2.  San Francisco (@WAS) – The Niners, so far this year, have a early 2000’s Ravens feel to them.  They are winning games with defense.  Not sure they have the firepower to succeed in the playoffs, but they’ll be up against a decimated Redskins offense who weren’t able to put anything on the board last week against Buffalo.

3.  Dallas (SEA) – Rob Ryan’s defense was flat out humiliated Sunday night in Philadelphia.  I expect them to bounce back in a big way this week, when they host the Seattle Seahawks.  Tavaris Jackson put up some decent umbers in relief of Whitehurst, but he was playing catch up and didn’t have to deal with Demarcus Ware.  The loss of Sean Lee will hurt the Cowboys, but I expect them to put pressure on Jackson who has a propensity of holding onto the ball too long.

4.  New York Jets (@BUF) – The Bills started the year as one of the hottest offenses in the league.  Here are their weekly point totals: 41, 38, 34, 20, 31, 24, 23.  That’s a bad trend unless somehow you were able to short the Bills.  I look for a well rested Jets team to try to confuse Ivy leaguer Ryan Fitzpatrick.  If Steve Johnson is left alone on Revis Island, that gives the Jets opportunity to contain Fred Jackson.  Not a lot of options left for Fitzpatrick.

5.  Oakland Raiders (DEN) – The Broncos looked miserable last week.  Their starting running back, Willis McGahee, is out.  To make things worse, their starting quarterback can’t throw.  Undoubtedly, the Raiders will look to force Tebow to beat them with his left arm, rather than his legs.  I can’t see him succeeding in that scenario.

6.  Philadelphia (CHI) – The Eagles defense finally looked like what we expected them to coming into the season.  We’ll soon find out if they’ve finally turned the corner, or if it was an anomaly.  I suspect it is the former, which means they have a great matchup on Monday night at home against the turnover/sack prone Jay Cutler.

7.  Cincinnati Bengals (@TEN) – The Bengals haven’t exactly been shutting down opponents.  What they have done is score defensive touchdowns.  They have one defensive score in each of the last 3 games, and even added a special teams touchdown last week in Seattle.  They have a decent chance to continue this streak, as they should be able to stop the running game of the Titans, without committing too many people into the box.  Hasselbeck may be forced into making throws into tight windows, which should lead to some interceptions, and hopefully pick sixes.

8.  Green Bay (@SD) – For the past few years, San Diego has been one of those teams where if you own the DST matched up against them you would be scouring the waiver wire for a replacement.  I was shocked to see that the Chargers haven’t eclipsed the 30 point mark all year.  It’s understandable that the Chargers have had trouble making big plays, as their skill position players have been nicked up all year.  The frequency with which they’re turning it over, however, is just bad football.  Look for the Packers to take advantage with this matchup, especially with the 3 top Charger running backs on the injury report.

9.  Atlanta (@IND) – The Falcons defense was able to contain Mathew Stafford and Calvin Johnson two weeks ago in Detroit.  Following a bye week, I’d be surprised if they can’t put up a similar effort against Curtis Painter and Pierre Garcon. 

10.  Baltimore (@PIT) – The Ravens were able to look the Steelers’ offense look pedestrian in week 1, but Big Ben and company have been going off the past few weeks.  I think the Ravens will be able to get to Big Ben a few times, but I still expect the Steelers to have some big plays and put up some points.  I don’t love this matchup for the Ravens, but their track record and the frequency with which their defense makes huge plays keeps them in my top 12.

11.  Houston (CLE) – Houston’s defense has been limiting their opponents to just over 18 points per game.  They get a very favorable matchup this week as they host the Cleveland Browns who have been sputtering and could be without both Hillis and Hardesty.  I would have ranked the Texans higher if they were able to consistently get sacks without Mario Williams or had more big play potential.

12.  St. Louis (@ARI) – The Rams defense looked awfully good last week against New Orleans.  While it’s fair to say the Saints didn’t exactly show up, let’s not take anything away from Chris Long and the rest of the Rams who pressured Brees relentlessly on Sunday.  Up next is a 1 win Arizona team who is either starting a hobbled Kevin Kolb(turf toe) or second year quarterback John Skelton.  Look for St. Louis to ride their emotional high into the desert and continue to improve.

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