NFL Power Rankings Week 7: Green Bay Packers Have Company at the Top

Pretenders have become contenders. Contenders look like pretenders. We've seen it all in the first six weeks of an NFL season different from any other that came before it.

With no organized offseason programs, defenses came out light years behind the offenses, which were putting up video-game numbers through the first five weeks of the season. The offensive flurry calmed a bit in Week 6 with just two teams—the Atlanta Falcons and the Chicago Bears—putting up more than 30 points.

The Green Bay Packers came into Week 6 atop my power rankings, which had been maintained at my blog at After Further Review prior to this week. The defending Super Bowl champions stayed interested for a half while blowing out the St. Louis Rams and, after the San Francisco 49ers toppled the Detroit Lions at frenzied Ford Field, are the only unbeaten team left in the league.

On the other end of the ledger, the Indianapolis Colts are the only 0-6 team in the NFL, but only because the Rams and Miami Dolphins have already had their bye weeks.

Two teams will be heading across the pond this week for the annual rite of lunacy in London. The Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers drew the short straw for this year's foray into foreign exchange.

On a Week 7 schedule devoid of many good matchups, one game did pop out at me—a huge contest in Nashville between the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans, also known as the only competitive teams in the AFC South.

So let's count 'em down, from No. 32 to No. 1.

32. St. Louis Rams (0-5)

Last week's ranking: 32

Week 6: Lost at Green Bay, 24-3

Week 7: at Dallas

Strength of victory factor: You're kidding, right?

The Rams were in a dealing mood before the trade deadline, acquiring Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Lloyd from the Denver Broncos and cutting Mike Sims-Walker.

St. Louis got Lloyd for a song, surrendering a conditional sixth-round pick in April's draft. The Rams will also be getting back receiver Mark Clayton from the physically-unable-to-perform list this week. 

But the cause for optimism is subdued, because it's possible that young quarterback Sam Bradford won't immediately get to enjoy the new targets.

Instead, it could be A.J. Feeley getting the start in Dallas as Bradford nurses the dreaded high-ankle sprain suffered in the pasting at Green Bay.

The trade for Lloyd reunites the receiver with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who coached him during his breakout year in Denver last season.

31. Miami Dolphins (0-5)

Last week's ranking: 30

Week 6: Lost at New York Jets, 24-6 (Monday night)

Week 7: vs. Denver

Strength of victory factor: Yeah, not so much

So much for coming back rested and ready off the bye week.

The Dolphins were woeful in the red zone, managing two field goals and surrendering a pick-six to Darrelle Revis in three trips.

While Revis should have been flagged on the play, it was also a symptom of Miami's red-zone attack seeming to consist of Matt Moore trying to throw to Brandon Marshall off the left side of the formation. They tried that play three times and netted a drop, an incompletion and Revis' interception.

Moore was inconsistent in his first start for Miami in place of injured Chad Henne, completing less than 50 percent of his throws (16-of-34) and tossing a pair of interceptions.

The season of bad karma slogs on for the Dolphins as dead-man-walking Tony Sparano was unable to turn much of anything around for the Fish after the bye week.

Whichever coaching candidates Stephen Ross flirts with this offseason won't have the inconvenience of Sparano still occupying the coach's office. That much is clear.

30. Kansas City Chiefs (2-3)

Last week's ranking: 31

Week 6: Riding high on a two-game winning streak into the bye

Week 7: at Oakland

Strength of victory factor: 1

The Chiefs had to be feeling good about themselves during their week off after wins over Minnesota and a big come-from-behind victory at Indianapolis.

But there are still a few nagging realities out there.

Tony Moeaki isn't coming back. Neither are Jamaal Charles or Eric Berry. The team still has an unsightly minus-five giveaway/takeaway ratio. The offense is one of the least efficient in the league.

But, hey, at least Todd Haley and Matt Cassel might mix it up again on the sidelines.

29. Indianapolis Colts (0-6)

Last week's ranking: 29

Week 6: Lost at Cincinnati, 27-17

Week 7: at New Orleans

Strength of victory factor: Gotta have a win to have a factor

NBC was touting this game on Sunday night as the big rematch of Super Bowl XLIV.

Without Peyton Manning available for Indy, that would be akin to playing up the Rams and Cowboys this week as a rematch of the 1978 NFC Championship. Sure, it's factually correct, but still utterly irrelevant.

Since the opening-day blowout loss at Houston, the Colts have been competitive every week. The loss to the Bengals was the first since Week 1 that was by double digits.

But Indianapolis has shown an ability to make the big play at the key time—only that big play is some sort of a mistake that costs them a chance to win, such as Adam Vinatieri's game-tying field goal attempt being blocked and then surrendering a late touchdown on a fumble return to seal their fate.

Curtis Painter to Pierre Garcon has produced some big plays, but Manning to Reggie Wayne it is not.

28. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5)

Last week's ranking: 28

Week 6: Lost at Pittsburgh, 17-13

Week 7: vs. Baltimore (Monday night)

Strength of victory factor: 3

The Jaguars gave the Steelers a scare in the second half, holding Pittsburgh to 144 total yards and five first downs on its final eight drives after the Steelers scored 17 points on their first three possessions.

Rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert lost his fourth straight start since taking over for Luke McCown, and the growing pains are evident.

He completed just 12-of-26 at Heinz Field for 109 yards and a score. Jacksonville's inability to pose a threat in the passing game is clogging things up for Maurice Jones-Drew, who did gain 96 yards on 22 carries.

At any rate, the Jags would seem to be an odd choice for Monday night prime time. Someone in Bristol obviously overrated at least a couple of the Florida teams when this year's schedule was being assembled.

27. Carolina Panthers (1-5)

Last week's ranking: 24

Week 6: Lost at Atlanta, 31-17

Week 7: vs. Washington

Strength of victory factor: 1

The Panthers have to hope the Falcons didn't give the rest of the NFL a blueprint for slowing down rookie sensation Cam Newton.

The Falcons didn't crowd the line of scrimmage and dare the rookie to beat them with his arm, as many of Carolina's opponents did earlier in the year. Instead, Atlanta retreated a pair of safeties, didn't let Steve Smith run wild and let Newton have some running lanes.

Newton is having a terrific campaign, but he's also having some growing pains. While he's completing 58.5 percent of his passes and has seven touchdown throws to go with six rushing scores, he's also been intercepted nine times.

One of the great puzzles of Ron Rivera's first year in Charlotte is this—with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart at running back, how is it that the Panthers have attempted to pass 240 times and have just 149 rushing attempts?

26. Denver Broncos (1-4)

Last week's ranking: 27

Week 6: Using the bye week to prepare the world for the arrival of the anointed one at quarterback

Week 7: at Miami

Strength of victory factor: 4

So what is the logical next step when you've just named an erratic second-year quarterback who is a media lighting rod as the starter?

Why, you trade away his best receiver, of course!

Brandon Lloyd won't have Tim Tebow's under-thrown passes to kick around anymore after the Broncos dealt the veteran wideout to St. Louis for a roll of athletic tape (actually, a conditional 2012 sixth-round pick that could become a fifth-rounder if Lloyd catches 30 balls with the Rams).

This is Tebow's second go-around as the Denver starter after he was 1-2 in the final three games of the 2010 season before losing out to Kyle Orton in training camp.

For the record, I am skeptical of Tebow's ability to be a productive NFL starting quarterback, but it does promise to be an entertaining show with his loyal fans and hateful detractors whaling away at each other.

25. Arizona Cardinals (1-4)

Last week's ranking: 26

Week 6: A bye week spent with Kevin Kolb throwing passes with a wall behind him so he can't fall onto his back foot

Week 7: vs. Pittsburgh

Strength of victory factor: 1

Following up on the NBC theme, it's a rematch of Super Bowl XLIII, only without Kurt Warner or Santonio Holmes!

Kolb has been a disappointment after his much-ballyhooed arrival from Philadelphia in the offseason. He appears to be skittish in the pocket, and not since Scott Mitchell have I seen a quarterback fall back and fire quite the way Kolb does.

At least he didn't cost the secondary a Pro Bowl cornerback—oh, wait.

On the positive side, Kolb has not been sighted laughing with a teammate during a humiliating loss in prime time.

24. Cleveland Browns (2-3)

Last week's ranking: 20

Week 6: Lost at Oakland, 24-17

Week 7: vs. Seattle

Strength of victory factor: 0

The Browns' running game was basically a myth against the Raiders, getting just 3.1 yards per carry on 21 attempts.

That put the game into the hands of second-year quarterback Colt McCoy, who was just 21-of-45 for 215 yards. 

Cleveland made the defining mistakes against the Raiders. McCoy and Montario Hardesty botched a handoff deep in Browns territory, and then the Cleveland special teams looked on in horror as punter Shane Lechler lofted a pass to a wide-open Kevin Boss that turned into a 35-yard touchdown from field-goal formation.

The not-so-special teams also were victimized by a 101-yard kickoff return by Jacoby Ford.

23. Minnesota Vikings (1-5)

Last week's ranking: 19

Week 6: Lost at Chicago, 39-10

Week 7: vs. Green Bay

Strength of victory factor: 1

Look at the bright side—at least the Vikings didn't blow a second-half lead this week.

It does appear, however, that the Donovan McNabb experience in Minnesota is done, at least for now.

ESPN was reporting Tuesday that rookie Christian Ponder will get the start against the Packers at the Collapsadome.

Ponder saw his first game action in mop-up duty against the Bears, completing 9-of-17 passes for 99 yards. No one thought McNabb was the long-term answer in the Twin Cities, but McNabb's flame-out came quickly.

Of course, he didn't have a lot of help—the offensive line has been, well, offensively bad. New offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave doesn't seem to be able to scheme a way to get Percy Harvin involved in the passing game.

22. Seattle Seahawks (2-3)

Last week's ranking: 22

Week 6: Watching Charlie Whitehurst take snaps in practice and thinking wistfully of Matt Hasselbeck

Week 7: at Cleveland

Strength of victory factor: 5

The Seahawks still don't know whether Tarvaris Jackson will be recovered sufficiently from the strained pectoral muscle he sustained in the win over the Giants two weeks ago.

If Jackson can't go, Whitehurst would get the start at quarterback at Cleveland.

Even the bye week proved costly in Seattle, as veteran cornerback Marcus Trufant learned he will miss the rest of the season because of another injury to his lower back. Walter Thurmond takes over as the starter at left corner. 

The Seahawks also traded away one-time No. 4-overall pick Aaron Curry, sending the underachieving linebacker to the Raiders during the bye week.

21. Philadelphia Eagles (2-4)

Last week's ranking: 25

Week 6: Won at Washington, 20-13

Week 7: Assembling Rex Grossman's Eagles highlight video during the bye week

Strength of victory factor: 3

If ever a team had its proverbial backs to the wall, it was the Eagles at FedEx Field on Sunday.

The Eagles responded with a defensive effort that will at least temporarily take the heat off offensive line coach Juan Castillo, holding the Redskins to 42 yards rushing and intercepting Grossman four times.

Philadelphia was held off the scoreboard in the second half, though, and had a scare when Michael Vick had to leave the game briefly after taking a hard hit from Washington safety LeRon Landry.

LeSean McCoy carried the load for the offense, with 126 yards rushing on 28 carries.

Now the task for the bye week is to get the offensive line healthy and try to climb back into playoff contention when they get back.

20. Atlanta Falcons (3-3)

Last week's ranking: 23

Week 6: Beat Carolina 31-17

Week 7: at Detroit

Strength of victory factor: 5

The throwback Falcons got 139 yards and two touchdowns from Michael Turner as they returned to more of their ground-and-pound style of offense that led them to a 13-win campaign in 2010.

Matt Ryan put Atlanta ahead with a one-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, and the defense picked off Cam Newton late to seal the win. The Falcons ran the ball 35 times in all to just 22 passes, a ratio much more similar to last year than early this season.

Atlanta also harassed Newton for much of the day, forcing three interceptions with a heavy mix of blitzes combined with safeties deep to prevent the long balls to Steve Smith.

But now comes a stern road test against an angry pride of Lions at Ford Field.

19. Dallas Cowboys (2-3)

Last week's ranking: 15

Week 6: Lost at New England, 20-16

Week 7: vs. St. Louis

Strength of victory factor: 8

The Cowboys almost ended the Patriots' home winning streak, but Tom Brady rallied to beat Dallas after being battered and harassed all afternoon in Foxboro.

Dallas sacked Brady three times and intercepted him twice but couldn't stop a final drive of 80 yards in 2:09 that erased a three-point Cowboys lead with 22 seconds to go.

Coach Jason Garrett was taking heat after the loss for his ultra-conservative play-calling late in the game, when the Cowboys ran the ball three straight times and punted instead of trying to move the ball.

Of course, given Tony Romo's track record of protecting late leads this season, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2)

Last week's ranking: 21

Week 6: Beat New Orleans, 26-20

Week 7: vs. Chicago at London

Strength of victory factor: 8

Coming off a 45-point loss at San Francisco, the Buccaneers bounced back behind 303 yards and two touchdowns from Josh Freeman, a 109-yard game on the ground for Earnest Graham and three interceptions of Drew Brees.

Safety Tanard Jackson made an immediate impact in his return from a more than year-long suspension for substance-abuse policy violations, intercepting Brees in the first half to set up a Tampa Bay touchdown.

It was a tough day for coaches—New Orleans' Sean Payton tore his MCL and broke a bone in his leg in a sideline collision, and Tampa Bay defensive backs coach Jimmy Lake ripped his patellar tendon celebrating Jackson's interception. He'll have surgery when the team returns from England for its bye week.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)

Last week's ranking: 16

Week 6: Beat Jacksonville, 17-13

Week 7: at Arizona

Strength of victory factor: 6

It was the best of halves, it was the worst of halves.

In true Charles Dickens fashion, the Steelers jumped all over the Jaguars early, scoring 17 points on their first three drives, then held on for dear life.

Rashard Mendenhall had his best outing of the season with 23 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown after sitting out the win over Tennessee the previous week because of a bad hamstring.

Mendenhall was expected to split the load with Isaac Redman against Jacksonville, but he ran so effectively that the Steelers kept feeding him the ball.

A turnover-free game on both sides left Pittsburgh still with an NFL-worst minus-10 giveaway/takeaway ratio.

16. Washington Redskins (3-2)

Last week's ranking: 10

Week 6: Lost to Philadelphia, 20-13

Week 7: at Carolina

Strength of victory factor: 5

Rex Grossman or John Beck?

That's the $64,000 question in Washington this week after Grossman was intercepted four times in the loss to Philadelphia and Beck came in and rallied the team, falling just short in the comeback attempt.

Mike Shanahan has been mum this week on the quarterback question, which comes after the Redskins fell out of first place in the NFC East with the loss.

The running game, which had been a strength for Washington through its first four games, was held to just 42 yards, putting the pressure on Grossman to move the ball through the air. 

15. San Diego Chargers (4-1)

Last week's ranking: 13

Week 6: Spending the bye week dreaming about cupcakes

Week 7: at New York Jets

Strength of victory factor: 4

While San Diego isn't experiencing its usual September and October struggles, it's hard to get a handle on where the Chargers really are.

They lost their only game against a formidable opponent, falling by 14 at New England. There was the come-from-behind win over Minnesota, the death struggle with Kansas City and then having to withstand a Tim Tebow-led rally to beat the Broncos.

On the other hand, it's been important for San Diego to make hay against the weak early schedule because it gets much tougher in the second half of the year—trips to Chicago and Detroit and home games with the Ravens and Bills—not to mention two meetings with the Raiders.

14. New York Jets (3-3)

Last week's ranking: 18

Week 6: Beat Miami 24-6 (Monday night)

Week 7: vs. San Diego

Strength of victory factor: 3

Gang Green righted the ship after three straight losses with the win over the Dolphins, and the offense showed actual signs of life in the second half.

But the offense is still near the bottom of the league in success rate and the defense has been inconsistent, particularly against the run.

Is this team the Super Bowl contender Rex Ryan annually insists it is? The Chargers could be a good test for that theory.

13. Chicago Bears (3-3)

Last week's ranking: 17

Week 6: Beat Minnesota 39-10

Week 7: vs. Tampa Bay at London

Strength of victory factor: 5

The Bears put it all together in routing the Vikings.

Jay Cutler was efficient throwing the ball, Matt Forte did a little of everything and Devin Hester was a factor in the kicking game before leaving with a chest injury.

However, the prelude to the London week got started with safety Chris Harris making noises about wanting out of Chicago after being benched against Minnesota.

But after the team gave Harris permission to seek a trade, he opted to finish the season with the Bears and remained with the club after the trade deadline on Tuesday afternoon.

General manager Jerry Angelo also had to downplay rumors that the team was talking to potential suitors about a trade for Forte, who was not dealt before the deadline and is performing extremely well despite the contentious contract situation.

12. Tennessee Titans (3-2)

Last week's ranking: 11

Week 6: Pinching themselves during the bye week about sharing first place in the AFC South

Week 7: vs. Houston

Strength of victory factor: 7

One of the handful of true surprise teams in the league so far this season, the Titans have a—well—titanic matchup this week with the Texans, who are one back of Tennessee in the loss column.

Matt Hasselbeck has been everything the Titans could have hoped for after signing the former Seahawks star as a free agent.

He's thrown for nine touchdowns and just four interceptions while completing almost 65 percent of his tosses.

The Titans' trip to the top of the division is made even more remarkable by the contributions—or lack thereof—from Chris Johnson, who has just 250 yards and one touchdown to show for 83 carries so far.

11. Houston Texans (3-3)

Last week's ranking: 8

Week 6: Lost at Baltimore 29-14

Week 7: at Tennessee

Strength of victory factor: 4

Life without Andre Johnson and Mario Williams has not been kind to the Texans, who enter an important divisional battle having lost two straight.

When the Colts lost Peyton Manning, the Jaguars cut David Garrard and with the Titans expected to be rebuilding, this was the year Houston was set up to break through in the AFC South. But injuries and inconsistency leave the Texans as a .500 team six weeks in.

Johnson's status is still up in the air, with Sports Radio 610 in Houston reporting Tuesday that the wide receiver is still not running at full speed.

10. New York Giants (4-2)

Last week's ranking: 14

Week 6: Beat Buffalo 27-24

Week 7: Getting healthy during the bye week

Strength of victory factor: 7

No Justin Tuck? No Brandon Jacobs? No problem!

The Giants keep finding ways to get it done, bouncing back from an ugly loss at home to Seattle with a late win over the Bills.

Corey Webster had two picks in the win over Buffalo and Ahmad Bradshaw carried the load for the running game with three touchdowns and 104 yards on 26 carries.

The victory allowed the Giants to go into the bye with some momentum and feeling good, particularly coming on the heels of the inexplicable loss to the Seahawks.

9. New Orleans Saints (4-2)

Last week's ranking: 7

Week 6: Lost at Tampa Bay 26-20

Week 7: vs. Indianapolis

Strength of victory factor: 8

The turnover thing hurt the Saints at Tampa Bay, as Drew Brees threw three interceptions.

The offense was further hampered when head coach Sean Payton, the play-caller for the offense, had to surrender those duties after tearing his MCL and breaking his leg in a sideline collision with tight end Jimmy Graham.

Payton may have to be in the coaches' box for the next few games, which would leave linebackers coach and assistant head coach Joe Vitt in charge on the sidelines.

Vitt botched a challenge against the Bucs that cost the Saints a timeout it sorely needed late in the game.

Brees appears to still have the interception bug he had in 2010. While he's on pace to throw for a ridiculous 5,739 yards, he has already thrown eight picks this year on top of the 22 he gave up last year.

8. Oakland Raiders (4-2)

Last week's ranking: 12

Week 6: Beat Cleveland 24-17

Week 7: vs. Kansas City

Strength of victory factor: 9

The Raiders have responded to the death of owner Al Davis with back-to-back victories over Houston and Cleveland and pulled off a bombshell on Tuesday, acquiring quarterback Carson Palmer from the Bengals for what could end up being first-round picks in both 2012 and 2013.

Oakland made the move for Palmer after starter Jason Campbell suffered a broken collarbone Sunday in the win over the Browns.

The move could end up being a great one for Cincinnati, but the options for the Raiders weren't attractive—former Jaguars quarterback David Garrard is unavailable due to pending back surgery, former Bills starter Trent Edwards wasn't interested in coming back after being cut in training camp, and anyone else out there would just be a backup to Kyle Boller.

Palmer may end up starting against the Chiefs this week, even after missing all of training camp and the first six weeks of the regular season after refusing to play for the Bengals.

7. Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)

Last week's ranking: 9

Week 6: Beat Indianapolis 27-17

Week 7: Using the bye to gaze longingly at that new first-round pick they got for Carson Palmer

Strength of victory factor: 7

Cam Newton gets all the publicity among this year's crop of rookie quarterbacks. All Andy Dalton seems to do is win.

Cincinnati has already matched last year's victory total through six weeks. Dalton has seven touchdowns and five picks and is completing 62.4 percent of his passes after being named the opening-day starter for the Bengals.

The team also got some good news regarding running back Cedric Benson, whose suspension for his offseason misdemeanor assault cases was reduced to one game on Tuesday.

No one expected the Bengals to have the top-ranked defense in the league, and no one thought the Dalton to A.J. Green connection would pay dividends so quickly, but there are the Bengals, battling with Baltimore and Pittsburgh in the AFC North.

6. New England Patriots (5-1)

Last week's ranking: 5

Week 6: Beat Dallas 20-16

Week 7: Fixing the defense during the bye—or trying to, at least

Strength of victory factor: 13

For a guy who made his reputation as a defensive genius, Bill Belichick's unit sure is suspect.

The Patriots are a middling plus-1 in giveaway/takeaway ratio, and for all its recent regular season success, New England hasn't won a playoff game since beating San Diego in the 2007 AFC Championship.

Tom Brady is still the measuring stick other quarterbacks in the league are compared to, but he already has thrown twice as many interceptions this year (eight) as he did all of last season.

But in spite of Brady's relative struggles and the defense's inconsistency, the Patriots may still be the best of a flawed lot in the AFC.

5. Buffalo Bills (4-2)

Last week's ranking: 5

Week 6: Lost at New York Giants 27-24

Week 7: Only bumming a bit heading into the bye

Strength of victory factor: 13

The Bills have been one of the feel-good stories of the year, stunning the Raiders and Patriots with huge second-half comebacks earlier in the year, but the bubble has burst a bit the last three weeks, with losses at Cincinnati and the Giants sandwiched around a win over the Eagles.

Buffalo's defense is statistically not that good—30th against the pass and 29th against the run—but Fred Jackson has their run game ranked fourth in the league.

The big question in western New York is simply this—can the Bills maintain the early momentum after the bye?

4. Baltimore Ravens (4-1)

Last week's ranking: 6

Week 6: Beat Houston 29-14

Week 7: at Jacksonville (Monday night)

Strength of victory factor: 10

The Ravens are still among the best at defending the run, holding opponents to 76.6 yards per game this season, good for third-best in the NFL.

The defense is still opportunistic and is able to mask a lot of flaws on the other side of the ball.

Ray Rice is as good a dual-threat running back as there is in the league, but Joe Flacco has been varying degrees of mediocre and awful for much of 2011, completing just 51.4 percent of his passes. This has made it hard for the Ravens to sustain drives.

But Terrell Suggs, in an appearance on ESPN's First Take, said his support for Flacco couldn't be any clearer.

3. Detroit Lions (5-1)

Last week's ranking: 3

Week 6: Lost to San Francisco 25-19

Week 7: vs. Atlanta

Strength of victory factor: 12

The nine-game winning streak is by the boards.

The coach has been in the headlines for a skirmish with his opposite number after Sunday's loss.

Yes, after a huge step forward in a Monday night win over Chicago, the Lions stumbled a bit in losing their first game this season to the 49ers.

The Lions were busy at the trade deadline Tuesday, sending running back Jerome Harrison and an undisclosed pick in the 2013 draft to Philadelphia for running back Ronnie Brown.

It's hoped Brown can provide a more consistent backup option for Jahvid Best than Keiland Williams has been able to be.

2. Green Bay Acme Packers (6-0)

Last week's ranking: 1

Week 6: Beat St. Louis 24-3

Week 7: at Minnesota

Strength of victory factor: 12

The Packers basically sleep-walked through the second half of their win over the Rams, going scoreless in the second half.

The defending champs have been extremely solid in some aspects of the game, ranked third in the league in passing offense and fifth in rushing defense.

But Green Bay is also only 24th in rushing offense and 31st in passing defense. Aaron Rodgers has staked his claim as the best quarterback in football, and the Packers still have to be considered the prohibitive favorites to repeat.

There are still concerns, however.

Pro Bowl safety Nick Collins is already out for the year with a neck injury, and cornerback Sam Shields may miss the game in Minnesota with a concussion after foolishly getting himself lit up while dancing around in the end zone after intercepting a pass against St. Louis.

1. San Francisco 49ers (5-1)

Last week's ranking: 2

Week 6: Won at Detroit 25-19

Week 7: Using the bye week to help Jim Harbaugh improve his post-game handshake technique

Strength of victory factor: 17

The transformation of the 49ers under Harbaugh is truly remarkable.

Defensively, the 49ers are very solid. They force takeaways. They don't hurt themselves with turnovers anymore.

All in all, it is quite a turnaround for a group that lost its first five under Mike Singletary a year ago.

Harbaugh's confrontation with Detroit coach Jim Schwartz wasn't a huge shock, not with the way he got along with college coaches such as Pete Carroll while at Stanford. But that arrogance is a big part of the reason why the 49ers are believing this year.

There are challenges ahead for San Francisco: The 49ers have games with the Giants, Ravens and Steelers in the second half of the season, but they also have two games left with both the Cardinals and Rams.