NFL Power Rankings Week 7: Which Teams Are Clawing Back into Contention?

The New York Giants were written off at the beginning of the NFL season because of the rash of injuries that their secondary suffered. However, the G-Men have somehow managed to right the ship and currently sit atop the NFC East at 4-2. 

The Giants are off this Sunday, before they face a winless Miami Dolphins team in Week 8. We should all expect them to be a well-rested 5-2 team when they travel to New England to face the Patriots in Week 9. While their schedule has helped things tremendously, New York has still had to win those four games.

Victories over the St. Louis Rams (0-5), Philadelphia Eagles (2-4), Arizona Cardinals (1-4) and a loss to the Seattle Seahawks (2-3) hasn't given me good feelings about the Giants so far. However, a hard-fought 27-24 win over the Buffalo Bills (4-2) in Week 6 showed that Eli Manning's team has the grit to outlast solid opponents. While I'm still not totally sold on the Giants, they have certainly put themselves back on the map.

The Pittsburgh Steelers started the season by getting crushed against the Baltimore Ravens. They followed that up with uninspiring wins over the Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts, before losing to the Houston Texans. 

At that point, Pittsburgh looked old and worn out. The team's offensive line was consistently over-matched.

However, just when they seemed out of it, the Steelers posted an impressive 38-17 win over the Tennessee Titans, before outlasting the Jacksonville Jaguars 17-13 in Week 6.

While Pittsburgh still has a lot of issues—most glaringly the aforementioned offensive line—they are currently 4-2 and travel to Arizona to face a hapless 1-4 Cardinals team. That means the Steelers should be 5-2 heading into a Week 8 showdown with the New England Patriots.

Like the Giants, I'm not totally sold on the Steelers' long-term ability to compete. However, if they can get to 5-2, they'll be at or near the top of the AFC North and in a position to compete for a division title. 

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