Here's how I see the top half of the league stacking up:

1. New England Patriots (11-0) -- The scare against the Eagles might have been the best thing for New England. Not that he had any problems in the past, but now Bill Belichick will have no problem focusing his team down the stretch. I'm not so sure the Eagles provided a great blueprint for other teams either. Philly's cornerbacks are better than most, allowing the Eagles to shut down Randy Moss. Pressuring Tom Brady is a must to have a chance against New England, but let's remember that he still threw for 380 yards. If I'm a Patriots fan, my main concern would be how A.J. Feeley marched the Eagles down the field.

2. Dallas Cowboys (10-1) -- How awful were this year's Thanksgiving Day games? The Cowboys took care of business like they should have against the Jets. Next up is one of the year's biggest matchups against the Packers Thursday night. You're all invited to watch at my house if you don't have NFL Network.

3. Green Bay Packers (10-1) -- Other than Tom Brady, I'm not sure there's a quarterback out there who is in better sync with his receivers than Brett Favre. There were rumors that Green Bay was interested in Randy Moss in the offseason, but this receiving corps led by Donald Driver and Greg Jennings is showing it's more than capable of making big plays. The Packers are playing at an extremely high level right now, having won their last four by an average of 17.5 points.

4. Indianapolis Colts (9-2) -- The latest on Marvin Harrison: He could return Sunday for Indy's monster matchup against the Jaguars. How many weeks in a row have we heard that about Harrison? If Feeley and the Eagles' offense can pick apart New England's 'D' like that, you'd have to think Peyton Manning and company certainly have a shot in the playoffs.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3) -- This stat will likely make Ravens fans sick. In eight games this season, David Garrard has zero interceptions and one lost fumble. In 11 games, Ravens quarterbacks Kyle Boller and Steve McNair have a combined nine interceptions and 10 lost fumbles. I'm looking forward to seeing how Garrard and the Jacksonville offense will fare against an Indy 'D' that is playing very well right now.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) -- Not sure what you can take away from Pittsburgh's ugly 3-0 win over the Dolphins Monday night at a torn-up Heinz Field. What if it the field is in that condition before the Steelers host a first-round playoff game against a lesser opponent? You've gotta think conditions like that would always favor the underdog.

7. Cleveland Browns (7-4) -- Maybe the defense is making strides? I like the balance on offense. We all know about Derek Anderson's success this season, but Jamal Lewis and the run game controlled the clock for 20 minutes, 56 seconds in the second half of the Browns' win over the Texans.

8. San Diego Chargers (6-5) -- They don't get much more inconsistent than San Diego. Their last five games: win-loss-win-loss-win. On one hand, you could say Philip Rivers looked great against the Ravens. On the other hand, I probably could have hit Antonio Gates, considering how wide open he was.

9. Tampa Bay Bucs (7-4) -- If Jeff Garcia is out, bump the Bucs down. Tampa Bay's offense gained just 15 yards and failed to make a first down in the second half against the Redskins, but the Bucs still escaped with a 19-13 win.

10. Seattle Seahawks (7-4) -- It wasn't pretty, but the Seahawks still got by with a 24-19 win against the Rams. Seattle is third in the league with 35 sacks. Meanwhile, Maurice Morris is averaging 4.2 yards per carry. Shaun Alexander averaged 3.3 before being sidelined.

11. New York Giants (7-4) -- I don't get a lot of things right, but I told you back when the Giants were 6-2 that I wasn't sold. New York's most impresive wins this year came against the Eagles and Lions. Suddenly trips to Chicago and Philly the next two weeks don't look like gimmes. Still, New York could make the postseason without having beat a playoff team this season.

12. Tennessee Titans (6-5) -- Tennessee has allowed 97 points during its current three-game losing streak after the defense gave up just 117 points over the first eight. The Titans have been without defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth during that stretch.

13. New Orleans Saints (5-6) -- Do they have a legitimate shot at a playoff spot? We should find out if the Saints are for real this week when they take on the Bucs. New Orleans beat the Panthers in Carolina last week, but then again, the Panthers haven't won at home in a year.

14. Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) -- Andy Reid had a great game-plan and you had to love Philly's effort Sunday night against the Patriots. The Eagles are 0-3 in games decided by three points or fewer. Otherwise, they could be sitting in prime playoff position.

15. Detroit Lions (6-5) -- C'mon Lions. You finally have a respectable record at Thanksgiving, and that's the performance we get? The Lions were down 31-12 at one point, and the defense looked especially awful. The next three weeks: at Vikings, Cowboys and at Packers. Good-bye playoff hopes.

16. Minnesota Vikings (5-6) -- Nice win at the Giants. The Vikings are 3-1 in their last four games and should get Adrian Peterson back this week.