Aaron Rodgers and his receivers are operating at a level that we have not seen before. This group has been together since Rodgers showed up and are thinking and acting as one. The defense is giving up yards, but prior to the San Diego game had not given up a lot of points. As long as they continue to force turnovers, they will balance out the big yardage put up against them.

By sweeping the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens have put themselves in the best position to win the division since head coach John Harbaugh arrived in 2008. Like the previous week, the Ravens had to put QB Joe Flacco in the shotgun and spread the Steelers' defense to drive the length of the field and win. Baltimore's formula for success will not change: Play good defense and run the ball. But knowing they can spread the ball out might be just the thing they need to take this team to the next level: the Super Bowl.

Truly impressive win for the Giants. If they can just split the upcoming games at the 49ers, Philly, at the Saints and Green Bay, they will be in great shape. With all the talk of Eli Manning being elite — he can prove it by doing more than just splitting that stretch of games.

Doubts still linger about the Saints. Brees continues to throw too many picks and their defense is 29th in the NFL in total takeaways. The NFC South will likely come down to a battle with the Falcons, as both head-to-head matchups remain, and the loser may not make the playoffs.

The Jets are beginning to look like the team that went to two straight AFC championship games. They are running the ball better, and the defense is back to getting pressure on the QB. Mark Sanchez looks to be playing at the same level as he did last year, but still, the Jets will need better from him at some point. With their upcoming schedule, they may take hold of the AFC East by the end of the month.

QB Matt Stafford is coming off an impressive game against the Broncos, and will be well-rested after the bye week. If they can get RB Jahvid Best back into the lineup, they can easily get back into the rhythm of their 5-0 start. They will most likely be chasing a wild-card spot since catching the Packers may be impossible.

The Bengals are currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC. I have to say that again to believe it: The Bengals are currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They boast a top-flight defense and rookie QB Andy Dalton has matured to understand that a punt is not the worst thing in the world. With that said, they now will face the meat of their schedule, and their second-half win/loss record will not reflect the same success.

The Chargers got dealt a bad hand having to play three games in 11 days. They are missing some key people in RB Ryan Mathews, WR Malcom Floyd and DE Shaun Phillips, but fortunately for them they are in the right division to be dealing with midseason struggles. A win against the Raiders on Thursday night will make for a quick rebound with the weekend to rest.

The Eagles didn't record a single sack against Jay Cutler Monday, and that is a bad sign for a defense that is built to get after the quarterback. They were able to come up with some key turnovers, but even that wasn't enough to stay on top. Based on NFL history, the Eagles only had a five percent chance of making the playoffs anyway, and now even that is a pipe dream.

If the Titans can just get the running game cranked up, things could really fall into place. Their remaining schedule should allow them to stay close in the divisional race, but if the Texans start pulling away, they aren't going to have enough wins to get a wild card.

It was fun watching QB Tim Tebow run (literally) up some yards, but I don't think we know any more about his ability to play in a pro system than we did last week. Unlike Cam Newton in Carolina, Tebow must win all of his starts if he wants to prove to John Fox and John Elway that he deserves to be the long-time starter in Denver.

Seattle is about to find out just how far away they are from being a good team by hosting the Ravens this weekend. If head coach Pete Carroll had issues with Jim Harbaugh at the college level, wait until he gets a load of is brother John and the Ravens defense.