The Broncos have been defeated! After weeks of record setting offensive performances the Denver looked completely unbeatable going into Sunday's game in Indianapolis. The Colts did everything they could to prove that they made the right decision when they chose to allow Peyton Manning to leave as they got the victory. That was just one of a slew of interesting games this past week. In week seven injuries really started to pile up for a lot of teams and will definitely have an effect on the rankings going forward.
1. Kansas City (Last Week: 2) - If you gave me 100,000 to 1 odds to bet that the Chiefs would be the last undefeated team in the league in August I would not have taken that bet. Kansas City is using a stout defense and just enough offense from Alex Smith and company to keep on winning. Looking ahead at their schedule they could very easily be 9-0 when they meet up with Denver in week 11.
2. Denver (1) - The Broncos proved that they were mortal on Sunday night in Indianapolis but they still won't tumble far in the rankings. They are likely still the best team in the league but the blemish in the loss column keeps them from remaining in the top spot.
3. New Orleans (4) - Drew Brees and the Saints had the week off to sit and stew over the loss to New England. Expect them to take some frustrations out when they host Buffalo this week.
4. Indianapolis (8) - Andrew Luck and friends were able to do what many thought was unthinkable and beat the Colts. Unfortunately the good news was soured by learning that Reggie Wayne will be out for the rest of the year with a torn ACL.
5. Seattle (5) - The Seahawks continue running wild on the weak teams in their division in prime time as they follow up a beating of Arizona that appeared much closer than it was with a trip to St. Louis on Monday night.
6. San Francisco (6) - The Niners have completely gotten over their shaky start as they pounded the Titans defense that had been one of the best in the league prior to Sunday. They have a "bye" this week by visiting Jacksonville.
7. Green Bay (7) - The throwback uniforms that the Packers wore on Sunday need to be burned and never seen again. No team deserves to win while looking that ugly.
8. Cincinnati (10) - Led by their ginger haired quarterback the Bengals were able to squeak by the Lions. With their division having a down year this may finally be the year for the team formerly known as the Bungles.
9. Dallas (14) - Sure, the majority of their win on Sunday came against Matt Barkley, but the Cowboys are starting to look like they may be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
10. New England (3) - Throw away the conspiracy theories; that was a legit penalty that cost the Patriots the game on Sunday. Gronkowski looked like he hadn't missed any time at all grabbing 8 passes for 114 yards.
11. New York Jets (24) - The Jets could very easily have one win this season if luck didn't go their way, instead they are 4-3. At this point you throw away the stats and chalk it up to one of those insanely lucky seasons that Rex Ryan's team could potentially ride all the way to the playoffs.
12. Detroit (13) - Calvin Johnson is very good at football. The Lions dropped a tough, hard fought game to the Bengals on Sunday. Expect a ton of offense when they host Dallas this week.
13. Chicago (9) - The vaunted Bears defense is dead. They haven't held a team to under 21 points since week 16 of last season and with Briggs out for 4-6 weeks the defense probably won't improve any time soon. They are in a lot of trouble even before mentioning that Jay Cutler will miss at least 4 weeks with a groin injury.
14. San Diego (16) - Somehow the Chargers are completely flying under the radar this year, possibly because they have been maddeningly inconsistent. The same can't be said for Ryan Mathews who has been having a solid season running the ball despite having a bit of trouble getting in the end zone.
15. Baltimore (11) - The Ravens dropped an ugly one to the Steelers on Sunday. Despite a losing record this team still looks like they have a lot of fight left in them and could make a run in the second half.
16. Tennessee (12) - The Titans could probably use the upcoming bye week as much as any team in the league. Somehow Chris Johnson has yet to score a rushing touchdown.
17. Miami (15) - The Dolphins dropped a heartbreaker to the undisputed champions of heartbreaking losses, Buffalo, on Sunday. If the fish want to build on their successes early in the season they will need a win in Foxboro this week.
18. Atlanta (22) - Tampa Bay came around at just the right time for the struggling Falcons. Don't be surprised if Matt Ryan and company surge to a Wild Card spot in the second half.
19. Carolina (20) - The Panthers have never been at .500 or better this late in the season under Ron Rivera. How does he still have a job?
20. Buffalo (23) - The Bills finally broke someone else's heart this past week. After watching him in action on the road it's almost impossible to believe that Thad Lewis was on the practice squad a few weeks ago.
21. Washington (28) - It's probably too late to make a difference by RG III had his best game of the season against a dinged up Bears defense on Sunday. If he keeps up the good play the Skins might have a chance in the weak NFC East.
22. Arizona (17) - Has any talent ever been squandered to the degree that Larry Fitzgerald has? This team could go somewhere if they could upgrade their quarterback play to "mediocre."
23. Cleveland (19) - It must feel like déjà vu for Browns fans as the only thing anyone can say about this team is "Boy, that Brandon Weeden guy is really terrible, isn't he?" Of course, Weeden isn't the person who thought it would be a good idea to have him throw the ball 42 times in a game so he shouldn't get all of the blame.
24. Philadelphia (18) - Even a self-proclaimed genius like Chip Kelly can only do so much with Matt Barkley under center.
25. Pittsburgh (26) - Don't look now but the Steelers are on a winning streak.
26. Houston (27) - The Texans looked like they might have been able to pull off a monumental upset against the Chiefs until they fell just short. The potentially great running attack of Tate and Foster needs to start producing like expected.
27. Oakland (25) - The Raiders had a week off to prepare for what would have been an amazing game in 1976 when they host the Steelers; unfortunately in 2013 it's a matchup of two underachieving teams with four combined wins.
28. St. Louis (21) - The people at ESPN can't be happy that the Rams are on Monday Night Football fresh off of Sam Bradford tearing his ACL and ending his season.
29. New York Giants (31) - Other than allowing a punt return the Giants managed to shutout the Vikings to get their first victory. Arguably, this says more about the Vikings than the Giants.
30. Minnesota (29) - The Vikings were able to ensure that teams employing Josh Freeman kept their losing streak going as the quarterback had an atrocious game Monday.
31. Tampa Bay (31) - The Buccaneers are so bad this year that they would probably lose to Jameis Winston and the Florida State Seminoles.
32. Jacksonville (32) - The Jaguars, on the other hand, would probably lose to FSU, Miami, UCF, South Florida, Florida Atlantic, and Florida International. But I bet they'd play FIU pretty tough.
*Stats taken from ESPN.com.
