A big week in the NFC, as we found at that the Cowboys aren't good enough to challenge the AFC's best, and that the Packers are likely the second-best team in the conference. This week, everyone's favorite gimmick for writers who are stuck for ideas...rankings!

1. Dallas Cowboys (5-1): Yes, they came up short against the Patriots. But really, there's no shame in that. The offense looks good, but the defense struggled against the multitude of talented New England wideouts. Tony Romo had a nice bounce-back game after his meltdown against Buffalo, but appeared to hesitate at times, afraid to take a risk. While that might be a good approach against just about every other team in the league, to beat the Pats you have to take a few chances.

2. Green Bay Packers (5-1): They have a couple of nice wins, but they've yet to look truly dominant (except against the Giants). The run game has improved slightly the last two weeks, but that just means they're not the worst in the league. Brett Favre had another off game, but he's still an above-average quarterback. The defense was great again against an underrated Redskins offense. The Green Bay D works because they've got the ability to pressure you with just their front four (Aaron Kampman is a beast), but their corners are strong enough that they can get away with blitzing you from time to time. Really, the only weakness are the safeties, but that's tolerable.

3. Washington Redskins (3-2): Last week's loss at Green Bay was tough, and what made it hurt all the more is that star wide receiver Santana Moss was arguably the reason they lost. He bobbled a pass from Jason Campbell that turned into an interception on one drive, lost a fumble on an end-around that was recovered by Charles Woodson and returned for the game-winning touchdown, and then dropped a wide open pass down the sidelines that severely hurt the comeback effort. That being said, Washington went into Green Bay and played the Packers to a standstill. The defense deserves a fair amount of credit for the team's success, but don't sleep on Campbell, who has the look of a future star. Oddly enough, the weakness of the team has been the run game, as Clinton Portis has struggled with injuries and last year's breakthrough Ladell Betts has been curiously ineffective. Some of it clearly has to do with the slew of injuries which have ravaged the offensive line, but the backs deserve some of the blame as well.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2): Through Week 6, the list of the top passers in the league (by DPAR) looks basically like what you'd expect in spots one (Brady) and two (Manning). However, the next three names on the list would come as a complete shock to everyone: Gerrard, Anderson, and Garcia. Yes, that's right, apparently Philadelphia fans were right (amazing, I know): the Eagles shouldn't have let the diminutive, aging QB go. While it remains to be seen if he can keep up this amazing run, there's no doubt that Garcia deserves much of the credit for the surprising success of the Bucs so far this year. Even more surprising is the fact that the run game has succeeded even without Cadillac Williams (and now Michael Pittman). The team traded for former Pro Bowler Michael Bennett this week, though it's hard to believe he'll emerge as a star. Still, he gives Tampa another option besides Ernest Graham, and that's a good thing. Defensively, the Bucs are once again a solid squad, which may not surprise most people but should, considering how old and ineffective they looked last year. However, the infusion of youth (Barrett Ruud, Gaines Adams, others) seems to have rejuvenated such pewter stalwarts as Derrick Brooks and Ronde Barber (who had a great game against Tennessee last week). Even with the injuries, this is the best team in the NFC South, and that's not necessarily damning with faint praise either.

5. New York Giants (4-2): Much like his older brother, Eli Manning has become something of a sentimental favorite round these parts. While Elisha will never become the player Peyton is, he's still a decent quarterback, which is more valuable than you'd think. His accuracy will always hold him back, and so will his decision-making, unless he eventually learns to stop throwing off his back foot. However, he's more than capable of picking apart bad defenses, and while that doesn't seem like much it's a skill that a lot of other quarterbacks wish they had. Even with the loss of Tiki Barber, the Giants offense remains a talented unit, especially whenever Brandon Jacobs can manage to stay on the field. Plaxico Burress has all the physical skills of the better-known wideouts, and appears to be shedding his "wuss" label this season. Defensively, the Giants can bring pressure with the front four, and they have to, as the back seven is nothing special. Tom Coughlin appears to have staved off a mutiny (winning four straight will do that for you), and two more very winnable games are up next for Big Blue. While they almost managed to squander a 6-2 start last year, a similar beginning this year could put them neck-in-neck with Dallas and Washington for the division crown.

6. Philadelphia Eagles (2-3): Ah, the hardest luck team in the NFC. It was perhaps clear from their opening day loss to the Packers, when a slew of special teams fumbles doomed them, that this was going to be another cursed season for the franchise. Sure enough, star tailback Brian Westbrook suffered another injury in a career filled with them, and purported left tackle Winston Justice forgot how to block. Still, this is a dangerous team. Donovan McNabb is having a down year, and may be past his prime, but he's still a capable field general. Kevin Curtis has emerged as a big-play threat, but the rest of the corps remains inconsistent. Defensively, the Eagles once again have played well against the pass but are struggling to stop the run. In a weaker division (say, just about any other NFC division) they'd be right in the thick of things, but the NFC East is stacked and their slow start may be too much to overcome.

7. Seattle Seahawks (3-3): This is not a very good team. The lack of size on defense continues to hurt them, especially when the offense can't control the ball, and the precipitous decline of Shaun Alexander and the injuries to the top two wideouts have left the offense a bit anemic. While getting Deion Branch and DJ Hackett back from injury will help, the other concerns are unlikely to disappear this season. GM Tim Ruskell is obsessed with quick, smart, and undersized defenders, and while that approach can work at some positions I'm uncertain it's a successful way to build an entire defense. After losing their only space-eating defensive tackle (Marcus Tubbs) in the preseason, the Seahawks have relied on undersized players like Chuck Darby (currently injured) and rookie Brandon Mebane to absorb blockers. Unfortunately, they're not always able to do so, and that causes problems with the linebackers. Specifically, with Pro Bowl middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu. Tatupu is excellent at reading the offense and getting his teammates into place. After the snap, he pursues well and has a fantastic motor. However, he's undersized and struggles to fight through the blocks of offensive linemen. Without Tubbs to absorb those blockers, teams have been successful at getting a guard (or other lineman) onto Tatupu with alarming frequency. This wouldn't hurt as much if the coaching staff used outside linebacker LeRoy Hill more intelligently. Hill is great when he can attack the line of scrimmage or pursue laterally, and thus is best used on blitzes and in run support. However, the other outside backer, Julian Peterson, is perhaps even better on blitzes. This means that too often Hill is forced to drop into coverage which is the clear weakness in his game, and explains why Seattle ranks so low in passes to the tight end (28th) and running backs (23rd). The secondary is solid, and Marcus Trufant appears to be finally living up to his billing as a first-round pick, but safety Brian Russell is too often a step slow in coverage and the secondary as a whole misses too many tackles. I've covered the Alexander situation in greater detail, but I'll mention that the team's inability to generate a running attack, plus the lack of their top two receivers, has crippled the passing game. Matt Hasselbeck has looked terrible the last two weeks, but much of this has to do with teams dropping 7-8 guys into coverage. Good receivers can still get open against that, but Bobby Engram is too old and Ben Obamanu too inexperienced to give Matt places to throw the ball. Branch and Hackett coming back in the next few weeks might help, but only a solid run game will really open things up.

8. Minnesota Vikings (2-3): If this team had even a below-average quarterback, they'd be much higher on this list. They have a good defense, particularly against the run, and obviously Adrian Peterson looks like a star. However, Tavaris Jackson, Brooks Bollinger, and Kelly Holcomb are so bad (and the receivers suck too) that it's hard to see this team making a playoff run. The belief in Jackson in particular is hard to fathom, as this is a guy who had a hard time completing a lot of passes at the D-1AA level. Yes, he can run around, and he's got a strong arm. But that didn't work so well for Michael Vick, and Jackson is the destitue man's Vick (aka the current Vick) at best.

9. Arizona Cardinals (3-3): Quarterback injuries sometimes get more attention than they deserve, but losing your top two QBs can devastate a team. Tim Rattay is a decent option I suppose, but there's a reason he wasn't in the league until last week. It's fitting that as soon as things started looking somewhat rosy for the Cardinals they turned to crap, because they're the Cardinals after all. The defense looks like it could be a good unit for the next few years, the offensive line is improving, and you already know about the receivers. Maybe next year.

10. Carolina Panthers (4-2): Yes, this seems like a long way down for a team tied for the third-best record in the division, but the Panthers have had perhaps the easiest schedule known to man. Their four wins have come against St. Louis (worst team in the league), Atlanta (almost as bad), New Orleans (also terrible), and Arizona (mediocre, but was down to third-string QB who was signed off the street earlier that week). Color me unimpressed. Vinny Testeverde isn't the answer, but neither were David Car nor Jake Delhomme. The running game is still mostly bad, except for the infrequent big run from either DeShaun Foster or DeAngelo Williams. Steve Smith is great, but one great offensive player is rarely enough. This season, the Panthers defense has been better than the offense but not by enough. The linebackers look slow, and the secondary is struggling. Plus, no one has been able to figure out who that guy who looks like he at Kris Jenkins is.

11. Detroit Lions (3-2): Yes, we've seen that they can put up points. But more importantly, we've seen that they can get their asses handed to them by any halfway decent team. The passing game has been middle-of-the-pack, and the rushing attack has been practically non-existent. Defensively, the line contains the majority of the talent, which isn't saying a whole lot since the defense as a whole stinks. Plus, Matt Millen is still in charge. But hey, at least they rushed Jon Kitna back from a concussion!

12. Chicago Bears (2-4): No, they're not getting back to the playoffs. While Rex Grossman gets a fair amount of the blame (and he deserves quite a bit), the defense is the real culprit here. Clearly, this team was assembled with the idea that the defense would dominate. I don't consider 17th in the league domination. No, domination is what Adrian Peterson did to them last week, and that was without an NFL-caliber quarterback. This is a bad team headed in the wrong direction.

13. New Orleans Saints (1-4): Yes, they got off the mat against Seattle. Yes, Drew Brees and Reggie Bush (finally) looked good. Still, this is a bad team. Unlike last year, they've been unable to generate big plays in the passing game, as teams have doubled Marques Colston and dared Brees to dump it off. That worked against the Seahawks, but hadn't the previous four tries. Defensively, they're bad once again, lending more credence to the idea that last year was a massive fluke, which, considering they were just 10-6 (in a bad division and conference), makes some sense.

14. Atlanta Falcons (1-5): Joey Joe Joe Shabadoo Harrington is nothing more than a placeholder quarterback at this point. While the same might be true about Byron Leftwich, we won't find out this year. He's in an offense that's a bad fit for his skill set, and Bobby Petrino might as well let Harrington play out the string. Or, he could let Chris Redman warm the seat so that the team could go right from one Louisville quarterback to the next.

15. San Francisco 49ers (2-3): Yes, this is the same 49ers squad that worried me at the beginning of the season. However, without Alex Smith they appear lost. I never thought I'd write that sentence. Trent Dilfer belongs in a press box, not a huddle, and Frank Gore is making many fantasy owners consider suicide. Seriously, the NFC West has been death to fantasy, as virtually all of the marquee players (Gore, Alexander, Hasselbeck, Leinart, Boldin, Jackson(s), Bulger, Holt) have been disappointments to at least some degree.

16. St. Louis Rams (0-6): DVOA actually has the 49ers as the worst team in the NFL, but my gut (and my hatred of the Rams) forces me to put St. Louis in the dreaded 16th spot. The team has no offensive line, no run game, no quarterback, aging receivers, and no defense. But hey, at least they have ugly uniforms and a terrible stadium. F%$k the Rams.