NFL Power Rankings: Which 2010 Disasters Are 2011 Contenders?

Turnarounds in the NFL, although not completely rare, are still an intriguing area that is only solved through human reaction.

One year you're awful, but for some reason, with little to no change you become a contender.

There's clearly something going on inside the brain cells that could surely gives us a reason as to how that happens, but it also does help to have some amount of experience.

That being said, the obvious 2010 disasters but now 2011 contenders are the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans.

So to keep everything fresh, here are other two teams that were disastrous last season but are rising fast in 2011.

Dallas Cowboys

Halfway through the 2010 season the Dallas Cowboys were 1-7 and having arguably the worst season in franchise history.

Then owner Jerry Jones fired head coach Wade Phillips, and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett took over.

Needless to say, the 'Boys finished 5-3, and all three losses only came by a combined seven points.

Garrett was eventually named the official head coach, and now Dallas is 2-1.

Perhaps the more impressive thing about this 2011 Cowboys team is their ability to overcome adversity.

Week 1 was a gut-wrenching loss on the road to the Jets, but getting the comeback victory over the 49ers in San Francisco a week later was the deal-breaker.

Only problem was they had some significant injuries, but confidence is everything.

Then came the surprising 2-0 Washington Redskins for the Cowboys' home-opener, and despite some very ugly miscues and misfortune, Dallas prevailed on six field goals, and the defense really got to another level.

Week 4 is another big test in the visiting Detroit Lions, so it will be interesting to see if Big D can keep their momentum rolling.

As for now. though, regardless of what happens this week, the Cowboys are certainly getting back on track.

Oakland Raiders

Even though the Oakland Raiders finished the 2010 season with a record of 8-8, it was a disastrous season.

They went 6-0 in the AFC West, arguably the worst division in football, but much of that could be due to their poor outer division play.

The 2010 Raiders were 2-8 against non-AFC opponents, and the two wins came against Seattle and St. Louis at home, which means they were 0-5 outside the AFC West on the road.

Through three weeks this year, however, Oakland is 2-1 and has provided QB Jason Campbell with the best rushing attack in the NFL. Although their one loss was on the road to Buffalo, they came within one fourth-down stop in that game from being 3-0.

Hence, it's already looking much, much more promising than 2010. With the New England Patriots coming in town this week, the Raiders are licking their chops because Bill Belichick's defense is one of the worst in the league.

In addition, the AFC West looks bleak once again, except for Oakland as they've made more strides than Denver, San Diego or Kansas City from last season to this season.

It's for certain to be interesting watching the Silver and Black run all over everyone this year, but what's more concerning for other teams is that they're going under the radar.

Week 4 Power Rankings (LW = Last Week's Rank)

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

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