The season is well and truly under way, and even in this crazy NFL season we're starting to see it take shape. With that in mind, Pro Football Focus' resident Chic Geek, Khaled Elsayed, is putting the shame of his weekly predictions behind him and moving on to ranking the 32 teams of the NFL.
Here's a look at the good, the bad and the ugly the NFL has to offer.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1)
THE GOOD: They're making life very difficult for quarterbacks right now. It's just tough to score points on them.
THE BAD: How long until Big Ben shakes off his funk?
THE UGLY: Injuries. They crippled the Steelers last year and they're threatening to cripple them this year. Losing Aaron Smith hits an already thin defensive line.
2. New York Giants (5-2)
THE GOOD: In Ahmad Bradshaw (+10.5 on the season), they have a running back who is playing as well as any other in the league.
THE BAD: Their receivers are real playmakers, but they need to stop helping opposing defenses make plays by tipping the ball (10 drops, six INTs toward wideouts).
THE UGLY: You need to protect your quarterback. Is David Diehl the guy you want doing that?
3. New York Jets (5-1)
THE GOOD: Perfect in their division so far, they seem to be getting better as they're getting players back from suspension/ injury.
THE BAD: The language Rex Ryan uses. Won't somebody think of the children?
THE UGLY: The management of Darrelle Revis' injury. Revis (-1.9) needs to sit until he's completely healthy. He's too good to be left hamstrung by his hamstring later on in the season.
4. New England Patriots (5-1)
THE GOOD: Tom Brady (+13.2) looks better than he did last year.
THE BAD: I've never been a fan of throwing as much mud at the wall and seeing what sticks. Sometimes the Patriots' defense seems a bit of a guessing game — they've got 19 different players averaging 15+ snaps a game.
THE UGLY: Brady's hair. But that may be/is just jealousy on my part.
5. Tennessee Titans (5-2)
THE GOOD: How well their defense is playing. The line is getting up the field (in a disciplined manner) and making life easier for the cornerbacks (who are playing extremely well).
THE BAD: It doesn't look like Chris Johnson is going to break the single-season rushing record.
THE UGLY: Potentially losing Kenny Britt to any type of suspension. This kid has major talent and is starting to put it together. Cornerbacks just can't compete with him at times.
6. Baltimore Ravens (5-2)
THE GOOD: They're moving the ball well on offense.
THE BAD: That pass rush (graded in the league's bottom 10) really needs to step up.
THE UGLY: The cornerback play of Fabian Washington (-2.7) and Lardarius Webb (-2.7). They may as well have taken Sunday off.
7. Philadelphia Eagles (4-3)
THE GOOD: Michael Vick returns. Say what you want, but getting a guy playing that well back in the team is a good thing.
THE BAD: Teams are starting to look at Ellis Hobbs and see the potential to take advantage of him.
THE UGLY: Eagles fans scare me too much to write anything bad about them.
8. Atlanta Falcons (5-2)
THE GOOD: After starting on fire last year and dropping off into inconsistency on offense, the Falcons seem to be getting better. How much of this is down to Roddy White growing into one of the league's best?
THE BAD: Watching Matt Ryan leave the game for a play makes you all the more concerned about the play of LT Sam Baker (-18.8).
THE UGLY: When you get thrown at 20 times and allow 17 completions, you probably shouldn't be starting for an NFL team. Sorry, Chris Owens.
9. Houston Texans (4-2)
THE GOOD: Is there a better, more balanced offense?
THE BAD: Is there a worse, more exploitable secondary?
THE UGLY: Losing DeMeco Ryans for the year means reshuffling their entire linebacker unit — a unit that had already been struggling. The back seven is a mess right now.
10. Kansas City Chiefs (4-2)
THE GOOD: They game plan as well as anyone on offense and defense. Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel are assistant coaches of the year right now.
THE BAD: I don't care if Thomas Jones had a big game against the Texans, Jammal Charles needs more touches.
THE UGLY: What media analysts predicted for the Chiefs at the start of the season. Everyone was wrong. Very wrong.
11. Indianapolis Colts (4-2)
THE GOOD: Peyton Manning is still Peyton Manning.
THE BAD: Losing Dallas Clark to injured reserve is something they may struggle to overcome.
THE UGLY: A Colts team that is winless in their division? Unheard of.
12. Green Bay Packers (4-3)
THE GOOD: They're the class of the NFC North by default.
THE BAD: Those injuries have got to take a toll.
THE UGLY: Actually that injury situation is beyond bad. It's ugly like Sloth from the Goonies. Hey, you guys!
13. Miami Dolphins (3-3)
THE GOOD: They do a great job of giving Chad Henne time and getting to the opposing quarterbacks.
THE BAD: Last year they missed out on the playoffs by losing a lot of close games. Any sign of that changing?
THE UGLY: They had Cameron Wake (eight sacks in six games, +16.8) on their roster last year and opted to use Joey Porter instead. I can't forget or forgive that.
14. New Orleans Saints (4-3)
THE GOOD: Out of sync, but there's talent on this roster. It didn't become bad overnight.
THE BAD: Has complacency set in? Do they feel a sense of entitlement to beat teams like the Browns? Were they … lucky last year? Lots of unanswered questions right now.
THE UGLY: Defensive ends get pressure. Not the Saints' DEs. They're passengers right now and making life tough for Gregg Williams.
15. Washington Redskins (4-3)
THE GOOD: Four interceptions in a game? Four interceptions in a game! DeAngelo Hall had barely come up with four incompletions his way before Sunday.
THE BAD: It's hard to get a read on whether the offense is inconsistent, still developing or just lacking in talent.
THE UGLY: The play of DT Ma'ake Keomeatu has been a huge disappointment so far.
16. Oakland Raiders (3-4)
THE GOOD: It's taken forever and a day, but the Raiders have developed an identity. Who knew that stability would produce that?
THE BAD: We still feel far too close to Kyle Boller starting at quarterback.
THE UGLY: Tom Cable is not a pretty man, but we can expect to see a lot of him on the Raiders sideline. He's turned that franchise around.
17. Chicago Bears (4-3)
THE GOOD: The defense is playing very well and Brian Urlacher's return has really galvanized the unit.
THE BAD: Whoever plays at offensive tackle.
THE UGLY: Jay Cutler's medical bill. Though if you're his doctor, you're thankful of the Bears' protection putting your kids through college.
18. Cleveland Browns (2-5)
THE GOOD: The coaching. The Browns have been competitive this entire season, and they've done it playing guys who were surplus on other teams.
THE BAD: You wonder if, despite the good job he is doing turning things around, Eric Mangini's project may be cut short.
THE UGLY: Jake Delhomme at quarterback. He's such a liability right now that he's the biggest threat to their offense.
19. Seattle Seahawks (4-2)
THE GOOD: Chris Clemons' emergence as an absolute menace of a pass-rusher. Tackles beware.
THE BAD: They're still overmatched against decent teams away from home.
THE UGLY: That they're the best team in the NFC West shows how bad the division is.
20. San Diego Chargers (2-5)
THE GOOD: Philip Rivers is playing as well as ever.
THE BAD: Despite Rivers playing as well as ever, it's not enough to carry the rest of a team that can't do the little things right.
THE UGLY: Do you blame the coaches or do you blame the players? I blame the players because the amount of mental errors they're making says more about their lack of sense than bad game planning.
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2)
THE GOOD: They somehow find themselves with a 4-2 record while developing some young talent.
THE BAD: I expected more from DE Stylez G. White this season. If you're going to have a name like that you need to produce.
THE UGLY: Raheem Morris saying his team is the best in the NFC. There's confidence building and then there's killing your own credibility. You're not even the second-best team in your own division.
22. Minnesota Vikings (2-4)
THE GOOD: Adrian Peterson isn't fumbling like he used to and is running as hard as ever.
THE BAD: This team is in turmoil and the young talent isn't coming through. They may have missed their window last year.
THE UGLY: I haven't seen those alleged pictures of Brett Favre but I can't imagine it making my day any better.
23. Cincinnati Bengals (2-4)
THE GOOD: Carson Palmer made better decisions against the Falcons. He's not hurting the team as much now.
THE BAD: They don't get to play against Chris Owens every week.
THE UGLY: With Adam Jones gone for the year, their secondary is left with a plethora of players either injured or recovering from injury. They're vulnerable.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4)
THE GOOD: Kirk Morrison has been a welcome addition to the defense.
THE BAD: What happened, Daryl Smith? You were so good last year and this year you've been exposed … a lot.
THE UGLY: The horrible situation at safety. There isn't a worse group in the league.
25. St Louis Rams (3-4)
THE GOOD: Sam Bradford isn't playing like a rookie for the most part, and the Rams aren't playing like the worst team in the league they were last year.
THE BAD: To blow a lead like that against an offense like the Bucs. That's the kind of game that will cost them in a competitive but weak NFC West.
THE UGLY: They're third in the NFC West standings. Ugh.
26. Dallas Cowboys (1-5)
THE GOOD: Dez Bryant is starting to show off his talent.
THE BAD: The Giants kept giving them the ball and they couldn't do anything with it. That defeat wasn't on luck, it was on an inability to execute.
THE UGLY: Tony Romo's clavicle. If there season wasn't over beforehand, it ended when Romo went out and Kitna proceeded to lead a succession of three-and-out drives until the Giants backed off.
27. Detroit Lions (1-5)
THE GOOD: They're better than their record. Much better. They're always competitive and that offense has some serious potential on it.
THE BAD: The lack of credit Jeff Backus gets as one of the most consistent left tackles in the NFC over the last two years.
THE UGLY: It takes time to break a losing mentality, but right now that's the biggest battle this talented team is facing … and they're losing.
28. Denver Broncos (2-5)
THE GOOD: The surprising play of Brandon Lloyd. He has never been this good and there was no reason to believe he'd ever be this good. But he has, and then some.
THE BAD: They often look formidable, and then flop at other times. Where do you place the blame? Coaching?
THE UGLY: Getting humped like that by the Raiders. That was inexcusable.
29. Arizona Cardinals (3-3)
THE GOOD: Beanie Wells looks like a talent.
THE BAD: Whoever they put at quarterback is going to get hit hard and hit often. They've not done enough to fix their pass-protection problems.
THE UGLY: If Joey Porter is the answer, what is the question?
30. Carolina Panthers (1-5)
THE GOOD: The defense is playing to a high level, remarkable given the offseason losses to free agency and injury.
THE BAD: One game doesn't make Matt Moore a savior, even if it is more than Jimmy Clausen looked capable of.
THE UGLY: It's a bit sad to watch John Fox doing a decent job with the limitations placed upon him. Such a waste.
31. San Francisco 49ers (1-6)
THE GOOD: London is really nice this time of year. Enjoy it, guys.
THE BAD: This team just isn't responding to the coaches. There's no excuse losing to the Panthers with some of the talent they have on their team.
THE UGLY: The realization they're a much worse team without Alex Smith. Oh, it's true.
32. Buffalo Bills (0-6)
THE GOOD: They were competitive, and QB Ryan Fitzgerald actually gives their receivers a chance.
THE BAD: The offensive line seems to alternate between incapable to run block and pass block. Some weeks both.
THE UGLY: You're the only winless team in the league, and the talent on your team makes that something that could continue.
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