The Atlanta Falcons remain atop the ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings this week, followed by the New England Patriots, the Baltimore Ravens, the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers to round out the top five. The Ravens and Jets flip-flopped positions from last week. The Falcons, who last week became first-time kings of our charts, will have their supremacy tested by the No. 7 Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
RK (LW) TEAM (REC) COMMENT
1 (1) Falcons 8-2 The Falcons' pass protection was nearly flawless against Rams team that led NFL in sacks. (Sando)
2 (2) Patriots 8-2 Now that they've beaten the Colts, they have to take care of Jets on Dec. 6 to make sure they don't play in Indianapolis in the playoffs. (Clayton)
3 (4) Ravens 7-3 Defense gets its swagger back with two TDs against Carolina. (Walker)
4 (3) Jets 8-2 Santonio Holmes is replacing Mariano Rivera as New York's best closer. (Clayton)
5 (5) Steelers 7-3 Pittsburgh had 163 penalty yards and still beat Oakland by 32 points. (Walker)
6 (6) Eagles 7-3 Michael Vick was impressive overcoming adversity Sunday on what wasn't his best night. (Clayton)
7 (7) Packers 7-3 QB Aaron Rodgers has seven touchdown passes in his past two games. (Walker)
8 (9) Saints 7-3 Giving injured starters another week's rest seems smart with Thursday game looming. (Sando)
9 (10) Colts 6-4 Home cooking will be good, but the Chargers are capable of giving the Colts fits. (Kuharsky)
10 (8) Giants 6-4 Injuries, turnovers and mistakes are rapidly pulling the Giants down in the standings. (Clayton)
After the jump, #11 through Panthers
11 (11) Buccaneers 7-3 There's no shame in being the third-best team in the NFC South this season. (Sando)
12 (17) Bears 7-3 Bears have quietly won three straight with solid defense. (Walker)
13 (15) Chiefs 6-4 Out of division, dispatched a bad Cardinals team in Week 11. Expect the same in Seattle in Week 12. (Kuharsky)
14 (16) Chargers 5-5 The Chargers are on a roll now and know they've been able to handle the Colts. (Kuharsky)
15 (18) Jaguars 6-4 The Jaguars deserve a lot of credit for the resolve that has them in first place after 10 games. (Kuharsky)
16 (12) Raiders 5-5 Disappointing showing against the Steelers, but the Raiders should get back over .500 as hosts to Miami. (Kuharsky)
17 (13) Titans 5-5 The Titans need to set the drama aside and beat a team struggling even more than they are in Houston on Sunday. (Kuharsky)
18 (21) Redskins 5-5 Donovan McNabb looked good in two-minute situations and on third downs against the Titans. (Clayton)
19 (14) Dolphins 5-5 The Miami Heat might be the hot NBA property, but the real Miami heat is the criticism of recent Dolphins coaching decisions. (Clayton)
20 (19) Texans 4-6 Historically good at stringing together wins after falling out of contention. Are we there yet? (Kuharsky)
21 (20) Seahawks 5-5 Matt Hasselbeck's recent resurgence makes Seattle much more competitive. (Sando)
22 (23) Rams 4-6 The Rams must win a road game to realistically contend for the NFC West title. (Sando)
23 (22) Browns 3-7 Eric Mangini needs to start winning immediately if he wants to coach Cleveland in 2011. (Walker)
24 (29) Cowboys 3-7 Jon Kitna is starting to get into a rhythm as a QB and a leader filling in for Tony Romo. (Clayton)
25 (24) Vikings 3-7 Can interim coach Leslie Frazier rally the Vikings? It worked for Dallas. (Walker)
26 (25) 49ers 3-7 Mike Singletary took the blame for the 49ers' predicament. Does he have answers? (Sando)
27 (26) Broncos 3-7 The Broncos have lost five of six and seem to be going nowhere. (Kuharsky)
28 (30) Bills 2-8 The Bills are 2-8 but they have become more competitive and fun to watch in the past month. (Clayton)
29 (27) Cardinals 3-7 The Cardinals seem like a team at risk of going in the tank. Where's the fight? (Sando)
30 (28) Bengals 2-8 Giving up 35 straight points to Buffalo is another sign it's time for the Bengals to start from scratch. (Walker)
31 (31) Lions 2-8 Here's all you need to know about the Lions: They're 4-38 since 2008. (Walker)
32 (32) Panthers 1-9 Ball-control Panthers have lost time-of-possession battle in each of nine defeats. (Sando)
The 4 voters: Mike Sando, John Clayton, Paul Kuharsky and James Walker