Power Rankings: NFC teams putting up a good fight

Updated Nov. 6

Let's face facts: We thought the NFC was the minor league heading into the season. The AFC, we all reasoned, was the loaded conference.

Greg Jennings and the Packers can put distance between themselves and Detroit on Thanksgiving. (AP)

Why bother to play the Super Bowl? There are seven teams in the AFC who could win the NFC, we thought. Won't the big game be ugly no matter who represents the NFC?

Once again, those of us trying to figure out the NFL were dead wrong.

At the halfway point, it's quite obvious that the two best teams are in the AFC, the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.

But the next three teams in the CBSSports.com Power Rankings are all NFC teams. The Green Bay Packers are at No. 3, followed by the Dallas Cowboys at No. 4 and the New York Giants in the No. 5 spot.

Those three teams are all playing well. But something else has happened to help get them there.

Some of the so-called good teams in the AFC aren't that good right now.

The San Diego Chargers, a chic Super Bowl pick before the season, are 4-4. The Denver Broncos are 3-5. The Cincinnati Bengals are 2-6. The Jacksonville Jaguars are 5-3, but they were blown out by the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

The AFC is 20-19 against the NFC, which says even. The AFC West lost all three games to the NFC North last Sunday.

Taking all of that into account it's obvious that the NFC isn't as bad as we thought, excluding the NFC West of course.

Our top 10 this week is made up of six AFC teams and four NFC teams. Two are huge surprises, one from each conference.

Poll Which is the best team in the NFC?   10%  Lions     9%  Giants     48%  Cowboys     33%  Packers     Total Votes: 62929

The Detroit Lions are eighth in the rankings, while the Cleveland Browns are ninth. The Lions are 6-2 and the Browns are 5-3. That is simply amazing.

But if someone goes down, like Denver, someone has to go up.

We see it every year, a surprise team or teams making playoff pushes. This year it's Jon Kitna and Mike Martz in Detroit and Derek Anderson and Kellen Winslow in Cleveland.

In the next three weeks, the elite NFC teams will play each other. The Giants and Cowboys play this week. The Packers and Lions play on Thanksgiving and the Packers and Cowboys play the following week. In early December, the Cowboys and Lions play.

By mid-December, one team will emerge as the power team in the NFC. Until then, let's not forget that the NFC has some good teams, too -- even if they aren't as good as the top two in the AFC.

The Power Rankings through Week 9:

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Colts · Trends	1
	They won four games in November by a total of 10 points. They're not dominating, but they are winning.
	2	Saints · Trends	2
	They get a major test next week when the Patriots come to town for a Monday night game. Is that the end of the unbeaten season?
	3	Vikings · Trends	3
	Brett Favre might be having his best season. Who said he would flop? Oh, me.
	4	Patriots · Trends	5
	They bounced back nicely against the Jets and have a two-game lead in the division, but the Saints will be a great barometer for where they are now.
	5	Cowboys · Trends	7
	They beat the Redskins, but they still looked off. They'll get it going Thursday against the Raiders.
	6	Bengals · Trends	4
	What was that in Oakland? That reminds us a little of why they're still the Bengals. They had no business losing that game.
	7	Chargers · Trends	9
	They are rolling again after a slow start. What else is new for this team? They are the class of the AFC West, just like we thought they'd be.
	8	Cardinals · Trends	10
	They played a decent road game against the Rams, even if they made it interesting in the end. The running game is getting cranked up, which is great for the playoff run.
	9	Eagles · Trends	11
	They snapped a two-game losing streak against the Bears to keep their playoff chances solid. This is the time when the Eagles usually get it going.
	10	Steelers · Trends	6
	They just haven't looked that good this season. Something is off. It might be wise to work on that kickoff coverage.
	11	Giants · Trends	12
	Eli Manning's big game saved their season against Atlanta. Now they face a tough road game at Denver on a short week.
	12	Broncos · Trends	8
	Was their start a fraud? It sure looks like it. They aren't playing well on either side of the ball, but especially on offense.
	13	Jaguars · Trends	16
	If the playoffs started today, they'd be in. Wow. They aren't winning pretty, but they're finding a way.
	14	Packers · Trends	17
	Losing Al Harris and Aaron Kampman for the season will impact that defense in a big way. It's good that the offense is playing better now to help offset it.
	15	Falcons · Trends	14
	They have three consecutive homes games to turn their season back around. The defense just gives up too many big plays.
	16	Dolphins · Trends	21
	Chad Henne is growing up. As he does, they will be better. The playoffs are still possible. But don't lose at Buffalo.
	17	Ravens · Trends	15
	They've been a disappointment so far. If they lose to the Steelers this week, they can say goodbye to the playoffs.
	18	Texans · Trends	13
	That loss at home to the Titans is a big hit to their playoff chances. They just never got it going on offense. Kris Brown choked two weeks in a row. Now the Colts come to town.
	19	Titans · Trends	22
	They are somehow still alive at 4-6. Winning four consecutive games after opening 0-6 is impressive. Vince Young is doing a nice job.
	20	Jets · Trends	18
	Mark Sanchez is playing like a rookie. But it doesn't mean he should sit down. He needs to grow and playing is the right way.
	21	Panthers · Trends	19
	They will likely have a new coach next season and that could mean the end for Jake Delhomme. He just isn't good enough.
	22	Bears · Trends	20
	Is Lovie Smith in trouble? He might be. Cutler sure hasn't lived up to the expectations. He needs help.
	23	49ers · Trends	23
	They can forget the playoffs now. The rest of the season is about finding out if Alex Smith is the long-term answer at quarterback.
	24	Bills · Trends	25
	Perry Fewell's first game showed a team that will still fight. And there was a Terrell Owens sighting. Amazing.
	25	Seahawks · Trends	24
	Count this team as one of the biggest flops of the season. But injuries have played a big part. Is Mike Holmgren coming to the rescue?
	26	Chiefs · Trends	26
	They're on a two-game winning streak. Beating the Steelers is a big step for this young team. The Chiefs are improving.
	27	Redskins · Trends	27
	The best thing to come out of the Cowboys loss is that Jason Campbell played better. They're still fighting.
	28	Raiders · Trends	28
	Say hello to the bench, JaMarcus Russell. Bruce Gradkowski is the guy the rest of the way.
	29	Lions · Trends	31
	Matt Stafford showed against the Browns that he was the right pick last April. They have their building block.
	30	Rams · Trends	29
	Do you feel sorry a little for Steven Jackson playing on this team? He's having a huge season. And now Marc Bulger is out? Ouch.
	31	Buccaneers · Trends	30
	Josh Freeman played like a rookie against the Saints, but he will have those days. It's hard to believe that's a Bucs defense we've been watching. It tells us why Jim Bates was fired.
	32	Browns · Trends	32
	The good news is Brady Quinn is looking better. The bad news is the defense regressed. They have a long way to go to being able to compete for a playoff spot.