Week ten of the 2011 NFL season brought a result that had never happened in NFL history. The four teams of the NFC West all won on the same weekend for the first time since the NFL realigned to its current eight division format. The NFC West has had some strong teams since then, but there has generally been at least one or two teams that have been fairly awful. That all peaked (or valleyed) last year with the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks doing just enough to claim the division title.
SB Nation NFL released their week 11 NFL Power Rankings and the NFC West saw some solid movement by the three struggling teams. The 49ers remain locked in at number two in the power rankings behind the Green Bay Packers, but the rest of the division was able to move up. The Seahawks and Cardinals pulled sizable upsets over the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively, while the St. Louis Rams got a solid road win over the Cleveland Browns. Add in the 49ers win over the New York Giants and it was a banner weekend for the NFC West.
Week 11 will not allow for such success as it is all divisional games this week for the NFC West. The 49ers host the Cardinals and the Rams host the Seahawks. The only chance for significant change in the power rankings would be if the Cardinals upset the 49ers. Otherwise, we probably won't see a lot of change next week.
Here are the top ten according to SB Nation NFL's Week 11 Power Rankings:
1. Green Bay Packers
2. San Francisco 49ers
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Houston Texans
5. Baltimore Ravens
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
7. New England Patriots
8. Chicago Bears
9. Cincinnati Bengals
10. New York Giants