NFL Power Rankings: Debating Whether AFC or NFC Reigns Supreme

With our Week 12 NFL power rankings nearly intact (the Patriots and Chiefs play Monday night), let's run down which conference—NFC or AFC—is better in 2011.

Why the NFC is better

The most obvious reason why the NFC is better resides in Green Bay, where the defending Super Bowl champions have started the season 10-0 and have the game's best player in Aaron Rodgers. The Packers currently sit as the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl for a second consecutive season.

The conference as a whole is fairly rounded. However, the San Francisco 49ers (9-1), New Orleans Saints (7-3) and Chicago Bears (7-3) all find themselves in the top five of our Week 12 power rankings.

While we don't see a dominant team coming out of the NFC East, three teams—the Cowboys (No. 11), Giants (No. 12) and Eagles (No. 17) all have a shot at cracking the playoff picture.

Why the AFC is better

While the NFC has the Packers atop the conference, you could make a pretty solid argument that the AFC has more Super Bowl contenders than the NFC. The Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots all appear to be teams that could win it all.

The Texans would be a part of that discussion, too, if Matt Schaub wouldn't have gone down with a season-ending injury.

The AFC is hurt by the continued struggles of both the New York Jets and San Diego Chargers, however. If those two teams were playing up to their capabilities, the AFC would likely be the clear favorite.

Conclusion

The power rankings tell you that the NFC is the better conference because the Packers and 49ers sit at No. 1 and 2, respectively, but I'm not sure I'm willing to go that far based just on my own power rankings.

While the Super Bowl is really the only NFC-AFC game that really matters in the end, we'll get a good taste of who's better Thanksgiving night when the Ravens and 49ers clash.

Right now, I'm picking the AFC as the better conference—but only by a hair. The two conferences are as balanced as they've been in a long time.

Week 12 Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers (10-0)	17. Philadelphia Eagles (4-6)
2. San Francisco 49ers (9-1)	18. New York Jets (5-5)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3)	19. Buffalo Bills (5-5)
4. New Orleans Saints (7-3)	20. San Diego Chargers (4-6)
5. Chicago Bears (7-3)	21. Seattle Seahawks (4-6)
6. Houston Texans (7-3)	22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)
7. Baltimore Ravens (7-3)	23. Kansas City Chiefs (4-5)*
8. New England Patriots (6-3)*	24. Cleveland Browns (4-6)
9. Detroit Lions (7-3)	25. Miami Dolphins (3-7)
10. Atlanta Falcons (6-4)	26. Washington Redskins (3-7)
11. Dallas Cowboys (6-4)	27. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7)
12. New York Giants (6-4)	28. Arizona Cardinals (3-7)
13. Oakland Raiders (6-4)	29. Carolina Panthers (2-8)
14. Cincinnati Bengals (6-4)	30. Minnesota Vikings (2-8)
15. Denver Broncos (5-5)	31. St. Louis Rams (2-8)
16. Tennessee Titans (5-5)	32. Indianapolis Colts (0-10)