NFL Power Rankings: 5 Teams That Have the Best Chance to Win the NFC

Most football experts agree that the power of the NFL is slowly shifting from the AFC to the NFC. Many teams made major upgrades in this short offseason in the NFC.

And let's face it. Three of the last four Super Bowl champions have come from the NFC.

As we approach September 8th and the start of the new season, let's take a look at the top five teams with the best chance of making the Super Bowl this year.

5. Philadelphia Eagles

What? 

The Eagles at No. 5?

Really?

Yes. In order to win in the playoffs, teams need a great quarterback and even a better defense. The Eagles may be the most exciting team in the league, but they don't have an elite quarterback. Mike Vick still hasn't proven that he can win in the playoffs. Even in Atlanta, when he was in his prime, he struggled. 

More importantly, he's very injury prone and the style of his play can easily result in a season ending injury. Vick's playing style is very dangerous and he will easily get banged up. Odds are that Vick won't play all 16 games this season. 

Their defensive backs may be the best in the league, but how often have we seen a team make the Super Bowl solely because of their defensive backs? 

Never.

The Eagles defense is not as good as the 2002 Buccaneers defense or the 2000 Ravens defense to be able to win the Super Bowl without an elite quarterback. They'll rack up many wins in the regular season and perhaps win the NFC East. 

But when the opponents get tougher in the playoffs, it's tough to see a quarterback like Mike Vick defeating an Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, or Drew Brees. 

4. Dallas Cowboys

Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys are happy right now that nobody is talking about them in the media. They've been flying under the radar.

This year it seems like could be Dallas' year. They finally have a competent head coach in Jason Garrett. The team improved immensely on offense when he entered as head coach in the second half of last season.

They get Tony Romo back. As atrocious as Dallas was last season, Romo was pretty solid in the six games he played in. He had a 94.9 passer rating, 11 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and an unbelievable 69.5 percent completion percentage.

In other words, Romo has improved but he was on a team with poor chemistry and terrible coaching.

The drama has left Dallas. A high IQ coach is on the sidelines. Dez Bryant is healthy.

And the Dallas defensive line and their linebackers are far more superior than what the Eagles have. With Jay Ratliff anchoring the defensive line and Demarcus Ware blitzing quarterbacks, the Cowboys will be able to establish a pass rush that will help them, especially late in the season. 

Don't get too hyped up over Philadelphia. Dallas has a better quarterback and a defense that might be even better than Philadelphia's. 

3. Atlanta Falcons

Matt Ryan is slowly developing into one of the best quarterbacks in the game. Last year was his first season where he threw less than ten interceptions. He also threw 28 touchdowns. Ryan was also highly accurate with a 62.5 percent completion percentage. 

The Falcons are one of those teams that are heavily flying under the radar. They drafted Julio Jones this past spring and he will quickly become a big threat. Tony Gonzalez is never a slouch and Roddy White will once again be Ryan's prime target.

They still have Michael Turner in the backfield and he hopes for a bounce back season. 

On the defensive side, the Falcons are also extremely underrated. With Dunta Robinson at corner and John Abraham on the line, the Falcons are poised to have another great year on defense. Last season they allowed the fourth least points in the NFL. 

2. New Orleans Saints

After a disappointing playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks last year, Drew Brees and the Saints want vengeance. 

We all know that no matter who is at wide receiver, Drew Brees will make the Saints offense one of the most explosive offenses in the league. His accuracy is spectacular and his experience in big games will help him a lot.

The Saints defense looks like it will be superb again, too. Jonathan Vilma returns at linebacker, Tracy Porter is back at corner, and Will Smith will be on the defensive line again. 

But most importantly, it's Drew Brees. He's going to be the one that takes this team to promise land. The defense just needs to be solid and it can be. Brees' efficiency will determine how far the Saints march. 

1. Green Bay Packers

The gap between one and two in the NFC is pretty large. 

The Green Bay Packers bring back pretty much the same team as last year and they get back all the players that they had lost to injury throughout most of the season. The Packers get Ryan Grant back at running back, Jermichael Finley back at tight end, and plenty of defensive players that went missing last year because of injury. 

Oh yeah, they have this guy named Aaron Rodgers. He was able to win a Super Bowl last year without a running game. He's one year older and one year more experienced now. He has the media off his back because of his playoff success last year.

Everyone keeps talking about Philadelphia's defense but Green Bay's is easily the best in the conference.

This same defense helped the Packers to never trail by more than seven points last season. 

It all comes down to Aaron Rodgers though. This guy was remarkable during last year's postseason. It seemed like he would never miss. It shows a lot about his makeup and his ability during big games.