24 Oct 2012 05:06 PM EST
-by Kenny Franek, Contributing Writer; Image: Brian Urlacher and the Bears recorded four forced turnovers against Detroit. (Image Source: US Presswire)
1. (1) Atlanta Falcons (6-0): The only undefeated team left in the NFL is fresh off a bye and heads to Philly, who is also coming off their bye week. It should be one of their toughest tests of the season to date.
Up Next: @ Philadelphia
2. (2) Chicago Bears (5-1): Another dominating performance from their defense has the Bears rolling and sitting atop the NFC North. A matchup with Carolina this weekend only makes things better in the Windy City.
Up Next: vs. Carolina
3. (3) New York Giants (5-2): It took another late-game act of heroics from Eli Manning (along with terrible defense) to get by a pesky Redskins team at home. Now they travel to Dallas in hopes of avenging their season-opening loss to them in New York.
Up Next: @ Dallas
4. (4) San Francisco 49ers (5-2): The Niners once again couldn't get anything going on offense against division foe Seattle. Now they travel to Arizona to play another defensive stalwart from the NFC West. If this game were in San Francisco, you might be hearing the crowd clamoring for Colin Kaepernick.
Up Next: @ Arizona
5. (6) Minnesota Vikings (5-2): The Vikings went back to their roots by pounding the football with Adrian Peterson and it worked. Even with their offense sputtering, their defense has come up with some big plays.
Up Next: vs. Tampa Bay
6. (7) Green Bay Packers (4-3): After a month of sleeping, the Green Bay offense has awoken. Their defense is still suspect, but as long as Aaron Rodgers is rolling this team will be tough to beat.
Up Next: vs. Jacksonville
7. (5) Seattle Seahawks (4-3): It was a valiant effort by the Seahawks in San Francisco, leading at the half. Their defense did all they could but it wasn't enough to leave with the win. Quarterback Russell Wilson will need to break out of his "safe" shell and start taking some chances if they want to stay in the race in the West.
Up Next: @ Detroit
8. (8) Washington Redskins (3-4): Robert Griffin III has done all he can to put this team in position to win…unfortunately his defense keeps letting him down. This team can hang with anyone in the league, but if their defense keeps faltering, it won't turn into many wins.
Up Next: @ Pittsburgh
9. (11) Philadelphia Eagles (3-3): Hopefully the bye week helped this team—which has potential through the roof—get back on the winning track. A visit from the undefeated Falcons will be a good test to see where they stand moving forward.
Up Next: vs. Atlanta
10. (12) Dallas Cowboys (3-3): The Cowboys snuck out of Carolina with a much-needed win, but it wasn't easy. Another W over bitter rival New York will help fans forget what has happened over the last month.
Up Next: vs. New York Giants
11. (15) New Orleans Saints (2-4): That's two in a row for the Saints after escaping Tampa Bay with a win. As long as Drew Brees has this offense clicking this team has a chance to win, no thanks to their defense.
Up Next: @ Denver
12. (9) Arizona Cardinals (4-3): Three straight losses for the Cardinals makes their 4-0 start seem so far in the past. I never thought I would say this, but this team needs Kevin Kolb back, fast.
Up Next: vs. San Francisco
13. (13) St Louis Rams (3-4): They couldn't keep up with the high-powered Green Bay offense and now they welcome in another team that can put points up in bunches, New England. They might be out of the division hunt sooner rather than later.
Up Next: vs. New England
14. (10) Detroit Lions (2-3): The Lions couldn't crack the tough Chicago defense. The silver lining for this team is that they held the Bears offense to 13 points. That's where the good news ends.
Up Next: vs. Seattle
15. (14) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4): They got plenty of points out of their offense against New Orleans, but the big plays they gave up on defense bit them in the end. They were more competitive than in recent weeks, but that doesn't exactly translate into wins.
Up Next: @ Minnesota
16. (16) Carolina Panthers (1-5): The bye week didn't help this free-falling squad, as they dropped another heart breaker to Dallas. The road doesn't get any easier when they travel to Chicago this weekend.
Up Next: @ Chicago
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