NFL coaches consistently spout the party line that every game is dangerous, no opponent is a pushover, on any given Sunday, etc. Well, these days it's hard to deny there are chunks of teams' 16-game schedule that simply are hellacious. Some clubs face big obstacles from the start of this season.

By BARRY WILNER AP Football Writer

The draft board below will be updated until the start of the regular season. Quarterbacks Rk.

The Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets are supposed to be among the ranks of Super Bowl favorites. They sure didn't look like it during the preseason. Of course, those games also didn't count. That's the trouble with trying to make sense of the preseason. We don't know how much to take from the things we saw the last five weeks.

Jerry Jones has finally gotten a share of the coveted No. 1 spot, sharing the space with a familiar occupant.

The Packers will carry an air of supreme confidence into the season.

Open talk and even printed T-shirts compliments of linebacker Nick Barnett that expressed the Super Bowl aspirations harbored by the team at the start of training camp in late July was backed up by what was accomplished on the field the ensuing five weeks.

The Aaron Rodgers-led offense took center stage, running the defenses of the Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts ragged in the first three preseason games. With yards through the air and points aplenty for the starting group, plenty of people have taken notice, including those of an influential ilk.

“He had a really good year last year and has a lot of weapons,” Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said of Rodgers, who threw…

First, no Ben Roethlisberger. Now, maybe no Byron Leftwich for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dennis Dixon, you're up next. Leftwich, expected to be the fill-in starter for the suspended Roethlisberger at quarterback for the Steelers, sprained his left knee in the second quarter as Pittsburgh (3-1) beat the starter-less Carolina Panthers 19-3 in the preseason finale Thursday night.

First, no Ben Roethlisberger. Now, maybe no Byron Leftwich for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A capsule look at reasons for concern among teams in the NFC North: Chicago Bears 1. Offensive line. Poor line play could prevent coordinator Mike Martz's offense from taking hold. QB Jay Cutler has been sacked 10 times, leading to only 14 first-team points in 16 possessions. Breakdowns have come largely at both tackle spots, but the Bears must rely on inexperienced Chris Williams and Frank Omiyale because backup Kevin Shaffer offers only a short-term replacement possibility.

With the controversy swirling ahead of him on the Arizona quarterback depth chart, Max Hall wrapped up his preseason with a big night. The undrafted rookie from BYU completed 7 of 9 passes for 126 yards and scored on a 6-yard run in the Cardinals' 20-10 victory Thursday night over Washington. Hall directed Arizona to two TDs and a field goal in his three possessions.

With the controversy swirling ahead of him on the Arizona quarterback depth chart, Max Hall wrapped up his preseason with a big night.

It took two years and five days, but finally Todd Haley and Kansas City have beaten somebody in the preseason. Helped perhaps by Green Bay's decision not to dress three key starters, the Chiefs took a 14-0 lead and held on Thursday night for a 17-13 victory over the team that many are making the favorite in the NFC.

The final week of the 2010 preseason is upon us, though this will be to football what John Beck is to Rex…

By ERIC OLSON AP Sports Writer

The NFL is a copycat league, and most everyone wants to be a carbon copy of one team in particular — last season's Super Bowl champions. The New Orleans Saints won it all with the combination of an explosive, high-scoring offense and an aggressive defense. In the unpredictable NFC, they also were the conference's ninth different champion in as many years. Based on that formula, the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings can be considered strong contenders.