Week 10 Power Rankings: AFC dominates top 10

By Connor Byrne | Wednesday, November 14, 2007 | ( 17 )

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Every Wednesday during the NFL regular season, RealFootball365.com brings you its power poll, ranking the teams from the worst of the moment to the best. This is the 10th installment of 2007.

32. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 29; 2-7) - If you're a 49ers fan or who someone who works within the organization, it has to be troubling that quarterback Alex Smith, in his third year, still shows no awareness in the pocket; moreover, he doesn't sense the oncoming rush. So far, Smith, whom the Niners drafted No. 1 overall in 2005, is a bust.

31. Miami Dolphins (LW: 32; 0-9) - The Dolphins probably deserved a better fate against the Bills, but they proved why they're winless. Good teams don't shoot themselves in the foot with stupid penalties at inopportune times.

30. New York Jets (LW: 30; 1-8) - The Jets' next two opponents: Pittsburgh, at Dallas. Hello, 1-10.

29. Oakland Raiders (LW: 28; 2-7) - It's hard to believe this ragtag bunch was 2-2 just five weeks ago. Now, it seems not much has changed from last season to this year in Oakland.

28. Carolina Panthers (LW: 21; 4-5) - Carolina's record is quite deceiving; this team is a mess.

27. St. Louis Rams (LW: 32; 1-8) - For one Sunday in the middle of November, what's left of The Greatest Show on Turf reunited to thrash the Saints. Healthy again, the Rams might be a dangerous spoiler team down the stretch.

26. Atlanta Falcons (LW: 27; 3-6) - The Falcons could have packed it in a while ago, but Bobby Petrino, to his credit, has kept the team going each week. As a result, Atlanta has won two in a row.

25. Minnesota Vikings (LW: 16; 3-6) - Adrian Peterson, now out for the foreseeable future with a torn knee ligament, was the only reason to watch the Vikings. Without him in the fold, the people of Minnesota might as well pursue other interests on Sundays.

24. Baltimore Ravens (LW: 21; 4-5) - You'd be hard-pressed to find many worse NFL QBs than Steve McNair right now. Sadly, it's time for the former MVP to hang it up; he has nothing left.

23. Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 25; 3-6) - Of Cincinnati's final seven opponents, four are eying the playoffs. Perhaps the Bengals will serve as an interesting spoiler.

22. Arizona Cardinals (LW: 26; 4-5) - Just when you think it's time to bury the Cardinals, they go out and beat up on Detroit. In the weak NFC West, it might not be time to write off Arizona just yet.

21. Houston Texans (LW: 20; 4-5) - Houston's remaining opponents are 38-26. Don't expect the once-undefeated Texans to be a serious playoff contender.

20. Washington Redskins (LW: 12; 5-4) - Washington isn't going to have much fun over the next five weeks: at Dallas (8-1), at Tampa Bay (5-4), Buffalo (5-4), Chicago (4-5), at the Giants (6-3). Throw in another game against the Cowboys, and the Redskins might be lucky to win more than once or twice the rest of the way.

19. Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 13; 4-5) - If Larry Johnson doesn't come back soon, these guys will be in a world of hurt. In the meantime, expect the Brodie Croyle-led Chiefs to get dropped by angry Indianapolis this weekend. Third loss in a row, here comes Kansas City.

18. Chicago Bears (LW: 19; 4-5) - Are the Bears back? If they beat Seattle in Week 11, they might be.

17. Denver Broncos (LW: 24; 4-5) - There isn't a more confusing team in the league this year. Don't give up on Denver yet, I guess.

16. Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 23; 4-5) - Philly is flying high off its 33-25 win in Washington, so it has to make sure not to look past this week's opponent, Miami. Buffalo did last Sunday, and it almost paid the price.

15. Seattle Seahawks (LW: 18; 5-4) - Although they only beat the 49ers, the Seahawks' Monday night win was extremely impressive. It was a throwback to the 2005 version of Seattle, which dominated teams en route to a Super Bowl berth.

14. New Orleans Saints (LW: 10; 4-5) - New Orleans' loss to then-winless St. Louis was both shocking and disappointing; however, keep in mind that no team in league history has ever started 0-4 and won five straight. The law of averages caught up to the Saints, who should still be able to make the playoffs in the subpar NFC.

13. Buffalo Bills (LW: 15; 5-4) - The Bills' Sunday nighter against the 9-0 Pats will be Buffalo's biggest in a while. The Bills haven't made the playoffs this decade, so if they can find a way to stun New England, there's no doubt they'll be on the fast track to the postseason.

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 14; 5-4) - If it's possible to win your bye week, the Buccaneers did. While resting and having an extra week to prepare for the lowly Falcons, Tampa Bay watched division rivals New Orleans and Carolina lose, each falling to 4-5. The Bucs are in the NFC South driver's seat.

11. Detroit Lions (LW: 6; 6-3) - Try to find a team with a more daunting remaining schedule than the Lions: a home-and-home series with Green Bay, the Giants, at Minnesota, Dallas, at San Diego, Kansas City. There is a very good possibility the Lions will miss the playoffs, and they'll kick themselves for losing to the likes of Washington and Arizona.

10. Tennessee Titans (LW: 7; 6-3) - Tennessee's next two games -- at Denver, at Cincinnati -- don't seem too difficult; however, these Titans don't have the offense to overlook any opponents. The team may have six wins, but it could easily end up collapsing over the next seven weeks and missing the playoffs.

9. San Diego Chargers (LW: 17; 5-4) - The end result is the only thing that matters, but the Chargers were absolutely terrible against the Colts. You have to wonder if Philip Rivers is actually the answer in San Diego. Either way, the Bolts can thank Darren Sproles for the fact they're above .500 right now.

8. Cleveland Browns (LW: 9; 5-4) - Although the Browns lost to the Steelers, they deserve to move up in the rankings for finally hanging with Pittsburgh. That rivalry, one of the best in the league, has been one-sided for a number of years now. Cleveland, which is experiencing somewhat of a resurgence, served notice to the Steelers that it won't be bullied anymore.

7. New York Giants (LW: 6; 6-3) - Clearly the Giants, Eli Manning in specific, aren't yet ready for prime time. In order to avoid another second-half collapse, New York needs to stop the bleeding against the Lions this week. Another defeat will lead to finger pointing from within and pressure from the relentless media presence in the Big Apple.

6. Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 11; 6-3) - The Jaguars, who were in a must-win situation against Tennessee, made a statement Sunday by stomping the Titans. Had the Jags fallen, they'd have been 5-4 and fading fast in the AFC playoff race.

5. Indianapolis Colts (LW: 2; 7-2) - Don't look now, but the injury-riddled Colts, after two straight losses, are just a game up on the AFC South lead. Without Marvin Harrison, Dallas Clark, Tony Ugoh, Anthony Gonzalez and Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis' situation could get really dicey really quickly.

4. Green Bay Packers (LW: 5; 8-1) - At 462 years old (37, actually), Brett Favre might be the most valuable player in football right now. Good thing he didn't retire.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 3; 7-2) - Mike Tomlin said it best: The Steelers didn't have their 'A' game against Cleveland, but they found a way to battle back from a 15-point deficit to win 31-28. Tomlin was also right when he stated the Steelers don't need to apologize for winning without style points. Even if it's ugly, you'll always take a victory within your division.

2. Dallas Cowboys (LW: 3; 8-1) - For the first time in the post-Troy Aikman era, the Cowboys have a quarterback they can be confident in. If you didn't believe in Tony Romo, you should after his excellent performance against the Giants.

1. New England Patriots (LW: 1; 9-0) - It'll be interesting to see if the bye week costs New England any of the momentum it's had so far this year.

RealFootball365.com: The place to go every Wednesday for NFL power rankings.

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Comments: 17 | Sign Up View all comments


	No.1 jackson	04:23 AM 11/14/2007

	BILLS WILL UPSET THE PATS THIS WEEKEND! LETS GO BUFFALO!!!!!


	No.2 Tommy	09:32 AM 11/14/2007

	jackson, are you being serious? For anyone to even think that the Bill's have a chance to win this game, you are Delusional. I...


	No.3 Shaun	10:09 AM 11/14/2007

	YEAH, I think everyone knows Buffalo plays to the level of their opponent, (ie, Colts last year, Dallas this year). It doesn't...