NFL Power Rankings: Heat Check for League's Hottest Teams

Not only did Drew Brees break Dan Marino's single-season passing yards record against Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons, he led his New Orleans Saints to their seventh straight victory, currently the long streak in the NFC. 

Tom Brady has his Patriots on a seven-game roll, too. 

A few other teams are building momentum at the perfect time. 

New Orleans Saints

All the headlines today feature Drew Brees, as they should. 

He's the single-season passing yards leader, and he has his team playing its best football of the season at the perfect time. 

You could tell he was really pushing for the record in the second half, and that led to a few forced and dangerous throws. 

Now that it is out of the way, watch out. Brees will return to his calm and collected ways that result in extremely frustrated opposing secondaries. 

With a respectable defense and an amazingly shifty running game, the Saints are arguably the favorite in the NFC at this juncture.

Detroit Lions

Who's got the second-longest winning streak in the NFC? 

The Detroit Lions, winners of three straight. 

They have averaged over 30 points during their late-season run and have shown the offensive consistency we thought we'd see from them all year after their incredible start. 

Matthew Stafford isn't getting the publicity of Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady, but the kid has thrown for over 4,500 yards with 36 touchdowns and only 14 interceptions. 

With Calvin Johnson the most unstoppable receiver in the game, watch out for the Lions in the postseason. 

The defense has returned to form, too. 

New England Patriots

Not surprisingly, the Patriots have made a late-season ascension to the top of the AFC. 

Tom Brady is having one of the his best overall seasons, especially in terms of leadership. 

With a lackluster defense that's ranked near the bottom of the league in many categories all season, Brady has been essentially the sole reason why they've already won 12 games in 2011. 

Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker are polar opposites in terms of size and skill set, but they can hurt you nonetheless. 

Can the Pats finally win a home playoff game?

Baltimore Ravens

Although the Cincinnati Bengals have won two straight victories, which constitutes the longest actual winning streak in the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens have won five of their last six and are sitting pretty in the No. 2 seed in the postseason picture. 

They experienced a hiccup against the Chargers on Sunday night last week, but bounced against an inferior Cleveland Browns club at home in Week 16. 

Ray Rice has finally been given the ball more, taking a good amount of pressure off Joe Flacco. 

The defense has loads of experience, and you know Ray Lewis will have them ready for the playoffs. 

NFL Power Rankings: Week 17

1. Green Bay Packers

2. New Orleans Saints

3. New England Patriots

4. San Francisco 49ers

5. Baltimore Ravens

6. Pittsburgh Steelers

7. Atlanta Falcons

8. Detroit Lions

9. New York Giants

10. Cincinnati Bengals

11. Dallas Cowboys

12. Houston Texans

13. Tennessee Titans 

14. Denver Broncos

15. Seattle Seahawks

16. Philadelphia Eagles

17. New York Jets

18. Oakland Raiders

19. San Diego Chargers

20. Miami Dolphins

21. Arizona Cardinals

22. Kansas City Chiefs

23. Chicago Bears

24. Carolina Panthers

25. Buffalo Bills 

26. Washington Redskins 

27. Cleveland Browns

28. Jacksonville Jaguars

29. Minnesota Vikings

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

31. Indianapolis Colts

32. St. Louis Rams