Week 7 NFL Barometer

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The unbeaten Bears were nearly dealt their first loss of the season on Monday Night in Arizona. It took three touchdowns, none of them by their offense, in the final 15:02 to give the Bears the win. How will this affect them in this week’s Barometer?

We also saw Detroit, Tennessee, and Tampa Bay all notch their first win of the year. That leaves Oakland (0-5) as the only team left without a victory. Can they erase that distinction in Week 7?

Recently, we asked five Cafe members to rank all 32 NFL teams from first to worst after Week 6 of the 2006 season. The average number for each team, based on their submissions, was calculated and the teams were ranked accordingly (to increase consistency, the highest and the lowest values for each team were disregarded).

Rank	Change	TEAM	Avg Rank	K n a p p	S N S	K i l r o y	M a t t	A b e	J a y	J o e l
1 (1)		Chicago	1.2	1	2	1	1	2	1	1
The Bears looked vulnerable for the first time this season as the offense reverted to 2005 form. But the defense stepped up and made sure they remained unbeaten.
2 (2)		Indianapolis	1.8	2	1	2	2	1	2	2
Did the bye week help the Colts refocus? Or will they still struggle to stop the run?
3 (4)		San Diego	3.6	4	5	3	6	3	3	3
LaDainian Tomlinson showed why he’s one of the best backs in the league when he ripped the 49ers for four touchdowns. Can he repeat that performance against division rival Kansas City?
4 (8)		Denver	4.8	7	4	4	4	4	5	9
It’s the defense, not the rushing attack, running the show in Mile High. They haven’t allowed more than seven points since Week 1. Can Cleveland buck that trend?
5 (5)		New England	6.2	6	8	5	7	5	8	5
The Pats get to face the Bills for the second time in less than two months. Will they win by more than two points this time around?
5 (11)		Seattle	6.2	8	3	6	3	11	10	4
They needed a huge second half to get by the Rams last week. Will they start out stronger at home as the Vikes visit Seattle?
7 (12)		Carolina	6.6	10	6	7	5	8	4	7
Carolina took care of Baltimore last week. Can one of the best front-fours in football feast on the struggling offensive line of Cincinnati in their next AFC North matchup?
7 (13)		New Orleans	6.6	3	7	8	8	6	6	6
After beating the Eagles, the Saints get to take their bye week and prepare for the visiting Ravens.
9 (3)		Philadelphia	8.4	5	9	9	10	7	7	12
With the loss last week, the Eagles fell to 4-2. Can they get back on track when they travel to Tampa Bay and visit the newly awakened Bucs?
10 (7)		Jacksonville	10.0	13	10	13	9	9	9	8
With their bye last week, the Jags have had two weeks to get ready for the Texans. They wouldn’t overlook them, would they?
11 (14)		NY Giants	12.2	12	13	14	11	10	11	16
With the Giants visiting division rival Dallas, can the Giants improve to a perfect 3-0 in NFC East play?
12 (6)		Cincinnati	13.0	17	12	12	12	12	16	13
They gave the struggling Bucs their first win of the year in Week 6. Can the Bengals stop the bleeding against Carolina? Or will they lose their third straight game?
13 (15)		St. Louis	13.4	9	16	11	15	16	15	10
The Rams had Seattle on the ropes, but were outscored 23-7 in the second half and suffered their second loss of the year. Can they turn it around after their bye?
14 (10)		Baltimore	14.0	14	11	10	14	17	17	14
Baltimore has to deal with the taste of two straight defeats over their bye week. Will that motivate them enough for a win in New Orleans in Week 8?
15 (16)		Pittsburgh	14.4	18	15	16	13	14	14	11
The Steelers looked like a completely different team last week when they plastered the Chiefs 45-7. Are the Steelers back?
16 (17)		Dallas	14.6	11	14	17	17	13	12	17
TO will have his Broadway on Monday night in Dallas against the Giants. Will he get a standing ovation, or will they boo him off the stage?
17 (9)		Atlanta	15.6	16	17	15	16	16	13	15
Rushing yards will be tough to come by against Pittsburgh. Will Michael Vick be able to win it with his arm?
18 (19)		Minnesota	17.4	15	18	18	18	15	18	25
Minnesota has had two weeks to prepare for Seattle. Have they made good use of their time?
19 (18)		Kansas City	19.8	20	20	19	19	18	21	22
Larry Johnson was held to a meager 26 yards rushing last week against Pittsburgh, so you can be sure he wants a better showing this week against the Chargers. Will he get it?
20 (21)		NY Jets	20.4	19	19	20	20	23	20	23
Trying to build on their win over the Dolphins, the Jets welcome Detroit into the Big Apple on Sunday.
21 (20)		Washington	21.4	21	22	21	22	20	23	21
With their loss to the Titans last week hanging over their heads, how will the Redskins respond to their matchup this week against the Colts?
22 (24)		Tampa Bay	22.8	23	21	23	21	25	22	26
After a last minute win against Cincinnati, the Bucs try to turn their season around against Philadelphia.
23 (23)		Arizona	23.4	30	28	28	23	19	19	18
They had one of the biggest meltdowns in recent memory against the Bears. Will this linger and have a negative effect, or will the Cards turn that loss into a positive?
24 (22)		Buffalo	23.6	22	23	22	27	26	25	20
Following their loss to Detroit, they’ll try to avenge their early season defeat against the Patriots this week.
25 (31)		Detroit	24.4	24	24	25	25	30	24	24
They broke in to the win column with their win over Buffalo. Can they continue their winning ways against the Jets?
26 (26)		San Francisco	25.0	25	25	24	24	22	27	28
After their drubbing by the Chargers, they take their bye week to get ready for the unenviable task of facing a ticked off Bears team who are also on bye.
27 (30)		Tennessee	26.4	27	26	27	26	24	26	27
Fresh off of their upset of the Redskins, the Titans try to carry their momentum over their bye week to face Houston in Week 8.
28 (25)		Cleveland	26.6	28	30	26	30	21	28	19
Coming off of their bye week preparations, are the Browns ready for the Broncos?
29 (29)		Miami	28.8	31	27	29	28	28	30	29
Nick Saban will try to get his club turned around following their Week 6 loss to the Jets. Will his coaching show through against the Packers?
30 (27)		Green Bay	29.2	26	29	30	29	29	29	30
Brett and the Packers will try to go into Miami and capture their second win of the year on Sunday against the struggling Dolphins.
31 (28)		Houston	31.0	29	31	31	31	31	32	31
The Texans took one on the chin last week as TO scored three touchdowns on the afternoon. They’ll face a fresh Jaguars team coming off of their bye week on Sunday.
32 (32)		Oakland	32.0	32	32	32	32	32	31	32
They held the Broncos to 13 points on Sunday night. The bad news is they could only muster 3 points themselves. There’s only one way to go for the Raiders.

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