NFL Power Rankings and Sleeper Teams on the Rise

Here's a look at three NFL teams that are rising quickly in this week's power rankings and possibly beyond. 

Kansas City Chiefs (No. 18)

After starting the season being outscored 89-10, it looked like the Chiefs were going to turn in one of the worst seasons in NFL history. 

Season-ending injuries to Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry certainly didn't help, but this team has shown to be resilient. Don't forget that the Chiefs won 10 games last year. Todd Haley is a good coach and he deserves a lot of credit for turning this year's squad around.

Brandon Flowers has started playing better after getting burned a ton earlier in the season, Jackie Battle has stepped in admirably at running back and other young guys have stepped up.

Kansas City may have lucked out last night because of Philip "I Take Snaps With My Hands Closed" Rivers, but the Chiefs dominated most of that game and probably deserved the win. They've now won four in a row and stand in a three-way tie atop the AFC West. 

Upcoming home games with Miami and Denver mean the Chiefs will likely continue their current rise in the rankings.

Philadelphia Eagles (No. 15)

The "Dream Team" was certainly looking like a nightmare as it started off the season a miserable 1-4.

But after a win at Washington a couple weeks ago, the Eagles thrashed the Cowboys Sunday night in impressive fashion. The talented secondary finally played up to potential as they shut down Dallas' threatening receiving corps.

Even at 3-4 the Eagles are tied for second in an NFC East division that is still up for grabs for any team. Philadelphia gets Chicago and Arizona at the Linc in the next two weeks before an important division rematch with the Giants. 

Philly could easily be back in first place after three weeks.

Minnesota Vikings (2-6)

They may not have a chance at making the playoffs because of their daunting division, but Minnesota is a better team than people give them credit for.

This week's road victory at Carolina showed that.

Christian Ponder was impressive again and the transition to the starting quarterback role has moved seamlessly. He managed the game perfectly and then went 5 for 5 on the game's winning drive.

The Vikings lost a lot of close games early in the season and it appears that Donovan McNabb was the reason for those second-half collapses.

Now that the QB problem is fixed, I expect Minnesota to continue to rise after their bye week (and after their trip to Lambeau in Week 10).

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

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