Week 9 NFL Barometer

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The Bears and the Colts survived Week 8 and are both still unbeaten at 7-0. That’s the longest two undefeated teams have lasted in nearly 20 years. Indy faces their old rival, New England, in a game that looks to have home-field implications for the playoffs. Chicago gets another softball as they should chase the struggling Dolphins off the field.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Steelers (2-5) are suffering the worst Super Bowl hangovers in recent memory. Big Ben tossed four interceptions and looked shaky coming off his concussion last week. Will Cowher stick with him against the Broncos?

Every team has questions going in to Week 9. The trick is predicting which ones have the answers, and which ones should be wearing a dunce cap.

Recently, we asked five Cafe members to rank all 32 NFL teams from first to worst after Week 8 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	A b e	J o e l	K i l r o y	J a y
1 (1)		Chicago	1.0	1	2	1	1	1
That game against the 49ers was over before the opening kickoff. The unbeaten Bears get to face another struggling squad this week in Miami.
2 (2)		Indianapolis	2.0	2	1	2	2	2
That was a big win at Mile High, but now the Colts have another big showdown in Foxboro looming. Will Peyton need the Heimlich maneuver again?
3 (4)		New England	3.0	3	3	3	3	3
They pulled off a strong road victory on Monday night. Now it’s time for the visiting Colts. What does Belichick have planned this time?
4 (7)		NY Giants	4.7	5	4	6	5	4
After an undefeated October, can Eli and the Giants advance their winning streak to five games against the visiting Texans on Sunday?
4 (6)		San Diego	4.7	4	5	5	4	5
LT silenced all critics with his 240 all-purpose yards and 4 TDs last week. What does he have in store for the Browns?
6 (3)		Denver	6.0	9	6	4	6	6
The Colts got the better of them on a last minute field goal. Can the Broncos go into Pittsburgh and take one from the slumping Steelers?
7 (10)		Atlanta	7.0	7	8	7	7	7
If Michael Vick continues his newly-found passing prowess, the Falcons are going to be tough to beat. Can he keep it up against the Lions?
8 (10)		Baltimore	8.0	8	9	8	8	8
They silenced the Superdome in their romp over New Orleans. This week they face the Bengals in a game for the division lead.
9 (5)		New Orleans	8.3	6	7	9	9	10
After suffering their first home loss of the season, the Saints travel to Tampa Bay to try to get another division win.
10 (17)		Dallas	10.3	10	13	10	11	9
What a difference a quarterback makes. The mobile Tony Romo will lead the Cowboys into Washington in hopes of keeping their playoff hopes alive.
11 (9)		Cincinnati	10.7	11	10	11	10	11
The Bengals didn’t have an answer for Michael Vick in their loss to Atlanta. They have a huge game with Baltimore for control of the division on Sunday.
12 (16)		Jacksonville	12.0	12	12	12	12	14
Continuing their unpredictable week-to-week play, the Jags took one from the Eagles last Sunday. Which Jaguars team will show up against the Titans?
13 (12)		Philadelphia	13.7	14	14	13	18	13
The Eagles are riding a three game losing streak heading in to their bye week. Can Andy Reid slap some sense into his club over the next two weeks?
14 (14)		Minnesota	15.0	13	16	14	16	15
They got embarrassed at home against the Pats. Are they going to take it out on the 49ers this week?
15 (19)		Kansas City	15.3	16	15	16	15	12
The Chiefs are 4-2 with Damon Huard at QB. Are they sure they want to send Trent Green back in from injury so soon?
16 (8)		Carolina	16.0	20	11	18	14	16
After their whipping at the hands of the Cowboys, the Panthers are on a two game skid as they head into their bye week.
17 (13)		St. Louis	16.3	15	19	15	17	17
Following their loss to the Chargers where LT ran wild, the Rams try to get back on track against the Chiefs.
18 (15)		Seattle	17.0	17	17	17	13	18
The Seahawks just aren’t the same team without Hasselbeck and Alexander. Can they overcome this against the Raiders this week?
19 (24)		Green Bay	20.0	18	21	22	20	19
Shame on those of you (and me) who thought Brett should hang it up. The Packers are 3-4 with a very winnable game against Buffalo this week.
19 (20)		NY Jets	20.0	19	29	21	19	20
That was an ugly way to lose on a questionable call against Cleveland. Can they shrug it off over their bye week?
21 (23)		Washington	21.0	23	20	20	22	21
Following their bye, the Redskins try to play spoiler against division rival, Dallas.
22 (17)		Pittsburgh	21.3	21	18	24	21	22
Things just keep getting worse in the steel city. Can Cowher rally his squad for their matchup with the Broncos?
23 (29)		Cleveland	23.3	22	24	23	25	23
After holding off a late Jets comeback, the Browns are 2-5 and on the road in San Diego this week. Will they be able to stop LT for their third victory of the year?
24 (21)		Tampa Bay	24.0	24	25	19	24	24
Cadillac Williams’ only 100-yard game came against the Saints in Week 5. Can he duplicate that feat on Sunday?
25 (32)		Oakland	26.0	25	28	25	28	25
Can Randy and the Raiders string two victories together against last year’s other Super Bowl participant under the bright lights of Monday Night Football?
26 (26)		Buffalo	26.3	26	26	26	27	28
The Bills had their bye last week to get ready for the visiting Packers. Will it pay off?
26 (27)		Tennessee	26.3	30	22	29	23	27
Vince and the Titans handled the Texans last week. Can they keep it going against division opponent, Jacksonville?
28 (22)		Houston	28.3	29	31	27	26	29
After his benching last week, can David Carr regain his command of the offense against the soft defense of the Rams?
29 (25)		San Francisco	29.0	28	23	30	29	30
The 49ers were absolutely throttled by the Bears. That one hurt to watch. Can they bounce back against the Vikings on Sunday?
30 (30)		Detroit	29.3	31	27	31	30	26
After their bye, how will the Lions fare against the recently improved Michael Vick?
31 (30)		Miami	30.0	27	32	28	31	31
The O-line is heinous, and Daunte may be forced to go on the IR. Can Saban and the Fins catch the Bears sleeping this week?
32 (28)		Arizona	32.0	32	30	32	32	32
Hey Denny, this is who we think you are…the worst team in the league. Are you going to prove us wrong after their bye in Week 9?

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