Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says that Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney is the NFL's most intimidating player. "Every time you throw the ball, (Freeney is) a factor. As a quarterback, you probably have anywhere from a second and a half to sometimes four seconds to make your decision and throw the ball," Brady told the Indianapolis Star. "With Freeney, it's probably consistently around two seconds with sometimes being from the time the ball is snapped, a second and a half, you've got to throw that ball. There's no time for decision-making. "You're making your decision before the ball is snapped based on the coverage."

San Francisco coach Mike Singletary doesn't buy all of the gesturing Peyton Manning does at the line of scrimmage. "All the gestures and stuff is for you to get caught up in. Sometimes, it doesn't mean a thing," Singletary told the San Francisco Mercury News. "I just think it's important for us as we go into this game to focus on our technique and really focus on the communication, and I think we'll be fine."

The scoreboard is where games are officially won and lost, but they are largely decided by the team that wins the battles of yards per pass, yards per carry, penalty yards lost, first downs, and turnovers. For this reason, I created the following formula called the ?Trench Counter? to look at which team truly controls the game: (2x Yards per pass) + (2x Yards per carry) + (.5 First downs) - (Penalty yards/10) - (2.5 Turnovers) - (Opposing Team's Trench Counter) Click here for more information on the Trench Counter For the 2009 season, our weekly team rankings will be based solely off this formula. 1. New Orleans Saints: 16.0 The Saints are one win away from matching their best start in franchise history in 1991 when they opened 7-0. The '91 season was the middle season of Jim Mora's three-year playoff run, which was predicated on a defense ranked first in fewest points allowed more than the arm of Bobby Hebert. 2. Indianapolis Colts: 12.6 The Colts defense has not given up a touchdown in eight quarters and hasn't allowed one in the first half during the past four games. 3. Denver Broncos: 11.0 The Broncos come out of their bye week forced to travel to Baltimore to play a hungry Ravens team that also just had their bye. 4. Green Bay Packers: 10.6 The Packers will host Brett Favre this Sunday and unlike their Monday night game a few weeks ago, Dom Capers features a much-improved defense that has gone from 18th to 3rd. The offensive line also kept Aaron Rodgers from getting sacked in Sunday's 31-3 win over Cleveland. 5. New England Patriots: 10.6 Since losing to Josh McDaniels and the Broncos in overtime, the Patriots have outscored opponents by a margin of 94-7. 6. New York Giants: 7.8 Fans of the Giants and Yankees will be able to take in a doubleheader against the Eagles and Phillies in the city of cheesesteaks. After beginning the season 5-0, the Giants have lost two consecutive games and don't get a legitimate break in their schedule (other than the Week 10 bye) until they travel to Washington four days before Christmas. 7. Pittsburgh Steelers: 6.5 The LaMarr Woodley 77-yard fumble return and Keyaron Fox 82-yard pick-six showed the familiar face of Steelers' football as much as the 5.3 yards per rush average, which was +1.4 in comparison to Minnesota's 3.9. 8. Philadelphia Eagles: 5.8 Will Witherspoon ingratiated himself with Andy Reid and company by returning an interception for a touchdown while logging eight tackles, one sack and even a forced fumble. 9. Minnesota Vikings: 5.5 Winning games, especially on the road against the defending champs, is always difficult when turnovers happen while in red zone opportunities. 10. Dallas Cowboys: 3.8 Since Miles Austin barely averaged 20 yards per game over the first four weeks, we'll need one or two more big games to see if these 250 and 171 yard weeks will be a legitimate indicator of future success. 11. New York Jets: 3.5 One week after throwing 45 interceptions, Mark Sanchez gave the Jets a 9-for-15, zero INT afternoon in Oakland, staying out of the way of a running game that rushed 54 times for 316 yards. 12. Cincinnati Bengals: 3.4 The Bengals had been winning games with average outings from Carson Palmer, but he threw for five touchdowns and had a passer rating of 146.7 in their 45-10 win over Chicago, which could make them truly dangerous. 13. Houston Texans: 3.1 The Texans were unimpressive in the second half, sitting on a 21-0 lead over the 49ers that they nearly wasted. 14. Baltimore Ravens: 2.9 Coming out of the bye, Baltimore must do a better job defending the pass, beginning with shutting down Kyle Orton and the Broncos. 15. San Francisco 49ers: 0.9 I don't think we can routinely expect 118.6 passer rating games from Alex Smith, but since August it has been clear that he has significant more upside than Shaun Hill. The San Francisco defense isn't nearly good enough to offset a 'manage the game' quarterback. 16. San Diego Chargers: 0.8 After destroying the Chiefs on the road 37-7, San Diego will have another 'let's fatten up' game at home against Oakland. 17. Seattle Seahawks: 0.6 The Seahawks will have a difficult time making the playoffs if they can't get Walter Jones and Sean Locklear back onto the field. 18. Arizona Cardinals: 0.4 The Cardinals' 24-17 win in New York against the Giants was easily their most impressive road performance in any regular season game over the past two seasons. I think the Cardinals easily have the best shot in the NFC West. 19. Jacksonville Jaguars: -0.1 Maurice Jones-Drew averages 4.3 yards per carry regardless of win or loss, but he averages 8.3 yards per reception when the Jaguars win compared to 4.7 in losses. 20. Buffalo Bills: -0.6 Ryan Fitzpatrick's 82.2 rating on the road in Carolina was enough for the Bills to stick with him against Houston. How frequently does a team have quarterbacks out of Harvard and Stanford? 21. Atlanta Falcons: -1.3 By a very wide margin, the Falcons are the best team ranked in the 20s and are all but certain to finish the season in the top half of the Trench Counter. 22. Washington Redskins: -2.0 The sputtering Washington offense will have even more problems now that Chris Cooley is out for the season. 23. Miami Dolphins: -3.9 The Dolphins keep going to Ted Ginn, but his production has been consistently disappointing. 24. Chicago Bears: -4.5 The Bears have traditionally forced a lot of turnovers while taking good care of the ball offensively, but are -5 for the season, which ranks them 13th in the NFC. 25. Carolina Panthers: -5.7 Steve Smith rebounded with a 99 yard outing, but the end result was still a 20-9 loss to a mediocre Bills team. 26. Kansas City Chiefs: -7.7 The bye week couldn't happen at a better time for the Chiefs, where either Todd Haley or Larry Johnson, probably/hopefully both won't be back next season. 27. Detroit Lions: -8.7 A headline I'm not sure I would live long enough to see, 'Lions don't want to overlook Rams.' That gem was from the Detroit Free-Press and though no 1-5 team can pencil in any 'W', I do like their chances against St. Louis. 28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: -9.0 I haven't looked this up to officially verify it, but Josh Freeman is the first quarterback to make his NFL debut on foreign land. He completed two of his four passes for 16 yards while being sacked twice in mop-up duty against the Patriots in London. 29. Tennessee Titans: -11.5 Bud Adams is pushing hard for Jeff Fisher to start Vince Young and it is impossible to argue against it given the hole Tennessee is presently in. 30. St. Louis Rams: -14.5 The Rams will get linebacker David Vobora back this week after being suspended for a substance abuse violation. 31. Cleveland Browns: -15.7 Given the mystery of why Eric Mangini would stubbornly stick with Derek Anderson, some have speculated that he doesn't want Brady Quinn to take 70% of the snaps, which would force Cleveland to pay $10.9 million in contract escalators. 32. Oakland Raiders: -16.4 Only 39,543 fans attended Sunday's game in Oakland against the Jets, which was the lowest number for the Raiders since 1968.

Colts linebacker Gary Brackett believes that the team has surpassed the Cowboys as "America's Team." "When we travel, you always see a lot of Colts jerseys out there," he told the Indianapolis Star. "We feed off that. On third down, you could feel the crowd get going when we made a play." Thousands of Colts fans showed up in St. Louis to watch the team play the Rams on Sunday. "It's funny," Peyton Manning said. "It used to be that way when I first got (to Indy). The Dolphins fans would always travel. The Steelers fans would travel and the Packers fans, those were kind of the teams that would travel. Even out in Arizona when we played, there was a lot of blue out there."

$.01 -- With the Indianapolis Colts continuing their blistering, dominating start, it's a fair time to ask the difficult question. I know it's considered blasphemous by many to even suggest it, but I think it's becoming clearer with every passing week that Tony Dungy was holding back the Colts. For as truly great of a man as Dungy is, and as good of a coach as he proved to be, the Colts had grown stale and predictable under their long-term coach. The franchise needed some freshness, some new juice, and found exactly what the doctor ordered in Jim Caldwell and his staff. It's a very delicate balance to know when to walk away as a coach, or when to push away as an owner. Dungy won a Super Bowl and installed a program that developed into the most stable, winning, fundamentally solid team in the NFL during his tenure. He's as much a father figure as a coach, the kind of man you want your sons to emulate and/or play for. But as every parent knows, there's a limit on how often the same message can be effective without losing some ears. The Colts, successful as they were, needed a new voice to shake things up a little. Dungy was humble enough to see that and moved on to other things. General Manager Bill Polian was smart enough to realize that Caldwell was the voice they needed, a bridge between harmonious continuity and needed changes. Peyton Manning has never looked better, the defense has never played with such consistency, and there is a palpable energy and urgency that was missing the last couple of seasons. The Colts are better off for having made the change and have clearly established themselves as the best team of the year thus far. The real test comes in January, where Dungy disappointed more than he reveled. $.02 -- Congratulations are in order to Dick Jauron and his Buffalo Bills, for winning two straight games despite playing some dreadful football. A week ago they forced six Jets turnovers and still barely eked out an overtime win. This week, despite being outgained nearly 3-to-1 by the Panthers and netting just eight first downs, Buffalo once again let the opponent beat itself in knocking off the Panthers 20-9. Two missed field goals, three Jake Delhomme interceptions, some poor Delhomme reads, and some ill-timed secondary breakdowns doomed Carolina, which thoroughly dominated all facets of the game except the scoreboard. The Bills might not be a very good football team, but they're smart enough to seize opportunities and make the other team play just as poorly. They did this with a backup quarterback, both starting safeties out, and an almost comedic inability to run the ball; running back Marshawn Lynch was hit in the backfield on 11 of his 17 attempts, and Fred Jackson got tackled in the end zone for a safety on a play where his center and right guard blocked one another and not any Panthers. These sorts of wins can't possibly last, but it says something for the embattled Jauron that his players haven't quit in the face of adversity. $.03 -- Sometimes the final score isn't the most important thing that comes out of a game. The San Francisco 49ers might have lost to the Houston Texans on Sunday, but in the process they appear to have finally found the long lost Alex Smith they coveted with the #1 overall pick in the 2005 draft. The beleaguered quarterback came in to relieve the woefully ineffective Shaun Hill and nearly led the Niners to a huge comeback win. Showing no signs of the shoulder issues or accuracy issues that led many to conclude his career was over (myself included), Smith was poised and appeared to have great chemistry with fellow bust-in-waiting Vernon Davis. Their three touchdown connections came too late for former coach Mike Nolan, even too late in this game to overcome a messy first half where the Texans clobbered them, but I saw something positive in both Smith's performance and the way the team responded to him. That's a very nice silver lining to a black cloud that has descended upon Mike Singletary's team after such a sunny start. $.04 -- During an interview I heard this past week, Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about the blackout rule and if it should be altered or eliminated in light of the current economic plight. The Commish gave a resounding "No," citing the importance of gate receipts and the impact on the in-stadium vendors but also the appearance of empty seats on television broadcasts and the negative connotations. I don't dispute his argument, but he badly erred when the question of affordability was broached. Goodell mentioned prior recessions and rough patches and how the NFL has always continued to thrive. What he failed to mention is that the price of an average ticket has risen at nearly 500% the rate of inflation over the last decade (though to be fair it has leveled this season). A Chargers ticket that cost $14 in 1999 now costs $38; the same seat in Cleveland Browns Stadium that cost my friend Bill $40 when the Browns came back now costs $75, plus a doubling of parking costs at the stadium lot. By way of comparison, a ticket for the same seat to watch the Cleveland Cavaliers that cost $18 in 2002 -- to watch one of the worst teams in NBA history, no less -- now costs $24, and the Cavs are the only Cleveland team that has actually improved in the last decade. Mr. Commissioner, you are asking people whose wages have decreased to pay higher prices for the same product. If they can't, you punish them by not letting them watch it on free television, a medium that pays the overwhelming majority of your bills. Instead of keeping lower-earning fans in the fold, you're alienating them. I'm not a business mogul, but the concept of building brand loyalty and value for the product are universal recipes for success. The NFL stubbornly refuses to acknowledge this, arrogant that no other sport will ever touch it in popularity. I would remind Roger Goodell that 30 years ago baseball was the unabashed king of American sports, and now it's a distant third in market share in most places. Fan-unfriendly behavior helped contribute to that decline, and it appears the NFL is hell bent on traveling down that road itself. $.05 -- Sunday night provided verification that the Giants have some serious work to do if they want to win the NFC. Unfortunately for coach Tom Coughlin, his team got fat playing bad teams and wasn't ready to handle the increased level of difficulty with New Orleans and Arizona. The secondary that keeps on giving isn't getting any better, and once again the G-Men couldn't adequately handle the very sort of exotic blitzing that is their own trademark. Make no mistake, these Giants are still very good. They're just not the elite team we all suspected they were with their 5-0 start. Don't look now Giants fans, but very quietly the Dallas Cowboys are just one game back after a very impressive win over a very impressive Atlanta team. $.06 -- Highlight of the week: Tracy Porter's Pick 6 in the Saints amazing comeback victory over the Dolphins. It wasn't the snazziest play of the day (that would be Reggie Bush's 5-yard touchdown flight), but it epitomizes just how far the Saints have come. Down 24-3 with less than 10 seconds remaining in the first half, Porter's heroics capped off a 43-10 shellacking that kept the Saints unbeaten and spreads genuine fear into opponents. This is the fourth time this year the Saints pass defense has been the story of the game, and all in a positive light. New Orleans won on a day where Drew Brees barely brought his "C" game and the Dolphins defense consistently got pressure on him. In past seasons, Sean Payton's Saints invariably lost games like this, but with playmakers like Porter and Darren Sharper in the secondary and the high-priced end (Charles Grant and Will Smith) healthy and earning those checks, this is a very different animal. One that apparently feasts upon Dolphins. $.07 -- Five random quickies: 1. Lost in the Bears abysmal defensive performance was yet more of a pervasive issue with their offense: the inability to get play calls in promptly. Jay Cutler consistently gets less time to get presnap views of the defense than any other quarterback, and they seldom are set for the cadence with more than five seconds on the play clock. 2. Losing Leon Washington is really going to hurt the Jets. As much as I like Shonne Greene, he doesn't offer the versatility or quickness that Washington effectively used to fundamentally change defenses. 3. Derek Anderson completed his first five passes, and then put up the following line: 7-for-24 for 44 yards, one interception and two fumbles. Tell me again how Brady Quinn, or even Brett Ratliff, could be any worse... 4. The Raiders/Jets tilt was an ugly blowout, but it did feature quite the punting exhibition. Shane Lechler boomed five kicks that averaged over 52 yards per kick, dragged down by a coffin corner beauty that only went 43. Steve Weatherford only got three cracks at it, but all three wound up inside the 15. Hey, some of us appreciate punters! 5. You know it's a bad NFL weekend when the Patriots are annihilating the Buccaneers 35-7 with loads of time left, yet CBS had no better games to switch viewers to watch. $.08 -- Non-football thought of the week: Major sporting events take place this week. The World Series finally begins a day after the NBA regular season tips off, and I could not care less about either despite being an avid sports junkie. Baseball at Halloween is just ridiculous, making a sport where the games seem interminable have a season that is interminable. It doesn't help that I live in "flyover country," where no baseball team has any chance of competing for a World Series berth more than once a decade or so. I will watch some NBA action, just to get my fix in, but I don't get emotionally invested in the NBA season until after Christmas. No games played before then have any importance, other than the cumulative win totals that decide playoff seeding down the line. At least in basketball's nine-month season, actual action happens in darn near every game at a pace that lends itself to television for the casual viewer. Baseball has become brutally unwatchable. Here's a fun game to play during the World Series: take a stopwatch and time the actual "action" time -- from the moment the pitcher throws the ball to the moment the play is decided. Last year some wiseacre did that in Game 2, which officially clocked in at 3 hours, 13 minutes. Actual time of "action" -- 17 minutes, 41 seconds. Roughly 85% of your time is spent watching grass grow while listening to Tim McCarver. Thanks, I'll pass on that... $.09 -- 5 college football thoughts: 1. Iowa's last-second win at Michigan State won't earn style points, but this Iowa team is really starting to resemble the 2002 Ohio State team that kept racking up "How was that game that close?" wins on their way to the national title. Underestimate them at your peril, SEC champ. 2. Shortly after Clemson pulled off the huge upset over Miami, I got the following text from an AFC West scout at the game: CJ Spiller top overall running back hands down after this. Spiller did indeed have an amazing all-around game, but if he's the clear-cut #1 running back, this is going to be a real bad year to need a running back in the draft. 3. I don't know which is worse: Nebraska committing eight turnovers, or Iowa State needing every last one of them to beat the Cornhuskers in a game that should set back recruiting at both schools for a few years. 4. There is no way, no way, that anyone can honestly rate USC higher than Cincinnati. Part of the deal of having the BCS is that the regular season has to mean something. USC lost to a team that is 3-5, while the Bearcats are undefeated in a Big East conference that is arguably more top-heavy than the Pac-10. Just because USC has more talent does not matter; they blew their chance by losing to Washington and cannot be rewarded for that. 5. My alma mater, Ohio University, blew their shot at a MAC East title by losing 20-11 to Kent State and rushing for -9 yards. That night our MAC first place volleyball team got pounded at Western Michigan. Both bad Bobcat bombings can at least partially be blamed on a virulent flu bug that ravaged both squads. Get well soon Cats! $.10 -- Scouting Report: Colt McCoy, QB, Texas. 6'3", 205 pounds, 4.8ish 40. Positives: Very athletic field general with strong legs and quick feet. Quick, compact release and can throw on the move. Good accuracy with nice zip out to 25 yards. Plays in a system where he is used to hitting moving targets and making good presnap reads. Excels at feeling pressure and buying time with his legs, extending plays and keeping his wits. Has an innate sense of where to go with the ball, almost never forces passes into coverage and does a great job choosing the correct option. Knows when to throw it away or just run forward to salvage a big loss. Not a great runner but can chew up some yards with his legs, has some shiftiness and good vision as a runner. Very tough, plays hurt. Has a calming aura in the huddle. Well-respected leader who stresses the positives. Has consistently gained muscle and arm strength during his Texas career. Has every intangible a coach could want. Will have over 50 collegiate starts under his belt at an elite program. Negatives: Comes from the same one-read shotgun spread offense that has produced numerous prominent NFL disappointments (Vince Young, Alex Smith, Tim Couch). His accuracy is good but not pinpoint a la Kurt Warner; receivers will have to break stride at times instead of catching it on the dead gallop. Does not throw a great deep ball, really loses zip beyond about 25 yards. Throws an inordinate amount of ducks for a guy with a high completion percentage. Arm strength has improved but his longer throws lack zip and urgency; needs to throw from a wider base with more leg drive when in the pocket. Very quick to tuck and run -- by design, must learn to continue through progressions beyond two. Body has taken a lot of abuse and hard hits. Not a dynamic locker room presence, which works for some but will not work for others. NFL Comparison: Jeff Garcia the younger, Kyle Orton with speed. Forecast: In draft terms, bears an eerie similarity at this point (late Oct.) to Brady Quinn; could go in the top five overall, could fall to the 30s. Questions about arm strength and the transition from his college offense make him more high-risk than some teams want in the 1st round. Grades right now as a second rounder but demand for quarterbacks likely keeps him in the first. --Jeff.Risdon@RealGM.com Catch me every Monday at 5:05 ET, 2:05 PT with Papa Joe Chevalier at papajoetalk.com Watch for more scouting reports and an updated mock draft later this week!

The Steelers handed the Vikings their first loss of the season on Sunday, but the Saints remained unbeaten with a tough win over the Dolphins to highlight Week 7?s NFL action. We will calculate each team?s Trench Counter*. New England 35, Tampa Bay 7 Team Trench Counter: Patriots +15.4, Buccaneers -15.4 The New England Patriots (5-2) remained red hot with an emphatic win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-7) at Wembley Stadium in London. Tom Brady threw for 308 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions during the league?s annual game overseas. Laurence Maroney rushed for 43 yards and added a touchdown in the victory. Wes Welker led the Patriots in receiving with ten receptions for 107 yards and a score. Safety Brandon Meriweather added to the tally, returning an interception 39 yards in the first quarter. The Buccaneers continued to struggle offensively. Josh Johnson had just 156 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris inserted rookie Josh Freeman in at quarterback late in the loss. Antonio Bryant was the only member of the team to find the end zone. He caught a 33-yard pass from Johnson in the third quarter. Indianapolis 42, St. Louis 6 Team Trench Counter: Colts +18.6, Rams -18.6 The Indianapolis Colts (6-0) and St. Louis Rams (0-7) faced off on Sunday in a game featuring teams on opposite ends of the spectrum. Peyton Manning went 23-for-34 with 235 yards and three touchdowns, while Joseph Addai and rookie Donald Brown controlled the game on the ground. Addai had 64 yards and one touchdown and Brown added 58 yards on just two carries at Edward Jones Stadium. Reggie Wayne (83 yards), Dallas Clark (44 yards) and Austin Collie (36 yards) were on the receiving end of Manning?s touchdown passes. Marc Bulger struggled against the improving defense of the Colts. He posted just 140 yards and tossed two interceptions in the defeat. Steven Jackson was the lone offensive star for St. Louis, rushing for 134 yards on 23 carries. Josh Brown was responsible for all of the team?s scoring; he connected on both field goals he attempted. Pittsburgh 27, Minnesota 17 Team Trench Counter: Steelers +8.3, Vikings -8.3 The Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) handed the Minnesota Vikings (6-1) their first loss of the season at Heinz Field on Sunday. Ben Roethlisberger had 175 yards and a touchdown as the Steelers relied on both their defense and running game. Rashard Mendenhall carried the ball ten times for 69 yards as the club rushed for more than 100 yards overall. Mike Wallace led the defending-champions in receiving with three catches for 72 yards and a score. Brett Favre looked mortal for the first time in purple, throwing for 334 yards and an interception. Adrian Peterson wasn?t his usual explosive self against the Steelers? tough defense. He had 69 yards and a score, but didn?t break a run longer than 19 yards on the road. Sidney Rice had good chemistry with Favre, catching 11 passes for 136 yards, but Minnesota scored just one offensive touchdown. In the fourth quarter, rookie receiver Percy Harvin returned a kick 88 yards for a score that momentarily brought the Vikings to within three points of the Steelers San Diego 37, Kansas City 7 Team Trench Counter: Chargers +20.4, Chiefs -20.4 Philip Rivers excelled through the air early and often, tossing three touchdowns on 18-for-30 passing for 268 yards. The San Diego Chargers (3-3) led 20-0 at halftime and the Kansas City Chiefs (1-6) never threatened. LaDainian Tomlinson couldn?t find the end zone, but did rush for 71 yards on 23 carries. Darren Sproles was far more efficient, tallying 41 yards on five carries. Vincent Jackson exploded in the win, grabbing five catches for 142 yards and a score. Matt Cassel was pestered by San Diego?s defense all afternoon. He was sacked four times, threw three interceptions and managed just 97 yards and a touchdown. Larry Johnson was ineffective as well, contributing 49 yards at Arrowhead Stadium. Bobby Wade was Kansas City?s leading receiver; he caught four passes from Cassel for 66 yards in the loss. Houston 24, San Francisco 21 Team Trench Counter: Texans +4.2, 49ers -4.2 After making a change at quarterback, the San Francisco 49ers (3-3) nearly completed a huge comeback against the Houston Texans (4-3). After Shaun Hill struggled to move the ball in the first half, coach Mike Singletary put former first overall pick Alex Smith in to begin the third quarter. Smith finished the game with 206 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in just one half of work. Tight end Vernon Davis caught all three of Smith?s touchdown strikes, while Frank Gore managed 32 yards on 13 carries in the loss. Matt Schaub had 264 yards and two touchdowns, but the Texans lost receiver Andre Johnson to a chest injury in the fourth quarter. Steve Slaton and Owen Daniels were Houston?s offensive stars. Slaton rushed for 67 yards and a score, while also catching four passes for 22 yards and another touchdown. Daniels, who is emerging as one of the NFL?s best pass-catching tight ends, had seven receptions for 123 yards and a second-quarter touchdown. Green Bay 31, Cleveland 3 Team Trench Counter: Packers +30.5, Browns -30.5 After the flu ravaged the Cleveland Browns (1-6) during the week, the Green Bay Packers (4-2) stomped all over them in Ohio. Aaron Rodgers sliced Cleveland?s secondary, going 15-for-20 with 246 yards and three touchdowns. Ryan Grant, whose name was mentioned in trade rumors last week, broke out as well. He rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, separating himself from the rest of Green Bay?s running rotation. Derek Anderson looked pretty bad once again. He went 12-for-29 with 99 yards and an interception against the Packers. Cleveland managed just 139 total yards, as Jamal Lewis led the club in rushing with 47 yards on 15 attempts. The Browns held a 3-0 lead at the 14:58 mark of the second quarter, but the Packers went on to score 31 straight points. N.Y. Jets 31, Oakland 0 Team Trench Counter: Jets +25.1, Raiders -25.1 The New York Jets (4-3) shut out the Oakland Raiders (2-5) as coach Tom Cable finally pulled the plug on JaMarcus Russell in the second quarter. After a five-interception affair last week, rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez was steady for the Jets. He went 9-for-15 with 143 yards and a touchdown, while Shone Greene and Thomas Jones absolutely dominated Oakland on the ground. Greene, New York?s rookie running back, tallied 144 yards and two scores and Jones added 121 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. The Raiders went to Bruce Gradkowski at quarterback in the second quarter after Russell tossed two early interceptions. Oakland still failed to score after the change, but Gradkowski did take better care of the football (both Russell and Gradkowski lost one fumble). Justin Fargas and Michael Bush each carried the ball eight times, with Fargas (67 yards) outproducing Bush (25 yards). Buffalo 20, Carolina 9 Team Trench Counter: Bills -0.2, Panthers +0.2 Ryan Fitzpatrick said prior to the game that he felt as though he could be a starting quarterback in the NFL and he backed up that claim on Sunday. The Buffalo Bulls (3-4) outlasted the Carolina Panthers (2-4) in a game that featured 20 points in the final quarter. Fitzpatrick had 123 yards and a touchdown on 11-for-22 passing, while Marshawn Lynch (40 yards and a touchdown) helped Buffalo control a game that was dominated by defense for more than 45 minutes. Jake Delhomme struggled once again, going 27-for-44 with 325 yards and three interceptions. DeAngelo Williams, who had 89 yards on 16 carries, scored Carolina?s only touchdown on a 15-yard run in the fourth quarter. The Panthers? first two points came on a safety in the second quarter. Delhomme, who has never thrown more than 16 interceptions in a season, is on pace to throw more than 30 in 2009. New Orleans 46, Miami 34 Team Trench Counter: Saints +8, Dolphins -8 The New Orleans Saints (6-0) remained perfect with a very close win over the Miami Dolphins (2-4) on Sunday afternoon. The Saints outscored the Dolphins 22-0 in the fourth quarter, making them the third team to remain undefeated through the season?s first seven weeks. Drew Brees struggled, going 22-for-38 with 298 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Mike Bell (80 yards on 12 carries), Pierre Thomas (30 yards on 8 touches) and Reggie Bush (10 yards and a touchdown) led New Orleans on the ground. Jeremy Shockey continued his strong season, catching four passes for 105 yards in the win. Miami jumped out to an early lead thanks to a career day from Ricky Williams. He rushed nine times for 80 yards and three touchdowns at Land Shark Stadium, while Ronnie Brown added 48 yards and a score in the loss. If Chad Henne had played better, he went 18-for-36 with 211 yards and two interceptions, the Dolphins might have had a chance to hold off the Saints in the final 15 minutes. Dallas 37, Atlanta 21 Team Trench Counter: Cowboys +10.7, Falcons -10.7 The Dallas Cowboys (4-2) inserted Miles Austin into the starting lineup and proceeded to easily handle the Atlanta Falcons (4-2). Tony Romo went 21-for-29 with 311 yards and three touchdowns, with Austin posting six catches for 171 yards and two scores. As great as their aerial attack was, the Cowboys got good production from Marion Barber (47 yards), Felix Jones (37 yards) and Romo (31 yards) on the ground. The Dallas defense came to play as well. They sacked Matt Ryan four times, forced four fumbles and grabbed a pair of interceptions. Ryan struggled, throwing for 198 yards and two touchdowns to go along with the aforementioned miscues. Michael Turner was slowed once again, tallying 50 yards and a score on 18 attempts. Jason Snelling led Atlanta in rushing with seven runs for 68 yards at Cowboys Stadium. Roddy White, who had 210 yards and two touchdowns last week against San Francisco, continued his hot streak with six catches for 50 yards and a score. Cincinnati 45, Chicago 10 Team Trench Counter: Bengals +30.5, Bears -30.5 The Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) are imploring people to take them seriously after a drubbing of the Chicago Bears (3-3) at Paul Brown Stadium. Carson Palmer lit up the scoreboard with 233 yards and five touchdowns on 20-for-24 passing, while former Bears running back Cedric Benson gained 189 yards and a score on the ground in the victory. Chad Ochocinco (118 yards), Laveranues Coles (37 yards), Chris Henry (26 yards) and J.P. Foschi (3 yards) were all on the receiving end of Palmer?s scoring strikes. Jay Cutler struggled against Cincinnati?s swarming defense, going 26-for-37 with 251 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. His only touchdown came on a connection with receiver Devin Hester in the fourth quarter when the game had long been decided. The Bengals limited Matt Forte as well, holding him to 24 yards on six carries. Chicago was forced to throw the ball often as Cincinnati jumped out to an early lead. *Explaining The Trench Counter

Colts wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez could be back on the field within the next couple of weeks. Gonzalez went down with a serious knee injury in Week 1 and hasn't played since.

The scoreboard is where games are officially won and lost, but they are largely decided by the team that wins the battles of yards per pass, yards per carry, penalty yards lost, first downs, and turnovers. For this reason, I created the following formula called the ?Trench Counter? to look at which team truly controls the game: (2x Yards per pass) + (2x Yards per carry) + (.5 First downs) - (Penalty yards/10) - (2.5 Turnovers) - (Opposing Team's Trench Counter) Click here for more information on the Trench Counter For the 2009 season, our weekly team rankings will be based solely off this formula. 1. New Orleans Saints: 17.6 The Saints are +9 in the takeaway/giveaway category this season, which is a testament to their improved defense. Darren Sharper alone has five interceptions, two of which became TDs and 275 in interception return yards. 2. Indianapolis Colts: 11.4 The Colts again are excellent against the pass, giving up just 4.6 yards per attempt and have improved to the middle of the back against the run with a 4.1 net average. 3. Denver Broncos: 11.0 Correll Buckhalter is still leading the NFL in yards per carry with a mark of 6.7, which is a full two yards better than his career average. 4. New England Patriots: 9.8 The Patriots have only allowed one touchdown to be scored against them on the ground. 5. New York Giants: 9.2 Opposing teams have only attempted three field goals giants the Giants. 6. Minnesota Vikings: 7.8 While Percy Harvin gets a ton of deserved press for his abilities on kickoff returns, Darius Reynaud is averaging 17.3 yards per return. 7. Green Bay Packers: 6.7 The Packers have been very effective defending the pass, allowing a passer rating of 70.1. 8. Pittsburgh Steelers: 6.3 Ben Roethlisberger threw for 417 yards on Sunday, as the Steelers become almost unrecognizable from their traditional offensive selves. 9. Philadelphia Eagles: 5.7 Penalties have hurt the Eagles' defense, as they have allowed 11 to 1st downs to come via the penalty. 10. Baltimore Ravens: 2.9 Ray Rice leads the NFL in total yards from scrimmage with 766, over 200 more than fellow second-year man Steve Slaton. 11. Houston Texans: 2.9 The Texans have struggled mightily to sack opposing quarterbacks, with only seven of them occurring through their first six games. 12. Dallas Cowboys: 2.4 If only they could all stay healthy.. Dallas running backs Marion Barber, Tashard Choice and Felix Jones each have yards per carry averages over 5.0, while the latter is at 10.1 in his 21 attempts. 13. San Francisco 49ers: 1.9 The 49ers intend to use Michael Crabtree on the field at the same time as Isaac Bruce and Josh Morgan during Sunday's game at Houston. 14. Chicago Bears: 0.7 Injuries to the Chicago defense continue to pile, with Pisa Tinoisamoa now down for the season. 15. Atlanta Falcons: 0.6 The Atlanta defense has come along this season and impressively denied the Bears from scoring during three of their four red zone opportunities. 16. Seattle Seahawks: 0.6 Seattle trails the 3-2 49ers and Cardinals in the NFC West, but their +9 season point differential is only five and 11 points behind those two teams respectively. 17. Arizona Cardinals: 0.3 Larry Fitzgerald leads the NFL in receiving touchdowns with five, but is a co-leader due to the presence of Minnesota's Visanthe Shiancoe. 18. New York Jets: -0.1 The rise and fall of Mark Sanchez was swift; he now has a 56.7 passer rating, which puts him only above JaMarcus Russell and Derek Anderson. Rex Ryan will need to have a short hook with Sanchez if his play continues to be costing his team as it did against Buffalo. Kellen Clemens is one of the NFL's better backup QBs. 19. Jacksonville Jaguars: -0.1 Mike Sims-Walker is second in receiving yards per game with an average of 99.5. 20. Buffalo Bills: -0.7 The concussion to Trent Edwards creates even further uncertainty in an uncertain situation for Dick Jauron. 21. Cincinnati Bengals: -1.1 The Bengals have had very little success in getting to the quarterback if it hasn't been Antwan Odom, who is now out for the remainder of the 2009 season. Jonathan Fanene will be expected to be more successful, but they will need to get creative with their linebackers. 22. Washington Redskins: -1.3 Sherman Lewis' system isn't too complicated and I wouldn't be floored if they somehow got it together well enough to knock off an Eagles' team that just loss to the Raiders. 23. San Diego Chargers: -3.1 Once a great strength of the Chargers, the team is averaging just 2.9 yards per rush and 57.6 yards per game, both of which are last in the NFL. 24. Miami Dolphins: -3.1 Given the Saints propensity to score in bunches, the Dolphins will likely have to abandon their bone-crushing running game and give Chad Henne's arm another big test. 25. Kansas City Chiefs: -5.6 Dwayne Bowe has gotten back into shape and the tough love from the new regime seemed to pay off in Washington when he had his first 100-yard game of the season. 26. Carolina Panthers: -6.8 The Panthers have an unmanageable interception perception of 7.3%. 27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: -7.9 Josh Johnson will make his fourth NFL start on Sunday and gets to do so at Wembley Stadium against a New England team that just destroyed the Titans. 28. Detroit Lions: -8.7 In terms of net yards allowed per defensive play, Detroit is last with an average of 6.2. 29. Tennessee Titans: -11.5 The Vince Young calls will continue for as long the Titans remain inept and winless. It really wouldn't hurt at this point and it will make their offseason decision on him far less complicated. 30. Cleveland Browns: -13.3 The Browns draw the Packers this Sunday, which may trigger their floundering pass rush. 31. St. Louis Rams: -13.8 Steve Spagnuolo had to answer questions about his time management this week, which is a good problem to have when you're winless. 32. Oakland Raiders: -15.0 JaMarcus Russell was an efficient 17-for-28 for 224 yards, despite the two interceptions in Oakland's 13-9 win over the Eagles. They were 4-for-14 on 3rd down compared to Philadelphia's 2-for-16.

Colts safety Bob Sanders could make his season debut against the Rams this Sunday. Sanders missed all of training camp after having surgery on his right knee. He told reporters on Wednesday that it's important for him not to rush his return.

Peyton Manning loves watching his brother Eli play, but winces when FOX commentator Joe Buck is assigned to New York's games. "Of course Joe Buck's just ripping Eli, just because that's what he seems to enjoy doing," Peyton said during an interview with NBC's Bob Costas. "So I'm yelling at Joe Buck, 'Just call the play-by-play, Joe. Let [Troy] Aikman do the commentary!' " Buck says that the "feud" has become a running joke. "I thought it was great," Buck said of Manning bringing his name up on NBC. "I've never been that flattered in my life. It's probably the greatest thing a player ever has said about me, that he's aware of what I do. He and I have talked about it before in a joking manner ... "Any time they want to mention me on NBC, it's fine."