The Times' Rankings

3 Pittsburgh (7-2) Somebody taught Kordell Stewart how to pass.

4 Oakland (7-2) Jerry Rice is reborn.

5 San Francisco (7-2) Both Hearst and Barlow averaging four-plus yards a carry.

6 Green Bay (7-3) Should have been able to put Detroit away with more ease.

7 Philadelphia (6-3) NFL's best defense.

8 Cleveland (5-4) Ball-hawking Browns lead the league with 20 interceptions.

9 New York Jets (7-3) Winning ugly, and proud of it.

10 Miami (6-3) Beating Bills should salve the sting of loss to the Jets.

11 Baltimore (6-4) Time to turn to Randall Cunningham.

12 New Orleans (5-4) Ricky Williams is 144 yards shy of 1,000.

13 Tampa Bay (4-5) Should be able to consistently run, but can't.

14 New England (5-5) Is Bledsoe on his way out?

15 New York Giants (5-5) Kerry Collins has 11 fumbles in last five games.

16 Washington (4-5) Winning at Denver--in that cold--was a feat.

17 Denver (6-5) Injuries finally catching up to Broncos.

18 Seattle (5-4) Matt Hasselbeck is finally coming around.

19 Tennessee (4-5) Titans have a chance for revenge vs. Steelers.

20 Atlanta (5-4) Falcons have outscored opponents, 68-9, in first quarter.

21 Minnesota (4-5) Victory over Giants was flashback to salad days.

22 San Diego (5-5) Chargers are 0-5 when scoring fewer than 27 points.

23 Indianapolis (4-5) Lethal Weapon 3? Disarmed.

24 Cincinnati (4-5) Corey Dillon always tears up Cleveland.

25 Jacksonville (3-6) Jon Quinn hardly has the panache of a healthy Brunell.

26 Dallas (2-8) Not the worst team, but Ryan Leaf won't take them anywhere.

27 Arizona (3-6) Plummer-to-Boston connection is all the Cardinals have.

28 Kansas City (2-7) Chiefs have yet to win at Arrowhead.

29 Buffalo (1-8) Bills are off to their worst start in 16 years.

30 Detroit (0-10) At least rookie Mike McMahon is fun to watch.

31 Carolina (1-9) Four Panther losses have come by three points or fewer.