NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Which 3 Teams Are the Biggest Sleepers?

Every NFL season there are sleepers.

Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers recently won Super Bowls as sixth seeds. And in 2008, the Arizona Cardinals almost upset the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII after finishing the regular season just 9-7.

Here are my sleeper teams for the 2011 NFL season.

Chicago Bears (4-3)

By season's end, the NFC North could end up with three playoff teams. Obviously the Green Bay Packers are a lock, and although the Detroit Lions have lost two straight, they're too talented not to get back on track.

Lurking behind the Packers and Lions are the Chicago Bears, at 4-3, with wins over the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFC South. Those wins may come in handy for the Bears in a tiebreaker situation.

Although Chicago is riding a two-game win streak into their bye week, no one is talking about them. Don't be surprised if "Da Bears" sneak into the playoffs as a No. 6 seed and make some noise.

Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)

The AFC is full of parity right now. Baltimore lost to Jacksonville, Pittsburgh has yet to defeat a legitimate opponent, and San Diego is underachieving. Only the New England Patriots have met expectations so far.

The Cincinnati Bengals may just be a sleeping giant.

The Bengals have a top-five defense to go with a methodical offense. They defeated Buffalo and beat the Jaguars in Jacksonville (something Baltimore didn't do). They are led by two rookies in QB Andy Dalton and WR A.J. Green. This team is very underrated, so don't be surprised if they're in the running for the AFC North title by season's end.

Atlanta Falcons (4-3)

Though the Falcons do not currently hold the tiebreaker over the Chicago Bears and have already lost to Tampa Bay, their  win over the Lions in Detroit was very impressive to say the least.

It's clear the Falcons are a scrappy bunch and are willing to fight for a full 60 minutes. The game in Detroit was a must-win. Now, Atlanta is only one game behind New Orleans (who they still have to play twice) and is tied with Tampa Bay (who they get at home in Week 17).

That game against the Bucs could determine a playoff spot. Right now, I give the edge to Atlanta because unless you're the Green Bay Packers, beating the Falcons in The Georgia Dome is very difficult.

Week 8 NFL Power Rankings (LW = Last Week's Rank)

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

Be sure to check out John on Bleacher Report. 

And, you can follow him on Twitter @ Sportswriter27.