NFL Power Rankings Week 10: Looking at the Tightest Division Races

In our Week 10 NFL power rankings, we analyze the tightest division races in football and who might be the favorites in each: 

NFC South

The New Orleans Saints (6-3) lead the Atlanta Falcons (5-3) by just half a game. This week, they get an opportunity to play for the outright division lead when New Orleans travels to Atlanta. The winner of that game takes control of their own destiny in the NFC South. 

AFC East

Tiebreakers over the Jets (5-3) and Bills (5-3) give the Patriots (5-3) a leg-up in the AFC East, but this race is as tight as it gets right now.

The Jets and Patriots have a huge game in Week 10 that will likely determine the division favorite for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, the Bills go to Dallas to try and keep pace with whichever team comes out a winner in New York.

All three teams are good enough to win the AFC East, and I don't think anyone would be surprised if crowning a winner took all 17 weeks. 

AFC North

Just two weeks ago, every team in the AFC North was either .500 or better and the division looked like the hands down best in the NFL.

While there's still a strong case for that, the Browns have since lost two in a row to drop to 3-5.

Cincinnati, the NFL's most surprising team, currently leads the division with a 6-2 record. Starting this week, the Bengals play back-to-back games against the Steelers (6-3) and Ravens (6-2).

If they can steal one or both of those contests, the Bengals might have a real shot at winning the North. If they fall like most expect, the Ravens and Steelers will wage a two-man race for the crown once again. 

AFC West

No division in the NFL is tighter than the AFC West, where three teams—the Raiders, Chargers and Chiefs—remain tied for the lead at 4-4, with the Broncos (3-5) just a game back. The mediocrity of the top teams has kept this division close.

Both the Chargers and Chiefs have been through three game losing streaks in 2011, while the Raiders are looking at a third consecutive defeat this week if they can't go on the road and win in San Diego. This division should stay tight for the rest of the season, since no team has shown that they're capable of any sort of consistency. 

Week 10 Power Rankings

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