NFL Power Rankings Week 6: Oakland Raiders and the 3 Best 2-Loss Teams

Five weeks into the 2011 season, there are two undefeated teams and seven teams with just one loss. These are the NFL's elite teams.

But hey, there are some pretty good two-loss teams out there as well. Not all of them are going to be in the playoff picture for the entire season, but we can take it for granted that a couple of them will be.

Because I am not blessed with the power to know the future, I cannot tell you which two-loss teams will be in the thick of things when we get to crunch time. I can, however, give you my two cents about which of these teams are the best right now.

Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 12)

This time last week, rumors of Pittsburgh's demise were rampant. It seemed everyone had something to say about how old and how utterly ineffective the defending AFC champs had become.

Then they went out and dominated the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Ben Roethlisberger threw five touchdown passes, the defense held the Titans in check, and the Steelers just generally looked like the Steelers we've become accustomed to.

After a win like that, I guess you could draw one of two conclusions. The first is that the Titans were guilty of overachieving before they came to Pittsburgh, and the second is that the Steelers truly are back to being the Steelers.

Personally, I think the latter is the more likely explanation. They may be weak, but they're not dead yet.

Houston Texans (No. 11)

The team that beat the Steelers in Week 4 and thus caused all the rumors about their demise was the Houston Texans. The win made Houston 3-1 at the time, and it also made them look like the clear favorites in the AFC South.

Sadly, the Texans then suffered a loss at home to the Oakland Raiders. Just as the Steelers may still be the Steelers after all, it seems the Texans may still be the Texans. That is to say that they are solid, but well short of great.

This is possible, but I think you have to give the Texans the benefit of the doubt at the moment. They didn't have Andre Johnson against the Raiders, and they were forced to adapt to the sudden injury to Mario Williams. The word from the Associated Press is that Williams is going to be out for the season, but one presumes that Wade Phillips will think of ways to lessen the impact of his absence.

If he can do that, and the Texans can get Johnson back 100 percent healthy, they'll be okay.

Oakland Raiders (No. 9)

Speaking of the Raiders, here they are. They are by no means a perfect team, but I have them down as the best two-loss team in the NFL right now.

The one thing I like about the Raiders is the same thing everyone likes about them: the weapons they have on offense. Darren McFadden is as good as they come at running back, and it's looking right now like the Raiders may have actually been on to something when they drafted all their speedy wide receivers. The dudes can play.

Truth be told, the Raiders' difficulties with their secondary do worry me. They have a great defensive line, but it's clear now that it can only do so much to compensate for the problems in the secondary.

Nevertheless, I do think there is something to be said about the fact that the only teams to beat the Raiders this year were the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots.

Those teams have a combined record of 8-2. In the grand scheme of things, losing to them doesn't look so bad.

Also, Hue Jackson is the best head coach the Raiders have had since Jon Gruden. Hands down.

Zachary D. Rymer's Week 6 Power Rankings

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