THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

SAM FARMER’S NFL RANKINGS AND COMMENTS

1 St. Louis (6-0) Trung Canidate runs for 159 yards ... in his first start.

2 Oakland (5-1) Week off should pay big dividends.

3 Pittsburgh (4-1) Jerome Bettis finally back on track.

4 San Diego (4-2) Even with Seau hurt, this defense shines.

5 Miami (3-2) Defense is solid, but needs to force more turnovers.

6 Green Bay (4-2) No team loves home more.

7 Philadelphia (3-2) Ugly win, but beating the Giants is huge.

8 New York Giants (3-3) Michael Strahan could be defensive MVP.

9 Chicago (4-1) Is 2001 Bear defense better than 2000 Ravens’?

10 San Francisco (4-1) Jeff Garcia wants to go deep more often.

11 Baltimore (3-3) Elvis is taking a beating.

12 New Orleans (3-2) Aaron Brooks has played well against the Rams.

13 Cleveland (4-2) Remarkable defensive turnaround.

14 Denver (3-3) Looked horrible against the Chargers.

15 New England (3-3) Who needs Drew Bledsoe?

16 Minnesota (3-3) Daunte Culpepper is still the leading rusher.

17 Atlanta (3-3) Chris Chandler is solid when he’s not hurt.

18 New York Jets (3-3) Jets have a plus-16 turnover ratio.

19 Indianapolis (3-3) Edgerrin James has not scored since Week 2.

20 Tennessee (2-3) Steve McNair doesn’t get much protection.

21 Tampa Bay (2-3) Buccaneers know how to smother Randy Moss.

22 Cincinnati (3-3) Corey Dillon is too inconsistent.

23 Seattle (3-2) What’s the point in bringing Hasselbeck back?

24 Arizona (2-3) Jake Plummer is becoming more reliable.

25 Buffalo (1-4) Rob Johnson wants to make the most of homecoming.

26 Jacksonville (2-4) Where did Mark Brunell go?

27 Detroit (0-5) Franchise history in the making? Unfortunately, yes.

28 Carolina (1-5) Weinke is finally starting to look like a rookie.

29 Kansas City (1-6) Think Dick Vermeil is happy about his comeback?

30 Dallas (1-4) Well, at least there’s Washington.

31 Washington (1-5) A rare bright spot: receiver Rod Gardner.