NFL Power Rankings: San Francisco 49ers and More Surprise Super Bowl Contenders

Another week, another Sunday of NFL games off the docket. If it feels like this season is going too fast, that's because it is. We are pretty much at the regular season's halfway point.

Yup, we're that far already. And as we get deeper into the season, things are only going to get faster and more crazy. Playoff races have a way of making things more chaotic, and this year we also have the "Suck for Luck" race to deal with.

However, if you don't mind, I'm already looking past the regular season to the Super Bowl. Given what we've seen so far this season, we're probably going to be surprised at one or both of the teams that are playing for the Lombardi Trophy.

So, what the heck. We may as well discuss the most likely candidates. Below is my list of four surprise Super Bowl contenders.

Before we begin, I want to re-emphasize that "surprise" is a key word here. It's why teams like the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers will not be discussed. Nobody is surprised at their success, you dig?

Houston Texans (No. 10 overall)

If I know NFL fans like I think I do, my guess is that most of you are probably helping yourselves to a little laugh at the mention of the Texans as a Super Bowl contender, surprise or otherwise.

Two weeks ago, I would have agreed, but right now, I'm not so sure the idea is all that far-fetched.

Listen, the Texans are going to win the AFC South. We can at least agree on that much. And once they get into the playoffs, I actually think they're going to be trouble.

I say this primarily because of their defense, which has been much better this year. The Texans are allowing fewer than 19 points per game, and they rank in the top 10 in the league against both the run and the pass.

Offensively, the Texans are decent now, but they'll be dangerous again once Andre Johnson is healthy. Defenses will have to contend with him and Arian Foster, which is something defenses haven't had to do much this year.

So, a couple months from now, don't be shocked if the Texans are making their way towards the Super Bowl.

New York Giants (No. 7 overall)

The Giants?!

Yup, them too. They haven't made it look easy, but here they are atop the NFC East. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

That's because we're talking about the Giants. They've had a good-but-not-great look to them for years now, and it's holding true this year.

The difference this year is that Eli Manning is having his finest season as a pro. The Giants needed nothing less from him given all the injuries they've had to contend with, and you have to wonder just how far Manning can take them.

He's taken them to the Super Bowl once. Maybe he can do so again.

Detroit Lions (No. 6 overall)

Before the season started, the Lions were the darkest of dark horse Super Bowl contenders. Right now, the idea is at least plausible.

If the Lions are to make a run at the Lombardi Trophy, it will have everything to do with Matthew Stafford. The first thing he has to do is stay healthy, which is a dicey proposition. The second thing he has to do is be consistent, which is also a dicey proposition.

However, Stafford does have it in him to be consistent. He tends to lose his grip on his mechanics, which leads to horrible accuracy. When he's good, though, he's pretty darn good.

At this point, the Lions are pretty much a lock to make the playoffs. Once they get there, all they need is for Stafford to get hot, and they could be on their way.

San Francisco 49ers (No. 2 overall)

So, it turns out this Jim Harbaugh guy is a pretty good head coach. That he's led what is essentially a modified version of the 2010 49ers to a 6-1 record through seven games is all you really need to know.

It helps that Harbaugh has the NFC's best defense helping him out. The 49ers are very tough to move the ball against, and it's even tougher to score against them.

Offensively, the 49ers are just okay. And if you have concerns about Alex Smith's ability to get to and win a Super Bowl, I totally understand.

But hey, Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl. He was able to do that because he had a great defense and a good running game. Smith has both of these things.

Zachary D. Rymer's Week 9 Power Rankings

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