NFL Power Rankings: Cellar Dwellers Set to Rise with Week 11 Victories

With seven weeks remaining in the NFL season, it may be too little, too late for teams with one or two wins to make a run at the playoffs. Even so, there is still plenty of time for struggling teams to turn things around and build towards next season.

Every NFL team is capable of beating another in any given week. As bad as some teams may look right now, it could be a completely different story in the second half of the season. Here are three cellar dwellers that will rise up the rankings with wins in Week 11. 

Cleveland Browns

It wasn't long ago that the Cleveland Browns were in contention in the AFC North. However, after a few consecutive losses, they are now just 3-6.

A run at the division seems highly unlikely with the Steelers, Ravens and Bengals playing so well, but the Browns do still have an opportunity to end Pat Shurmur's first season as head coach on a positive note.

The Browns will host the 3-6 Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend, who are in a similar position to themselves. The Jags have played much of late, including beating the Ravens a few weeks ago. However, the two teams are extremely evenly matched, so I expect this to be a tight, low-scoring contest with Cleveland coming out on top. 

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings seemed to be making progress, despite having just two wins, but they were throttled by the Green Bay Packers this past Monday night. Now they are back to square one.

Nevertheless, the Vikings will have an opportunity to atone for that loss on Sunday when they host the 5-4 Oakland Raiders. Carson Palmer and company currently lead the AFC West by a half game over the Denver Broncos.

Oakland is a slight favorite, but Minnesota certainly isn't an easy place to play. I think this game will ultimately come down to how Vikings running back Adrian Peterson performs. The Raiders have one of the worst run defenses in the league, so he should feast on Oakland.

Meanwhile, the Vikings have struggled against the pass. However, if they can force the turnover-prone Carson Palmer into some bad decisions, they should pull off the upset. 

St. Louis Rams

Prior to the season the St. Louis Rams were favored to win the NFC West after falling just one game short last year.

A brutal early-season schedule and an injury to quarterback Sam Bradford sunk them, though. Now that Bradford is back, the Rams are playing much better and are seeking their third win in four weeks.

On Sunday, they will host the Seattle Seahawks, who upset the Baltimore Ravens last week.

With the Rams starting to live up to their potential and playing at home, I like them to win this game. Provided St. Louis' banged-up offensive line can keep Seattle's poor pass rush at bay, Bradford should be in for perhaps his best game of the season.

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