THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

SAM FARMER’S NFL RANKINGS AND COMMENTS

*--* Rank Team (record) Comment (last week’s rank) 1 GREEN BAY (7-1) Brett Favre has made a huge contribution, but this defense is underrated. (2) 2 DENVER (6-2) Mike Shanahan always wins when Oakland comes to town. (4) 3 SAN FRANCISCO (6-2) 49ers have a league-low seven turnovers lost. (5) 4 PHILADELPHIA (6-2) Unlike the first five games, Eagles are running far more than they pass. (3) 5 SAN DIEGO (6-2) The season could hinge on Sunday’s game at St. Louis. (1) 6 NEW ORLEANS (6-2) Getting Dale Carter back is huge for a defense needing a cover corner. (7) 7 TAMPA BAY (7-2) Erratic offense notwithstanding, Buccaneers off to franchise-best start. (8) 8 PITTSBURGH (5-3) Tommy Maddox will get a chance to show Dan Reeves how he has grown. (10) 9 NEW ENGLAND (4-4) Bill Belichick and his assistants called a brilliant game against Buffalo. (18) 10 BUFFALO (5-4) Even with last Sunday’s setback, Bills are in good wild-card standing. (9) 11 ATLANTA (5-3) Falcons have won four in a row for the first time since 1998. (14) 12 KANSAS CITY (4-4) Chief defense, nonexistent earlier in season, is starting to come together. (11) 13 ST. LOUIS (3-5) If hard-charging Rams lose two more, they could be out of playoff picture. (15) 14 MIAMI (5-3) Dolphin quarterback situation is a mess. What’s Aikman’s number? (6) 15 TENNESSEE (4-4) Of the Titans’ final eight opponents, only one has a winning record. (23) 16 OAKLAND (4-4) Raider defense was on the field far too long against the 49ers. (12) 17 WASHINGTON (4-4) Kenny Watson could put a dent in Jacksonville, ranked 26th vs. the run. (24) 18 DETROIT (3-5) Lions haven’t won at Lambeau Field since 1991. (20) 19 ARIZONA (4-4) Cardinals had high hopes for receivers. So far, no one has panned out. (13) 20 INDIANAPOLIS (4-4) No team goes through running backs faster than the Colts. (16) 21 BALTIMORE (3-5) Jeff Blake has to be stoked to face Cincinnati, his former employer. (17) 22 N.Y. JETS (3-5) Gang Green has a chance to prove victory over Chargers was no fluke. (31) 23 JACKSONVILLE (3-5) Jaguars might want to make one more run at Steve Spurrier on Sunday. (19) 24 N.Y. GIANTS (4-4) The Giants have eight takeaways, fewest in the league. (25) 25 CLEVELAND (4-5) Highly touted rookie William Green is averaging 2.3 yards a carry. (27) 26 CAROLINA (3-5) Rodney Peete is back, and that should give Panthers a boost. (26) 27 DALLAS (3-6) Cowboys have shuffled the offensive line eight times in nine games. (22) 28 SEATTLE (2-6) What’s that faint sound? It’s the clock ticking on Mike Holmgren. (21) 29 MINNESOTA (2-6) The Vikings would have an impressive offense if they held onto the ball. (28) 30 CHICAGO (2-6) With a tough schedule ahead, the picture looks mighty bleak for Bears. (29) 31 HOUSTON (2-6) Even for an expansion team, the Texans losing to Cincinnati was a joke. (30) 32 CINCINNATI (1-7) Bengals should get back on losing track this week. (32)

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