Week 7 Power Rankings

For all the week-to-week surprises and twists of fate that roil the NFL standings these days, there have always been some big sweeping cycles to league history. And if you stand back far enough, you can see it happening again.

Since the 1970 merger, one conference or another has dominated, depending upon the decade. The powerful AFC ruled the 1970s (think Dolphins, Steelers and Raiders) and the 2000s (Patriots, Steelers and Colts). The rugged NFC reigned in the 1980s (San Francisco, Washington, Chicago) and 1990s (Dallas, San Francisco and Green Bay). So far this decade, it's back to the NFC as the re-emerging power base in the league, with the Packers and Giants winning the past two Super Bowls and the NFC head and shoulders stronger than the AFC this season.

Five of our top six teams in this week's rankings hail from the NFC, and seven of our top 10. Houston has distanced itself from the pack in the AFC at the moment, but after the Texans, it's a drop-off in terms of excellence. Not so in the NFC, where the Falcons, Giants, 49ers">49ers, Bears, Packers, Vikings and Seahawks all have at least four wins in the bank and look like playoff material. With 10 weeks to go in the regular season, nothing's set in stone just yet, but the NFC has returned to prominence in one of those cyclical shifts for which the NFL has become known.

Now onto this week's rankings....

NFL Power Rankings