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Peyton Manning and the Colts look hungry, NBCSports.com contributor JT the Brick writes.

NFC South
Saints: The most explosive team in the NFL is led by Drew Brees and his nine touchdowns and 841 yards passing. The Saints offense will be tested by the Jets’ aggressive defense this Sunday. Surprisingly, New Orleans also has a top-10 defense, featuring safety Darren Sharper and his three interceptions. They give up only 67 rushing yards per game.

Falcons: They beat two teams (Dolphins, Panthers) who are winless, then lost at the Patriots. The offense looks good, with tight end Tony Gonzalez meshing well with quarterback Matt Ryan and Michael Turner running well. Atlanta's defense is giving up 136 rushing yards per game, and that needs to improve. The Falcons’ next three road games are at San Francisco, Dallas and New Orleans. Those games could decide if they have a chance to win the division or must fight for a wild-card birth.

Buccaneers: How is life after Jon Gruden in Tampa? The franchise is finally willing to admit they are a rebuilding. Considering how they showed no effort in the fourth quarter of their 24-0 loss to the Giants, they will be lucky to win three games this season. The Bucs defense is ranked 31st overall, and rookie quarterback Josh Freeman is lucky that he gets to sit on the bench and watch.

Panthers: Everything that could go wrong has. Quarterback Jake Delhomme is a turnover machine with seven interceptions, and it looks like John Fox forgot he has a great running game. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart have combined for only two touchdowns and it looks like Carolina has little to no shot at digging out unless they rally after their current bye week against Washington, Tampa Bay, Buffalo and Arizona.

NFC West
49ers: Coach Mike Singletary has done an amazing job at working with the players he has. The 49ers play physically on both sides of the ball. Running back Frank Gore's ankle injury comes at a bad time, but quarterback Shaun Hill manages with poise. Tight end Vernon Davis is coming around to be a team leader after being named an offensive captain.

Cardinals: Quarterback Kurt Warner ran for his life in last Sunday night’s home loss to Indianapolis. The Cardinals have fallen back to earth after their run to the Super Bowl last season. The 31st-ranked pass defense is giving up 280 yards per game and if that doesn’t change soon, Arizona will miss the playoffs.

Seahawks: The good news is that they are only a game out of first place in the NFC West with a 1-2 record. Matt Hasselbeck can’t seem to stay healthy and Seneca Wallace is not the long-term answer at quarterback. T.J. Houshmandzadeh has no touchdowns after three games, and the ’Hawks should lose their third game in a row this Sunday at Indianapolis.

Rams: Steven Jackson is one of the best running backs in the NFL, so the Rams need him to stay healthy to have a chance. This franchise is a work in progress, but coach Steve Spagnuolo has the patience to fix the defense first while hoping to become a more competitive team in 2010

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