NFL Power Rankings: San Francisco 49ers and 3 Contenders Moving Up

With six weeks gone in the 2011 NFL season, the contenders are now beginning to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

True, much can, and likely will, change over the next 11 weeks, but these three teams have done well for themselves thus far and are positioned for further success in the coming months.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers sport arguably the most impressive resume of any team in the NFL to this point. They've won three road games in the Eastern time zone—an impressive feat for a West Coast club—capped off by a methodical 25-19 win in Detroit over the previously undefeated Lions.

And while you, like Jim Schwartz, may not care for Jim Harbaugh's brash enthusiasm in victory, you'd have to admit that the guy's earned the right to celebrate. He's somehow managed to turn a team that started 0-5 last season into a 5-1 powerhouse in the NFC West without the benefit of a full offseason program.

The Niners won't play in Week 7 on account of a bye, but will be back in action against the middling Browns thereafter.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are easily the best team that nobody's really talking about, and may yet be the best, period. Baltimore wrecked a careening Houston team at home on Sunday, 29-14, holding one of the league's most prolific offenses (at least in theory) to fewer than 300 total yards. Had it not been for two Joe Flacco turnovers, including a fumble in the end zone that was recovered for a touchdown, the Ravens would have rolled over the Texans by an even more impressive margin. 

The Ravens should be able to dispatch the Jaguars and the Cardinals over the next two weeks with relative ease to move to 6-1 before traveling to Pittsburgh, where they'll find a Steelers bunch that they demolished in Week 1.

Cincinnati Bengals

Elsewhere in the AFC North, the Bengals have emerged as a surprising team worth taking seriously. Granted they've beaten only one quality opponent this season (the Bills), though they could easily be 6-0 if not for a five-point loss to the aforementioned Niners and a two-point trip-up in Denver.

The trio of Cedric Benson and rookies Andy Dalton and AJ Green have stewarded a steady offense that scores just enough to allow one of the league's stingiest defenses to hold the fort. Marvin Lewis' squad will have the week off before embarking on a tough, four-game stretch—at Seattle, at Tennessee, vs. Pittsburgh and at Baltimore.

Josh Martin's Week 5 NFL Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers

2. New England Patriots

3. Baltimore Ravens

4. San Francisco 49ers

5. Detroit Lions

6. New Orleans Saints

7. San Diego Chargers

8. New York Giants

9. Pittsburgh Steelers

10. Buffalo Bills

11. Oakland Raiders

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

13. Dallas Cowboys

14. Cincinnati Bengals

15. Tennessee Titans

16. Atlanta Falcons

17. Washington Redskins

18. Houston Texans

19. Chicago Bears

20. Cleveland Browns

21. Philadelphia Eagles

22. Seattle Seahawks

23. New York Jets

24. Kansas City Chiefs

25. Minnesota Vikings

26. Carolina Panthers

27. Denver Broncos

28. Jacksonville Jaguars

29. Arizona Cardinals

30. Miami Dolphins

31. St. Louis Rams

32. Indianapolis Colts