Week 11 of the 2011 NFL season has come to a close and the top of the power rankings are tightening up. My top seven did not change as byes and victories make it difficult to really split anybody up at this point. We'll get a chance for some change this weekend as a host of top ten teams square off. The 49ers face the Ravens and the Packers face the Lions on Thanksgiving, which could provide all sorts of early turmoil depending on the results.
The San Francisco 49ers ran their record to 9-1 with a 23-7 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. They remain locked in behind the undefeated Green Bay Packers and these two seem set on a collision course in the NFC Championship game. Of course, much like the SEC is dominating the BCS rankings, the NFC is dominating the power rankings with the Saints coming in right behind the Packers and 49ers. With the Bears at sixth we are looking at an incredibly top-heavy NFC.
The Oakland Raiders improved to 6-4 with a 27-21 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. The Raiders hold a one-game lead over the Denver Broncos and a two-game lead over the San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders are dealing with Darren McFadden, Jacoby Ford and Darrius Heyward-Bey all injured, but the Bears just lost Jay Cutler indefinitely, which opens the door for Oakland to take care of business this weekend. The Broncos are traveling to face the Chargers in a must-win for both teams.
On to the Week 12 NFL Power Rankings (previous week in parenthesis). As always, feel free to tweet your disagreements to @sbnbayarea:
1. (1) Green Bay Packers (10-0)
2. (2) San Francisco 49ers (9-1)
3. (3) New Orleans Saints (7-3)
4. (4) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3)
5. (5) New England Patriots (7-3)
6. (6) Chicago Bears (7-3)
7. (7) Baltimore Ravens (7-3)
8. (9) Atlanta Falcons (6-4)
9. (12) Detroit Lions (7-3)
10. (8) New York Giants (6-4)
11. (10) Houston Texans (7-3)
12. (13) Dallas Cowboys (6-4)
13. (11) Cincinnati Bengals (6-4)
14. (14) Oakland Raiders (6-4)
15. (19) Denver Broncos (5-5)
16. (20) Philadelphia Eagles (4-6)
17. (15) Tennessee Titans (5-5)
18. (16) Buffalo Bills (5-5)
19. (17) San Diego Chargers (4-6)
20. (18) New York Jets (5-5)
21. (24) Cleveland Browns (4-6)
22. (21) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)
23. (22) Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7)
24. (28) Miami Dolphins (3-7)
25. (27) Seattle Seahawks (4-6)
26. (23) Kansas City Chiefs (4-6)
27. (25) Minnesota Vikings (2-8)
28. (30) Carolina Panthers (2-8)
29. (26) Arizona Cardinals (3-7)
30. (31) Washington Redskins (3-7)
31. (29) St. Louis Rams (2-8)
32. (32) Indianapolis Colts (0-10)