NFL Power Rankings Week 11: Projecting Best Teams of Both Conferences

While the NFC's best teams are quickly evident, the AFC is a harder conference to figure out. That doesn't mean, of course, that the AFC lacks talent, but with every team in the conference at three or more losses, it makes the situation harder to assess.

With that in mind, let's start the discussion of the two best teams with the NFC. The undefeated Green Bay Packers are clearly not just the best in their conference, but the best in the league, with the seemingly unstoppable offensive juggernaut scoring no fewer than 24 points in their nine games.

Defense is the team's only Achilles heel, but until an opponent finds a reliable way to stop quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his many receiving targets, that weak defense only serves to harm the team's stat line but not their bottom line.

The NFC, however, does boast the league's best defense, which belongs to the West division's San Francisco 49ers.

They're allowing on average just 73.2 rushing yards per game and haven't allowed a rushing touchdown since December 26, 2010, nor a 100-yard rusher for even longer. They also lead the league in takeaways this season, with 21.

While the Niners have had an impressive defense for some time, it was their offense that caused them the most trouble, costing them games and leaving fans wondering why quarterback Alex Smith remained the team's starter despite so much failure.

Of course, an offense is more than how its quarterback plays; it's how the entire squad is coached. With Jim Harbaugh in control of San Francisco, the first-year coach has been able to develop a system that works both on the ground and in the air.

While the NFC's two best teams have just one loss between them, the two top AFC squads on my power rankings have a total of six.

And one of them, the Houston Texans, might not sit atop the conference once they return to the field after their Week 11 bye. With starting quarterback Matt Schaub lost for the season with a Lisfranc injury to his foot, backup Matt Leinart will take over starting in Week 12.

While Schaub wasn't relied upon to do his offense's heavy lifting—that distinction rests upon the running game, led by Arian Foster and Ben Tate—he still had the requisite talent to move the ball.

Leinart, who never met his potential once he reached the NFL, won't have a lot of responsibilities as the Texans starter, but as the playoffs near, any loss as significant as Schaub's can only harm a team.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are the second-highest ranked AFC team, having defeated the impressive Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10 after dropping the second of two games to the Baltimore Ravens the week prior.

What the Steelers have is experience, namely Super Bowl experience. As the season wears on, this will prove invaluable to the squad as they try to maintain hold of the North division.

Struggles with inconsistency have plagued the team throughout the season. Without getting the wild swings under control, the team won't remain at the top of the conference for much longer, especially with those daunting Ravens not far behind.

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