With win over Lions, 49ers crack Top 5 of Week 6 power rankings

Well that didn't take long. Less than six months after the NFL draft unfolded, we've already got four rookie quarterbacks starting for their teams: Cam Newton in Carolina, Blaine Gabbert in Jacksonville, Christian Ponder in Minnesota and Andy Dalton in Cincinnati. C'mon Jake Locker and Colin Kaepernick, what's taking you so long to get the hang of things?

That's one eighth of the league turned over to rookies at the game's most pivotal position, and don't forget about second-year man Tim Tebow getting promoted to starter in Denver, the inexperienced Curtis Painter steering the sinking ship in Indy, John Beck shaking off four years of rust in Washington, and 2010 draft picks Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy going through some sophomore-year difficulties in St. Louis and Cleveland, respectively.

It's a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately gig, playing quarterback in the NFL, and this week's schedule offers another dose of fresh QB storylines to follow. The quarterback carousel never really stops any more, it just slows down long enough for teams to put a new face in place. Now onto this week's rankings ...

Week 6 NFL Power Rankings