We are officially at the midway point of the NFL season, with all 32 teams having played eight games, and no more dreaded bye weeks remaining. For those of you not fond of math, that means no more fractions or decimals in the Standings, just nice round whole numbers and a second half of the season sure to provide some nice, juicy matchups. But before we cast our eyes to the distant, hazy NFL horizon, let?s glance back at what?s happened to get us here. A quick read of my Top-15 Rankings is all you need as evidence. I can guarantee nobody could have predicted all of it. Where to start, really? Let?s start with the Steelers. At 2 ? 6 after Sunday?s loss to the Broncos, this is a team so far removed from the team that won Superbowl XL, you almost can?t recognize them. Everyone expected some sort of drop-off ?I mean, it?s hard to remember a champ that hasn?t suffered one. But what they are going through in pittsburgh is just awful. And it?s not all Big Ben?s fault, either. Uh, just most of it is. While we?re lamenting the losers, let?s throw some rotten tomatoes the way of the Dolphins and Buccaneers, two teams who inexplicably walked from the winners circle, and as yet are still wandering. Another huge disappointment has been the unerachieving, and overhyped, NFC East ?in particular the free-spending Redskins, whose big-name acquisitions made everyone raise their glasses in celebration. Now Washington fans on every side of the Beltway are leaning over the bar, dreading the drive home, and wondering how their glasses and Dan Snyder?s wallet, got so empty so fast. The NFL has provided us with some great stroies however. It?s not enough that the Colts (winners over the Pats 27 ? 20 Sunday) are 8 ? 0. I mean, hey, good job fellas, really. But you did that last year, and that?s old news. What?s new to the scene, and a staple on my Weekly Rankings, are the New Orleans Saints. A shamble of a 3-0 win team a year ago, most of the year playing away from their home --itself a shell of a city this close to absolute hopelessness. Now, thanks to the hands-down coach-of-the-year Sean Payton, a seemingly unwanted Drew Brees, and a miraculously revamped attitude, the Saints are blessed, and also 6 ? 2 atop the NFC South. They may have a tough schedule ahead of them, but that?s the future. We?re looking at the past eight games, remember? This past weekend saw a few huge upsets: Atlanta was outgunned by Detroit, Dallas out-blind-lucked by the Redskins, Minnesota out-kicked, 9 ? 6, by the 49ers, and the Bears (one of the toasts of the ?06 season) simply outrageous. All of a sudden a Bears team sending fear into the hearts of opponents everywhere, are scaring their fans to death after two horrible performances against two horrible opponents. The rest of the NFC remains one big question mark. And the way the schedule looks in the coming weeks, don?t expect many to be answered any time soon. The AFC, again, retains superiority, holder of an undefeated team and four squads at 6 ? 2. It?s starting to become clear in the AFC who the Good and the Bad are. In the NFC there?s the Giants, Bears and Saints? and a whole lot of Ugly. Not pretty for some teams on my list this week either. Lose a game and don?t expect the winners to be nice to you. Lose to Detroit, Miami or San Francisco: run for cover. Here?s the list, then: This Week?s Rankings: [ Last week?s rankings, and W ? L record, in Parentheses ] 1. Indianapolis Colts (2), (8 ? 0) Being the only team left without a loss isn?t the only reason the Colts now sit in the Team Rankings throne. How they remained unbeaten also played a part, trumping the Pats, in Foxborough, with an old-fashioned recipe: Peyton and Marvin. You could say Brady gave the game away along with his four INTs, but the bottom line is Manning was the QB who made the plays necessary to win, the secondary stepped up, and they all overcame two missed FGs by ?prodigal son? Vinatieri. This team may have a perfect record, but they are glaringly imperfect, still unable to stop any team from running on them. We?ll see how much (if at all) that comes into play in the second half. 2. Chicago Bears (1), (7 ? 1) It didn?t matter what the Colts did Sunday night; the Bears abdicated the top spot all by themselves. And it was ugly. Their defense bailed them out against Arizona, but Miami?s Harrington made sure Chicago paid dearly for their 6 (4 by Grossman) turnovers. It may not be time to dust off Brian Griese, but defenses around the NFL are now hurriedly drafting blueprints for how to Rattle Rex, who committed 10 turnovers in the two aforementioned games. They also got beaten in the trenches, allowing 3 sacks while not recording one of their own, giving up 160 yards of rushing to a team desperate for offensive answers, and now face an uncertain future for injured star wide-out Bernard Berrian, and team-glue Urlacher. But hey, it?s not ALL bad. This team is #2, has lost one game, and has balance and depth to rival any NFL squad. 3. Denver Broncos (5), (6 ? 2) Well, Denver made sure the football woes continue for seven more days in Pittsburgh, forcing the Steelers into six turnovers, and almost officially ending all postseason hopes for the Superbowl champs. Now, a defense as strong as Denver?s should not tolerate allowing 500 yards of offense. But really, when Big Ben and Cowher call 58 passing plays, sooner or later the yards are gonna add up. Denver?s offense, however, continued to find new threats. The Bell tolled no more for Mike or Tatum, but Javon Walker showed some power and versatility by racking up three TDs, and Plummer made it through a whole game without an INT. More games like that, and the return of a solid running game, will keep this team atop the uber-competitive AFC West. 4. San Diego Chargers (4), (6 ? 2) This was an unattractive victory for the Chargers, but at least they didn?t lose to the likes of the Dolphins, 49ers, or Lions. And on a day that saw San Diego trot out several defensive stand-ins, Rivers struggled to impress, the Bolts stumbled trying to stop Charlie Frye through the air, and 12 penalties nearly killed them. It is becoming increasingly clear how damned important ol? L.D.T. is to this team. That may mean they?re next to nothing without him. But, ya see, they do have him. And until that changes this team is a heavy threat in the AFC. If they can weather all these defensive injuries ?and Shawne Merriman?s absence? they should be right there with Denver in the end. 5. New England Patriots (3), (6 ? 2) The only thing more surprising than Tom Brady?s 4 picks (!!) was that the Pats only lost by a touchdown in spite of them. That tells me this team is not in any big trouble at all. Their QB had a bad day ?and we?re talking awful-- and Bellichick called an overwrought game-- but almost any other team does that, and we?re talking 45 guaranteed points for the Colts. New England?s D kept them in it all the way until INT #4, which proved to be the last straw that broke the coffin?s back? or something like that. New England?s 75 rushing yards/game allowed does rank third in the NFL, and do NOT expect Tom Brady to fall on his face again like that for a long, long time. 6. Baltimore Ravens (9), (6 ? 2) Baltimore fans are still trying to come to terms with having a winning professional sporting team. Lord knows the Orioles can?t achieve that, and for a while now the Ravens were acting the mimic. But a two-game losing streak is now history for a team that has forced a league-high 24 turnovers (17 INTs) in eight games. Jamal Lewis is actually getting STRONGER as the season progresses, and of course McNair has found a way to reverse his 68.4 passer rating of four weeks ago, making the plays when he needs to. That win over Cincinnati puts the Bickering Bengals two back in the NORTH, and gives fans of the surging Ravens one more week to forget about their baseball team. 7. New York Giants (6), (6 ? 2) The Giants have won four in a row, are riding high with a defense that shuts down opponents no matter how many no-name injury replacements Coughlin employs, and they are the only team worth reckoning with in the disppointing NFC EAST. But Eli Manning is a flat-out concern. He barely managed to get it done Sunday against the Texans (!). And while a missing Plaxico was a big reason, that?s still no excuse, and does not explain the subpar performances Eli had already been staging before Burress went down. Throw in the newest injury, to Michael Strahan, and it?s a credit to this team for not falling to pieces. Quite the opposite: they?re at the top of their division. This Sunday?s head-to-head with the Bears should be all about smash-mouth, baby. 8. New Orleans Saints (8), (6 ? 2) Drew Brees sings the praises of Marques Colston, Colston lauds Brees, and the city of New Orleans continues to find joy in one of the most pleasant surprises of the ?06 NFL season, as the Saints walked over the anemic Bucs, 31 ? 14. Almost overshadowed the -5 yards posted by Reggie Bush, who made Deuce?s sorry 32 yards look magnificent by comparison. But Brees is having a field day through the air of late, with Colston and Devery Henderson proving this team is not too dependent on Joe Horn for its success. They may not be the best in the NFC, but they are improving each week, have allowed only 8 sacks all year, and are now the ones being chased in the South division. 9. Kansas City Chiefs (11), (5 ? 3) Kansas City might just have a quarterback controversy on its hands. But you think they?re worried? How many other head coaches (Art Shell, Jeff Fisher, John Gruden, e.g.) would kill to have such problems. Herm Edwards is about eleven days away from having to decide between a rehabilitated Trent Green (their undeniable offensive captain and Pro-Bowler) and Damon Huard, who has more than impressed (10 TDs, 1 INT, 105.3 passer rating, and 5 wins) while Green has been recuperating. Whatever the case, the Chiefs look confident offensively, and are some defensive sharpening away from making up for a thrilling three-headed monster atop the best division in football. 10. Jacksonville Jaguars (13), (5 ? 3) Speaking of quarterback controversies, this one?s legit, and a fair bit less amicable than the one they say is going on in KC. Garrard is in, for now? and maybe later, while Leftwich is out?of luck, patience, and most importantly, the game on Sunday. At least, that?s what we were told by the team?s ball boy. I?ll pass it all on to Byron and David when I feel like it. Whatever Del Rio decides to do in the long-term, in the present day Garrard has led the Jags to two straight wins, including a 3-TD effort Sunday vs. the Titans, and is 7 ? 1 behind center dating back to last year. The Jags amassed over 160 yards on the ground and handcuffed rookie Vince Young all afternoon. They may not catch the Colts, but Jacksonville is 5 ? 3, and on the happier side of the wild-card fence. 11. Atlanta Falcons (7), (5 ? 3) OK, so the Michael Vick honeymoon is over. But you needn?t have signed any pre-nups, ?cause the Falcons are not heading for divorce any time soon. They are looking pretty darn so-so on defense lately, allowing more passing yards (243 yds/game, 31st in the NFL) than any playoff team should. Vick does not need to throw 3 or 4 TDs a game for this team to be successful. With that rushing attack all he needs to do is avoid the big mistakes and make a few big plays, and this team is a threat. He can?t do that, the Falcons will keep slipping up against the Lions of the NFL, and won?t last long in the postseason either. 12. Seattle Seahawks (NR), (5 ? 3) A quick glance at Monday night?s scoreboard tells you the Seahawks crafted a shutout, 16 ? 0. Good job, guys. Take a closer look, what you see is that they held the Raiders to 0 points, a feat now seeming about as difficult as getting a straight answer out of Bill Bellichick. But even though they played an offense so bad Aaron Brooks doesn?t want in, they still played well against a defense ranked at the top of the league, and did it wthout their top two players. Seneca Wallace may not be the mostr seasoned QB out there, but he?s accentuating his positives, and could be just a good enough stopgap until Shaun and Matt make it back to full strength for the stretch run. 13. Philadelphia Eagles (12), (4 ? 4) The big question in Philly: which Eagles team will hit the field Sunday against the Redskins? The one that dominated almost every offensive category en route to a 4 ? 1 record? Or the one that let two improbable comebacks sting them before finally phoning in a positively wretched performance against the Jags ten days ago? It?s all about McNabb and Westbrook. If they get contained, the Eagles D just isn?t good enough to shoulder the heavy load. It?s hard to say where this team goes from here, but for now, they?re a bottom-feeder on my list. 14. Cincinnati Bengals (10), (4 ? 4) Speaking of the bottom, the ?Bingles? have all but hit theirs. This team is overdue for an intervention, though who?s the one in the hot seat? Chad Johnson for acting the fool, not the playmaker? Carson Palmer, simply for being the QB? Or the offensive line, for letting each and every team harass Mr. Palmer in the first place? It?s all of the above. Throw in a defense no longer able to come up with the handfuls of turnovers they enjoyed in 2005, and you?re looking at an average team at the middle or worse in offensive and defensive stats. But this is a good team playing badly, not a bad team playing worse. At 4 ? 4 they are still in it, but if the inconsistencies and in-house bickering continue, you can all but throw dirt on ?em. The AFC is just too competitive right now. 15. Dallas Cowboys (15), (4 ? 4) There is no way that happened. Shouldn?t have, couldn?t have, wouldn?t have. And did. Despite another poised effort by Tony Romo, Dallas wound up on the wrong side of fate, losing to the Redskins by virtue of one of the most unexpected, game-reversing (and, as a Redskin fan, I think exhilarating) endings ever between the storied rivals. And they?ve had plenty of barnburners. The loss stings, but the Cowboys don?t deserve a big hit in the rankings. The Cowboys have a bright future these next 8 games, aand good ol? T.O. may just sleep through the whole damn thing. You won?t catch me batting an eyelid this weekend. Talk all you want about the midway point of the season, what it has been and what it may be from here on out. What it means to me is two more games a week, 16 and all, and before you know it almost all of them are going to mean something. I sure wish I had NFL Sunday Ticket.