NFL Power Rankings Week 7: Which Teams Are NFL's Most Underrated?

Two teams have emerged as this season's most underrated, and the reason why they've been underrated is simple: Everyone believed they had no chance to win. But now these two teams have winning records, though they have yet to turn heads.

The Cincinnati Bengals had quite a few strikes against them going into the season, with the largest and most glaring being simply that they're the Cincinnati Bengals. Twice in the past 10 years, the Bengals have won the AFC North, but those memories have, for a large part, been erased by their other problems.

Off-field issues, personnel missteps and, more recently, the drama surrounding erstwhile quarterback Carson Palmer have been distractions, and with the team starting rookie quarterback Andy Dalton, rookie wide receiver A.J. Green and veteran trouble-magnet running back Cedric Benson, no one gave the 2011 Bengals much of a fighting chance.

But now it turns out that, performance-wise, Dalton is the best starting rookie quarterback of this year's draft class, and his connection with Green is one of the most fruitful in the league, with four of Dalton's seven touchdowns caught by Green.

At 4-2, they are tied for second place in their division and are viable playoff threats even with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens searching for postseason berths of their own. While the Bengals might be an afterthought for most people, their under-the-radar status will likely only benefit the young team.

Another team no one expected much from this year is the Tennessee Titans. The Titans literally gutted their team after their 6-10 2010 season, replacing both their head coach and starting quarterback. With Mike Munchak calling the plays and Matt Hasselbeck executing them, it was assumed that both men were just stopgap measures until someone better came along or rookie quarterback Jake Locker was ready to start.

Instead, the team is 3-2 and a surprise contender to win the AFC South, just two months after it was thought the division belonged to the Houston Texans without Peyton Manning heading up the generally first-place Indianapolis Colts.

They've achieved those wins not via Chris Johnson's running game, but by Hasselbeck's arm in the air and the defense's toughness on the ground. Now the team that no one thought had much of a chance in 2011 might in fact win their division.

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