Really not an enormous amount of movement in this week's Power Rankings, but we have a new last place!
Since it's Halloween week, I think I'm supposed to make some sort of pun about something being scary. Well, besides the title to this feature, I won't. Read it anyway.
(1) New York Jets (5-1) - Can't take the top spot from them when they're on a bye. Home game against Green Bay should provide an entertaining test of their defense. (LW: 1)
(2) New England Patriots (5-1) - Putting them past the Steelers, not because of how they barely hung on against San Diego, but more because of how I think Pittsburgh stole a win over a team New England rolled. (LW: 3)
(3) Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1) - As stated above, the Steelers were effectively gifted a win over Miami when the referees couldn't be bothered to figure out who recovered a fumble. Not like that's your job or anything, fellas. (LW: 2)
(4) Baltimore Ravens (5-2) - Is it me or did the vaunted Ravens defense just give up 34 points at home to the Bills? I believe that's a chink in the ole armor. (LW: 4)
(5) Indianapolis Colts (4-2) - No sense in knocking these guys down without playing. Monday Night Football against Houston this week provides Peyton Manning and his depleted receiving core a chance for Week 1 revenge. (LW: 5)
(6) Atlanta Falcons (4-2) - Though Atlanta currently has the (tied for) best record in the NFC, I'll believe them as NFC Champions only when they are holding a trophy. For now, I at least like them better than the Giants. (LW: 6)
(7) New York Giants (5-2) - After the way these guys have injured quarterbacks this year, I was delighted to see that they return from a bye this week to face Seattle in Week 9. (LW: 11)
(8) Tennessee Titans (5-2) - A 27-point fourth quarter explosion took the Titans from down 19-10 against Philly to a dominant statement victory even without Vince Young. Kenny Britt is breaking out in his sophomore season. (LW: 10)
(9) Houston Texans (4-2) - Uh, oh. I just saw that Peyton Manning had November 1 circled on his calendar. Sorry, Texans, but you guys are flat out not winning next Monday night. (LW: 8)
(10) New Orleans Saints (4-3) - Losing at home to the Browns is a really friggin' bad loss. Particularly when you let a pudgy punter run 60+ yards on you. Reggie Bush will add a needed dimension when he returns. (LW: 7)
(11) Green Bay Packers (4-3) - The idea of this team getting healthy at any point this season has sailed, but if Brandon Jackson can run the ball at the 4.5 yards per carry like he did against Minnesota, they'll probably have enough to win the NFC North. (LW: 14)
(12) Philadelphia Eagles (4-3) - They'll get a bye in Week 8 and follow it up by re-introducing Mike Vick into the wild against Indy. Vick v. Manning -- that may be watchable. (LW: 9)
(13) Kansas City Chiefs (4-2) - Congratulations, fellas, you beat Todd Bouman. Bully for you. Look at Kansas City's schedule; it's almost going to be hard for them NOT to win the AFC West. (LW: 15)
(14) Washington Redskins (4-3) - Hard not to be impressed with DeAngelo Hall's four interception game until you consider he was the beneficiary of stupid Jay Cutler decision after stupid Jay Cutler decision. (LW: 16)
(15) Miami Dolphins (3-3) - They were a hard luck loser against the Steelers and at some point, they've got to start winning games. The offense, with all its weapons, has yet to exceed 23 points on the season. (LW: 13)
(16) Seattle Seahawks (4-2) - It took the Cardinals completely falling on their ass at Qwest, but the Seahawks are now the top dog in the NFC West. Can they keep the train moving this week in Oakland? (LW: 18)
(17) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2) - Raheem Morris thinks this is the best team in the NFC. He also thinks Outsourced is the best comedy on TV and Almond Joys are the best Halloween candy. (LW: 20)
(18) Chicago Bears (4-3) - I'm officially done pretending this team doesn't suck and you probably should be, too. After a promising start to the season, they can no longer keep Jay Cutler upright, and when he is standing, he's started throwing picks at an alarming rate again. (LW: 12)
(19) Arizona Cardinals (3-3) - Really enjoying this fun social experiment where Ken Whisenhunt tries to win a division title without a quarterback who should be starting for an NFL team. Truly exhilarating. (LW: 17)
(20) Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4) - I wasn't sure it was possible, but the Jaguars are actually more boring to watch when David Garrard is out of the game. Hold your breath for less Trent Edwards, Jaguar fan (yes, you). (LW: 19)
(21) Oakland Raiders (3-4) - Are these guys actually average? Who the hell are you, Raiders? A home date with Seattle presents them with a unique opportunity to gain my love. (LW: 27)
(22) St. Louis Rams (3-4) - If only they'd been able to stop Tampa Bay for 10 more seconds, they'd have an impressive road win to hang their hats on. Bradford's Brats should be able to get back on track at home against Carolina this week. (LW: 23)
(23) Minnesota Vikings (2-4) - They've lost their four games by a combined 21 points. If they could ever get a quarterback who didn't make so many damn mistakes, they might be able to string together a couple wins. (LW: 21)
(24) San Diego Chargers (2-5) - Naturally, it was a missed field goal that prevented the Chargers from taking New England to overtime. Something about this slow start for San Diego feels different than normal. Games with Tennesee and Houston the next couple weeks will make or break this season. (LW: 24)
(25) Cincinnati Bengals (2-4) - Carson Palmer had his best game in recent memory, throwing for 400+ yards and three scores in a touchdown defeat at Atlanta. A home game with Miami this week is basically a must-win. (LW: 25)
(26) Cleveland Browns (2-5) - Shocking and impressive win over the Saints on the road came on the heels of an impressive performance against Pittsburgh the week before. Maybe Colt McCoy really is the QB of the future. (LW: 30)
(27) Denver Broncos (2-5) - If you get 59 hung on you by the Raiders then you deserve to be the worst of the 2-5 teams. Beginning to wonder if the Cardinals will see Tim Tebow starting at quarterback when they take on the Broncos later this season. (LW: 22)
(28) Dallas Cowboys (1-5) - They lost on Monday Night Football to the Giants, gave up 41 points, and lost Tony Romo to a broken collarbone that will keep him out 8-10 weeks. Goodbye, season. (LW: 26)
(29) Detroit Lions (1-5) - They didn't lose a game at the last minute because they didn't play. Call me crazy, but I say they get one over on the Redskins at Ford Field this week. (LW: 29)
(30) Carolina Panthers (1-5) - Jumping them over the Niners this week based on the head-to-head victory. I'm not a betting man, but I'm sure they'll get passed up again soon. No, I'm definitely a betting man. Bet on it. (LW: 32)
(31) San Francisco 49ers (1-6) - After watching David Carr play a few series' I bet Niners fans would have never expected they'd miss Alex Smith. Losing to the Panthers can cause funny reactions. (LW: 28)
(32) Buffalo Bills (0-6) - Bright side is that Ryan Fitzpatrick is the second highest rated QB in the NFL right now. Seriously. Gloomy side is pretty much everything else. They sit alone on the list of winless teams in the NFL. (LW: 31)