NFL Power Rankings Week 11: Why Packers Will Remain on Top All Season

I have a small confession to make.

At the start of the 2011 season, I didn't have the Green Bay Packers at the top of my power rankings. I actually had them at No. 2 behind the New England Patriots.

Since then, the Packers have done everything in their power to establish, beyond a doubt, that they are the best team in the NFL. They are No. 1 in my power rankings and they should be in everyone else's as well. They've earned it.

And if you ask me, they're stuck there. There are no flawless teams in the NFL, but the Packers are pretty close to being just that. Nobody's going to knock them from the top spot.

In fact, here are four reasons why that's not going to happen.

Defense Is Good Enough

In 2010, the Packers were the best defensive team in the NFC. This year, they're a middle-of-the-road defensive team, a reality brought upon by several different things.

Chief among these is the fact that Green Bay's defense has to put up with a lot week in and week out. Opponents tend to throw the ball as much and as often as they can against the Packers, a strategy often necessitated by the numbers Green Bay's offense put on the board. There's only so much the Packers can do to keep offenses at bay.

One thing the Packers do very well is take the ball away. The Packers lead the league in interceptions, and have turned three of them into touchdowns. That's tied for the league lead.

I can't say whether or not Green Bay will recapture its elite defensive form this season. What I can say is that their defense is good enough to not be their Achilles heel.

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Lack of Competition

The only team that is even close to the Packers in terms of overall quality is the San Francisco 49ers.

Oddly enough, the two teams are pretty much exact opposites. The Packers feed off their quarterback and get just enough from their defense, and the 49ers feed off their defense and get just enough from their quarterback. It helps that he gets a lot of support from his running back, which is yet another way in which the 49ers differ from the Packers.

The 49ers might catch the Packers as far as records go, but even then I'm not sure I'll be able to elevate them ahead of the Packers. A big reason for this is that the 49ers are finally going into the NFC West portion of their schedule, and wins over those teams are going to be nothing to write home about.

As for Green Bay's schedule, that's a topic for the next point.

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Remaining Schedule

Truth be told, I'll wager that the final seven games of Green Bay's schedule are a little more difficult than the first nine games. Games at the Detroit Lions and New York Giants are not to be taken lightly, and the Packers also have home tilts against the Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears and Lions before their season is over.

But of the bunch, none of the matchups truly make you worry. The Packers are head and shoulders above every team remaining on their schedule, so they would pretty much have to shoot themselves in the foot in order to stumble down the stretch.

Besides which, four of their final seven games are at home. Nothing like home cooking at Lambeau Field.

"I Know, Right?" Tweet:

Aaron Rodgers

Tired of people fawning over Aaron Rodgers?

Well, too bad. The dude is the best quarterback in the NFL, and the scary part is that he actually seems to be getting better every week. There isn't a throw he can't make, and this season there are few records he can't break.

As long as Rodgers stays healthy (knock on wood, Packers fans), the Packers are going to be the best team in the NFL. He is what Tom Brady used to be for the Patriots.

Except better.

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Zachary D. Rymer's Week 11 Power Rankings

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