THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

SAM FARMER’S NFL RANKINGS AND COMMENTS

1 St. Louis (5-0) Losing Marshall Faulk hurts.

2 Green Bay (4-1) No one matches Packers’ defensive line depth.

3 Denver (3-2) Kennison’s stock is rising, Griese’s is falling.

4 Oakland (4-1) Off week will help battered Raiders heal.

5 Baltimore (3-2) Definitely beatable, but still very good.

6 N.Y. Giants (3-2) Tiki Barber is on the mend.

7 New Orleans (3-1) Ricky Williams is becoming more reliable.

8 Miami (3-2) It’s official: Jay Fiedler has a turnover problem.

9 San Francisco (4-1) Already, the 49ers have swept Atlanta.

10 Philadelphia (2-2) Can the Eagles finally beat the Giant jinx?

11 Indianapolis (2-2) Peyton Manning is looking downright average.

12 Pittsburgh (3-1) Kordell Stewart: Zero interceptions in past three games.

13 Chicago (3-1) First three-game winning streak since 1995.

14 Tampa Bay (2-2) Three times, Buccaneers have run for fewer than 100 yards.

15 N.Y. Jets (3-2) League’s worst run defense looked respectable vs. Miami.

16 San Diego (3-2) What happened to the team that started 3-0?

17 Cincinnati (3-2) Corey Dillon can give any defense problems.

18 Cleveland (3-2) Browns are relying too much on receiver Kevin Johnson.

19 Tennessee (1-3) Only one touchdown for Eddie George?

20 Minnesota (2-3) Young secondary is a real soft spot.

21 New England (2-3) Terry Glenn’s return helped Tom Brady last week.

22 Seattle (3-2) Beating the Broncos is a huge morale boost.

23 Jacksonville (2-3) Offense needs injured RB Fred Taylor to get healthy.

24 Arizona (1-3) Oct. 7 victory over Philadelphia was a mirage.

25 Atlanta (2-3) Scored 31 points against the 49ers ... and still lost.

26 Carolina (1-4) Panthers’ longest run from scrimmage this season: 16 yards.

27 Kansas City (1-4) Tony Gonzalez is the only bright spot on a bad offense.

28 Detroit (0-4) One more loss matches franchise’s worst start.

29 Buffalo (1-4) Rob Johnson gets no help from his patchwork line.

30 Dallas (1-4) Cowboys beat Redskins. Everything else is icing.

31 Washington (0-5) Pack your bags, Marty.