1. Pittsburgh Steelers–The defending champions have the best pass rush in the A.F.C., led by James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley. In addition, Superbowl MVP Santonio Holmes is poised to have a terrific year. However, obvious off-field issues with Ben Roethlisberger may distract the quarterback and the organization has done little to improve an already suspect offensive line.

2. New England Patriots–Tom Brady’s health is going to dictate where the Patriots finish this season. New England comes close to the top spot, but I would like to see Brady perform on the field before making anything official. The cornerback spot opposite Leigh Bodden is an area to watch.

3. Philadelphia Eagles–Vast improvements on the offensive side of the football means that Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid have perhaps one last chance to win it all. However, health is always a question for the league’s most underrated player, Brian Westbrook.

4. New York Giants–Arguably the last team in the league’s top tier, the Giants have the best defensive line in football. This defensive line not only consists of a healthy Osi Umenyiora, but also newly acquired Chris Canty. The loss of Plaxico Burress should not be overlooked, but there are several wide receivers ready for prime time: S. Smith, D. Hixon, H. Nicks, and M. Manningham.

5. Indianapolis Colts–With Peyton Manning at quarterback, the Colts will again be a team to contend this season. Maybe not as untouchable as in years past, but Indianapolis should at least cruise to a division title. Also, keep an eye on Donald Brown this season. He was high on my draft board this past April, so the Colts got a steal grabbing him late in the first round. Don’t be surprised to see him get a bulk of the carries if Joseph Addai continues to struggle.

6. Baltimore Ravens–No options in the passing game for Joe Flacco might hold the Ravens back this season from a Super Bowl victory. A top wide receiver, say Terrell Owens, Anquan Boldin, or T.J. Houshmandzadeh, would have propelled the Ravens into the league’s upper echelon. However, a good defense, solid quarterback play, and tough rushing attack will be good enough for another playoff birth. And nobody knows what can happen once in the playoffs.

7. Atlanta Falcons--376 carries. That’s a lot by anyone’s standards. To say the least, Matt Ryan is going to have to rely less on Michael Turner this season. However, Ryan is entering his second season with a better understanding of how to manage the position. By the way, he has someone named Tony Gonzalez as a new option.

8. New Orleans Saints–Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, and Marques Colston consist of the N.F.C.’s best offensive unit. Questions along the defensive side of the ball may hold the Saints back for another year, but nobody would not want to face this offense in January–especially in New Orleans.

9. Seattle Seahawks–Overlooked this coming season, the Seahawks are finally going to be healthy. The selection of Aaron Curry means the team thinks it can contend in 2009-10. And they will. T.J. Houshmandzadeh will be solid in the passing game, which will open up options for just about everyone else on the offense.

10. Chicago Bears–Jay Cutler has the ability to take the Bears’ offense to unrealized potential. There is serious potential for a stellar defensive unit, which was exemplified in years past. Matt Forte will need to replicate his success from his rookie season, but I like the Bears as a top ten team this season.

11. Carolina Panthers–Led by an outstanding offensive line, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart saw tremendous success last season. Considering the youth of the line last season, one would assume that a season of playing together would only help improve the unit.

12. San Diego Chargers–There are far too many questions for the Chargers entering this season. For one, Shawne Merriman will have to prove he is healthy enough for the Chargers to be considered among the serious contenders. LaDainian Tomlinson’s durability is another factor that may hinder the Chargers in 2009-10. However, Philip Rivers paired with an above averaged offensive unit should be enough to get the Chargers playing playoff ball. Don’t underestimate the loss of Igor Olshansky.

13. Minnesota Vikings–With or without Brett Favre, I still like the Vikings at this position. A solution for the future of the quarterback position is desperately needed. The team proved last season that they can only go so far by relying its defensive play and Adrian Peterson.

14. Houston Texans–Houston is my candidate for a breakout team in 2009-10. They have a ton of weapons on the offensive side of the football, paired with an improving defense.

15. Arizona Cardinals–Having overachieved in 2008-09, the Cardinals will get a taste of reality in 2009-10. Kurt Warner’s ability to put together another season like last year raises doubts in my mind.

16. Washington Redskins–Improvements along the defensive line will make the ‘Skins a formidable N.F.C. opponent. However, question marks at the quarterback position may limit the success of the Redskins this season.

17. Dallas Cowboys–There’s a tremendous amount of pressure on Tony Romo after the departure of Terrell Owens. Other than the combination of Marion Barber and Felix Jones, there’s not a lot of positives about the Cowboys offense. However, with that being said, a tough defense and good ground attack will keep the Cowboys thinking playoffs until late in the season. They will face the Giants (@ N.Y.), Chargers, Saints (@ N.O.), Redskins (@ WAS), and Eagles in last five weeks. Brutal.

18. Tennessee Titans–Another team that overachieved in 2008-09. A questionable situation at quarterback will prevent the Titans from the upper half of the league this year.

19. New York Jets–The team will show some promise under new coach Rex Ryan, but unproven commodities at quarterback won’t give the Jets much room to fly. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mark Sanchez. However, rookie quarterbacks enjoying success in their first season is a rarity, which happened twice last season. Probability is not on the side of the Jets.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars–Offensive line help is on its way for David Garrard, but Tra Thomas has little left in the tank at 34-years old. The team went out and acquired Torry Holt, but he is a couple years removed from his prime.

21. Buffalo Bills–Terrell Owens opens up some options for the Bills offense. However, nobody really knows how well T.O. can consistently perform in the cold with a sub-par quarterback in Trent Edwards. Playing in a tough division certainly won’t help their chances of playing playoff ball.

22. Miami Dolphins–The Dolphins did not do much to improve their team in what is shaping up to be a very competitive division. I am chalking up last season as a fluke rather than a sign of things to come.

23. Green Bay Packers–Green Bay has a defense in transition between a 4-3 and a 3-4. While some teams can make the transition flawlessly, the Packers don’t necessarily have all the right pieces to play the 3-4. Give the defense another year before the team is thought of as serious contenders.

24. Kansas City Chiefs–Here’s a team that I really feel can make some strides in 2009-10. Matt Cassel definitely should improve the offense, which could open up some running lanes for Larry Johnson. This is not mentioning that the defense has added a couple nice veteran pieces.

25. Cincinnati Bengals–Same old story for the Bengals. They have an above average offensive but are held back by a below average defense.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers–A stellar defense should keep the Bucs in most games. It does not appear the Bucs are ready to contend for the N.F.C. South crown until Josh Freeman is farther down the road in his developmental stage.

27. Oakland Raiders–Depending on how JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden develop this season, Oakland has legitimate potential to win the A.F.C. West not this season, but the following year. Keep an eye this squad as they are a young team that could put the pieces together in the last half of the season. However, they are far too young and inexperienced to make a run this season.

28. San Francisco 49ers–San Francisco has been thought of as a breakout team for what seems like each of the past three seasons. I’ll leave them toward the bottom half of the league this time and see what happens.

29. Denver Broncos–Eh. They say hindsight is always 20-20, but maybe it wasn’t the best decision to replace Mike Shanahan with Josh McDaniels. Just a thought.

30. Detroit Lions–They (hopefully) got their quarterback for the next decade in Matthew Stafford. How the Lions deal with their quarterback discussion is a topic for another day. But there’s only one way to go from here.

31. Cleveland Browns–Eric Mangini certainly has a lot of work in front of him to make the Browns contenders in the A.F.C. North. However, his job could be made easier should Brady Quinn perform to his fullest potential.

32. St. Louis Rams–Steven Jackson remains a valuable piece of the puzzle in St. Louis. The problem is that he may be one of the only pieces of the puzzle on the Rams’ current roster.