THE TIMES’ RANKINGS
SAM FARMER’S NFL RANKINGS WITH COMMENTS
1. Pittsburgh
(9-2) Solid corners let Steelers blitz 24/7.
2. St. Louis
(9-2) Rams are impressive ... when they hang onto the ball.
3. Chicago
(9-2) Bears lead the league in lucky breaks.
4. San Francisco
(9-2) Even J.J. Stokes has started to produce.
5. Oakland
(8-3) Inability to stop the run will hurt Raiders in the playoffs.
6. Green Bay
(8-3) Brett Favre must sit in on Chicago meetings.
7. Miami
(8-3) Dolphins have to get their ground game on track.
8. Philadelphia
(7-4) Pass-happy Eagles have been running more lately.
9. New England
(7-5) Terry Glenn distraction just never ends.
10. Baltimore
(8-4) Here’s a switch: Raven offense is leading the way.
11. New York Jets
(7-4) Let’s see if Curtis Martin can run on Steelers.
12. Cleveland
(6-5) 11 different players have intercepted passes.
13. Tampa Bay
(6-5) Pass rush has come alive in last six games.
14. New Orleans
(6-5) No thank-you notes for Phil Luckett.
15. New York Giants
(5-6) Kerry Collins is taking a pounding--sacked 30 times.
16. Tennessee
(5-6) Eddie George: two touchdowns.
17. Washington
(5-6) Can the Redskins regain their momentum?
18. Seattle
(6-5) Believe it or not, Seahawks aren’t out of playoff race.
19. Arizona
(5-6) WR David Boston, built like a TE, leaves cornerbacks quaking.
20. Denver
(6-6) Banged-up Bronco offense is looking meek.
21. Atlanta
(6-5) Chris Chandler is nursing yet another injury.
22. Minnesota
(4-7) Randy Moss hurts Vikings as much as he helps.
23. Indianapolis
(4-7) Peyton Manning can carry the load by himself.
24. Cincinnati
(4-7) Bengals have scored a combined 33 points in last four.
25. San Diego
(5-7) LaDainian Tomlinson has cooled considerably.
26. Jacksonville
(3-8) Team Turmoil looked respectable in loss to Green Bay.
27. Dallas
(3-8) Alas, can’t schedule Washington every week.
28. Kansas City
(3-8) Keep Holmes and Gonzalez. Cut everyone else.
29. Detroit
(0-11) Oh so close doesn’t cut it.
30. Carolina
(1-11) Panthers have blown five fourth-quarter leads.
31. Buffalo
(1-10) Embarrassing effort against the 49ers.
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