By Andrew Perna 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, RealGM executive editor Christopher Reina created the following formula called the ?Trench Counter? to look at which teams truly control 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 2008 season, our weekly team rankings will be based solely off this formula. 1. New York Giants: 9.9 The Giants may not have the undefeated record that the Titans possess, but they have been more dominant than any other team this season. New York is fifth in yards per game on offense and have allowed the third-fewest yards on defense. 2. Philadelphia Eagles: 9.1 Thanks to three-straight wins, the Eagles have been neck-and-neck with the Giants for first place in these rankings for the better part of the last month. This weekend?s head-to-head battle will give the winner a significant advantage after Week 10. 3. Pittsburgh Steelers: 7.5 Pittsburgh was impressive in their win over Washington on Monday night, but they?ll need their best performance of the season this weekend against Indianapolis if Byron Leftwich is starting at quarterback. 4. Tennessee Titans: 6.0 Many people are waiting for the Titans to lose their first game of the season, and the defensively-minded Bears could have a shot at Soldier Field this Sunday. Tennessee has scored more rushing touchdowns than any other team this season (15) while Chicago is only allowing 81.8 yards per game on the ground. 5. Washington Redskins: 6.0 The Redskins are the third NFC East team in the top-five this week despite their drubbing at the hands of the Steelers this past Monday night. They will rest this weekend in hopes of bouncing back against the Cowboys in Week 11. 6. Atlanta Falcons: 6.0 The Falcons posted the highest Trench Counter of the season (31.3) against the Raiders in Week nine and will look to extend their run against the Saints this Sunday. Atlanta has the league?s top rushing attack (34.5 attempts, 163.4 yards per game). 7. Miami Dolphins: 5.7 Look for the Dolphins to increase their season Trench Counter average this week when they battle the Seahawks in South Beach. 8. Carolina Panthers: 4.3 The Panthers are back to their defensive ways, limiting teams to less than 300 yards per game (294.4) through their first eight contests. That doesn?t bode well for the Raiders, who will host Carolina this weekend. 9. Minnesota Vikings: 4.2 The Vikings cut down the surging Texans in Week 9, giving them a much-needed victory. Minnesota has the sixth-best rushing offense in the NFL but could jump in the rankings with a very motivated, and healthy, Adrian Peterson in the backfield. 10. Baltimore Ravens: 4.1 Joe Flacco continues to impress in Baltimore, who feature a dynamic rushing attack spear-headed by Willis McGahee, Le?Ron McClain, and Ray Rice. 11. Arizona Cardinals: 3.5 The Cardinals are running away with the NFC West through the first half of the season and moved up in the rankings, thanks to a strong +24 Trench Counter against the Rams this past Sunday. 12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2.6 Tampa Bay got past Kansas City, thanks to some late-game heroics by Jeff Garcia, but it?s their ball-hawking defense (16 turnovers) that has helped carry them to a 6-3 record. 13. Chicago Bears: 2.3 The Bears were almost the first team to fall at the hands of the lowly Lions in Week 9, but they came away with a victory, nonetheless. The fate of Chicago?s season will likely rest in the hands of Rex Grossman with Kyle Orton hobbling around. 14. New York Jets: 1.5 The 5-3 Jets are a scary team in the deep AFC East because they have won three of their last four games despite below-average play from ?savior? Brett Favre. 15. San Diego Chargers: 0.5 The fate of San Diego?s season will rest on the result of their game against Kansas City in Week 10. The Chargers, with perhaps the best quarterback in the NFL?s first half, should roll over the Chiefs. 16. Dallas Cowboys: 0.4 Dallas almost mercifully has a week off and will hopefully get Tony Romo back behind center in Week 11. If they aren?t able to knock off Washington after their bye, Wade Phillips could officially land on the hot seat. 17. New England Patriots: 0.4 Despite their loss to the Colts on Sunday night, the Patriots still look dangerous without Tom Brady. However, their season could be derailed by an injury to one of their many ?featured? running backs. 18. Buffalo Bills: 0.1 The Bills are struggling mightily, and their -5 takeaway differential isn?t helping especially since only five teams have lower rates. 19. New Orleans Saints: -0.5 The Saints have an important game coming against the Falcons, and stopping the run will definitely be a tough task. On the other hand, it will be difficult for Atlanta to stop the passing attack of New Orleans. 20. Green Bay Packers: -0.7 This weekend?s battle between the Packers and Vikings is just as important as the more-heralded battle between the Giants and Eagles. The winner will have the best shot at surpassing the Bears in the NFC North. 21. Houston Texans: -0.8 The Texans, who will be without Matt Schaub, are set to do battle with the always tough Ravens. Their promising three-game win streak is now a distant memory. 22. Indianapolis Colts: -1.7 The Colts have not posted back-to-back positive Trench Counters this season, a feat that they will attempt to accomplish against the Steelers this Sunday afternoon. 23. San Francisco 49ers: -2.6 Things are getting bad for the 49ers, but a win on Monday Night Football against the Cardinals could help energize the second half of their season. It?s hard to believe, but they enter the week tied for second place in the NFC West. 24. Jacksonville Jaguars: -3.6 The Jaguars are still very much in the AFC Wild Card race, but have played well below their preseason expectations. Losing to the formerly-winless Bengals this past Sunday was the ultimate embarrassment. 25. Denver Broncos: -4.0 The Broncos looked so good?a month ago when they stood at the top of the AFC West with a 4-1 record. Facing off against the Browns in Brady Quinn?s first start could be just what the doctor ordered. 26. Cleveland Browns: -5.5 Things are so bad in Cleveland that they have decided to bench Derek Anderson, whom they awarded a lucrative contract this past offseason. They need to beat Denver this weekend to keep their playoff hopes alive. 27. Seattle Seahawks: -6.7 Seattle looked great on their first play against Philadelphia in Week 9, but things got ugly rather quickly. The Dolphins, now a tough out, could further their struggles in a few days. 28. Kansas City Chiefs: -6.9 The Chiefs gave the Buccaneers everything they had last week, and will probably need even more to put the clamps on the high-powered Chargers in San Diego. 29. Cincinnati Bengals: -8.7 A Week 10 bye will give the Bengals some time to rest after winning their first game. It?s almost a disadvantage, because they might have actually built up some momentum. 30. Detroit Lions: -10.0 It will be tough for Daunte Culpepper to step right in and lead the Lions to their first win of the season, so expect Detroit to remain near the bottom of these rankings for at least a few more weeks. 31. Oakland Raiders: -11.3 I don?t think I have ever seen a team as inept as the Raiders were this past Sunday against the Falcons. This team has gotten worse with Tom Cable in control, but you won?t hear Al Davis admit that. 32. St. Louis Rams: -11.5 The Rams are bringing up the rear despite having more wins than three teams (the Lions, Chiefs, and Bengals) through the season?s first nine weeks. They can thank their embarrassing losses to the Eagles (Week 1) and Cardinals (Week 9) for their league-low Trench Counter. -Chris Reina on his honeymoon. Andrew will be handling the rankings until his return.