The Patriots didn’t just weather the storm in Chicago this past Sunday. They took it head on, embraced it, and railroaded the Bears in the process. If there was any doubt before, this should’ve erased it. New England is the class of the league and Tom Brady is it’s most valuable player. Outscoring the Bears and Jets in the past 2 weeks by a combined score of 81-10. Not exactly pushovers on the defensive side of the football. The Pats are in full stride and although they share the league’s best record with Atlanta, there doesn’t seem to be a team that can rise anywhere near their level at this point. You won’t find any new teams in the top 10 this week, but if I could throw a 10-B in there, the Jacksonville Jags would be it. This is another team playing their best football at just the right time, and the fact that they’re not just leading the AFC South, but even in the running is a complete shock to me. The Jags had all the makings of a 5 to 7 win team going into the season and Jack Del Rio would have to be one of the top candidates for Coach of the Year right now. 

Dwelling in the bottom of the barrel, you’ll also not find any newcomers or goers. The 10 that are rotting away on the list at the moment could be there the rest of the season as there doesn’t appear to be much light at the end of the tunnel with just 3 weeks left in the regular season. Carolina appears they could have tar stuck to their heels and won’t be able to climb their way up, losing week after week and usually not even keeping it competitive. If they do end up with the 1st overall pick at season’s end, it would be nearly impossible for them to pass on Andrew Luck in April’s NFL Draft given the less than impressive (to say the least) play of rookie QB Jimmy Clausen. 

In the race for MVP, it’s basically becoming Tom Brady and then everybody else. The distance has stretched more and more over the past several weeks with the outstanding accuracy and yardage he’s accumulated against opposing defenses. This is one list where I do have one new name to add to the list. Arian Foster is out, not because of a downslope in production, but because a player on a 5-8 team just cannot be taken seriously for MVP consideration. Foster is without a doubt my Most Improved/Breakout Player of the Year so far, but I have to yank him off the MVP list for another running back who’s actually contributing to a winning team. Aaron Rodgers takes a dive through no fault of his own after leaving the first quarter against Detroit with a concussion. For the most part, the list looks a lot like it did after Week 13, with Ryan, Rivers, Vick and Brees trailing behind the New England signal caller. One thing sets Brady apart from the others - turnovers. Brady doesn’t commit them, while you can almost bank on finding them in the others’ stat line each week.  Here are your top 10 teams, bottom 10 teams, and top 10 MVP hopefuls after 14 weeks of play.

Bottom of the Barrel

10.Tennessee (10) They kept it close against Indianapolis, losing 30-28, but a loss is a loss and the Titans have racked up 6 in a row now after a good-looking 5-2 start. This is a team in total disarray and will likely be looking for a new coach in 2011. Record: 5-8

  1. Minnesota (9) The NFL-high 297 career start streak of Brett Favre finally came to an end, and he could very well be done for the year. They were pummeled by the Giants on Monday night, putting an official collapse on their season much like the roof of the Metrodome they call home. Record: 5-8

  2. San Francisco (7) Alex Smith looked great in the 40-21 win over Seattle and they find themselves just win out of the miserable NFC West. If they can pick up where they left off against San Diego this Thursday night, they could end up hosting a playoff game in January. Record: 5-8

  3. Washington (8) A couple short field goals were missed and the hold was botched on a would-be tying extra point with 9 seconds left against Tampa Bay. You can chalk this one up to bad luck, but the Redskins are a team that just finds ways to lose, week in and week out. Record: 5-8

  4. Buffalo (4) The Bills played tough and got a surprising win over Cleveland at home, 13-6. Fred Jackson ran the ball well this team continues to show heart and not let their bad record keep them from giving a good effort each week. Record: 3-10

  5. Detroit (5) In maybe an even more surprising win, the Lions defeated Green Bay 7-3 at Ford Field. Yes, Aaron Rodgers didn’t play for over 3 quarters after a concussion ended his day, but they played the line of scrimmage well and deserved the W, facing a backup QB or not. Record: 3-10

  6. Arizona (3) Tim Hightower ran the ball well, but other than that, the Cards had no offense as usual. All of their points came on defense and special teams. They racked up 43 points on an apparently even worse Denver Bronco team to show it’s not all about offense, but an overall team effort that can finally put an end to a long losing streak. Record: 4-9

  7. Denver (6) Dropping 3 spots to where they absolutely belong after giving up 43 to Arizona on the road. The Broncos head to Oakland next, where they’ll likely have another long day ahead of them. Record: 3-10

  8. Cincinnati (2) Carson Palmer threw 2 pick sixes to hand the Steelers a 23-7 win and prolong his Bengals’ losing streak to 10 games now. They do stand a chance at home next week where they take on Cleveland at home, a team you never really know what to expect from. Record: 2-11

  9. Carolina (1) Another tough loss, this time to Atlanta. Jimmy Clausen apologized to Jon Beason for his play after the game and wide receiver Steve Smith asked why he didn’t apologize to the guys he takes the huddle with. It keeps getting better for the Panthers. Next up is a home game against Arizona though, a very big toss up. Record: 1-12

Top of the Pops

  1. Green Bay (6) With the loss of Rodgers, it was all downhill from there and if he can’t go Sunday against New England, they stand no chance. Their playoff chances hang in the balance. Record: 8-5

  2. Chicago (7) Giving up 36 points to New England and scoring just 7 was kind of a surprise. I expected a low-scoring game with that type of weather, but they were bruised and battered from start to finish. The North might belong to them with Green Bay’s struggles, but they won’t go far in the playoffs with play like that. Record: 9-4

  3. NY Jets (5) Another disappointing loss to Miami, 10-6, and even more disappointing sportmanship from strength coach Sal Alosi, who tripped Dolphins’ corner Nolan Carroll along the sideline on a punt return. Class act. The Jets’ schedule doesn’t get any easier as they visit Pittsburgh next. Record: 9-4

  4. NY Giants (10) The G-Men move their way up 3 spots after a 21-3 pounding of the Vikings and the above teams suffered a loss. The two-headed monster of Jacobs and Bradshaw each ran for 100 yards on the ever-weakening run defense of Minnesota. Should be a great division game next week as they host Philadelphia. Record: 9-4

  5. Philadelphia (9) Mike Vick and the Eagles also move up 3 spots, defeating a much-improved Dallas team under Jason Garrett. DeSean Jackson had a career day, racking up 210 receiving yards on just 4 catches. Record: 9-4

  6. Baltimore (8) They gave away a 28-7 lead to Houston, who forced overtime Monday night, only for Matt Schaub to throw a pick six from 12 yards out for the 34-28 Ravens win. Their secondary was picked apart for drives of 95 and 99 yards. They won’t find themselves on the winning end against New Orleans next week if that continues. Record: 9-4

  7. Pittsburgh (4) About what I expected from the Steelers as they faced Cincinnati. Adequate offense and confusing Carson Palmer with their blitz schemes to force turnovers. I expect about the same next week against Mark Sanchez, with his play as of late. Record: 10-3

  8. Nawlins (3) Another blowout win over a mediocre team as they defeated the Rams 31-13. It’s looking like more and more of a sure thing that we’ll see 2 teams out of the East and South in the playoffs this season. Record: 10-3

  9. Atlanta (2) The triple threat of Ryan, White and Turner showed up in full force against the league worst and division rival Carolina Panthers. Roddy White now leads the league in receiving and Michael Turner is working his way into the race for the rushing title. On the road again next week at Seattle shouldn’t present a problem. Record: 11-2

  10. New England (1) This week the defense played a bigger role in the win, forcing 4 turnovers. Wes Welker and Deion Branch combined for all but 103 of Tom Brady’s 369 yards through the air. They’ll host Green Bay Sunday night. It has a chance to be interesting* if *Rodgers is cleared to start. Record: 11-2

MVP Race

  1. Peyton Manning (10) He finally ended the interception streak, but with it coming against a terrible Tennessee squad, I’m not ready to move him back up just yet. Let’s see how he manages the game against Jacksonville when a share of the division lead is at stake.

  2. Jamaal Charles (8) Kansas City’s star running back carried the ball just 10 times for 40 yards in a 31-0 loss to San Diego. Maybe Matt Cassel deserves more of the credit for Kansas City’s success than I thought afterall. 

  3. Michael Turner (NR) Turner makes his season debut on the MVP list after a 112 yard performance at Carolina where he found the endzone 3 times. He’s 4th in the race for the rushing title, 156 yards behind Arian Foster. Sunday was his 7th 100-yard game of the season and he’s averaged 110 in Atlanta’s last 4 games.

  4. Maurice Jones-Drew (9) MJD was held in check for the most part by Oakland until a 30-yard game winning rumble with 1:34 remaining put him over the 100-yard mark for the 6th straight game. 

  5. Aaron Rodgers (3) Given his limited time on the field Sunday, I won’t drop Rodgers too far just yet. Things would’ve likely been very different against Detroit had he played a full 60 minutes, but hopefully he can make a quick recovery and pick up where he left off at New England. 

  6. Drew Brees (6) Brees passed for 3 scores on St. Louis, but he also was picked off 2 more times. The interception total is up to 18 now compared to just 11 all of last season. He has just 3 games this year in which he hasn’t thrown an interception. The opponents? Minnesota, San Francisco and Carolina.

  7. Mike Vick (5) Vick threw for 270 yards against Dallas, 210 of those were to DeSean Jackson. He threw for 2 touchdowns and ran for another, but was also picked off twice. 

  8. Philip Rivers (4) In a shutout win over Kansas City, Rivers completed 18 of 24 passes for 226 yards. That plus 2 TDs and 1 INT was good enough for a 114 quarterback rating.

  9. Matt Ryan (2) Atlanta’s 3rd-year QB continues to play well beyond his age. Nothing fancy against St. Louis, 20/34 for 227 yards, 1 TD and 1 pick, but more than good enough for the win over Carolina.

  10. Tom Brady (1) Brady remains in a class by himself after a 369-yards and 2 touchdown day. Most can’t throw for that many yards on a clear September day, much less in a Chicago blizzard. Next victim, Green Bay.

Fell Out: Arian Foster (7)

And that’s how they stand with 3 games to play. Thanks for reading and feel free to comment and/or post your own rankings.****** **