WHO'S HOT -
1. Green Bay Packers - Dominant and clinical. Easily the best team in the NFL at the moment with the only unbeaten record left (7-0). Surely a shoe-in for the Super Bowl and could potentially be a record breaker this season.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers - With Big Ben back, the Steelers are back to the good old self after a slow start losing to the Ravens. Best team in the AFC.
3. San Francisco 49ers - John Harbaugh has turned around this underperforming team and made them the leading team in the usually weak NFC West (6-1) at this stage. 2nd seed in NFC playoffs a realistic target.
WHO'S NEARLY THERE -
1. New Orleans Saints - would have been hot but for that defeat to the then-winless St Louis Rams. Still one of the teams to beat in the NFC with Drew Brees on form as usual.
2. New England Patriots - Tom Brady is still casting his magic in the offence - his scoring is helping to shield the deficiencies what is a slowly improving defence.
3. Houston Texans - best chance for the Texans to finally end their playoff duck with the Colts out of the picture. They've put away their divisional rivals so far which will help. Shame star defensive player, Mario Williams is out for the season.
WHO'S SURPRISINGLY HOT -
1. Buffalo Bills - suddenly the Patriots and Jets have someone else to worry about in their division. The Bills have become a team that dares to dream with a highly underrated quarterback in Harvard graduate, Ryan Fitzpatrick. It'll be interesting to see if the Bills have enough in the tank to make that final push for an unexpected playoff birth.
2. Detroit Lions - prior to their game against the 49ers the unimaginable had become a real possibility. The Lions, a team who had been last for the last few seasons, were actually looking at an unbeaten season. Still a well-balanced team with quarterback, Matt Stafford throwing to Megatron Calvin Johnson, running back Jahvid Best and tight-end Brendon Pettigrew, and future hall of famer, Ndamukong Suh. Given how the 'other' NFC East and South teams are taking each other out, the Lions still have a chance of making their first playoff appearance in years.
3. San Francisco 49ers - see description above.
WHO'S NOT HOT -
1. Indianapolis Colts - we all know about Peyton Manning's much talked about absence. Confidence has clearly been rocked to the very core. Curtis Painter may have formed a very good partnership with Pierre Garcon but that partnership is only a glimmer in a season that is not consistent with the Colts' form in the last decade. If Manning is forced to retire, the Colts might as well throw the season to get Stanford QB, Andrew Luck in the 2012 NFL draft.
2. Miami Dolphins - they have been competitive in the 1st half but it's the 2nd half which has cost them a win this season. They may have Reggie Bush, Brandon Lloyd and Cameron Wake but the rest of the team is average. They definitely could use a quarterback of decent quality like Andrew Luck next season.
3. Seattle Seahawks - another one needing Andrew Luck, amongst other things. The Seahawks were involved in the worst NFL game ever- a 6-3 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. They may have Russell Okung still but last season's surprise playoff contenders are nowhere near repeating that feat.
PLAYER OF THE SEASON SO FAR -
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers - set for season MVP surely. With a Super Bowl ring on one finger, Aaron Rodgers has gone to another level - to the point that Packers fans are asking "Brett who?" Rodgers is undoubtedly the best quarterback in the NFL at the moment and given his age, it is staggering to think what he could still achieve yet.
ROOKIE TO WATCH -
Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers - a rookie quarterback hasn't been this electric since Michael Vick made his debut for the Atlanta Falcons. The Panthers should probably just keep losing to get the cream of the defensive players in the draft and help build the foundations for what could be an awesome team led by Newton in the future.
GAME OF THE SEASON SO FAR -
Lions 34-30 Cowboys. The Lions had no right to victory in this game. They were 24 points down in the palace Jerry Jones built for his beloved Cowboys. Then, Tony Romo threw away 3 interceptions in the 2nd half to get the Lions back into the game. Megatron scored the winning touchdown for the Lions in the last minute of the game. Detroit was dreaming.
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