NFL Midseason Power Rankings: How an NFC Team Snagged the Top Spot This Week

As we approach the second half of the season, it is evident that the AFC clearly has more talented teams than the NFC. In the AFC, there are seven teams that I would say are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Of those teams, two lost and another went into overtime against the Lions.

Nothing is certain in football and both conferences have been blown wide open, for completely different reasons. The NFC could produce a playoff team that is 7-9 and the AFC could produce an 11-5 team that misses the playoffs. The second half of the season is going to grow increasingly interesting, as a lot of teams are still involved. For now, let's take a look at who the best teams are in NFL at the mid way point.

1) New York Giants- The Giants are tied for the best record in football, the number one defense in football, and a top five offense. After winning five in a row, they are likely to tack on another one against the Cowboys at home.

2) Baltimore Ravens- The Ravens embarrassed a good Miami Dolphins team. They will face a big test on Thursday when they take on Atlanta, but a victory would do wonders for their confidence moving forward.

3) Pittsburgh Steelers- With Ben Roethlisberger back, it is scary to think what Mike Wallace is going to accomplish this year. If they can stay healthy, the Steelers will remain the most ferocious team in the league.

4) Atlanta Falcons- The Falcons are 2-2 against winning teams this year. They will need to come away with a win on Thursday to remain in the discussion as an elite team.

5) Green Bay Packers- Clay Matthews has the ability to completely take over games. Matthews on one side of the ball and Aaron Rodgers makes opponents uncomfortable for 60 minutes.

6) New York Jets- The Jets escaped with a victory against Detroit last Sunday. That being said, they still found a way to come away with a victory. Their last three games have been less than impressive and if they fail to take the Browns seriously, it could be an upset in the making.

7) Indianapolis Colts- Peyton Manning is losing weapons every single week. He can get it done with limited resources, but at this rate he won't have any weapons left come playoff time.

8) Tennessee Titans- Randy Moss is going to stretch the field and take a man out of the box. While Chris Johnson isn't going to get to 2,500 yards, he certainly will reap the benefits of having one of the best receivers in the game drawing the defenses' attention.

9) New England Patriots- Is it unfair to rank the Patriots all the way at number nine? If the Patriots can't handle the Browns and Peyton Hillis, they are going to struggle mightily when they travel to Pittsburgh this week.

10) New Orleans Saints- The Saints ran away with a victory against Pittsburgh after looking lack luster in their 13 point loss to the Browns. The Saints can compete with anyone when they are at their best- hence the ring- but they are missing their running back tandem.

11) Philadelphia Eagles- A win against the Colts proved they can win against one of the best the AFC has to offer. We will see how they rank in their division after their upcoming matchups against the Redskins and Giants.

12) Oakland Raiders- It seems almost unbelievable that the Raiders are in the top half of the NFL, but with a healthy Darren McFadden they are one of the hottest team in the league. They will put their three game win streak on the line in their next matchup against the Steelers. Good time for a bye week.

13) Kansas City Chiefs- The Chiefs blew the door wide open in the division when they lost to the Raiders in overtime. They have a fairly easy schedule in front of them and still hold the league's best ground attack.

14) Tampa Bay Buccaneers- The Bucs are the self proclaimed best team in the NFC. They kept it close, only losing by six to a team that actually can argue that they are the best team in the NFC. At third place in the division, they can't afford to lose against Carolina or the 49ers in the upcoming weeks.

15) Houston Texans- The Texans have dropped two straight. Arian Foster is running through virtually every team he faces. Houston will need to put together a collective team effort, though they cannot hang their head after the San Diego loss.

16) Washington Redskins- Mike Shannahan says Donovan McNabb hamstrings are better. Hopefully the tension on their relationship has also been lifted, as a head coach quarterback rift is not something the Redskins can overcome.

17) Chicago Bears- The Bears started off the season red hot, but have since been exposed. They came away with a narrow victory against the winless Buffalo Bills last week. They face a flawed Minnesota Vikings team next week and could capture another one.

18) St. Louis Rams- The Rams scored when they took Sam Bradford first overall. Bradford has taken it upon himself to change the culture in St. Louis. Finally Steven Jackson has help on offense and the Rams are in first place of the NFC West. A win against the Niners would do wonders for St. Louis.

19) Miami Dolphins- The Dolphins look like a real offense. With the emergence of Brandon Marshall, they are no longer relying on the run game to win. A few new faces on defense gives the Dolphins new life. They may have come up short against Baltimore, but taking down the Ravens on the road is a tall task.

20) Jacksonville Jaguars- The Jaguars are 4-4, but their inconsistency leaves something to be desired. David Garrard has the fourth best QB rating in the league. His emergence makes the Jaguars less one dimensional, which will in turn result in more wins.

21) San Diego Chargers- The Chargers were tough to keep this low. They have an elite defense and phenomenal passing attack. A few injuries to key targets have led to unexpected heroes. That being said, the Chargers have had problems winning games. Until they shore up their special teams and red zone defense, I can't put them any higher on this list.

22) Cleveland Browns- Cleveland actually looks impressive. Everyone thought it was a fluke when they took down the Saints, but a victory against the Patriots last weeks has let the NFL know that the Browns are competitive. They finally have confidence in Cleveland and Colt McCoy looks like he has the tools to become one of the best game managers in the league some day.

23) Detroit Lions- The Lions have caught a lot of tough breaks this year. Matthew Stafford's injury last week isn't going to help their cause, but they still have a lot to be excited about in Detroit. Jahvid Best might see his role increased in the upcoming weeks.

24) Minnesota Vikings- So Brett Favre had one more trick in the bag after all. Favre and the Vikings are falling apart. They are an aging team that is riddled with talent, but that talent is not being utilized by coach Brad Childress. The locker room is divided and if the Cardinals didn't put their best effort into blowing a huge lead at the end of the 4th quarter, Favre might not get the go ahead this week.

25) Seattle Seahawks- Seattle lost a lot of credibility when they were completely demolished against the Giants last week. While the Giants are a juggernaut team in the NFL, the Seahawks failed to get anything going. Charlie Whitehurst did his best to fill in for Matt Hasselbeck, but his best proved to be terrible on Sunday. Despite being tied for first in the NFC West, they are a sinking ship.

26) Denver Broncos- The Broncos have lost four in a row. They needed the bye week to regather themselves. Their passing attack is lethal, but it isn't equating to wins. A loss against the Chiefs next week would make Josh McDaniel's hot seat a little more toasty.

27) Arizona Cardinals- The Cardinals have one of the worst quarterback situations in the NFL. To make matters worse, they have struggled running the ball. Their defense is suspect. The Cardinals do play a Seahawks team that is in shambles, which could work in their favor despite throwing away a sure victory late last week.

28) San Francisco 49ers- The 49ers have won two of their last three games. While they haven't beaten anyone of significance just yet, the 49ers appear to be on the right track after their big win in London. It will be interesting to see if they can continue their recent success with Troy Smith under center.

29) Cincinnati Bengals- Terrell Owens looked fantastic against the Steelers. It is the second time this season that he has posted a huge game that resulted in a loss. Carson Palmer needs to stop throwing balls into double coverage at inopportune times, if he wants to give his team a shot at victory.

30) Carolina Panthers- The Panthers are one of those teams that allowed a lot of talent to leave without finding a replacement for it in the off season. The Panthers allowed their pride to get in the way and allowed Julius Peppers to get away. Apparently Jake Delhomme wasn't the problem in Carolina.

31) Buffalo Bills- The Bills may be winless, but they are flirting with victory each and every week. It might seem premature to have them leap frog the Cowboys, but the Bills are playing far better football than the boys in Dallas.

32) Dallas Cowboys- The Cowboys might have fired their head coach, but they didn't solve the problem. They brought in a coordinator who is lacking credibility in the locker room and production on the field. Good luck Dallas. Maybe you should order the new NFL motivational head coach tapes that recently went on sale. You clearly didn't care to try against Green Bay. A trip to New York to take on the Giants is not what the Cowboys need.