NFL Top 10 Power Rankings Through Week Seven

Week Seven of the NFL saw a lot of interesting games with some lopsided scores.

The Colts, Packers, Patriots, Jets, Bengals, and Chargers all beat up on their oppositions and won their games by 28 points or more. So for the Rams (36 point loss), Browns (28 point loss), Buccaneers (28 point loss), Raiders (38 point loss), Bears (35 point loss), and Chiefs (30 point loss), they lost by a total combined of 195 points. That's a lot of points to lose by.

In a surprise move, San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary gave quarterback Alex Smith his starting job back because he's the best option to get the ball downfield to Michael Crabtree, who had a decent first game for the 49ers.

Before their Monday Night Football game, Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn was stripped of his play-calling duties, which were given to Sherman Lewis, who was a retired bingo caller until this week. They lost to the Eagles, so maybe next Washington takes away his jacket, headset, whistle, shoes, and watch before just firing the man?

Now, I saved this one for last to address some hostility I have, which is on the Larry Johnson situation.

Apparently, after all of the trouble Johnson has gotten into with the law, he hasn't learned one damn thing. Apparently on his Twitter account, he used a gay slur against head coach Todd Haley, then after the Gay and Lesbian Association stepped in and forced an apology out of Johnson, the Chiefs told Johnson to go home and rumors have swirled that he will be released.

Do these guys realize the NFL is an honor and privilege and not a God-given right? Apparently not. Hopefully Johnson is shunned away from the NFL, but because of teams so poor like the Raiders who are desperate for decent players, Johnson will get another chance in the NFL. I can only hope Larry Johnson grows the hell up and learns how to be a decent human before becoming a decent football player again.

OK, with that out of the way, the power rankings of the NFL have changed a little bit. Another one of the undefeated teams took a fall this week, so now there are only three undefeated teams left in the NFL. Lets take a look at who is still on top of the NFL after Week Seven.

10. Dallas Cowboys (UR) (4-2, Won 37-21 over the Atlanta Falcons)

Three weeks ago, the Cowboys looked like a mess of a team. Now, they look like they are getting back on track in the NFC East.

Tony Romo has found a new favorite target downfield in Miles Austin. Austin caught six passes for 171 yards and two touchdown passes, while Romo went 21-for-29 with 311 yards and three touchdown passes. In September, Romo looked lost. Now in almost November, Romo seems focused again.

The running game behind Marion Barber and Felix Jones didn't do much against the Falcons, but Atlanta couldn't stop the pass, so the Cowboys didn't need to run the ball to win.

The Cowboys locked up DeMarcus Ware this past week with a new six-year contract, a smart move by Jerry Jones in keeping Ware around, who is one of the best linebackers in the league.

Next week, the Cowboys have the Seahawks at home. A win for the Cowboys can only improve their chances in the NFC East race.

9. Arizona Cardinals (10) (4-2, Won 24-17 over the New York Giants)

This gameball went to the Arizona defense, because they were the ones who won the game for the Cardinals.

The Cardinals caused four turnovers, including three interceptions off Eli Manning and one of those picks was late in the fourth quarter when Manning was driving late on the Arizona defense to try and tie the game up.

Kurt Warner went 20-for-36 and only 231 yards with one touchdown, and neither Larry Fitzgerald nor Anquan Boldin caught a touchdown in this game.

But when your defense shuts down the fourth best scoring offense in the NFL, you are able to win games on Sunday.

Next week, the Cardinals will have the Panthers in a re-match of the second round NFC Playoff game. Only this time around, the Cardinals are expected to beat up on Carolina.

8. Cincinnati Bengals (8) (5-2, Won 45-10 over the Chicago Bears)

They say the best revenge is served on a cold dish. Cedric Benson certainly gave his out to his former team.

Benson ran for a career high 189 yards and a touchdown in a thrashing of the Chicago defense that looked horrible on Sunday. After the game, Benson was all smiles, because he got back at the team that shunned him away.

Carson Palmer has gotten back to being dominant, as he went 20-for-24 for 233 yards and threw for five touchdown passes and obliterated the Bears secondary.

What was also impressive, was the Bengals defense had three interceptions on Jay Cutler, and completely shut down Matt Forte in the running game for 24 yards. The last time the Bengals were 5-2 was in 2005, when they made the playoffs.

Next week, the Bengals will have their bye week to get some rest and gear up for a very tough second half run for the playoffs and the AFC North race.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (9) (5-2, Won 27-17 over the Minnesota Vikings)

This was a week of two powerhouse NFL teams squaring off. In the end, it was the defending champions who won the fight.

The Steelers and the Vikings were in a tough battle, but the Pittsburgh defense was what won the game in the fourth quarter.

LaMar Woodley's 77-yard fumble return for a touchdown with over six minutes to go put the Steelers up 20-10, but it was Keyaron Fox's 82-yard interception return for a touchdown with a minute to go that iced the game for the Steelers, which made it 27-17 and ended a Minnesota comeback.

Pittsburgh's offense wasn't overwhelming in the game, but their defense was back to championship form and with four straight wins, the Steelers are getting back to their championship form.

6. New York Giants (6) (5-2, Lost 24-17 to the Arizona Cardinals)

Two weeks ago, the Giants were perhaps the best team in the NFL and ranked No. 1, two weeks later, and two straight losses later, the Giants are struggling.

The Giants never looked to be in a good rhythm on Sunday night and the Cardinals defense was smothering.

Eli Manning threw three costly interceptions. One was in the end zone, which could have been a touchdown pass to Domenik Hixon, and the last one was a pick that ended any comeback for the Giants instead of a drive-extending catch to Steve Smith.

Brandon Jacobs looks to be getting back on track with 13 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown. Rookie wide receiver Hakeem Nicks is continuing to play extremely well in his first year with four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown.

Next week, the Giants will go to Lincoln Financial Field to play the Eagles for first place in the NFC East. The Eagles have been hit hard by the injury bug, so Sunday will be a time for the Giants to get back on track and capitalize on the road.

5. New England Patriots (7) (Won 35-7 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Any doubts of Tom Brady not looking like the old Brady have been erased in these past two weeks. How so?

When your team outscores the others 94-7 and Brady throws nine touchdown passes in those two weeks, that will erase all doubt.

The Patriots went to a sold out Wembley Stadium in London, England and stomped all over the winless Buccaneers. Brady threw for three more touchdown passes in this game.

The score probably would have been more than 35-7, but Brady did throw two interceptions instead of touchdowns, so the Buccaneers only lost by 28 instead of 42. But it didn't matter, because Tampa never had a shot in this one.

The Patriots will have a bye week in Week Eight and they will only get healthier, which will be to their advantage as they are back on top of the AFC East.

4. Minnesota Vikings (3) (6-1, Lost 27-17 to the Pittsburgh Steelers)

Well, this will be the week where the media, the Jets' fans and Packers' fans will all take their shots on Brett Favre.

Why? Favre's two turnovers lost this game for Minnesota. He was sacked by Brett Keisel, who causes Favre to fumble the ball and was returned for a touchdown by LaMar Woodley with six minutes to go.

However, Percy Harvin took the following kickoff return 88 yards for a touchdown and pulled the Vikings within striking distance at 20-17.

Minnesota had one last chance to win the game or at least send it into overtime, but Favre's second turnover was the killer, a pass intended for Chester Taylor fell out of his hands and into Steelers' Keyaron Fox for an 82-yard interception return for the game winning touchdown.

A loss like that stings, but the Vikings need to shrug the loss off really quick, because they will be entering hostile ground next week.

In a historic game, Brett Favre will be playing his former team in the Packers for the first time as a visitor in Lambeau Field. After 15 years of being the God of Green Bay, he will be the most booed person to ever walk on that field.

3. Denver Broncos (4) (6-0, Bye Week in Week Seven)

The Broncos had a week off to relax and rest, and they moved up one spot in the rankings, so things do get better even when you don't play.

Who could have expected this type of season from Kyle Orton after trading away Jay Cutler. Orton has thrown for 1465 yards and nine touchdown passes and only been intercepted once, which is incredible. I wonder if the Bears regret trading Orton away now for Cutler?

Brandon Marshall is slowly starting to grow up and play football like most expected, catching 29 passes for 332 yards and four touchdowns.

But the reason why the Broncos are 6-0 is their defense. They've only allowed 66 points and in their last five games, they've allowed a total three points in the second halves of those games, which is a great recipe to win games.

Next week, they have the Baltimore Ravens, who are desperate for a win after free-falling down the rankings and in the AFC North. A win in Baltimore would make Denver absolutely legit in 2009. Expect a defensive game in that contest.

2. New Orleans Saints (2) (6-0, Won 46-34 over the Miami Dolphins)

A lot of people called this a trap game for the Saints. They were almost right.

In the first half, the Dolphins were leading 24-10. After three quarters, the Dolphins were up 34-24. But in the fourth quarter, the Saints scored 22 unanswered points to keep their undefeated season alive with a huge victory on the road.

A spectacular ESPN-like highlight run by Reggie Bush put the Saints down only by four points. But a two-yard run by Drew Brees put the Saints up by two for the first time in the game.

A field goal by John Carney and a 54-yard interception returned for a touchdown by Tracy Porter with 1:54 to go iced the game and killed any chance of a Dolphins comeback.

These are the types of comebacks performed by championship caliber teams. In 2009, the Saints are proving that, in fact, they are a championship caliber team.

On Monday Night Football , they will have the Falcons come into the Superdome for an important battle in the NFC South division. If the Saints win this game, they will probably easily win the division and continue to be the best team in the NFC.

1. Indianapolis Colts (1) (6-0, Won 42-6 over the St. Louis Rams)

This wasn't even a fair game.

Peyton Manning went 23-for-34 for 235 and threw three touchdown passes, two of which came in the first quarter.

Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, and Austin Collie each had stellar games receiving for the Colts, catching each one of Manning's touchdown passes.

The Colts defense never allowed St. Louis to ever get in this game. Jacob Lacey picked off Marc Bulger for a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown, so even the Colts' defense is now scoring points.

The Colts did allow Steven Jackson to run for 23 carries and 134 yards, but didn't allow him to get a touchdown, as all of the Rams points came on two lousy field goals.

Next week, the Colts have a reeling 49ers team coming into their building. The 49ers' offense with Michael Crabtree might make the game interesting, but the Colts' offense might be too much for the 49ers to stop. The Colts are by far the best team in the NFL and until someone beats them, this is where they will stay.

That does it for the Top 10 Power Rankings through seven weeks of the NFL schedule. We have only three remaining teams that are undefeated in the NFL with the Colts, Saints, and Broncos, while at the bottom of the league, the Rams, Buccaneers, and Titans are all 0-7 and looking for their first win.

The good news for the Buccaneers is they can't lose this week because they have a bye.

Titans' owner Bud Adams is calling for Vince Young to start at quarterback for the team. Does Jeff Fisher answer that call?

The talk this coming week will be about the Packers and the Vikings and Brett Favre's return to Lambeau Field as a visitor. The mayor of Green Bay was looking for tasteful ways to celebrate Favre's return, like a video package of Favre's interceptions. Yeah, Green Bay fans haven't forgotten, and they won't for a long time.

Hope everyone has a good week and the weekend will bring a lot more exciting and great games for Week Eight.