Glenn McGrew
This NFL Top 10 will be based on a bettor's perspective, rating teams not on their record, but their current strength.
1) NEW ENGLAND: Not rain, nor sleet, nor dark Mangini hopes....nothing can stop the Patriots relentless pursuit of the perfect season, at least not yet. No touchdown passes for Tom Brady (or the first time this season) but Laurence Maroney ran for 104 yards, just the fourth time this year a New England rusher topped 100.
2) INDIANAPOLIS: The Oakland Raiders controlled Peyton Manning for all of 55 minutes before the Colt quarterback finally guided his team to a touchdown and a lackluster 21-14 win that gave Indianapolis it's fifth straight AFC South title and made the Colts the first team EVER to post five straight 12-win seasons!
3) GREEN BAY: WOW....On the day the Green Bay Packers secured a first-round playoff bye for the first time since 1997, the incomparable Brett Favre eclipsed the marvelous Dan Marino as the NFL career leader in passing yards.
4) JACKSONVILLE: The Pittsburgh Steelers, known for their physical brand of football, were outplayed at their own game by Jacksonville. The Jaguars dominated in the trenches, out-rushing the hosts 224-111 and piled up a dramatic 421-217 total yards edge.
5) DALLAS: A potent Dallas offense, that rolled up 38 points, 24 first downs and 434 total yards back in November's win over Philadelphia, was limited to 6 points, 11 first downs and just 240 yards by the Eagles his past week, the Cowboys second straight poor outing.
6) SAN DIEGO: The Chargers 51-14 blowout of the Detroit Lions was their 4th straight win and eighth in 10 games, allowing them to secure their third AFC West title in four years. With the rout on, the Chargers turned to 3rd-string running back Darren Sproles and the former Kansas St. speedster rushed for 122 yards and two scores.
7) SEATTLE: The Seahawks, riding a 5-game win steak a week after they clinched an NFC West title, were upset by a Carolina team that had dropped 6 of it's last 7 games. Seattle's running game only managed 44 yards on the day.
8) PITTSBURGH: Jacksonville's Fred Taylor became the first back to top 100 yards rushing on Pittsburgh since Cincinnati's Rudi Johnson gained 123 yards on October 3, 2003, a span of 30 games! With the loss, the Steelers fell into a tie with Cleveland for the AFC North lead.
9) MINNESOTA: Despite four turnovers and a missed extra point, the Vikings won their fifth consecutive game, allowing them to stay ahead of New Orleans and Washington
in the race for the NFC's final wild card berth.
10) TAMPA BAY: It only took 32 years and 1,835 tries! Michael Spurlock's 90-yard kickoff return was the Bucs first in team history, helping Tampa go a perfect 5-0 in NFC South action after going 0-6 a year ago!
Just missed: Cleveland
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Glenn McGrew has been right in the center of the Las Vegas handicapping world for over two decades. Making numbers used by some of the biggest players in the world, Glenn has supplied the sharpest of overnight lines to more than 70 newspapers across the U.S. and Canada since the early 90's. His power ratings in college and pro football and basketball are considered the sharpest in the country. Yo ...