NFL Power Rankings Week 10: Division Leaders Who Will Fall This Week

The San Francisco 49ers are one of several division leaders who could lose in Week 10 of the NFL season.

As the chase for the playoffs heats up we will soon see which teams are real Super Bowl contenders and which teams are pretenders.

Let's look at three division leaders who will lose in Week 10 and fall in the NFL Power Rankings.

1. San Francisco 49ers

The New York Giants are on a roll right now and at 6-2 they are atop the NFC East division. They will beat the NFC West leading San Francisco 49ers this week with a balanced offensive attack.

The Giants can run the ball effectively with Brandon Jacobs or Ahmad Bradshaw (if healthy) and quarterback Eli Manning has played like an elite player this season.

The Giants front seven will also pressure 49ers quarterback Alex Smith into making several poor throws.

The Giants will follow their big win against the New England Patriots last week with another confidence boosting victory against the 49ers in Week 10 with a solid defensive performance and an efficient offensive attack.

2. New Orleans Saints

With their victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week the New Orleans Saints are now the leaders of the NFC South at 6-3.

The Saints will lose that lead going into Week 11 when they are defeated by the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

The Falcons are playing much better right now than they did earlier in the season. Rookie wide receiver Julio Jones caught his first two career touchdown passes last week, and is one of several key offensive players for Atlanta playing well right now.

Atlanta has won four of their last five games, and have only allowed about 13 points per game during their current three game winning streak.

The Falcons passing attack will beat the weak Saints defense and as a result take over first place in the NFC South.

3. Cincinnati Bengals

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost a heart breaker to the Baltimore Ravens last week but they will make up ground in the AFC North on Sunday with a win against the division leading Cincinnati Bengals.

The Steelers will win because their defense will pressure rookie Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton and force him to make some poor throws.

Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will have a big game and lead the Steelers to a big division win to keep their wild card and division title hopes alive.

The Bengals haven't played many quality teams this season, and in their first matchup of the year against the Steelers, they will show they are overrated.

Dalton has yet to play a defense as talented as the Steelers, and without a good running game the young quarterback will struggle this week.

Nicholas Goss' Week 10 NFL Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers

2. New York Giants

3. Baltimore Ravens 

4. San Francisco 49ers

5. Detroit Lions

6. Pittsburgh Steelers

7. New Orleans Saints

8. New England Patriots

9. Buffalo Bills

10. Cincinnati Bengals

11. Houston Texans

12. Atlanta Falcons

13. New York Jets

14. Chicago Bears

15. Oakland Raiders

16. San Diego Chargers

17. Philadelphia Eagles

18. Tennessee Titans

19. Washington Redskins

20. Dallas Cowboys 

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

22. Kansas City Chiefs

23. Minnesota Vikings

24. Seattle Seahawks

25. Carolina Panthers

26. Jacksonville Jaguars

27. Arizona Cardinals

28. Denver Broncos

29. Miami Dolphins

30. St. Louis Rams

31. Cleveland Browns

32. Indianapolis Colts