NFL Power Rankings Week 10: Predicting Every Division Winner

There's a lot of time left in the NFL season, and that means anything can happen.

However, in every division, favorites have emerged, and depending upon which division one is talking about, the top team headed into Week 10 will stay that way until the end of the year.

Others, however, aren't so clear, with ample opportunity for two or more teams to overtake the current leader and win their respective divisions.

Here are my picks for the winner of each division in the NFL, now that we've emerged from the season's halfway point.

NFC East—Philadelphia Eagles

Yes, the New York Giants currently sit atop the NFC East with a 6-2 record while the Eagles are under .500 at 3-4.

However, if Philadelphia's last two wins are any indication, the Eagles are about to take off on a tear in the second half of the season. They're still their division's most dynamic team, and when it comes down to it, they'll emerge as best in the NFC East, just as everyone believed back in August.

NFC North—Green Bay Packers

At 8-0, it's hard to even imagine the 6-2 Detroit Lions overtaking the Green Bay Packers to win the NFC North.

While there are reasons for the Packers to be nervous about their chances of repeating as Super Bowl champions—their defense, for example—whether the Packers finish the season 16-0 or 14-2, they'll be tops of the NFC North.

NFC South—New Orleans Saints

When it comes to the NFC South, experience rules all, considering how tight a division it really is.

The Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are both talented teams in their own rights, and the chances that one of the two NFC Wild Card teams will come from the South is high.

But when we're talking the home-stretch of the season, the Saints have a clear advantage.

NFC West—San Francisco 49ers

The 7-1 San Francisco 49ers will likely clinch both a playoff berth and their division title sometime this month.

With the rest of the division having a combined five wins, the NFC West is clearly the easiest division to predict.

The Niners take it, and it's not even close.

AFC East—New England Patriots

The Patriots are on unstable ground right now, losing two games in a row and sharing the lead in the AFC East with both the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. But when it comes to when it counts—the second half of the season—the Patriots have a lot going for them.

This outcome depends heavily on New England's performance next week against the New York Jets. If the Pats drop their third in a row to a surging divisional rival, this picture changes drastically. 

AFC North—Baltimore Ravens

While the Cincinnati Bengals seem to have momentum on their side with five straight wins, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have proven season after season that they're the ultimate team to beat in the AFC North, it will be the Ravens who come out on top for the first time since 2006.

Four of their remaining eight games are against divisional teams—a win in three of four of them will clinch them the divisional title.

AFC South—Houston Texans

With a two-game divisional lead over the 4-4 Tennessee Titans, the 6-3 Houston Texans are just a handful of wins away from clinching the AFC South.

They've clearly benefited the most from the Indianapolis Colts' collapse, and now the perennial also-ran has the chance to prove themselves in the playoffs they've been searching for.

AFC West—San Diego Chargers

The AFC West is a mess, not unlike their counterparts in the NFC. The only difference here is that there isn't one emerging powerhouse, with three of the division's four teams at 4-4 through nine weeks of the season.

However, in divisional and conference standings, the Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs are the truly tied teams.

As the season moves on, regression to the mean will be the order of the day, with Kansas City looking more like the team they were in Weeks 1-3 (and nine) and the Chargers returning to division-leading form as usual. 

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

*Subject to change pending outcome of Monday night's Bears-Eagles contest