NFL Power Rankings Week 6: Who Are the Best Teams in the AFC?

Who are the best teams in the AFC after five weeks of the 2011 NFL season?

Some of the usual suspects headline the discussion, with a few surprising teams making their case for best in the conference.

Let's take a look.

New England Patriots

As expected, they have bounced back with two solid but not overly dominating performances against the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets after their loss to the Buffalo Bills. 

Honestly, it's been very ho-hum for the Patriots. 

Get a lead, and ride Tom Brady to final gun.

Wes Welker is on pace to shatter the numerous receiving records, and Brady is still playing at an MVP level. 

The defense is allowing what would be considered to be too many yards, however.

Then again—last time I checked, yards equals points. This defense makes the big plays when they need to. 

Baltimore Ravens

Ray Rice and company rested up during their Week 5 bye week and are still riding high after their Monday Night Football beatdown of the Jets. 

Who wants to face this defense?

We say it is "getting old" every year, and yet they remain one of the best units in the league. Joe Flacco needs to play better, but Ray Rice is one of the best multi-purpose backs in the league.

Is Ray Lewis getting better with age, or is it just me?

Buffalo Bills

Remember when you wrote off the Bills after their road loss to the Bengals?

They came into this game as underdogs against the 1-3 Eagles and dominated a good portion of all four quarters. 

They get it done with a balanced attack, but feature Fred Jackson, who is right up there with Rice when you talk about all-purpose backs. 

The defense is allowing big time yardage each game—so are the Patriots. 

But they lead the NFL in interceptions and are making teams pay for their turnovers. 

Week 6 Power Rankings

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

*Lions and Bears play on MNF

**Week 5 Bye Week