NFL Week 10 Rankings

The Fab Five

1. Colts (9-0): Yes, they did benefit from Bill Belichick's strange coaching decision, and yes, their leader and best player Peyton Manning did throw two bad interceptions against New England on Sunday, but you can't ignore the fact that the Colts have come through two tough games against the Texans and the Patriots with victories.

The Pats couldn't stop or even slow Manning in the fourth quarter and Reggie Wayne, who they'd tried to take out of the equation all day, ended up with 126 receiving yards and the winning TD. Meanwhile the Colts injury-ravaged D came up with some big stops in the second half.

The best football teams make the fourth quarter theirs, and that's why the Colts take over at the top of the pile this week.

2. Saints (9-0): People were shocked to see the Rams give the Saints such a close game on Sunday, but don't be surprised if it keeps happening in the coming weeks. The undefeated Saints have a huge target on their backs, meaning that the teams they face will continue to give them their best shot week after week. There will be no easy games here on out for New Orleans.

3. Vikings (8-1): Well Brett Favre's arm looked in good shape against Detroit, didn't it? He threw deep ball after deep ball to his new favorite target Sidney Rice, completing a pass of 56, and two of 43 yards. These days, Favre seems to live to continue to prove his detractors wrong.

4. Bengals (8-2): Signing free agent "bad boy" running back Larry Johnson as an insurance policy for Cedric Benson was an interesting move by the Bengals this week. You have to wonder whether it was wise to take any chances with disrupting their new found winning chemistry. However in reality, LJ fits in perfectly with the Bengals newly-forged identity as a team of talented but troubled players who have something to prove: Benson, Roy Williams, Tank Johnson, Chris Henry, and rookies Rey Maualuga and Michael Johnson.

5. Chargers (6-3): Four weeks ago, the Chargers were 2-3 having just been outclassed in a Monday Nighter by the Broncos. Two confidence boosting wins against the Raiders and Chiefs have led to two big wins against NFC East powerhouse teams, the Giants and Eagles. Philip Rivers is performing the best out of the young generation of quarterbacks in the league, and LT has a new reason to run hard.

The Fat Five

32. Browns (1-8): With the eyes of all of America on them on Monday night, the Browns had a great opportunity to show any sign of life and give their fans some hope. They didn't. Sure he was facing a good defense, but I think there are a number of college quarterbacks who would have done better job than Brady Quinn did against the Ravens. By the second half, there was such a look of pain on coach Eric Mangini's face. He knows after this Browns job goes away, it will be a while until another NFL team hands him the reins.

31. Lions (1-8): Unlike the Browns, there were some positives for the Lions to take from their loss to the Vikings. They now need to turn those positives into wins though, starting this week, with a simply must-win game against Cleveland.

30. Oakland (2-7): The Raiders have been flirting with a spot in the bottom five all year, and thanks to another inept performance against the Chiefs, they have finally arrived. Quarterback JaMarcus Russell said he was surprised and disappointed to have been pulled in the third quarter by coach Tom Cable after completing 8 of 23 passes for 64 yards. That very statement tells you all you need to know about the former number 1 overall pick, who doesn't seem to hold himself to a high standard and lacks competitiveness. Add that to the major disappointment the Raiders last two first round picks, Darren McFadden and Darrius Heyward-Bey, have been and you begin to understand the plight Oakland find themselves in.

29. Buccaneers (1-8): Although both the next two teams, the Bucs and Rams, lost this weekend, neither team looked that bad. Though they lost the game in the end, Josh Freeman led another fourth quarter comeback, and looks the part of an NFL starter so far. Contrast his post-game quote, "I feel pretty miserable right now because of the loss. You hate to lose. That's the only thing on my mind,'' with that of Russell's and it tells you a lot about both players.

28.Rams (1-8): Small mention here for a running back in a column dominated by quarterbacks: almost unnoticed, Stephen Jackson is having a Pro Bowl season on a disappointing team. He had 131 rushing yards against the Saints, is averaging over a hundred yards a game, and his yards-per-carry average, 4.8, is the highest it's been since he burst on the scene as a rookie in 2o04. The man is still only 26, and he represents a great foundation the Rams can build upon.