week.
	14. OAKLAND RAIDERS [up from 18] Overall record: 6-6 Streak: Won one As amazing as it is to point out, Week 17’s showdown in Kansas City could decide the fate of the AFC West.
	15. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS [down from 11] Overall record: 6-6 Streak: Lost one Wow, I didn’t see this coming. The sloppy Chargers allowed Oakland to sweep the season series, and need to win the next four games - plus help from other teams - if they hope to make the playoffs this season.
	16. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS [down from 14] Overall record: 6-6 Streak: Lost three I once said that the only irreplaceable piece on the Colts’ roster is quarterback Peyton Manning. However, injured tight end Dallas Clark isn’t far behind. Just ask Manning how his tight ends’ absence is affecting the offence.
	17. ST. LOUIS RAMS [up from 19] Overall record: 6-6 Streak: Won two By winning for the sixth time, the Rams matched their win total of the last three seasons.
	18. MIAMI DOLPHINS [down from 16] Overall record: 6-6 Streak: Lost one It’s time to say it: former Dolphins’ boss Bill Parcells made a major faux pas. In 2008, Parcells bypassed Matt Ryan to take left tackle Jake Long with the first overall pick, and then nabbed quarterback Chad Henne in the second round. It’s safe to say that was a mistake.
	19. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS [up from 21] Overall record: 6-6 Streak: Won one Erasing a 14-point lead against lowly Carolina doesn’t exactly make the Seahawks playoff-worthy.
	20. HOUSTON TEXANS [down from 17] Overall record: 5-7 Streak: Lost one The Texans’ offence is loaded with players putting up tremendous fantasy numbers. I’m sure fans would love to take a baseball bat to me for writing the previous sentence considering their team won’t earn a post-season berth - again.
	21. CLEVELAND BROWNS [up from 23] Overall record: 5-7 Streak: Won two Among the surprises in Cleveland this year has been the play of the Browns’ defence, which has yet to allow an opposing team to score 30 points in one game.
	22. MINNESOTA VIKINGS [up from 25] Overall record: 5-7 Streak: Won two I’d bet everything I own that Brett Favre (shoulder injury) will continue his record start streak. Ok, that equates to about 100 bucks.
	23. DALLAS COWBOYS [up from 26] Overall record: 4-8 Streak: Won one Watching running back Tashard Choice gash the Colts make me wonder why he gets so little carries in Dallas.
	24. WASHINGTON REDSKINS [down from 20] Overall record: 5-7 Streak: Lost two I don’t blame Mike Shanahan for suspending the headache that is Albert Haynesworth for the final four games – a move that likely ends his brief Washington stint – but it seems the head coach has mishandled almost every situation since arriving in the off-season.
	25. TENNESSEE TITANS [down from 22] Overall record: 5-7 Streak: Lost five “What I saw on Sunday [against the Jacksonville Jaguars], I’ve never seen a team play with such a lack of enthusiasm, lack of effort,” said former Titans running back Eddie George. I’m sorry to say this, Eddie, but expect more of the same Thursday night when the Colts come to town.
	26. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS [down from 24] Overall record: 4-8 Streak: Lost one Quarterback Alex Smith will regain is starting spot for what seems like the 10th time. I’ve never seen a draft bust get this many opportunties.
	27. BUFFALO BILLS [unchanged] Overall record: 2-10 Streak: Lost two The loss in Minnesota was the first bad game the Bills have played in two months.
	28. ARIZONA CARDINALS [unchanged] Overall record: 3-9 Streak: Lost seven Kurt Warner must be thinking the same thing every time he sees a Cardinals’ quarterback drop back to pass: “Thank God that’s not me!”
	29. DENVER BRONCOS [unchanged] Overall record: 3-9 Streak: Lost three Josh McDaniels displayed nothing but arrogance and defiance when he was hired as head coach less than two years ago. From the trading of Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall and Peyton Hillis, to the handling of Spygate II, McDaniels’s blunders continued to pile up. Now unemployed, the Bill Belichick disciple might want to eat a rather large piece of humble pie before getting back in the game.
	30.CINCINNATI BENGALS [unchanged] Overall record: 2-10 Streak: Lost nine I’d say head coach Marvin Lewis’s tenure in Cincinnati has four more games left.
	31. DETROIT LIONS [unchanged] Overall record: 2-10 Streak: Lost five How pathetic have the Lions been the last 10 years? The team has lost at least 10 games in nine of those seasons.
	32. CAROLINA PANTHERS [unchanged] Overall record: 1-11 Streak: Lost six “What we do in the future will entirely be geared toward putting the best possible team on the field. I am committed to fielding a winning team, and I’m willing to invest the resources necessary to make it happen,” Panthers owner Jerry Richardson wrote to his season ticket holders. That’s going to take more time than some fans are willing to endure, Jerry.

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