2012 NFL Power Rankings: Week 7

Updated: October 16, 2012, 1:54 PM ET

ESPN.com

Week:

Are the Falcons a perfect team? Not exactly, but their unblemished record carries a lot of clout here.

Matt Ryan & Co. improved to 6-0 by narrowly escaping against Oakland in Week 6. That victory -- combined with Houston's first loss of the season -- made Atlanta, the only remaining unbeaten team, an easy choice at No. 1.

Whom do our voters (ESPN.com's John Clayton, ESPN.com's Ashley Fox, NFC East blogger Dan Graziano, AFC North blogger Jamison Hensley and NFC West blogger Mike Sando) like after that? Look no further than the defending Super Bowl champion Giants, who made the biggest gain among the top 10 teams from a week ago.

New York's convincing victory at San Francisco was good for a four-spot jump from No. 7 to No. 3. (The Giants actually tied Houston for second but lost the tiebreaker based on overall record.)

The Texans, who had owned the top spot for the past three weeks, fell back after being blasted at home by Green Bay on Sunday night.

Will Atlanta soon suffer the same fate, or does its reign have legs? After struggling to beat the lowly Raiders, the Falcons probably shouldn't be viewed as shoo-ins for the long haul. For now, though, their perfect record sets them apart.

2012 Power Rankings: Week 7
RANK	TEAM / RECORD	TRENDING	COMMENTS
1	Falcons 6-0	1 Last Week: 2	The resourceful Falcons keep finding ways to win even without playing their best. (Sando)
2	Texans 5-1	1 Last Week: 1	The Packers gave the Texans a wake-up call, but Houston still has the AFC South in hand. (Clayton)
3	Giants 4-2	4 Last Week: 7	Their victory in San Francisco was the best game any team in the league has played against any other all season. (Graziano)
4	Ravens 5-1	-- Last Week: 4	Baltimore's margin of victory in its four-game winning streak: 3.2 points. (Hensley)
5	49ers 4-2	2 Last Week: 3	The Niners' once-dominant special teams have become a liability too frequently this season. (Sando)
6	Bears 4-1	-- Last Week: 6	They outscored opponents 98-27 in three games prior to bye. Look out, Lions. (Graziano)
7	Patriots 3-3	2 Last Week: 5	New England has lost seven games since 2009 in which it held the lead with under five minutes remaining in regulation. (Hensley)
8	Packers 3-3	4 Last Week: 12	Oh, there you guys are! We've been wondering where that laser-light-show offense went. (Graziano)
9	Seahawks 4-2	7 Last Week: 16	The Seahawks rank second in PPG allowed despite facing four Pro Bowl QBs from last season. (Sando)
10	Vikings 4-2	2 Last Week: 8	Where was the defense that helped build that 4-1 record? They didn't bring it to Washington. (Graziano)
11	Cardinals 4-2	2 Last Week: 9	Minnesota DE Jared Allen awaits a Cardinals offense that has allowed 22 sacks in its last three games. (Sando)
12	Broncos 3-3	5 Last Week: 17	The Broncos survived a brutal six-game stretch and now sit at .500 with a much-needed week off. (Fox)
13	Eagles 3-3	2 Last Week: 11	Living on the edge all year, they stumbled to a very bad pre-bye loss. Will the turnovers ever stop? (Graziano)
14	Steelers 2-3	4 Last Week: 10	Pittsburgh has been outscored 40-16 in the fourth quarter on the road this season. (Hensley)
15	Commanders 3-3	6 Last Week: 21	Robert Griffin III is like a movie action hero. You can't look away, for fear of what you'd miss. (Graziano)
16	Chargers 3-3	2 Last Week: 14	The Chargers have a bye this week, then three of their next four games are on the road. (Fox)
17	Dolphins 3-3	2 Last Week: 19	In three wins, Ryan Tannehill has three touchdowns and no interceptions. In three losses, he's had one touchdown and six interceptions. (Hensley)
18	Cowboys 2-3	5 Last Week: 13	They looked as good in Baltimore as they have all year. Tough. Physical. And still managed to lose. (Graziano)
19	Lions 2-3	1 Last Week: 20	Penalties. Bad plays. They beg you to beat them, but if you don't, Matthew Stafford can rip out your heart. (Graziano)
20	Rams 3-3	2 Last Week: 18	The Rams are entering a tough stretch with games against the Packers, Patriots (in London) and 49ers. (Sando)
21	Bengals 3-3	6 Last Week: 15	Andy Dalton has had three of his interceptions returned for touchdowns this season. (Hensley)
22	Buccaneers 2-3	1 Last Week: 23	Josh Freeman is the first Bucs QB since Trent Dilfer in 1998 with two 60-yard-plus completions in the same game. (Sando)
23	Jets 3-3	2 Last Week: 25	Return of ground-and-pound: The Jets ran the ball 44 times Sunday and threw 19 passes. That's a winning formula for Mark Sanchez. (Hensley)
24	Saints 1-4	-- Last Week: 24	The Saints are allowing 30.8 points per game after allowing 21.2 during the 2011 season. (Sando)
25	Bills 3-3	2 Last Week: 27	There has been a Mario Williams sighting. The $96 million free-agent signing had two sacks for the Bills after getting 1.5 in his first five games. (Hensley)
26	Colts 2-3	4 Last Week: 22	Although the Colts may be tough to beat at home, a lot of things will have to come together for them to win on the road. (Clayton)
27	Titans 2-4	1 Last Week: 28	Beating the Steelers saved the Titans' season. They've got to continue to let Chris Johnson run. (Clayton)
28	Panthers 1-4	2 Last Week: 26	The Panthers are only 1-2 at home and have scored 19 points (seven by the defense) in those two defeats. (Sando)
29	Raiders 1-4	-- Last Week: 29	Tough, tough loss to Atlanta. But once the sting subsides, the Raiders will see many marked improvements. (Fox)
30	Browns 1-5	2 Last Week: 32	The last time the Browns won on the road was September 2011 and it came at Indianapolis. (Hensley)
31	Jaguars 1-4	-- Last Week: 31	Mike Mularkey needed a bye week to sort out what's wrong with the passing offense and to try to get WR Laurent Robinson healthy. (Clayton).
32	Chiefs 1-5	2 Last Week: 30	The wheels have come off, and it doesn't matter who the starting quarterback is. (Fox)
Biggest Jump: 7 Biggest Drop: 6 Make your own Power Rankings