NFL Power Rankings: Atlanta Falcons and Teams That Made Biggest Week 7 Jumps

Several teams picked up key Week 7 wins that will undoubtedly have a major impact on the new batch of NFL power rankings. Which victories were the biggest?

Houston Texans

Houston was suppose to waltz to the AFC South title after Peyton Manning went down with a neck injury. However, the Texans have received a challenge from the Tennessee Titans.

They were able to regain the upper hand with a blowout victory on Sunday.

The Texans have a well-balanced offensive attack, which was on full display against Tennessee. Arian Foster and Ben Tate both topped 100 yards on the ground while Matt Schaub approached 300 in the air en route to 41 points.

Everybody knew Houston could score points, though. It will be he team's rebuilt defense that is the biggest question mark moving forward. Unless they can provide more resistance to the league's top attacks, the Texans aren't Super Bowl contenders quite yet.

Chicago Bears

As cliché as it may sound, Chicago's game against the surging Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a must-win situation. The Bears couldn't afford to fall even further behind in the playoff race with so many teams jockeying for position.

Matt Forte has been a man possessed this season as he continues to push for a new contract, and he led the way to victory once again. If it weren't for Forte, the Bears would be closer to the “Suck for Luck” race than the playoff race.

Like Houston, Chicago has worries on the defensive side. That's rare for a storied Bears franchise, which has frequently made deep playoff runs almost entirely because of its vaunted defense.

If they can fix the problems on that side of the ball, Chicago will be very dangerous down the stretch.

Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta was another team in a precarious position before Sunday's clash with the Detroit Lions. Even though it's only October, the Falcons were already looking up at both Tampa Bay and New Orleans in the division.

Beating the upstart Lions helps open up more avenues to the playoffs for a team that coasted to a berth last year. A big takeaway from the game is if Harry Douglas can develop into a consistent target for Matt Ryan, Atlanta's offense could reach another, more elite level.

With a very manageable schedule following next week's bye, it's time to start buying stock in the Falcons. They are on track for 10 wins, which should be enough to earn them one of the Wild Card spots in what is shaping up to be a crazy NFC race.

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