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Today is the first in a new feature that I have obviously called “Tuesday’s NFL Top Ten.”  Every Tuesday, after the week’s slate of games has been completed, I will rank the Top 10 teams in the NFL, almost a version of power rankings.

One thing to note, my only ranking criteria is determining what I think are the 10 best teams.  What may or may not have happened in the previous week’s games are of some importance, but it’s not everything.  So for example, the Indianapolis Colts looked terrible against the Chicago Bears on Sunday night.  But I still think the Colts are superior to the Bears, so therefore I have them ranked ahead of the Bears in spite of Sunday’s ugly loss.  And the Patriots likely would have been the top, maybe the second team, before Tom Brady’s injury.  But Brady’s injury is a fact of life, so therefore the Patriots will slide down a few spots.  That’s it, plain and simple.  The 10 best teams in the NFL, nothing more, nothing less.

So now that Week 1 is officially over, here are the Top 10 teams in the NFL according to me:

1. Dallas Cowboys - Go ahead and call me a homer, but these guys unleashed a good old fashioned Texas beatdown on the Browns.  Big test coming up next Monday night against Philly.
2. San Diego Chargers - I know, I know, real bad loss to the Panthers, especially at home.  But there’s too much talent on this team not to be great.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers - I’m still not sold on that offensive line, but they looked great while dominating the Texans.
4. Indianapolis Colts - Another team that looked awful in the opener, but remember, it’s only Week 1.
5. Philadelphia Eagles - The Rams are abysmal, but a 38-3 win is tough to overlook.  Especially when their top 2 wide receivers didn’t play.  Philly could be dangerous.
6. New England Patriots - This is a tough call.  If Matt Cassell is good, they’re better than 6.  If he’s not good, they may not crack the top 10.  Only time will tell.
7. New York Giants - The defending champs had a solid win over the Redskins on Thursday, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
8. Green Bay Packers - I was a little nervous about the effects the Brett Favre drama would have on this team, but they seemed to respond very well against division favorite Minnesota, particulary quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
9. Tennessee Titans - I have no confidence in their offense, but that defense is nasty.  Any team that can hold the Jaguars ground game to 33 yards is a force to be reckoned with.  The Titans D will win them a lot of games.
10. Jacksonville Jaguars - I don’t expect them to be held to 33 yards very often, like they were in Week 1.  But injuries to two of their starting offensive linemen (Vince Manuwai is out for the year) is very concerning.

Happy Birthday to Leo Tolstoy, Frank Chance, Harland Sanders aka “Colonel Sanders” of KFC fame, Waite Hoyt, Jimmy the Greek, Robert Wood Johnson III, Cliff Robertson, Frank Lucas, Otis Redding, Gary Maddox, Joe Theismann, Hugh Grant, Bob Stoops, Dan Majerlie, Francois Botha, Mike Hampton, Felix Rodriguez, Kaz Ishii, Kyle Snyder, Kurt Ainsworth, Shane Battier, Todd Coffey, Michelle Williams, Kyle Davies, Edwin Jackson, J.R. Smith, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Michael Bowden and a great Big Apple actor, Adam Sandler