NFL Power Rankings Week 4: Is AFC or NFC League's Best Conference?

For years the NFC dominated the AFC in the Super Bowl, winning 13 consecutive championships.

However, in 1997 the AFC regained the dominance and won eight of the next 10.

As of 2007, though, it's gone back to the NFC, which has won three of the last four.

And after three weeks of play in the 2011 season, the ball appears to remain in the NFC's court.

Currently, the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions are the remaining undefeated teams in the NFC, while the Buffalo Bills are the lone undefeated franchise in the AFC.

Yes, it may only be a one-team difference, but the Lions were expected to be much improved from a more well-known perspective, whereas the Buffalo Bills have been rather surprising, to say the least.

In addition, the Packers won Super Bowl XLV in 2010 with 15 players on the IR, but are now much more healthy and playing like the favorites they are.

Flipping to the AFC and the other Super Bowl representative from last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers got off to a rough start, and despite winning two straight games, both wins came against two of the NFL's worst teams (Seattle and Indianapolis).

Now to empower the NFC even more, Indianapolis Colts' QB Peyton Manning is out, and his return this season is not expected.

Based on the Colts being 0-3, it's safe to say Manning was easily more important to them than any other one player is to his team.

And for the Tom Brady fans out there that disagree—lest we forget that when Brady went out for the year in 2008—backup QB Matt Cassel took the reins and got New England to an 11-5 record.

After this dismal start, Indy isn't going 11-5.

The tides are slowly but surely shifting in the AFC as well in terms of year-to-year contenders.

With the Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans on the rise, the NFC is remaining more stagnant with the Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints and New York Giants leading the way.

So, unless any of these new AFC contenders take down either of these three previous NFC Super Bowl champions, the NFC remains in the driver seat.

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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