NFL Power Rankings: Breaking Down Sunday's Action Ahead of Week 11

It was close, but the New England Patriots pulled out the 27-26 victory over the New York Giants to remain perfect on the season. The Pats had to overcome a 23-17 deficit at the end of the third quarter, but Stephen Gostkowski's 54-yard field goal with one second remaining delivered the victory.

Some might take the Pats to task for this close shave, but every team will have its share of tight games. New England has still outscored opponents by 134 points this season en route to their 9-0 record. That's why they are still the No. 1 team in the NFL.

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

In Week 11, the Pats will host Rex Ryan's Buffalo Bills. The latter is coming off an emotional Thursday night win over the New York Jets. Back in Week 2, the Bills kept it close against the Pats, but fell 40-32 at home.

Because of how good the Pats are at home (20-1 since 2013), it'll be hard to bet against them. Bank on their run as the league's top team continuing for at least another week.

Cincinnati and Carolina

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The Cincinnati Bengals and Carolina Panthers have a case for the top spot. Both are still undefeated at this point as the Bengals head into a Monday night matchup with the Houston Texans. On Sunday, Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers powered past the Tennessee Titans 27-10.

Newton completed his first 11 passes and threw for 217 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score in the win. No one wants to give the Panthers much credit, but like DJ Khaled said: "All they do is win, win, win no matter what."

The Panthers will host Washington in Week 11, and the latter is coming off a humongous 47-14 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 10. The Panthers figure to provide a more stout defense for Kirk Cousins and Co. to score against.

With the way Newton and the Panthers have been playing, they have to be considered the pick in that game. All four of Washington's wins have come at home this season. Carolina doesn't figure to be the team to cough up Washington's first road victory.

The Bengals and Andy Dalton in prime time used to be a punchline, but the joke has been on everyone else this season. Dalton has established himself as a legitimate MVP candidate with a passer rating of 111.0 to go along with 18 touchdown passes and just four interceptions.

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The fact that he's doing this for an undefeated team only helps his cause.

On Monday, the Bengals should be golden as they face the Houston Texans in Cincy. Texans head coach Bill O'Brien is reportedly at odds with management, per Jason La Canfora CBS Sports, and the team has been disappointing this season at 3-5.

The dysfunctional group should be ripe for the picking Monday night as the Bengals equal the Pats and Panthers' undefeated records.

Team to Watch

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Keep an eye on the Chicago Bears. After starting the season 0-3, the Bears have won four of their last six games heading into a Week 11 showdown with the sliding Denver Broncos. 

The Broncos have lost two straight ahead of the matchup in Chicago. There could also be a quarterback controversy as Peyton Manning was benched in the team's 29-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Meanwhile, the Bears have looked solid for two straight weeks with wins over the San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams. Despite playing behind a beat-up offensive line, Jay Cutler is in the midst of what is arguably his best stint with the team.

Cutler has thrown 13 touchdown passes to just five interceptions and has a passer rating of 95.3. He's led the Bears to three late-game victories and has used his many weapons in the team's offense effectively.

If the 4-5 Bears can get to .500 heading into a Week 12 battle at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers, we may have an important matchup on our hands.