Week 10 NFL Power Rankings

The season is crossing over the half way point and it is pretty clear of the teams that will be around when December and January come. The Saints remain at the top spot and the Colts are closely behind them at number 2. Both are undefeated and the talk of an undefeated season have begun. Rarely does one team make it this long without a loss; let alone two teams. The Colts are most at risk this week when they face the sixth ranked Patriots. The other top ten matchup this week involves the Bengals and Steelers, fourth and fifth respectively. The AFC North will be on line in this one. The Buccaneers finally got their first win and guarantees that no team will go winless. The victory moves the Buccaneers up and puts the Browns in the last spot.

2009 Power Rankings (going into Week 10):
1.(1) Saints (8-0): They started slow again this week, but when it mattered in the second half they clamped down and stayed undefeated.
2.(2) Colts (8-0): The Texans gave them a scare, but the Colts showed why they have dominated the Texans: by winning close games if necessary.
3.(3) Vikings (7-1): They had a week off and have a great chance to have a similar second half.
4.(6) Bengals (6-2): They continue to impress as they have run over the Ravens twice and are 4-0 in the AFC North.
5.(7) Steelers (6-2): This team is showing their championship pedigree and now have a chance to take over the division lead with a home game against the Bengals.
6.(5) Patriots (6-2): This offense looks back on track and they are back on top of the AFC East again and look to be sealing their postseason ticket.
7.(4) Broncos (6-2): They started very strong, but now their offense can't score enough and their defense can't stop others from scoring.
8.(9) Cowboys (6-2): They are playing like the team they are capable of being. The division for now is theirs to lose.
9.(10) Falcons (5-3): Losses hurt, but the losses by other contenders helps them. Michael Turner is starting to heat up.
10.(8) Eagles (5-3): They came in with a lot of hype after the Giants win, but couldn't make the big plays when it counted.
11.(13) Cardinals (5-3): The Cardinals aka Road Warriors? Strange as it sounds, this team is getting it done on the road and impressively.
12.(16) Chargers (5-3): They are slowly creeping back in the division with the Broncos' losses and should feel good after their last win.
13.(14) Texans (5-4): Tough to go into a bye week with a crushing loss to the Colts.
14.(15) Giants (5-4): They are sliding in the wrong direction fast and better use the bye week to fix their problems or they will have a long second half with no postseason.
15.(11) Ravens (4-4): Where is the defense? This team looked so promising early on, but they are struggling where they used to dominate.
16.(12) Packers (4-4): A loss to a winless Bucs team does not help them and they might be watching Brett Favre and the Vikings skip to the division title.
17.(18) Jets (4-4): Rex Ryan probably spent the bye week getting his defense fired up to come out as strong as they started the season.
18.(17) Bears (4-4): They are struggling on the field and only making things worse with fighting and non sense. A once good defense looks missing.
19.(19) Dolphins (3-5): They knew having a winning season last year meant a tougher schedule and they are finding that out the hard way.
20.(21) Jaguars (4-4): They beat up on the bad team and get beat up by the good teams. Doesn't usually mean a winning record.
21.(20) 49ers (3-5): They are on a four game skid after their bye and need to put it to a halt or they will be watching the playoffs again.
22.(26) Titans (2-6): Two games with Vince Young at QB and two wins. A lot of credit goes to Chris Johnson and a better defensive effort.
23.(22) Panthers (3-5): They showed signs of being a good team when they handle the ball and take advantage of the opposing teams' mistakes.
24.(23) Bills (3-5): The offense is sputtering along, but they might get Trent Edwards back.
25.(24) Seahawks (3-5): The season is not going the way they planned and have a crucial division game this week.
26.(25) Redskins (2-6): Injuries, fights, and more on the field struggles. Panic has truly hit D.C.
27.(27) Raiders (2-6): Hopefully they spent their bye week wisely. They certainly needed every day to improve.
28.(28) Chiefs (1-7): Chris Chambers had a very nice debut. That's about all that came out of another bad loss.
29.(29) Lions (1-7): Losing is becoming part of the culture here. They have one win in a season and a half.
30.(30) Rams (1-7): They get the Saints after a bye and a win. Not a great way to come back.
31.(32) Buccaneers (1-7): Its good to see them get a win as they took advantage of bad calls by the Packers. The throwbacks might have been good luck.
32.(31) Browns (1-7): Changing quarterbacks isn't going to help them get better. Plus how exactly did someone think they deserved a Monday Night game.

A couple of big clashes this week as the season begins to move into the second half.