The standings find themselves shaken up quite a bit after the slate of Halloween games on Week 8. There’s some movement in all 3 lists as we approach the halfway point of the season. One word sums up the NFL in 2010: unpredictable. And this past week was no different.  So here are your best and worst ten teams in the NFL the way I see it, followed by the 10 most deserving MVP candidates. 

Bottom of the Barrel:

  1. San Diego (6) Moving up 4 spots after a surprising, but much-needed win at home against a Tennessee team who had been on a nice roll. Record: 3-5

  2. Cleveland (9) Holding steady at the 9th spot after a bye week following the huge upset against New Orleans. Record: 2-5

  3. Minnesota (10) Lost by 10 on the road to New England which was about the expected. Cut Randy Moss in a head-scratcher on how exactly that makes them a better team. Record: 2-5

  4. Detroit (4) Moving up 3 with a little thanks from Mike Shanahan’s coaching decisions, pulling Donovan McNabb for…you guessed it, Rex Grossman! Record: 2-6

  5. Cincinnati (8) Other than 2 TD passes from Palmer to Owens, they looked pretty bad against Miami. They’re now tied at the bottom of the AFC North. Record: 2-5

  6. San Francisco (2) They might have moved up 3 spots this week, but it’s not because they looked that good. It’s because the other teams on the list looked that bad. Record: 2-6

  7. Denver (7) Blew the London Bowl lead and never could get it back against the Niners. Record: 2-6

  8. Dallas (5) They’ve gone from disappointing team to possible laughing stock of the league. A 35-17 loss to the Jags drops them further than I ever expected to have to put them. Record: 1-6

  9. Carolina (3) Got their first win last week against the Niners and they’re right back to where they started after a 20-10 loss to St. Louis. Record: 1-6

  10. Buffalo (1) They continue to hang close in games, taking Kansas City to the last second in overtime. They’re eventually going to get that first win. So 

Top of the Pops:

  1. Nawlins (NR) Gonna give them the benfit fo the doubt and consider their loss to Cleveland a fluke for now after a nice bounce back win over Pittsburgh . Record: 5-3

  2. Tennessee (7) A tough loss on the road to San Diego drops them a couple spots, but they’re still a solid top 10 team. Record: 5-3

  3. Green Bay (NR) After a 9-0 win over the Jets, they deserve to break into the top 10. If only they had been able to get into the endzone, they would’ve been able to rank higher. Record: 5-3

  4. Atlanta (8) Coming off a bye, they move up a spot thanks to Tennessee’s slip up. They’ll take on Tampa next week for sole possession of the NFC South lead. Record: 5-2

  5. NY Giants (6) No movement for them since they’re also coming off a bye week. They’ll be at Seattle in Week 9. Record: 5-2

  6. Baltimore (5) Yet another team that was on a bye. They’ll have a home game against the Dolphins next. Record: 5-2

  7. Pittsburgh (2) Hung in with the Saints until the last couple minutes when they blew the game open, 20-10. Awfully strange they couldn’t beat a team that the Browns manhandled. Record: 5-2

  8. Indianapolis (4) All the injuries didn’t hold them back in the Monday nighter against Houston in a 30-17 win. Sometimes as long as #18 takes the field, that really is all that matters. They’re now back in the familiar place the top of the AFC South. Record: 5-2

  9. NY Jets (2) Despite the 9-0 loss to Green Bay, you could still easily rank them 1st in the NFL. It wasn’t exactly a convincing loss, and you could definitely say the same for their week 1 loss against Baltimore. But their offense did absolutely nothing against an injured Green Bay defense and that is why the’ve slipped to 2. Record: 5-2

  10. New England (3) The Patriots have somehow managed to have the best record through 7 games despite a young, inexperienced secondary. They continue to find ways to win because of outstanding coaching and a quarterback who manages the game as good as (if not better than) any other in the sport. Record: 6-1

Fell Out: Kansas City (9), Philadelphia (10)

MVP Race:

  1. LaDainian Tomlinson (5) The LT momentum train is starting to lose it’s momentum. Just 54 rushing yards against the Packers drops him to 13th in the NFL in rushing. It’s a feel good story, but he might be taking up space on the list where a more deserving player like Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, or Clay Matthews could go. 

  2. Jamaal Charles (NR) 177 yards on 22 carries and another 61 yards on 4 receptions against Buffalo earns Charles his debut on the MVP Race list. Charles is 8th in the league in rushing despite splitting carries with Thomas Jones and averages 6.5 a carry, the most in the league.

  3. Lawrence Timmons (9) Much like the entire season, the guy was just everywhere against the Saints on Sunday night. 12 tackles (2 for a loss), 1 hit on the quarterback

  4. Darren McFadden (NR) Also making his debut on the list this week, it might be long overdue. He is 7th in the league in rushing despite missing 2 games. He is also averaging 111 yards per game, tops in the league. 

  5. Roddy White (6) Coming off a bye, he can’t really move up or down (not far anyway). Just another great season for him, always the go-to-guy in Atlanta.

  6. Chris Johnson (3) Despite one great touchdown run against San Diego, Johnson was contained for the most part. Just 59 yards on 15 carries. He had better find a new goal, the 2,500 yards is nowhere near realistic. 

  7. Adrian Peterson (7) AD continues to carry the Vikes and be their only bright spot on offense. 92 carries and 1 TD on 25 carries. Another 50 yards on  catches. 

  8. Arian Foster (4) 102 yards on 15 carries and a score. Another 65 yards through the air and 9 catches on the day.

  9. Tom Brady (2) Still in the runner-up spot after a 16 of 27 performance for 240 yards and 1 score in a win over Minnesota. Nice and consistent, but nothing above the norm.

  10. Peyton Manning (1) No surprise who’s #1. Peyton holds on strong as MVP favorite through 8 weeks, despite his completion percentage being down against Houston Monday night, he still threw for 268 yards and 2 TDs. 

Fell Out: