NFL Power Rankings Week 7: 3 Teams Already out of Contention

While it's hard to declare any team's playoff hopes dead after only six weeks of the NFL season behind us, there are three certain to have a hard time making it to the postseason, just because of the strength of their respective divisions.

In a surprising turn of events, the Buffalo Bills join the New England Patriots as the top teams in the AFC North, and it's going to take a significant turnaround by division-mates New York Jets and Miami Dolphins to insert themselves back into the playoff discussion.

While the Patriots and Bills have established pretty solid identities, the Jets and Dolphins are far less solved.

Miami is now left without their starting quarterback after Chad Henne suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 4—backup Matt Moore starts in his stead, with Monday's game against the Jets as our first look at the heretofore uninspiring passer.

The Miami offense has a number of questions that have sat unanswered. They still have no clear plan to involve running back Reggie Bush, and now their passing game takes a hit with the significant downgrade at the position. Tonight's divisional matchup against the Jets doesn't help their playoff hopes much, either.

One more loss to another AFC East team, and there's little statistical chance Miami can reverse course enough to reach the postseason.

But even a win tonight might not help the Jets' chances much, either.

New York currently sits at 2-3, behind the 5-1 Patriots and 4-2 Bills, with a host of difficult games ahead of them. Much like the Dolphins, the Jets have many issues on offense that appear to only right themselves in time for another problem to arise.

The team is still establishing its offensive identity, and while its defense is still one of the strongest in the league, the disparity between their passing defense (second overall) and rush defense (22nd overall), provides a clear game plan for their opponents.

Without more consistent play, the Jets will be left behind, destined to sit out January with division-mate Dolphins.

The Minnesota Vikings are clearly the odd team out in the otherwise competitive NFC North, especially after their Week 6 39-10 loss to the Chicago Bears.

The Vikings came into the contest with a modicum of momentum after destroying the dismal Arizona Cardinals in Week 5, but they followed it up with an offensively flat, defensively weak outing that saw starting quarterback Donovan McNabb benched in favor of rookie Christian Ponder.

A midseason quarterback controversy is usually not a stop along a team's path to the postseason, nor is a 1-5 record when the next-worse team in the division is 3-3. That is precisely the situation the Vikings face.

Considering the type of epic collapses by the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions and even the Bears would have to have for the Vikings to somehow find themselves anywhere close to a playoff berth, it's pretty clear that for all intents and purposes, Minnesota's season is over.

They might as well take this time to evaluate their current talent, establish their draft priorities and nurture quarterback-of-the-future Ponder by giving him some relevant playing time as a starter.

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

*Subject to change pending outcome of Monday night's Jets-Dolphins contest