2010 NFL Power Rankings: Week 11
For the third time in as many weeks, there's a new leader of the ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings.
The Atlanta Falcons lead the poll of our experts, a fitting vault from No. 3 after defeating the Week 10-leading Baltimore Ravens on Thursday. According to our archives dating to 2002, the Falcons are atop our rankings for the first time in franchise history. They'll have their mettle tested in Week 11 with a visit to the No. 23 St. Louis Rams, who have a four-game home winning streak.
The New England Patriots, who were our leaders entering Week 9 play, are No. 2 in this edition. The New York Jets, the Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers round out the top five.
The Patriots are preparing for their seemingly annual showdown with the Indianapolis Colts, now rated No. 10. Another marquee game this week features the No. 6 Philadelphia Eagles playing host to the No. 8 New York Giants.
The Carolina Panthers make their season debut in the No. 32 spot.
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Editor's note: "LW" indicates each team's ranking in the Week 10 edition of the 2010 Power Rankings.
| 2010 Power Rankings: Week 11 | ||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | COMMENTS | |
| 1 |  | 2 Last Week: 3 | Confident, rested Falcons must guard against letdown when visiting improved Rams. (Sando) | |
| 2 |  | 4 Last Week: 6 | The Patriots went 3-1 against the AFC North, with just the one bad day against Eric Mangini. (Clayton) | |
| 3 |  | 2 Last Week: 5 | Rex Ryan had to go overtime against Eric Mangini, but at least the Jets pulled out the win. (Clayton) | |
| 4 |  | 3 Last Week: 1 | There's no shame in a last-second loss to Atlanta at the Georgia Dome. (Walker) | |
| 5 |  | 3 Last Week: 2 | Steelers are just 1-2 in their last three games. (Walker) | |
| 6 |  | 2 Last Week: 8 | Michael Vick is the Eagles' new franchise quarterback and now is awaiting a big payday. (Clayton) | |
| 7 |  | -- Last Week: 7 | The well-rested Packers have a chance to beat Brett Favre one more time. (Walker) | |
| 8 |  | 4 Last Week: 4 | Lost in the dark against the Cowboys in Week 10, the Giants now have to prepare for the electric Michael Vick. (Clayton) | |
| 9 |  | -- Last Week: 9 | Week 11 brings together Reggie Bush and Pete Carroll, minus NCAA investigators. (Sando) | |
| 10 |  | -- Last Week: 10 | How many injured guys can make it back for the showdown at New England? (Kuharsky) | |
| 11 |  | 2 Last Week: 13 | Bucs have not defeated a team that currently owns a winning record. (Sando) | |
| 12 |  | -- Last Week: 12 | Outside of team headquarters, few predicted the Raiders would be in first place after nine games. (Kuharsky) | |
| 13 |  | 2 Last Week: 11 | Hard to knock out two Miami QBs and still lose to a third-stringer. (Kuharsky) | |
| 14 |  | 3 Last Week: 17 | Has there been a costlier win than Sunday's over Tennessee? The Dolphins lost Chad Pennington, Chad Henne and Jake Long. (Clayton) | |
| 15 |  | 1 Last Week: 14 | From 5-2 to 5-4 in a flash, and that 1-2 AFC West record is a problem. (Kuharsky) | |
| 16 |  | -- Last Week: 16 | In range of first place, again, after enjoying the bye week and Denver's win over K.C. (Kuharsky) | |
| 17 |  | 2 Last Week: 19 | The "Monsters of the Midway" are second in the NFL in points allowed per game (16.2). (Walker) | |
| 18 |  | 2 Last Week: 20 | The Jags can't afford a letdown against Cleveland after Hail Mary Hysteria. (Kuharsky) | |
| 19 |  | 4 Last Week: 15 | The Texans need something, anything to serve as a jolt. How are they going to find it at the Jets? (Kuharsky) | |
| 20 |  | 4 Last Week: 24 | Pete Carroll sweeps the Cardinals and becomes the first Seattle coach to win at University of Phoenix Stadium. (Sando) | |
| 21 |  | 3 Last Week: 18 | Donovan McNabb got his contract extension, but the Eagles delivered a spanking to the Redskins. (Clayton) | |
| 22 |  | 1 Last Week: 23 | Playoff contenders want to avoid Cleveland in the second half of the season. (Walker) | |
| 23 |  | 2 Last Week: 21 | Issues in the Rams' secondary caught up to St. Louis in its OT loss at San Francisco. (Sando) | |
| 24 |  | 2 Last Week: 22 | Vikings are a perfect example of dysfunction undermining talent. (Walker) | |
| 25 |  | 3 Last Week: 28 | Troy Smith has completed 17 of 20 passes for 357 yards on first down in two starts. (Sando) | |
| 26 |  | 3 Last Week: 29 | In a three-game span, the Broncos allowed 59 points to one division rival and scored 49 against another. (Kuharsky) | |
| 27 |  | 2 Last Week: 25 | Issues on defense might be worse than obvious concerns at the quarterback position. (Sando) | |
| 28 |  | 2 Last Week: 26 | The Bengals have the NFL's longest losing streak at six games. (Walker) | |
| 29 |  | 1 Last Week: 30 | The combination of Jason Garrett's discipline and Dez Bryant's incredible ability stole the show against the Giants. (Clayton) | |
| 30 |  | 2 Last Week: 32 | After three losses by a field goal, the Bills and Chan Gailey finally taste victory. (Clayton) | |
| 31 |  | 4 Last Week: 27 | Only the Lions would throw a two-point conversion out of bounds to end a game. (Walker) | |
| 32 |  | 1 Last Week: 31 | Panthers face the NFL's toughest remaining schedule and could finish 2-14 easily. (Sando) | |
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| Glossary |
| The rankings were determined by ESPN's Power Panel, a group of more than 80 writers, editors and television personalities. |
