NFL 2012 Week 6 power rankings

Parity still influences the league, as there are only a handful of teams with winning records (only two in the AFC!).  We have one unbeaten team remaining and no winless teams.

Top half of the league [Last week's position]
1.  Atlanta Falcons (6-0) [3] : The only unbeaten team is the de facto power leader, only because they held out to win.  Numerically, this team is Number Three.
2.  Chicago Bears (4-1) [2] : With so many top teams losing, the best thing for the Bears this week was a bye
3.  Houston Texans (5-1) [1] : The Texans got run over by the resurgent Packers, but I think they'll recover
4.  New York Giants (4-2) [8] : Two dominant games in a row moves the Super Bowl champs into the Top Five
5.  Baltimore Ravens (5-1) [5] : They squeezed out a win, but they lost their two most important defenders, so we'll have to see if they can maintain this power level
6.  San Francisco 49ers (4-2) [4] : They got socked by the Giants, but their body of work is still strong.  Since they didn't suffer any major injuries, their ability to leap over Baltimore and Houston seems likely
7.  New England Patriots (3-3) [7] : Despite a close loss to Seattle, New England still looks solid, albeit inconsistent
8.  Minnesota Vikings (4-2) [6] : Washington and RGIII wiped them.  They need to tough their defense
9.  Seattle Seahawks (4-2) [11] : San Fran's huge loss against the Giants now makes this team the favorite in the NFC West
10. Arizona Cardinals (4-2) [9] : Kolb goes down and Skelton looked pathetic.  QB woes are starting to creep in to the this, and those woes will grow if they cannot generate a running game to take pressure off the QB
11. Denver Broncos (3-3) [12] : Peyton engineered a great second half comeback, with some excellent help from the defense.  This team is coming together.
12. Green Bay Packers (3-3) [16] : Powerful resurgence of the Pack.  Have they finally woken up this season
13. Washington Redskins (3-3) [15] : RGIII had a huge game.  If he gets more consistent, this could be the most dangerous team in the NFC East.
14. Tampa Bay Bucs (2-3) [19] : The Bucs have their first impressive game of the season.  Granted, it was against KC.
15. San Diego Chargers (3-3) [10] : The defense collapsed in the second half, and 3 INTs by Philip Rivers didn't help, either
16. Miami Dolphins (3-3) [17] : Their defense forestalled the Rams resurgence

Divisional rankings [Last week's position]
Shockingly, all of the NFC divisions are above all of the AFC divisions.  It is clear where the power is located right now.

1.  NFC North [1] : Despite Minnesota's loss, the resurgence of the Packers and an impressive comeback by the Lions boosted this division back to the top
2. NFC West [2] : This division has not team with a losing record, and most have 4-2 records.  Arizona is falling, but the 49ers and Rams should bounce back.
3.  NFC South [5] : Two bye teams and two winners gave this division the best winning percentage of the week
4.  NFC East [4] : Despite only one team in the upper half of the power rankings, they also lack a terrible team, which places them ahead of all AFC divisions
5.  AFC North [3] : The two leaders both lost, and the Ravens lost some key players for the season.  If Pittsburgh doesn't get more consistent, Brandon Wheeden could propel the Browns to the top of the division
6.  AFC East [6] : How's this for parity?  Every single team in the division has a record of 3-3.  Although the Jets have won two divisional games, the Pats have the advantage in schedule and strength.
7.  AFC West [7] : KC and Oakland continue to struggle, although the Raiders at least put up some resistance.  The Broncos are improving, while the Chargers fell apart in the second half this week.
8.  AFC South [8] : Houston falls, and they remain the only decent team in this division.