Ranking the NFL's Best Divisions for Week 7

Even though it is only Week 7, the NFL is already separating the playoff contenders from the rest of the field.

Two AFC West teams (Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs) remain undefeated while three other teams (New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars) are still winless.

Last year's Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens are an impressively unimpressive 3-3, while the 4-2 Detroit Lions have already tied their win total from 2012.

So, with discrepancies from last season and within divisions (i.e. in the NFC South, New Orleans Saints are 5-1, but Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 0-5), how does one rank the overall "goodness" of each of the NFL's eight divisions?

The first, and perhaps simplest, way is by overall winning percentage.

If your division is winning more games, it is likely a safe assumption that the given division is better. This can pose a problem, however.

A division that has four .500 teams, therefore, will be statistically as good as the division with two undefeated teams and two winless teams.

For these cases we will implement the "who have they beaten/lost to" and "how have they won/lost" stipulations. The Atlanta Falcons, for example, are 1-4, but all their losses have been within one touchdown of their opponents.

Secondly, we can consider ESPN's team power rankings.

A division with two or more teams in the top half of the power rankings will be convincing evidence for the division's overall strength. This is a useful tool because it takes into account factors beyond record, notably the expert analysis of the voters, who are writers John Clayton, Ashley Fox, Dan Graziano, Jamison Hensley, Mike Sando and Kevin Seifert.

Thirdly, we can consider consistency. Divisions will be rewarded for more teams above .500 than if one team carries the majority of the wins.

Teams will be introduced with their record in parentheses "(#-#)" and their ESPN power ranking in brackets "[#]."

As always, a rankings list may invoke disagreement as they are largely subjective, but we will try our best to stick to the criteria above. Statistics are accurate as of October 19.

Here are the rankings, from worst to best, of the NFL's strongest divisions.

8. NFC East

Combined record: 7-16

Winning percentage: .304

Average power ranking: 22

Full of teams that woulda, coulda, shoulda, the NFC East comes in as our worst division.

Dallas Cowboys (3-3) [13] 

The Cowboys are supposed to figure it out every year, but just can't seem to do so. This year, quarterback Tony Romo has been good and bad, as usual. They move the ball well in the air, but also let opposing offenses do the same.

They played both the undefeated teams tough, however, losing to the Chiefs in Week 2 by one point and to the Broncos in Week 5 by a field goal.

Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) [17]

The Eagles are the NFL's top rushing team, but they cannot seem to stop anything in the air on defense. They are coming off two easy wins against the Giants and Buccaneers and play the Cowboys this week for first place in the division.

Washington Redskins (1-4) [28]

The Redskins looked like a solid team at the start of the season, eliciting No. 10 honors on ESPN's team rankings in Week 1. I'll admit I was right there with them drinking the Kool-Aid, but so far in 2013, their defense has been too weak for even RGIII to overcome.

Even with the offense putting up some pretty good numbers, they are not scoring enough touchdowns to compensate.

New York Giants (0-6) [31]

I have nothing really to say about the Giants. With absolutely no ground game and Eli Manning throwing an interception about once every 15 pass attempts, their 0-6 record doesn't look like it's going to improve anytime soon.

7. AFC South

Combined record: 9-15

Winning percentage: .375

Average power ranking: 19

Coming in at seventh place is the AFC South, home for four of the league's seemingly best running backs. Although their average power ranking lands just above that of the sixth place NFC South, their winning percentage falls just below.

Indianapolis Colts (4-2) [6]

The first place Colts are indeed leading their division and look to repeat as division champs, but they have not been stellar by any means. They were seventh in yards per game in the air last year, but have fallen to 23rd this year.

The acquisition of Trent Richardson was not what the Colts hoped for and the offensive line continues to struggle to protect 

Tennessee Titans (3-3) [16]

The Titans are sort of "bleh" this year. Sorry for the colloquialisms, but it's just the perfect expression for their season so far.

Frankly, they have lost to teams they should have lost to and beat teams they should have beaten (perhaps with the exception of Week 2's overtime loss against the Texans, which could be considered a toss-up).

The passing game (29th in the league) has been a struggle and Chris Johnson has been a less-than-elite back this year, failing to score a touchdown on the ground so far.

Last year's starting quarterback, Jake Locker, is on the mend, and their defense looks just okay.

Houston Texans (2-4) [22]

Everyone and their brother thought the Texans would be contending for a deep push in the playoffs this year. Their ESPN power ranking heading into Week 1 was No. 7.

However, after two wins to start the season, Houston has dropped four in a row.

Despite giving up the fewest yards per game, the Texans' defense has managed to give up the fifth-most points. In addition, despite accumulating the league's seventh-most yards per game, the Texans only score 17.7 points per game (25th).

With the recent injury to Matt Schaub and a defense that is susceptible to the ground game, prospects don't look good.

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-6) [32]

What can we really say about the Jaguars? We can say that teams should be happy to see them on their schedule.

6. NFC South

Combined record: 8-13

Winning percentage: .381

Average power ranking: 20

Coming in at sixth is the dichotomous NFC South.

One could make the argument that they are worse than the AFC South, but I wouldn't sleep on either the Panthers or Falcons to start stringing some wins together (i.e. they are better than their records show).

New Orleans Saints (5-1) [3]

The Saints are the one team from this division that have come out strong. With Sean Payton back as head coach and play caller after his suspension from the 2012 season, quarterback Drew Brees and the rest of the team are back to Super Bowl-quality play.

The Payton-Brees partnership is well-established and, according to a poll by SportsNation, is considered by fans to be a better coach-QB combination than the New England Patriots' Belichick-Brady duo.

Carolina Panthers (2-3) [24]

The Panthers defense has been pretty darn good this year against both the run (fourth) and pass (seventh).

On offense, they are seventh in rushing yards but an abysmal 27th in passing yards. Their two victories have been against the Giants (0-6) and Vikings (1-4), so they have not shown the ability to beat a worthy opponent yet.

They will get another opportunity Sunday against the 3-3 Rams.

Atlanta Falcons (1-4) [23]

The Falcons have lost some close games this year. Six points to the Saints, four points to the Dolphins, seven points to the Patriots and two points to the Jets.

Still, they are 1-4 and need to find a way to run the ball with more efficiency and stop opposing offenses in the air.

Matt Ryan is doing about as much as he can, accumulating the league's second-most passing yards per game (313) and the league's sixth-best passer rating (100.9).

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-5) [30]

The Buccaneers have about as little hope as any 0-5 team could possibly have. I still think releasing former-starting quarterback (and first-round pick) Josh Freeman in favor of the unproven rookie Mike Glennon was a bad move.

5. AFC North

Combined record: 11-12

Winning percentage: .478

Average power ranking: 16

With a close-to-.500 winning percentage and average power ranking that is...well, average, the AFC North deserves to be right smack in the middle of the division rankings.

Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) [8]

The Bengals defense has been rather stifling to opposing teams and Andy Dalton has hit A.J. Green enough times to make a difference.

The way the defending Super Bowl Champion Ravens are playing right now, Cincinnati looks like they could win the division this year.

Baltimore Ravens (3-3) [12]

Despite a championship run last season, the Ravens have come out terribly average. Ray Rice seems to still be suffering from his hip flexor injury because his numbers are very poor.

They can at least take away that two of their three losses have been within a field goal and the other was against the Broncos, arguably the best team in the league right now.

Cleveland Browns (3-3) [18]

Despite an 0-2 start, a quarterback change and trading away their first-round pick (running back Trent Richardson), the Browns have managed to improve over the last four games, even beating a tough Bengals team in Week 4 by holding them to just six points.

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-4) [27]

In the above video from August 26, former Steeler Jerome Bettis said "Give them three or four weeks, they'll be good to go." Well, he was partially right, just off on the timing.

The Steelers looked bad in the preseason and early in the regular season, dropping their first four games. They've since rebounded with a win against the Jets.

They play the Ravens in Week 7 and we'll see if they can really turn it around.

4. AFC East

Combined record: 13-10

Winning percentage: .565

Average power ranking: 16

Despite tying for average power ranking, the AFC East beats out the AFC North because their overall winning percentage is .087 points higher, the difference between a losing record and a winning record.

New England Patriots (5-1) [5]

Tom Brady is doing just fine without Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Wes Welker. Quietly, however, they are doing some good things on the ground as well, rushing for 120.5 yards per game, the league's 11th-best.

Barring any hiccups or any big injuries, expect the Patriots to waltz into the playoffs as the AFC East Champs for the fifth year in a row.

Miami Dolphins (3-2) [14]

The Dolphins' porous offensive line is reflected in quarterback Ryan Tannehill being sacked 24 times this year and the anemic running game.

After starting the season 3-0, they have since dropped two straight. Their 14 power ranking, however, leads one to believe they are better than at least half the teams in the league.

New York Jets (3-3) [20]

You cannot run on the Jets. They have given up just 77.5 yards per game on the ground (2nd best in NFL).

The replacement (due to injury) of last year's starting quarterback Mark Sanchez with rookie Geno Smith has been a good move for the offense, though not a panacea.

Smith suffers from inconsistencies like Sanchez did, but he can get the benefit of the doubt as a rookie. How inconsistent are these inconsistencies? He has a passer rating of 147.7 and 27.6 in two different games.

Buffalo Bills (2-4) [25]

It doesn't really matter who they have at quarterback if the running back duo of C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson is healthy. They have made the Bills the third-best team on the ground this year, combining to rush for 148.8 yards per game.

Unfortunately, opponents have just as much of a field day on the ground. The Bills' defense has given up the fourth-most rushing yards per game (124.2).

3. NFC North

Combined record: 12-10

Winning percentage: .545

Average power ranking: 15

Three teams above .500 and three teams in the top 15 of ESPN's power rankings, the NFC North find themselves third on our list.

Detroit Lions (4-2) [11]

Matthew Stafford and Megatron (Calvin Johnson) have given the Lions the sixth-most passing yards in the NFL. Although they give up a lot of yards on the ground and the air (fourth-most and 12th-most, respectively), they are tied at fifth for most takeaways on defense (13).

Chicago Bears (4-2) [10]

Even thought the Lions beat the Bears in Week 4, ESPN still ranked the Bears one slot higher in the power rankings.

The Bears sport the third-most takeaways on defense but give up 26.8 points per game (26th in the league).

Green Bay Packers (3-2) [9]

According the the numbers, the Packers have one glaring problem: the secondary. Defensively they give up the third-fewest yards per game on the ground (78.2), but give up the fifth-most in the air (293.6).

Offensively, they are throwing for the fourth-most yards per game (309.4) thanks to quarterback Aaron Rogers and key receivers Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson.

Also, they are rushing for the fifth-most yards per game (140.8) thanks to their solid offensive line and running backs Eddie Lacy and James Starks.

They are ten points from being undefeated. They lost to San Francisco by six in Week 1 and by four to Cincinnati in Week 3.

Minnesota Vikings (1-4) [29]

Without Adrian Peterson able to be Adrian Peterson, the Vikings are in trouble. Simple as that.

2. NFC West

Combined record: 16-10

Winning percentage: .615

Average power ranking: 13

With two of last year's best NFC teams and a last place team whose record is just one game under .500, the NFC West comes in at second.

Seattle Seahawks (6-1) [4]

The Seahawks surprised last year, but are showing that it wasn't a fluke. Behind quarterback Russell Wilson and running back Marshawn Lynch, the offense is scoring a sixth-best 27.3 points per game.

Their defense is what really gets to teams, however.

They give up the third-fewest passing yards per game (190.6) and fifth-fewest rushing yards per game (91.6). They lead the league in tackles, forced fumbles and fumbles recovered.

San Francisco 49ers (4-2) [7]

Last year's NFC Champions are not necessarily playing immaculately, but they are hanging in there. Colin Kaepernick might have to take the brunt of the blame on this one.

The 49ers are 31st in passing yards per game (191).

St. Louis Rams (3-3) [19]

Sam Bradford and the Rams have had their ups and downs on offense this season. The running game, however, has been down all year.

They can't rush and they can't stop the rush on defense.

Arizona Cardinals (3-4) [21]

All things considered, the Cardinals have had a pretty tough schedule in their first seven games (they played Thursday against the Seahawks).

With the exception of Tampa Bay (0-5) in Week 4 and Carolina (2-3) in Week 5, Arizona has only played teams at .500 or better.

They are stopping the run on defense, but cannot get anything going on their side, sitting 26th in the league in yards per game on the ground.

Not including Week 1 against the Rams, quarterback Carson Palmer has not had a passer rating above 80. With 13 interceptions thrown, he is behind only Eli Manning for most picks in the league.

1. AFC West

Combined record: 17-7

Winning percentage: .708

Average power ranking: 11

Coming in with the league's best winning percentage and average power ranking, not to mention bragging the two teams who are still undefeated, there should be no surprise that the AFC West are ranked as our best division.

Denver Broncos (6-0) [1]

Right now, it doesn't look like any defenses can stop Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense. Manning is well on his way toward breaking Tom Brady's single-season touchdown record of 50. Six games into the season he already has 22, which means he has two more games to get three more touchdowns in order to stay on pace. 

If I'm being picky, their defense could use a little balancing out. Giving up the fewest yards per game against the rush is great, but Denver is also giving up the most yards per game in the air. But I guess it's not really a concern though when your  team is scoring 44 points per game, 14 more than the nearest team.

Kansas City Chiefs (6-0) [2]

The Chiefs do not play a team with a winning record until the Broncos in Week 11. With that in mind, Kansas City and Denver may very well meet as two 9-0 teams, a game that could decide who takes the division.

On defense they give up the second-fewest yards per game in the air and give up the fewest points per game (10.8). Quarterback Alex Smith has been good enough and Jamaal Charles has been doing well, becoming one of three running backs with 100+ carries and at least five touchdowns.

One might call the Chiefs the most efficient team in the league. They accumulate only 326.3 yards per game (25th), but manage to score 25.3 points per game (9th).

San Diego Chargers (3-3) [15]

Riding on the back of their quarterback Phillip Rivers—and why wouldn't they—the Chargers are .500 heading into Week 7. Their three losses were all very winnable games.

They average 24 points per game on offense, but give up 23 points per game on defense, around what you would expect from a .500 team.

Oakland Raiders (2-4) [26]

Heading into Week 1, ESPN ranked the Raiders 31st, ahead of only the Jets and below all of the currently winless teams.

They didn't know what was going to happen at quarterback (and arguably still don't). They have shown the league that they are not completely inept.

Their defense has been solid and they are rushing for the 9th-best yards per game (129.2). Don't look for them to do much better than dead-last in the division, but they sure as hell won't be dead-last in the league.