National Football League

Donovan's 32: Have the Cowboys finally earned McNabb's respect?

Published Oct. 21, 2014 10:14 a.m. ET

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1. Broncos - Peyton Manning gets all the headlines, but Denver's defense, led by DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller, is among the most underrated in the league.

2. Colts - Same as Denver ... great quarterback play from Andrew Luck, but it's the pressure created by their defensive line that has them among the NFL's elite.

3. Ravens - No one ever talks about it, but Joe Flacco is having a great year in Gary Kubiak's offense.

4. Eagles - Look out for a big performance from Chip Kelly's squad as it heads to Arizona with an extra week to prepare.

5. Cardinals - Bruce Arians works his quarterback magic again as Carson Palmer continues to thrive in the desert.

6. Patriots - Injuries have made a mess of their defense, but Tom Brady continues to carry them.

7. Packers - Aaron Rodgers to Jordy Nelson is as good of a QB/WR combo as there is in the league.

8. Cowboys - Who would have guessed after a brutal performance in Week 1 that Tony Romo would work his way into the MVP conversation?

9. Chargers - Tough loss at home to the Chiefs. Perhaps they were looking ahead to this week's showdown with the Broncos in Denver.

10. Seahawks - Can their young receivers step up to replace the production lost by shipping Percy Harvin to New York?

11. Panthers - Their defense is giving up almost 27.9 points per game -- 29th in the league -- and that's obviously not going to get it done.

12. Browns - Flat out embarrassing loss in Jacksonville. They need to run the football better to take some pressure off Brian Hoyer.

13. Bengals - They've been slipping ever since the bye. Significant injuries on both sides of the ball are taking a toll.

14. Chiefs - Alex Smith continues to play well as Jamaal Charles rounds into form.

15. Lions - If you ask me, they have the best defense in the NFL.

16. 49ers - Hard to compete against the atmosphere they ran into in Denver. Plus, they really need Patrick Willis back on the field.

17. Texans - Arian Foster looks like the Arian Foster of two years ago, and that's a good thing.

18. Dolphins - Ryan Tannehill has been playing with great confidence since Miami's win in London.

19. Bears - Frustration with their inconsistent performance is starting to boil over in the locker room.

20. Bills - Kyle Orton's steady play makes them competitive, but not much more.

21. Rams - Gotta love Jeff Fisher's gutsy calls on special teams to deliver a much-needed win over the Seahawks.

22. Giants - Really need to get the running game back, as they are obviously missing Rashad Jennings.

23. Steelers - Stole one from the Texans on MNF courtesy of an unbelievable 24-points-in-3-minutes scoring explosion.

24. Falcons - Terrible on the road and not much better at home. Looks like another long year for the Falcons.

25. Vikings - Need more continuity on defense, as they continue to get burned by big plays.

26. Jets - Showed some real fight Thursday night in New England. Can Percy Harvin contribute enough to salvage their season?

27. Saints - Rob Ryan's defense just isn't getting it done -- 27.5 points per game is 28th in the league.

28. Redskins - So now Colt McCoy is the answer?

29. Titans - Battled to the end against the Redskins, which may be as good as it gets with Charlie Whitehurst at the helm.

30. Jaguars - Excellent defensive effort in their win over the Browns.

31. Raiders - The future is bright for Derek Carr, but it may be the distant future.

32. Buccaneers - Hopefully they get better during their bye week. Can't get much worse.

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