THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

SAM FARMER’S NFL RANKINGS WITH COMMENTS

Rk Team (Record) Comment

1 Pittsburgh (11-2) Life without Bettis isn’t so bad.

2 St. Louis (11-2) Rams need to reduce the turnovers.

3 Chicago (10-3) Bears are in playoffs, but Jauron’s job in limbo.

4 Oakland (10-3) Raiders need to make a habit of stopping the run.

5 San Francisco (10-3) Defense has two shutouts in three weeks.

6 Green Bay (9-4) Failed to establish the run against Tennessee.

7 Philadelphia (9-4) Making the most of dump-offs to Duce Staley.

8 New England (9-5) Patriots win, even when Tom Brady isn’t at his best.

9 Miami (9-4) Three games in 13 days can burn a team out.

10 Baltimore (8-5) Quietly slipping out of the playoff picture.

11 New York Jets (8-5) Catch a breather: Indy, then Buffalo.

12 New Orleans (7-6) Dodging penalty flags ... and now bottles.

13 Seattle (7-6) Coming off most lopsided victory of the season.

14 Denver (7-7) Pat Bowlen refers to this season as “a disaster.”

15 Tampa Bay (7-6) Inconsistent, at running and stopping the run.

16 Tennesee (6-7) And the Titans’ star running back is ... Skip Hicks?

17 Washington (6-7) Redskins are stuck with Tony Banks.

18 New York Giants (6-7) Secondary did a nice job against Cardinals.

19 Cleveland (6-7) Probably won’t get past bottle-throwing distraction.

20 Indianapolis (5-8) Bashing of Falcons was merely a tease.

21 Jacksonville (5-8) Now, Tom Coughlin has nowhere to go.

22 Atlanta (6-7) Should have enough juice left to beat Buffalo.

23 Arizona (5-8) Gramatica offers some comic relief.

24 Kansas City (4-9) Strain of season is wearing on Priest Holmes.

25 Dallas (4-9) Pounding by Seahawks was a demoralizing blow.

26 San Diego (5-9) Why not give Drew Brees a try?

27 Minnesota (5-8) But for Vikings, Detroit and Carolina would be winless.

28 Cincinnati (4-9) Quarterback options are dwindling-Kevin Thompson?

29 Detroit (1-12) Better not start winning; the draft is around the corner.

30 Buffalo (2-11) Unexpectedly tough against New England, but still bad.

31 Carolina (1-12) The Seifert watch is in its final days.