NFL Power Rankings: Green Bay Packers and 5 Teams That Won't Drop out of Top 10

It may seem like we know pretty much everything we need to know about the NFL's best teams at this point, but the last thing you want to do right now is to take anything for granted.

For example, you can think back to the 2009 Denver Broncos. They started 6-0, and new head coach Josh McDaniels was looking like a genius. They ended up going 2-8 the rest of the way, and missed the playoffs. McDaniels did not survive the 2010 season as head coach.

The point: Collapses can happen. This year, you can rest assured that there will be at least one team that suffers a late-season collapse. Maybe even two or three.

However, there are five teams that I think are safe. They've started hot, and they are going to stay hot. Playoff berths are all but assured, and so are spots in my Top 10 for the rest of the season.

New Orleans Saints (No. 7)

The Saints aren't looking as hot right now thanks to their loss at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6, but they are still a very, very good team.

There are a couple of reasons I think the Saints are going to stick around all season. The first and most obvious is that they're a good team, but it's clear just from taking a quick look that they really don't have that many tough games remaining on their schedule. They're going to drop a game or two here and there, but there's nothing about their remaining schedule that makes you fear a catastrophic collapse.

Another reason the Saints are going to remain in good standing this season is because they play in a pretty tough NFC South. If the Saints remain the division's best team, they will remain one of the league's best teams.

San Francisco 49ers (No. 4 overall)

It was hard to believe the 49ers' success at first. But consecutive wins over the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions make it pretty hard to have doubts.

We can talk all we want about Frank Gore and Alex Smith, but it's all about defense with the 49ers. They're allowing fewer points per game than any team in the NFC, and heaven help you if you try to run the ball on them.

A defense like this is going to play well in the NFC West, where there are no elite offenses. The 49ers still have five games remaining against division foes, so they're pretty much a lock for 10 wins. They could win as many as 12 games, maybe even 13.

So yeah, they're not straying far from the top of the rankings.

Baltimore Ravens (No. 3 overall)

I have the Ravens at No. 3 in my Week 7 power rankings, but they could easily be No. 2. They have their weaknesses, but their strengths cover them up quite nicely.

The Ravens are a lot like the 49ers in that they succeed in large part because of their defense, which is near the top of the NFL in just about every major category. The difference between the 49ers and Ravens is that the Ravens are a more dangerous offensive team. They're averaging over 29 points per game, and a lot of that is owed to the many talents of Ray Rice.

In recent years, you always had to fear about the Pittsburgh Steelers making life tough for the Ravens. This year, I think the Ravens are pretty clearly the best team in the AFC North, which is the only division in the league with three four-win teams.

New England Patriots (No. 2 overall)

You know you're going good when the only thing people want to complain about is a washed-up wide receiver who doesn't mean anything.

That's life for the Patriots right now. We questioned their immortality after they lost the Buffalo Bills in Week 3, but right now the Patriots are looking like the same old Patriots.

Sure, if you take Tom Brady away, the Patriots probably aren't a good team. Lucky for them, nobody has taken Brady away yet, and he's good enough to make them a great team.

With a little help from Wes Welker, of course. With the two of them leading the charge, the Patriots are going to score plenty of points, and they're going to win plenty of games.

Green Bay Packers (No. 1 overall)

Are you surprised to see the Packers on this countdown?

Goodness, I hope not. It's pretty obvious right now that the Packers are the best all-around team in football, and you have to wonder at this point who is going to beat them and how.

The Detroit Lions are a clear candidate, but the Lions have considerably more flaws than the Packers do. They're really the only elite team the Packers are going to face the rest of the way, so it's definitely possible that the Packers could finish with the league's best record.

In fact, they might even go 16-0.

Just throwing it out there.

Zachary D. Rymer's Week 7 Power Rankings

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