NFL Power Rankings: 10 Teams That Could Rise the Most After Week 10 Games
NFL Power Rankings: It's that time of week to rank all 32 NFL teams, and my rankings have an NFC team at the top for the first time all season.
The New York Giants sit at No. 1 on the list just ahead of some AFC powerhouses, but there are plenty of big games this week that could cause some position changes among the best teams in all of football.
We won't see some hot teams--the Raiders, Saints, Packers and Chargers--during Week 10, so that could provide an opportunity for other squads to take advantage.
As always, I'm expecting some big shakeups in the power rankings this week, from the NFL cellar dwellers to the teams that appear to be on their way to the playoffs.
But what teams could make the biggest jump up the rankings in Week 10?
Let's find out.
Note: Teams not on this list are either too highly-ranked to make a big jump in my rankings or won't move up much even with a win because it's expected.
10. Cincinnati Bengals
1 of 10
The Cincinnati Bengals aren't going to the playoffs--I'll officially buy everyone who's reading this a steak dinner if that happens.
But even though they're in the midst of a five-game losing streak, the Bengals have shown that they'll hang tough no matter who they're playing against.
They've lost those five games by just 27 total points, and you could argue that if a couple of plays had fallen their way--like that Michael Spurlock catch against Tampa Bay--they'd be right at .500.
Well, the Bengals are playing for nothing more than pride and the opportunity to play spoiler at this point.
They've got a chance to do that against the Indianapolis Colts this week, who are terrible against the run, giving up 140 yards per game.
So I'm expecting Cincinnati to rely on Cedric Benson early to open up the offense for Carson Palmer and Terrell Owens.
A win here for the Bengals would be a confidence booster for a team that could really use one.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars
2 of 10
I still can't get over David Garrard's performance against the Dallas Cowboys a couple of weeks ago.
I mean, are we really sure that was Garrard behind center? The guy went off that game.
And he'll need that kind of performance when the Jacksonville Jaguars host the Houston Texans this week in a huge AFC South showdown.
The Texans' defense has been atrocious against the pass all season, giving up a league-worst 298.2 yards through the air and 28.2 points per game.
So if Jacksonville's going to beat Houston, they'll need to do it through the air with Garrard, Mike Sims-Walker and Marcedes Lewis.
Both of these teams sit at 4-4 on the season, and neither squad can afford to fall below .500 in a division with the Colts and Tennessee Titans.
8. San Francisco 49ers
3 of 10
Lo and behold, the San Francisco 49ers are alive after all!
Despite a blowup between Mike Singletary and Alex Smith earlier in the year, they've actually won two of three games and rebounded from that miserable 0-5 start.
Though nothing about the 49ers is overly impressive, it's possible the team could be re-energized now that Troy Smith is lining up behind center.
It's not like any team is running away with the NFC West anyway. Smith has an opportunity to lead the 49ers to a big win over division rival St. Louis this week.
The Rams sit at 4-4 and in first place in the division, so a win at home for San Francisco takes them one step closer to getting back in the divisional race.
After all, have you watched the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals play lately?
They're not scaring anyone.
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7. Houston Texans
4 of 10
What's wrong with the Houston Texans lately?
After a 3-1 start that made the Texans' bandwagon fill up mighty quickly, Houston has dropped three of four games and has allowed at least 29 points in every single one of them.
I'm not worried about their offense much. Whether it's Arian Foster or Andre Johnson, that unit always has the potential to explode.
But that Houston defense is, well, shaky to say the least. The Texans give up more passing yards and total yards than anyone in the league.
However, they've got the opportunity to turn that defense around in a big game against division rival Jacksonville this week.
Whoever loses this game just might be eliminated from playoff contention, so I'm expecting both teams to bring their best shot to this one.
6. Cleveland Browns
5 of 10
Who is that team wearing the brown and orange, and what have they done with the Cleveland Browns?
Seriously, props are in order for the guys on that team putting together consecutive double-digit wins against the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots.
Not even Miss Cleo saw that one coming.
Anyway, the Browns have their third straight important game this week against the New York Jets.
That's a pretty unfair stretch by the NFL's schedule maker if you ask me, but no upsets surprise me anymore.
Cleveland has already shown it can win big games, and the Jets very nearly lost to the Detroit Lions this week.
I'm not sure the Browns can pull another monster upset, but I'm certainly not counting them out after what they've shown recently.
And they'll shoot up my rankings if they can beat a Jets team that is more talented at virtually every position.
5. Minnesota Vikings
6 of 10
So I dropped Brett Favre in one of my fantasy football leagues last week, and what does he do?
Well, he goes off for 446 yards and two touchdowns of course, and it looks like he's got enough gas in the tank to keep the Minnesota Vikings alive in the NFC North.
But something about Minnesota still just isn't right. The Vikings give up more points (21 per game) than they score (19.5 per game), which is never good for a team whose goal is to make it to the Super Bowl.
They've also yet to win on the road (0-4).
That'll have to change this week when the Vikings travel to Chicago to take on the Bears in a huge divisional matchup.
I have my doubts that either one of these teams has the ability to catch the Green Bay Packers, but this game provides a big opportunity for both teams to take one step closer to the division lead.
4. Washington Redskins
7 of 10
I'm still not impressed by the Washington Redskins this season.
They're mediocre--or worse--in pretty much all facets of the game, ranking 19th in total offense and 31st in total defense through Week 9.
There's also that whole Mike Shanahan-Donovan McNabb situation that was basically a slap in the face to McNabb, not to mention a distraction for the entire organization.
And now, the Redskins face the Philadelphia Eagles in a pivotal NFC East game on Sunday.
Philadelphia ranks 12th in total defense and fourth in total offense. Michael Vick looks like he's already back to his pre-injury form, which doesn't bode well for Washington's struggling defense.
This will be a tough test for the Redskins as they look to gain ground on the Eagles and the Giants, who are clearly two of the best teams in the NFC.
3. New England Patriots
8 of 10
Wow, I'm still in shock over what happened to the New England Patriots last week.
Tom Brady barely completed 50 percent of his passes, and the team was outplayed from start to finish by the Browns on the way to having their five-game winning streak snapped.
I bet the Patriots are wishing they had an easy rebound game right about now, but that's not happening against the Pittsburgh Steelers this week.
New England will have to deal with Pittsburgh's No. 1 scoring and rushing defense, which is going to make it difficult for that Patriots' offense to get anything going.
And New England might not be as good as their 6-2 record indicates.
They rank just 20th in total offense and 29th in total defense, which isn't exactly the formula for success in the playoffs.
This game provides the perfect opportunity to prove that the Patriots can step up on both sides of the ball and hang with arguably the best team in the NFL.
2. Miami Dolphins
9 of 10
Miami, Miami, Miami, how about getting into the end zone every once in a while?
The Dolphins' offense has struggled to keep from stalling in recent weeks, scoring just three touchdowns while kicking 11 field goals in the team's past three games.
Seriously, Dan Carpenter deserves a raise because he might be the hardest worker in football.
Anyway, the Dolphins have to get that offense going against the Titans in Week 10.
Miami's once daunted running back duo of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown has struggled to do much of anything all season, and the Dolphins put up just 17.9 points per game.
That's not going to work this week against Tennessee's No. 1 scoring offense, which puts up 28 points per game and brings Randy Moss into the fold this week.
This is a make or break game for Miami, which can't afford another loss playing in such a good division.
1. Atlanta Falcons
10 of 10
Are the Atlanta Falcons the best team in the NFC? Well, not quite, but close.
They've won six of seven games after an opening week loss against the Steelers, and they've got their offense rolling with the triple-headed monster of Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and Roddy White.
Atlanta has the potential to be a top team in the NFL and a legit Super Bowl contender, but that defense has gotten torched for 250 passing yards per game.
That won't cut it when the Falcons play the Baltimore Ravens tomorrow in what is arguably the biggest game of the week.
The Ravens have the potential to win both on the ground and through the air, which could pose problems for Atlanta this week.
Atlanta's defense will have to step up big-time, or it could be a long Thursday night in the Peach State.
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