NFL Power Rankings: Dominant Teams That Are Locks to Win Their Division

Happy times are had when a team is winning, especially if it appears that nobody can stop them. Running away with a division lead brings a smile to the face of everyone involved with that organization. 

It certainly is amazing how much winning changes the day-to-day approach to the game, and when a team is a on a hot streak, fans, coaches and players hope it's one that never ends. 

After 10 weeks of the NFL regular season, it's becoming more and more clear who the favorites are, as well as which teams are just pretenders. 

Here are the top teams that are locks to win their division. 

Green Bay Packers 

This one is far too easy, as the defending Super Bowl champs are currently 9-0 and aren't slowing down anytime soon. 

Aaron Rodgers is shredding opposing defenses, and the Packers easily have the NFC North wrapped up. They only have three more division games, and even if they lost one or two, they will still be fine. 

The NFC North has been much harder this season than in recent years, which shows you how good Green Bay really is. The Packers have had some poor defensive games, but as long as Rodgers is healthy, their chances of winning are always great. 

Check out this tweet from the Packers official Twitter page. It really puts into perspective how dominant Green Bay has been in 2011. 

San Francisco 49ers 

The NFC West is the worst in the NFL, which is why the surprise 49ers will have no trouble winning it. Entering the 2011 season, you could have picked any team to win the division because of little we all knew about each team. 

Fast forward 10 weeks into the NFL season, and the 49ers have emerged as the favorites in the division, although nobody expected them to be this good. 

ESPN's Skip Bayless tweeted his thoughts on why the 49ers are so good, and it's hard not to agree with him. 

Harbaugh is on fire right now, and the 8-1 49ers won't have any problems claiming the top spot in their division. They still have five division games left, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if they won each of them in impressive fashion.

Having the No. 1 rush defense in the NFL, as well as giving up zero rushing touchdowns through 10 weeks of the season is out of this world good.  

New England Patriots 

The Patriots have the easiest remaining schedule of any team in the league, as six of the last seven teams they must play all have a losing record. 

Tom Brady continues to play out of his mind, and the defense has been improving, although they still aren't very good against the pass. 

Bill Belichick will have to keep working on the defense, especially if he wants to make a run at the Super Bowl. 

With all of the teams in the AFC East trending down, the Patriots will maintain their superb offensive play and easily win the division. 

This tweet from the Patriots official Twitter page is great evidence of how dangerous Brady and Belichick truly are, which is why they will win the AFC East again this season. 

Eric Bowman’s 2011 NFL Power Rankings  

1. Green Bay Packers

2. San Francisco 49ers 

3. New Orleans Saints

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

5. New England Patriots

6. Baltimore Ravens

7. Houston Texans

8. Chicago Bears

9.  Detroit Lions 

10. New York Giants

11. Atlanta Falcons

12. New York Jets

13. Dallas Cowboys

14. Cincinnati Bengals

15. Oakland Raiders  

16. Buffalo Bills

17. San Diego Chargers  

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

19. Philadelphia Eagles

20. Tennessee Titans

21.  Denver Broncos

22. Arizona Cardinals  

23. Kansas City Chiefs 

24. Minnesota Vikings 

25. Washington Redskins

26. Carolina Panthers

27. Seattle Seahawks

28. Miami Dolphins

29. St. Louis Rams

30.  Jacksonville Jaguars

31. Cleveland Browns

32. Indianapolis Colts