Thoughts on the NFL standings, through Week 9

Best surprise team: Bengals (6-2).
It's still not clear whether this team is any good. On the one hand, three wins (Steelers, at Browns, at Ravens) came by just three points, and five of the first eight games were at home. On the other hand, this is a team that could be 7-1 if not for this insane play in Week 1, and that has played a tough schedule so far -- the combined record of the eight opponents at this point in the season (counting the Ravens twice, not counting games against Cincy) is 32-25 (.561).

Honorable mentions: Cowboys (6-2), Minnesota (7-1), New Orleans (8-0).

Most disappointing team: Titans (2-6). What the hell happened to this once-pretty-good-if-not-overpowering-and-admittedly-showing-signs-of-collapse-before-first-round-playoff-loss team? Last year's 13-3 season is a distant memory. Hopefully Jeff Fisher donning a Peyton Manning jersey can be for Titans fans, too. (Seriously, WTF Jeff Fisher?)

Honorable mentions: Panthers (3-5), Giants (5-4) over the last four games.

Underrated and not out of it yet: Texans (5-4). After nearly upsetting Indianapolis on the road last weekend, Houston has a bye. They get Tennessee in Week 11 when they return and then Indy again, this time at Reliant. Guess which one they'll spend more time preparing for this week? Especially if they can get over the top and beat Peyton & Co. (who will be battered from consecutive matchups with New England and Baltimore), this team has a real shot at a wild card slot. With a saliva-summoning schedule that still includes the Titans, Jaguars, Seahawks, and Rams, I'm picking this team to finally get to a winning record and the playoffs. (Hey, eighth time's the charm.)

Honorable mentions: 49ers (3-5), Dolphins (3-5).

Overrated and trending downward: Broncos (6-2). I want to give Josh McDaniels credit for beating mentor Bill Belichick, but the Broncos' Week 5 victory over the Pats is a red herring. (Imagine if life were played by the NFL's ridiculous overtime rules.) As Tampa Bay reminded us last Sunday, there are no gimmies in the NFL these days, and 6-2 is 6-2. But let's discount the two easy wins over Cleveland and Oakland and focus a bit more on the 30-7 beatdown this club recently received from the Ravens and the equally impressive 28-10 win the Steelers just escaped with -- the latter at Mile-High.

Honorable mentions: Vikings (7-1).