RANK 1
5-0 PATRIOTS
The Patriots remain at the top, coming off a business-as-usual (sort of) road win against a potential playoff team. With that bit of accounting out of the way, we feel it important to bring you a list of the most arduous strategic challenges Bill Belichick has faced in his coaching career, in order:

a) Stopping the "Greatest Show on Turf" Rams offense in Super Bowl XXXVI.
b) Guiding the Pats to an 11-5 record with Matt Cassel at quarterback in 2008.
c) Figuring out some way to stop that wicked-scary Colts fake-punt formation Sunday night.
RANK 2 6-0 PACKERS
The Packers survived a furious Philip Rivers rally and, for now, barely hold their spot at No. 2. Although the mass media has yet to notice, Aaron Rodgers' statistical pace has slowed from that of a Ben Sheets fastball to that of a Lynn Dickey dead sprint -- white-guy Afro included. Take a look at the numbers:

Rodgers' first three games: 73.6 percent completion rate, 10:0 TD-to-INT ratio, 135.4 passer rating. His last three games: 62.6 percent completion rate, 5:2 TD-to-INT ratio, 96.4 passer rating.
Those stats are still formidable, but not nearly what we're used to seeing from the reigning league MVP. RANK 3
6-0 BENGALS
For anyone who didn't believe in the Bengals, uh, now is the time to start. Putting up 34 points on the Bills' defense, on the road, in inclement conditions, would meet any sort of litmus test, especially one week after Cincinnati came back from a 17-point deficit against the Seahawks. Sure, this team was fortunate to get EJ Manuel instead of Tyrod Taylor. But that shouldn't reduce the shine on this win. By the way, Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert is on pace for, like, 91 touchdowns this year. RANK 4
5-0 PANTHERS
What a grand occasion for the Panthers to put a complete game together. All three phases -- offense, defense and special teams -- contributed heavily to Carolina's victory over what had been deemed a quality team. To that point, the Panthers had run clean through a relatively easy slate. Beating the Seahawks in Seattle -- handing the home team just its third loss in CenturyLink during the Russell Wilson era -- also required the Panthers to produce in the air, something we haven't seen them do much in 2015. It wasn't perfect, but Cam Newton overcame two interceptions to hit Greg Olsen right in the chest on the game-clincher with less than a minute to play. The big jump here is well earned, folks. RANK 5
6-0 BRONCOS
That was one fugly interception in overtime from Peyton Manning. And the pick-six Manning threw earlier was clearly behind intended target Ronnie Hillman. But when Manning had to make plays on the final drive of overtime, he made them. It wasn't pretty, but with a defense that scores touchdowns almost as easily as the offense struggles to score them, the Broncos escaped with a win in Cleveland. Don't hate, though. Look what happened to the similarly previously undefeated Falcons (whose fans all wanted me to place them above Denver on these here Rankings last week.) RANK 6
5-1 FALCONS
Call it a blow to the team ego. Or call it divisional football on the road. Dan Quinn didn't look panicked on the sidelines during the loss to New Orleans -- nor should he have. Remember, when he was the Seahawks' defensive coordinator, he saw Seattle get beaten by big special-teams plays in St. Louis last season and still make it to the Super Bowl. Neither this squad nor its leader seemed panic-filled. The real test will come in Weeks 14 and 16, against one team. Take a guess as to who. RANK 7
4-1 JETS
Yet another win for Todd Bowles and company, who have quietly gotten off to a sturdy 4-1 start and are in sole possession of second place in the AFC East. (Does anyone care about being in sole possession of second place?) Either way, that Jets defense shook off a few Redskins impact plays before ultimately shutting the door in the second half. And Ryan Fitzpatrick added a sweet touchdown run in which he clocked about a 6.4-second 40. Still counts, man. RANK 8
4-2 STEELERS
Landry Jones will be getting free Yuenglings for the next three months following that performance. Maybe my Twitter inbox won't blow up from all the frustrated Antonio Brown owners in fantasy. I guess one catch for minus-2 yards -- Brown's total production Sunday before Mike Vick left -- doesn't light their fire. Speaking of fires, defensive coordinator Keith Butler is starting to light mine as an Assistant Coach of the Year candidate. RANK 9
4-2 CARDINALS
The Cardinals had no business losing that game at Heinz on Sunday. Personal fouls killed Bruce Arians' club in the first half -- Arizona was called for six penalties for 75 yards before intermission. The refs failed to call a clear hold of Michael Floyd in the end zone in the second quarter. Obviously, Mike Mitchell's pick of Carson Palmer in the end zone in the fourth quarter was the key sequence in the defeat. Those plays aside, Palmer missed several open looks on a day when the win just wasn't to be. RANK 10
3-2 VIKINGS
Congrats to the Vikings on the win. And specific kudos go to the defense, which has been the stalwart foundation of this team. Meanwhile, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has been up and down at best. He missed a rollout throw on third-and-1 late in the fourth quarter that could have helped the Vikes salt away the clock. It's little plays like that, hidden in the box score, that are oh so important. We're still waiting to see the Bridgewater who completed more than 80 percent of his passes in the preseason. That said, this club is 3-2 without that brand of Bridgewater. Who says Minnesota lands a wild-card spot? RANK 11
3-3 EAGLES
Philly looked dominant on defense Monday night. Flat-out dominant. If that group can play that way, week in and week out, then concerns about how Sam Bradford and DeMarco Murray fit into this offense -- or how Riley Cooper inexplicably stops on deep routes -- become a bit less pressing. Fletcher Cox looks like a First-Team All-Pro. Connor Barwin was bullrushing Giants tackle Marshall Newhouse like a man possessed. Even Nolan Carroll was balling out there. RANK 12
3-3 BILLS Win, loss, win, loss, win, loss ... that's the story for the Buffalo Bills this season. After their complete dismantling of the Dolphins down in Florida, many of us thought this Bills squad was for sure a playoff team. Now? Tough call. Yes, the club has suffered through several injuries, but this peak-and-valley jazz, combined with a key guy like Mario Williams starting to question the defensive system, makes for a giant crud sandwich in Western NY. RANK 13
3-3 COLTS
Andrew Luck looked a little off Sunday night, even if the Colts' franchise quarterback finished the evening with decent numbers (30 for 50, 312 yards, three touchdowns and zero picks). At least Indy's coaching staff made up for it by pulling some sweet special-teams planning that rivaled the greatest in-game strategy in history, like a mix of Eisenhower's Operation Overlord and LeBeau's Zone Blitz. RANK 14
3-3 GIANTS
Yes, the Giants are still reeling from the Fourth of July. Opposing quarterbacks routinely ignore New York's pass rush, or lack thereof.

On the other side of the ball ...

The play calling on Monday night either left something to be desired, or the Eagles just knew everything that was coming. Combined with the fact that Rueben Randle looks hobbled and Eli Manning kept getting hit ... You get the point. RANK 15
2-3 RAMS
Bye week for the Rams, whose 2-3 season qualifies as Rams-esque at this point. Todd Gurley is certainly a welcome addition, though; the rookie put up 146 yards and 159 yards in his first two career starts, which far exceeds the first two career starts of two Rams luminaries, Jerome Bettis (33 and 85 yards) and Eric Dickerson (91 and 88 yards). Of course, Dickerson's debut came in Week 1, and the big kid from SMU finished with 1,808 yards -- a total that Gurley is not likely to approach, given that he didn't get going until Week 4. Still, we're comparing Gurley to Hall of Famers for a reason.
RANK 16
2-4 SEAHAWKS 7
This isn't funny anymore. That is to say, the Seahawks deserve the freefall here. We've held fast to the notion that the defense is still a top-three unit, while the offense would come around with Marshawn Lynch back in the fold. Couple that with the tremendous home-field advantage ... ah, whatever -- Seattle is getting flat beat right now, and there isn't a damn fluky thing about it, regardless of what you can blame on miscommunication in the secondary. That's the game. The Seahawks can't just roll the football out there, to use a Sean Payton expression, and expect to win. RANK 17
2-4 CHARGERS
The Chargers could be a playoff team. Yet, their approach -- specifically that of coach Mike McCoy -- puts the entire outcome on the shoulders of Philip Rivers. The franchise quarterback calls much of the offense from the line of scrimmage, and he carries the burden of having to play at an elite level all the time for San Diego to win. It should be noted that Rivers did have Danny Woodhead open in the flat on that second-and-goal incompletion to Antonio Gates in the closing moments of the loss to Green Bay. It should also be noted that, had the game seeped into overtime, Rivers (503 passing yards on 65 attempts) could have threatened one of the oldest records on the NFL's books: Norm Van Brocklin's 554 passing yards, set in 1951.