Rick McGlothlin, Drafttek.com Senior Writer

I can’t think of anything better than watching the drama that unfolded at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Sunday. The loud boos eminating from the stadium whenever Favre came on the field only compounded the drama as the “old man” spun some more magic on the “frozen tundra” in front of thousands of his former faithful. There hasn’t been a more interesting game in a week seven in quite some time and it was all that it was hyped up to be – which is really saying something in this era of over-hyped drama.

The win for Minnesota keeps them in the hunt for homefield advantage in the playoffs but they, along with everyone else in the NFC, are looking “up” at the hard-charging Saints, who didn’t squander the opportunity given them on Monday Night Football.  The outcome of that game, along with the loss by Denver and the turnaround by both Dallas and Philly, have made an obvious impact on this week’s rankings.

1.(-) New Orleans (7-0) – Now the doubters are nearly completely believers. All the pressure was on New Orleans last night. At home, undefeated, divisional game tthat could make or break a division title – and against a young, up and coming team that is almost a mirror-image of themselves. The Saints weathered a couple of storms and came out on top behind some fantastic defensive plays and just the right amount of Cool Brees.  Staying unbeaten, New Orleans may have climbed the last hurdle mentally as well and is poised to try and make a run at the NFC title game. One major concern is the run D in the middle front, as the loss of Sedrick Ellis showed in the game vs Atlanta. Up next for New Orleans is another divisional opponent in Carolina, in the dome.

2.(2) Indianapolis (7-0) – Not the most compelling offensive display of his career, but then again, Peyton Manning utilized his two veterans and his younger guns, continuing to get them acclimated into NFL shape. Against one of the better defenses in the NFL. So all that matters in the end is the “W”, and with a great effort by the defense in the second half, the Colts remain undefeated heading into the game with Houston’s high-powered offense.  The Colts running game is still a big concern in my opinion.

3.(4) Minnesota (7-1) – Brett Favre has now had the last laugh at Ted Thompson, and the Vikings are solidly in place as the leader of the NFC North. Behind Favres unbelievable effort of FOUR FREAKIN’ TOUCHDOWNS, Minnesota throttled Green Bay for most of the game. If not for that ridiculously clueless attempt at a D-lineman trying to run back a squib kick with the Vikes leading 24-6, Minnesota might have blown the Packers out completely. As it was, the Vikes were lucky that brainfart didn’t lead to a Packer come-from-behind rally that led to a humiliating loss. Minnesota and the “old man” get a week off before heading back into divisional play against the Lions.

4.(3) Denver (6-1) – I’m pretty sure 99.9% of Bronco fans knew an unbeatens season was completely out of the realm of possibility. However, it was fun wishing for it to continue, right? I think the week off for the Broncos didn’t help any, but then again, they’ve never really been a great road team. The opening smack and sack of Kyle Orton pretty much indicated the kind of day it was going to be for Denver, but the defense kept it close until the 4th.

5.(5) Pittsburgh (5-2) – BYE

6.(7) Cincinnati (5-2) – BYE

7.(9) New England (5-2) – BYE

8.(16) Dallas (5-2) – Finally looking like their usual dominant mid-season selves, the Cowboys completely took apart the Seahawks while coasting to a 38-17. The score is not as indicative of the pasting Dallas laid on Seattle, as the Cowboys allowed a late TD by the Seahawks to cut the final margin of defeat a little. Big factor in the game? No interceptions by Tony Romo, while he tossed 3 touchdown passes.

9.(12) Philadelphia (5-2) – Wow. Either the Eagles loss to the Raiders was a horn-blaring wakeup call, or it has just taken a bit longer for Mc5 and company to hit their stride. Whichever way you look at it, the fact is the Eagles are playing some of the best ball in the NFL – especially with that potent offense. Is there a faster, more exciting player in the league that DeSean Jackson? Just give him the ball 25 times, and he’s guaranteed to score at least 3 times. Mc5 had a super game in his own right with 3 TD tosses and 240 yards passing.

10.(6) New York Giants (5-3) – Reeling after 3 consecutive losses (and losses that weren’t really close ballgames for the most part) the Giants find themselves in a tight spiral downward. While Eli Manning isn’t his usual self in recent games, the New York secondary leaks like a sieve and is in dire need of repair. Can the loss of Kenny Phillips be that costly? It certainly must be a substantial contributing factor. Some things need fixing in the Big Apple and it better come quick as the Dallas Cowboys are beginning to hit on full power in the NFC East.

11.(8) Atlanta (4-3) – The first two back-to-back losses in the Smith/Ryan era find the Falcons behind in the NFC South by three full games after a disappointing loss to New Orleans. The Falcons battled back and had their chances, but could not escape the turnover bug that ultimately cost them a shot at a “W”.  Exceptional game by Michael Turner with over 150 yards rushing against a normally stingy Saints run defense. Up next is a visit from the rather pedestrian Washington Redskins – but the Falcons can’t afford to go into that game with a mindset that it’s already a win.

12.(14) Baltimore (4-3) – Stopping a losing streak before it hit four was on the minds of all Ravens, but none moreso that that re-invigorated defense that laid a huge can of whoop-ass on Denver. More importantly, the Ravens keep from falling completely out of the race in the AFC North.

13.(16) Houston (5-3) – The pre-season “sleeper” pick by many, the Texans did what they had to do to keep within striking distance of the Colts and a wildcard playoff spot. The fact that Ryan Moats is a big reason why is a big shock, but also a big shot in the arm for Houston. Steve Slaton has had a bad case of the turnovers lately and didn’t see the field after his latest one.

14.(12) Arizona (4-3) – THAT was the NFL’s best running defense? Really? Well, there’s gonna be days that you just don’t have “it” and things just don’t go like they normally will. Just ask Kurt Warner, who along with his defense, also had one of those days Sunday against Carolina. Perhaps he caught it from Jake Delhomme. Whatever it was and wherever it came from, it ended up in this mind-boggling statistic: Warner was credited with six Arizona turnovers – and five were picks. The more amazing part of this was it was still close with about 7 minutes left (27-21 Carolina) when Kurt fumbled the ball for his sixth and final turnover, which led to the last Panther TD.

15.(13) Green Bay (4-3) – When the Pack were given the gift of a bone-headed fumble on a squib kick, it almost allowed Green Bay to complete what would have been a transforming moment for the Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay franchise in the post-Favre era. Passing for 287 yards and a 3 TD’s (and rushing for another 52) usually nets a “W”, but not against a team with Favre as the QB. Green Bay just couldn’t quite get over the hump after closing a 24-6 gap to just 31-26 late in the game, before the defense broke down and allowed the Vikings to put the nail in the coffin.

16.(11) N.Y. Jets (4-4) – Well coach Rex Ryan is now 2-2 against the Wildcat, after having told the media earlier in the week that he was 2-1 against the “gimmick” offense employed by the Dolphins. Funny thing is, the Jets led in nearly every facet of the game except the final score. And give the Jets credit for coming back and making a game of it when all looked pretty bleak. Mark Sanchez had the chance to win it with a minute to go but couldn’t connect on a game-winner after throwing for two TD’s and 265 yards. Another outstanding rush effort from Thomas Jones goes for naught as well.

17.(17) San Francisco (3-4) – There’s no moral victories in professional sports, but there are ways that can make a loss a bit easier to swallow. The 49ers went into Indy and held the lead over the Colts the majority of the day, before giving it up late and losing by just 4. Credit the defense and some laser-like tosses by Alex Smith. The 49ers were probably helped defensively by the former Colts assistant defensive coach who probably was still familiar with Peyton’s tendencies.

18.(18) San Diego (4-3) – Still hanging around, waiting for the collapse. (Of Denver) The Chargers better count their lucky lightning bolts that Johnnie Lee Higgins forced his lateral a little quicker than he should have, or the Raiders were in perfect position to pull of a miracle win late. This Charger ballclub hasn’t gotten tuned-up fully yet – only four trips inside the redzone all day, allowing the Raiders to stay close.

19.(19) Chicago (4-3) – A rather easy win over the hapless Browns on the 10th anniversary of the death of Sweetness. My favorite football player of all-time, Walter Payton passed away 10 years ago this past Sunday, and the Bears did him proud by coming away with a victory in Soldier Field. But the Bears are locked in a desperate battle for a wildcard bid while looking up at division leading Minnesota.

20.(20) Miami (3-4) – Ted Ginn has received a TON of flack for his numerous transgressions on the field of play over his two seasons in aqua green. Yesterday seemed like he made amends for those past goofs by scoring two TD’s that helped keep the Jets at bay and propel the Dolphins to a season sweep of their arch-rivals in the AFC East.

21.(22) Carolina (3-4) – The schizophrenic Delhomme (on the field this year, anyway) showed up as the QB of pre-playoff form 2008. The reason he looked more like that guy was because the running game showed up, along with the Panther defense. Well, that and Kurt Warner blew chunks all day.

21.(22) Jacksonville (3-4) – Huge loss for the Jags as it comes against a division opponent and slips them another game back in the race for a wildcard playoff spot. Fantastic day for Maurice Jones-Drew who rushed for 177 yards and 2 TD’s, but the rush defense of Jacksonville couldn’t stop the Titans on the ground.

23.(23) Seattle (2-5) – You just never know what you’re going to get with this team. One thing that is pretty predictable is the effort of Matt Hasselback, who threw for nearly 250 yards and 2 TD’s – but never really threatened the Cowboys much at all.

24.(25) Washington (2-4) – BYE

25.(25) Buffalo (3-5) – This ballclub is extremely unpredictable. Well, except for Jarius Byrd. Having witnessed this guy in person last September as a senior with Oregon, I feel kinda bad he’s stuck with the Bills. Oh, but at least Owens got his TD and is still neck and neck with Roy Williams in the all-important personal stats race.

26.(26) Oakland (2-6) – Like a rollercoaster on crack, these are your Oakland Raiders ! Oh-so-close but yet so far away.

27.(32) Tennessee (1-6) – I’ve been wondering why VY wasn’t slotted to start in the past 2 or 3 games. Although he wasn’t stellar in his first start of the year, he at least kept from turning it over and led them to scores on offense. And the first win of the season for the Titans. One down, nine to go in the audition for the possible permanent future franchise.

28.(27) Kansas City (1-6) – BYE

29.(31) St. Louis ( 1-7) – Finally breaking through into the win column, albeit against Detroit, will surely help ease some of the built-up pain of the season thus far. They’ll have another shot when they travel to Seattle next.

30.(28) Detroit (1-6) – Heartbreaking loss in the battle of rebuilding programs – but they know a thing or two about the importance of getting that first win. Although I’m sure they were hungry for their second.

31.(29) Cleveland (1-6) – This has nothing at all to do with how the Browns perform, but I have a suggestion: Get rid of the fecal brown pants. Just sayin.

32.(30) Tampa Bay (0-7) – BYE