NFL Power Rankings Week 6: San Francisco 49ers and 4 Fastest-Rising Teams

In our Week 6 NFL Power Rankings, these four teams are rising fastest.

San Francisco 49ers

With a defense that is playing as well as any in the league and a quarterback-head coach combination that is thriving, the 49ers are finally the class of the NFC West and look destined to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

At 4-1, the 49ers could run away with the division. A stingy defense, aided by the additions of Carlos Rogers, Donte Whitner and Aldon Smith, and the calming hand of Jim Harbaugh on Alex Smith has the 49ers thinking big things in 2011.

In fact, this team should probably be 5-0, as they had the Cowboys beat back in Week 3. Still, Harbaugh has done a fantastic job and should be the early front-runner for coach of the year.  

Detroit Lions

Who would have ever guessed that the Lions-49ers matchup in Week 6 would be the game of the week?

Well, that's exactly what we're getting, as the Lions stormed to 5-0 in their first Monday night game at home in a decade.

Ford Field is going to be a tough place to play for opponents if the stadium has the same kind of energy it did last night. Those fans have waited a long time for their team to be as relevant in the NFL landscape as it is right now. 

Kansas City Chiefs

After a season that looked headed for utter disaster, Todd Haley and the Chiefs have turned it around by taking down both the Vikings and Colts in back-to-back weeks.

The win in Indianapolis—no matter how bad the Colts are—was impressive for Kansas City. The comeback could be a huge morale-boost for a team that didn't look like it could beat the University of Missouri during the first three weeks. 

Oakland Raiders

They didn't exactly rise much from my last ranking (up just three spots), but I had to include the Raiders for winning an emotional game after the passing of Al Davis.

They beat a good team in the Texans, too. Seeing Hue Jackson's post-game speech to his 53 guys was heartbreaking and inspirational. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Raiders feed off this emotion the next couple of weeks.

Full Week 6 Power Rankings

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