NFL Power Rankings Week 10: Are Giants NFC's Only Hope against AFC Dominance?

NFL Week 10 Power Rankings.

Week 9 is officially over as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.  With a veteran group of players with plenty of talent and experience, they continue to fall short, the Bengals are clearly a team that's desperately trying to figure out how to win. 

Meanwhile, the Steelers have shown an ideal balance of timely offense and superb defense all season long. 

Are the Steelers good enough to be the top team in this power ranking?  And are the Bengals one of the worst in the NFL? 

With so many solid teams coming out of the AFC this season, does that leave Eli Manning and streaking New York Giants as the only hope for the NFC?  Let's find out.

32-23: The Bottom Ten

32. Buffalo Bills (0-8): The streak continues for the winless Bills, making it eight straight losses to start the season.   For the first time in five games Steve Johnson failed to score a TD. (Last Week: 32)

31. Carolina Panthers (1-7): Three different players played quarterback for the Panthers on Sunday and they combined for 68 passing yards, no wonder they only scored three points—embarrassing. (Last Week: 31)

30. Dallas Cowboys (1-7): Goodbye Wade, it was nice knowing you—you didn’t really think you’d still keep your job after that 48-7 loss against Green Bay, did you? Greetings Jason Garrett, you’ve got eight games to pine for a job next season, otherwise you’re getting the axe too. (Last Week: 30)

29. San Francisco 49ers (2-6): Is it time to roll out Troy Smith again?  He’s a perfect 1-0 as quarterback for the Niners.   (Last Week: 29)

28. Denver Broncos (2-6): Josh McDaniels, the clock is ticking—you need to figure out a way for this team to start scoring in the red zone and get your ground game going.  (Last Week: 28)

27. Detroit Lions (2-6): Stafford is back, no wait he’s out again.  Don’t worry, if Ndamukong Suh can play the role of kicker, maybe he can throw the football too. (Last Week: 27)

26. Cincinnati Bengals (2-6): Eenie, meenie, miney, moe.  Who do we blame for such a poor record, Benson, Palmer, TO or Ochocinco? (Last Week: 25)

25. Arizona Cardinals (3-5): Too bad the Cards couldn’t hold on against Favre and co., props go to the defense this week, since the Arizona offense was disappointing as usual. (Last Week: 23)

24. Minnesota Vikings (3-5): There is still some Favre comeback magic left in that 41-year-old arm, but against the Cardinals, really? (Last Week: 26)

23. Seattle Seahawks (4-4): As bad as they have looked in their last two games, the Seahawks are still tied for the NFC West lead.  That’s just how bad the NFC West is. (Last Week: 21)

22. Cleveland Browns (3-5)

Holy cow, they did again.  Peyton Hillis continues to prove that he’s a stud with 184 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. 

But that Chansi Stuckey touchdown play must have embarrassing for Bill Belichick and the Patriots. (Last Week: 24)

21. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4)

After that Week 9 standout performance from David Garrard, that’s all Jags fans can think about.  But here's something to look forward to.

They'll be facing the defensively handicapped secondary of the Houston Texans this weekend.  Which means there may be another encore performance from Garrard. (Last Week: 20)

20. San Diego Chargers (4-5)

Rivers was letting it go this weekend and he got results with four touchdown passes.  Considering his entire receiving corps has been sidelined by injuries, including Antonio Gates, Rivers gave a remarkable performance. 

His main targets this week were Randy McMichael and Seyi Ajirotutu. (Last Week: 22)

19. St. Louis Rams (4-4)

The Seahawks have not looked good of late; the Cardinals continue to have offensive problems. 

As it stands right now, the NFC West is there for the taking.  St. Louis has the advantage, they have a workhorse running back in Steven Jackson and a stud quarterback in Sam Bradford. (Last Week: 19)

18. Washington Redskins (4-4)

Amid some quarterback controversy in Week 9, the week off hopefully helped the squad figure out their issues. 

Otherwise, get ready to see more sideline drama.  The next question here is, how will Donovan McNabb respond?

(Last Week: 16)

17. Miami Dolphins (4-4)

Their passing game is hurting. Chade Henne has one touchdown pass and five interceptions in his last three games. 

Brandon Marshall, where are you?  If you couldn’t tell already, that’s not a recipe for success.  (Last Week: 13)

16. Chicago Bears (5-3)

Hey, look at that!  This past Sunday, Jay Cutler threw for two touchdowns and only got sacked once. 

But wait, don’t get too excited, he played against the hapless Bills and only won by three points. (Last Week: 18)

15. Oakland Raiders (5-4)

The Raiders are over .500 in November.  What?! 

That’s a feat they haven’t accomplished since they went on their run to the Super Bowl in 2002.  And the Raiders fans are back with the team selling out a home game. 

I know, I still don’t believe it.  (Last Week: 17)

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-3)

The young Bucs fall to the Falcons in a close fourth quarter thriller. These kids need to learn to beat the big boys sooner or later for the rest of the league to take them seriously. 

Maybe another year or so maturity will help.  (Last Week: 15)

13. Houston Texans (4-4)

Heartbreaking turnover near the end of the game by having an interception bounce off Andre Johnson’s knee. 

The Texans need to step it up with both the Colts and the Titans in their division.  And they need to figure out how to defend the pass sometime this season. (Last Week: 12)

12. Kansas City Chiefs (5-3)

The Chiefs lose a big game against arch-rival Oakland Raiders.  

Their running tandem of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones aren’t the problem, it’s their inconsistent passing game that’s hurting the team.  It's Matt Cassel's time to pick up the slack.  (Last Week: 9)

11. Tennessee Titans (5-3)

In case you missed it, Randy Moss is now a Titan.  That’s right, in comes a big play threat for this team. 

It’s time for Vince Young to get used to throwing the long ball.  This also means Chris Johnson will get more opportunities to run free. (Last Week: 11)

10. Green Bay Packers (6-3)

Lots of credit goes to the Pack for taking advantage of a weak Dallas football team.  They scored at will with a group of guys that didn’t weren’t starters to begin the season. 

They scored a whopping 28 points in the second quarter on their way to a 45-7 domination of the ‘Boys.  (Last Week: 14)

9. Indianapolis Colts (5-3)

Manning gets Austin Collie back early but then loses him right away to a concussion.  The Eagles defense forced Manning to make mistakes on Sunday, making him look like a mere mortal, throwing for two interceptions and only one touchdown pass.  

That doesn’t happen very often. (Last Week: 7)

8. Philadelphia Eagles (5-3)

Vick is healthy, DeSean Jackson is healthy.  And both breakout players were back to their old ways as Jackson had 109 receiving yards and a touchdown. 

The excitement is back in Philly as they defeated the Colts! (Last Week: 10)

7. New Orleans Saints (6-3)

The held the Steelers to 10 points in Week 9 and limited the Panthers to three points on Sunday.  Yes, the Panthers are horrible but 13 points allowed in two games is still very impressive.

The defense is stepping up and the Brees-led offense is starting to roll.  Now, about that running game…  (Last Week: 8)

6. Atlanta Falcons (6-2)

This team reminded the Bucs that the NFC South still goes through Atlanta on Sunday.  This veteran group stayed strong as the young Bucs made costly mistakes that could have won them the game. 

But experience won in this matchup and the Falcons prove why they’re still one of the best NFC teams in the league.  (Last Week: 4)

5. New York Giants (6-2)

Eli is making it look easy.  With plenty of weapons on offense, they’re clicking on all cylinders.   

Their defense?  They are just as good and among the league’s best in defending the pass and the run. (Last Week: 5)

4. New York Jets (6-2)

The Jets have not looked good at all in the last two weeks. 

They had a great fourth quarter comeback but almost lost to the Lions!  Even after a win, they deserve to get dropped in the rankings.   (Last Week: 2)

3. Baltimore Ravens (6-2)

Ray Rice was this week’s leading rusher and receiver.  While their defense locked down the Dolphins and came away with three interceptions. 

That strong showing keeps them perfect at home and was another reminder why they should be considered one of the best teams in the NFL. (Last Week: 6)

2. New England Patriots (6-2)

They had no answer for Peyton Hillis on Sunday.  The Browns even pulled a fast one on the Pats defense by keeping their offensive line standing around as Chansi Stuckey ran for a touchdown. 

Vets Wes Welker and Deion Branch need to step up soon because they haven’t been productive in weeks.   (Last Week: 1)

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2):

The Steelers bounce back from their loss against the Saints with a win against the struggling Bengals.  Rashard Mendenhall was a factor again this week, rushing for nearly 100 yards and a score. 

Pittsburgh’s D allowed two fourth quarter touchdowns this week but still managed to come away victorious. (Last Week: 3)