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NFL Divisional Power Rankings, Week 6: NFC West moves ahead

Every NFL Power Rankings debate is typically about which team is best, but how do the divisions stand up against each other. Here's our Week 6 look at the divisional power structure.

By Matt Conner
Streeter Lecka - Getty Images

Another week has come and gone in the NFL and Week 6 has turned the tables a bit in our NFL Divisional Power Rankings. Last week, the NFC North reigned supreme with the surprising Vikings standing alongside the traditional division powers early in the season. Will they continue to hold the No. 1 position? Let's check out the Week 6 divisional rankings below:

NFL DIVISIONAL POWER RANKINGS, WEEK 6:

1. NFC West - Everyone will be quick to jump off the Cardinals bandwagon after their shellacking at St. Louis, but give credit to the Rams and the rest of the division who all won on Sunday. Every team is above .500 and the rest of the country needs to pay serious attention to a Western division that lacks the amount of coverage it deserves. Seahawks vs. Patriots next week will remedy some of that.

2. NFC North - The Vikings are the one team that no one expected to be here, but then they go and roll the Titans by 23 ponts in Week 5. They might come back to earth, but at the very least they have been the early surprise of the season. The Bears are now 4-1 and despite the Jay Cutler drama, that defense can win a championship. The Packers also lost unexpected at Indianapolis, but no one should frown on their Super Bowl chances anytime soon. The Lions were off and you can expect Jim Schwartz will have his team ready to come back strong.

3. AFC North - The Ravens were stalled at Arrowhead, but still came away with a win. The Steelers gained a lot of confidence in knocking off Philly. The Browns showed early grit and passion against the Giants, but it's clear they could win 1-2 games max in 2012. The Bengals lost to the Dolphins of all teams, but they should still hold playoff hopes. In fact, three quarters of this division should make it. Quite an impressive group even with Cleveland involved.

4. NFC East - With the Cowboys on their bye week, the rest of the division went 1-2 as the Giants pulled to a first place tie with the Eagles. The Skins had a head scare with Robert Griffin III and likely saw their future flash before their eyes after the investment that took. Scary and depressing weekend overall, but the Giants are in good position to lead this pack. They're the only team in the division that has outscored their opponents in 2012 and the team has set a precedent for late season runs well into January in recent years.

5. AFC East - This is a division that continues to flirt with mediocrity. While the Patriots and Dolphins added wins in Week 5, the Bills and Jets moved down a notch. Even the teams on the rise look suspect, and no one would feel safe betting on a single team in the division to go far into the playoffs. The Pats should be the class of the division, but it will be a while in the schedule until we know whether they can win a big, meaningful game. They beat the Broncos, but Denver has been shaky themselves and it was at New England.

6. NFC South - This division is nearly a mirror image of the AFC South, interestingly enough, except that one was expected to be miserable. The Colts, Jags and Titans are all bad teams playing bad football. The Panthers, Bucs and Saints were expected to be middling at worst and burgeoning into contenders at best. The Saints finally grabbed their first win of the season on Sunday, so they have to be happy. The Falcons, however, keep on rolling and have this division wrapped up after five weeks. Amazing.

7. AFC South - This is a charged division at this point. While the Jaguars and Titans look miserable after losing two straight games, the Colts came up huge in a comeback win over the Packers and the Houston Texans have legitimate hopes for a Super Bowl. While the division has a long way to go, it's nice to know the future is bright here for more than just one franchise.

8. AFC West - What a miserable week for the AFC West. The division was already the worst in football, and then every single team went out and lost their game on Sunday. Sometimes you wonder if the AFC West teams will get a win only when they face one another. The Chiefs had a controversy on their hands after some fans in Arrowhead seemed to cheer Matt Cassel's head injury. The Chargers gave the Saints their first win. The Oakland Raiders at least enjoyed a week away from losing.