| No. Team | Last week | Record | Comment |
| 1. Buccaneers | 1 | 1-0 | Sapp anchors NFL's best defense since 2000 Ravens |
| 2. Titans | 3 | 1-0 | McNair early favorite for MVP he should have had in '02 |
| 3. Eagles | 2 | 0-1 | Still one of league's elite teams despite shutout loss |
| 4. Broncos | 8 | 1-0 | QB Plummer is only apparent weak spot |
| 5. Falcons | 9 | 1-0 | Reeves trying to be sixth coach with 200 wins |
| 6. Steelers | 10 | 1-0 | Ward, Burress great receiving team for Maddox |
| 7. Raiders | 4 | 0-1 | Injuries won't hurt them today against Bengals |
| 8. Dolphins | 6 | 0-1 | Face tough task of rebounding on road in 3 of next 4 |
| 9. 49ers | 11 | 1-0 | Garcia 3 TD passes from being fifth 49er QB with 100 |
| 10. Chiefs | 12 | 1-0 | Priest takes money and runs for 183 total yards |
| 11. Bills | 16 | 1-0 | Does Takeo Spikes regret his decision to leave Cincinnati? |
| 12. Packers | 7 | 0-1 | Nucleus of team is still playoff quality |
| 13. Giants | 15 | 1-0 | Kerry Collins getting better with age |
| 14. Colts | 17 | 1-0 | Dungy's defense in mid-season form |
| 15. Panthers | 18 | 1-0 | Being built the right way, with defense |
| 16. Redskins | 22 | 1-0 | QB Ramsey seeks fourth win in row as starter |
| 17. Seahawks | 23 | 1-0 | Improved defense starts with tackles Hand, Randle |
| 18. Vikings | 24 | 1-0 | Have look of a surprisingly good team |
| 19. Jets | 13 | 0-1 | Really miss Chad Pennington |
| 20. Patriots | 5 | 0-1 | Belichick under fire for Milloy release |
| 21. Rams | 14 | 0-1 | Doesn't matter who plays QB behind bad line |
| 22. Chargers | 19 | 0-1 | Tomlinson, ground game have to work to win |
| 23. Saints | 20 | 0-1 | Haslett could be running out of time |
| 24. Ravens | 21 | 0-1 | Defense needs to bounce back from bad game |
| 25. Browns | 25 | 0-1 | Weak offensive line diminishes solid skill players |
| 26. Texans | 29 | 1-0 | Dom Capers working magic with second-year team |
| 27. Cowboys | 27 | 0-1 | Played competitively for Bill Parcells |
| 28. Jaguars | 28 | 0-1 | Brunell will not go away quietly |
| 29. Lions | 30 | 1-0 | Do not get carried away; they beat the Cardinals |
| 30. Bengals | 26 | 0-1 | Marvin Lewis now talks of the "long haul" |
| 31. Cardinals | 32 | 0-1 | Jeff Blake finding new life in desert on bad team |
| 32. Bears | 31 | 0-1 | National TV audience will see how bad they really are |
