NFL Power Rankings: Which Divisions Are Weakest in NFL?

"West" may rhyme with "Best," but when it comes to divisions in the NFL, the West is certainly the Worst. Both the AFC and NFC West are struggling compared to the other divisions in the league, with the former suffering a slide and the latter unable to drag itself out of the basement it's been stuck in all season long.

Going into Week 7, it seemed like the AFC West was one of the league's more robust divisions, with the Kansas City Chiefs improving significantly from their 0-3 start, the Oakland Raiders surging and the San Diego Chargers starting a solid 4-1.

However, Week 7 proved to be a terrible one for the division. The Raiders are without starting quarterback Jason Campbell, and backup Kyle Boller and replacement Carson Palmer combined for six interceptions in their team's 28-0 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

While the Raiders are on the bye this week, giving them ample time to get Palmer more up to speed with the team's offensive plans, it might prove fruitless as the expensive trade may prove to be a major mistake.

The San Diego Chargers gave up their contest against the New York Jets, after falling flat in the second half and looking wholly uninspiring overall. While they're a good team with a chance to turn things around, the way they looked against the Jets should make their fans nervous that yet again their team won't live up to its potential.

And the Denver Broncos, while picking up an overtime win over the Miami Dolphins, didn't manage to score any points until the very end of the fourth quarter. With quarterback Tim Tebow leading the team's offense, and a weak defense supporting them, the odds don't look good for many more miraculous comebacks.

Only the Chiefs, at 3-3, have any significant momentum to their name, but that could all shift this week as they face the Chargers. Either way, another AFC West team is guaranteed to fall, and with them, the entire cache of the division.

The NFC West on the other hand, has been an incredibly weak division for some time, and this season is no different. Three of the division's four teams have combined for a mere three wins, while the division-leading San Francisco 49ers, at 5-1, are the only beacon of light as one of the league's legitimate best teams.

Looking at the slate of games scheduled for the NFC West in Week 8, it's hard to imagine its three under .500 teams digging themselves out of their respective holes anytime soon. The winless St. Louis Rams face the New Orleans Saints, the 1-5 Arizona Cardinals take on the Baltimore Ravens and the 2-4 Seattle Seahawks host the deceptively talented Cincinnati Bengals.

Only the 49ers, who meet the Cleveland Browns this Sunday, have a good chance for a win. While San Francisco's clearly a playoff-contending team, they cannot do much alone to make their division appear any less of a mess regardless how many wins they notch on the season.

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