The eighth Sunday of NFL play shed some light on how the teams stack up. Here’s how I see it …

1. Saints — You don’t drop from the top without losing, and you don’t get off the bottom without winning. La Canfora’s rules of rankings.

2. Colts — We probably aren’t giving their defense enough respect.

3. Patriots — They should be hitting peak post-bye.

4. Steelers — Come out of the bye with a big game at Denver.

5. Vikings — Gotta give it up to Brett Favre. Four TDs in that atmosphere is something else.

6. Eagles — DeSean Jackson is scary fast. If they keep getting after the quarterback they’ll be a tough out.

7. Broncos — Tough gig going on the road against a desperate Ravens team. Second half will be a big test.

8. Bengals — Stay where they were on the bye.

9. Ravens — Much needed aggression from the D. Very formidable team when they bring that approach.

10. Cowboys — Hard to jump on this bandwagon til I see them do it in winter.

11. Giants — The collpase of the secondary has been tough, but they’ll get healthier.

12. Cardinals — Yes, I know they beat the Giants; I’m still putting ‘em one spot lower.

13. Texans — Could they finally be putting it all together? Love how rookie Brian Cushing is playing.

14. Falcons — Division title hopes probably on the line tonight.

15. Chargers — Inability to run the ball is a big concern.

16. Packers — If they could just protect Aaron Rodgers, even a little bit …

17. Bears — I still like them being in the playoff conversation.

18. Dolphins — If nothing else comes of this season, they dominated the smack-talk bowl with the Jets.

19. 49ers — Gave the Colts a good fight, and Michael Crabtree keeps progressing.

20. Jets — Don’t see them overcoming that Kris Jenkins injury. Swagger is gone.

21. Jaguars — Can’t get over the hump.

22. Titans — Change to Vince Young came at least a week too late.

23. Panthers — Can still pound it on the ground when all else fails.

24. Seahawks — Injuries leading to another lost season.

25. Bills — Well, at least TO got in the end zone.

26. Lions — Time off for Matthew Stafford was never gonna be a good thing, but escaping major injury is a huge boost.

27. Chiefs — If nothing else, they worked out a settlement with Larry Johnson during the bye week.

28. Rams — Congrats on ending a 17-week slide.

29. Raiders — Not sure what they do well right now.

30. Browns — The big-boy portion of their schedule is about to begin. Yikes.

31. Redskins — It takes a village to call a Redskins play.

32. Buccaneers — When do they get a W?

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