Week 10 of the NFL Power Rankings is upon us and it's more of the same, really. The only real surprise is Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals, but their presence among the elite is dubious, at best. It is a little bit shocking that the San Francisco 49ers are playing like the second-best team in the NFL, though. But again, dubious. Anyway, on to the Top Ten:
1. Green Bay Packers (8-0): Though Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers are struggling mightily as of late, their chances of handing the Packers their first loss were already slim. Aaron Rodgers has revealed himself to be the best quarterback in the league, and sour Norv Turner wasn't going to have much to say about that on Sunday afternoon.
2. San Francisco 49ers (7-1): Though their competition has not been super impressive, the Niners are still taking care of business and have probably already secured a division crown, only halfway through the season. Frank Gore has basically run this team right into a playoff berth.
3. Baltimore Ravens (6-2): One of these days, Flacco's mediocrity will be held against this team. But just when it looks like that's going to happen, he leads his team on a game-winning drive against one of the top defenses in the league. You're such a tease, Joe Flacco.
4. New York Giants (6-2): Until this past weekend's come-from-behind win over the New England Patriots, the Giants' success seemed untenable. It still seems that way, actually -- especially considering that Tom Coughlin's G-men aren't known lately for their second-half-of-the-season heroics. But their win was impressive anyway.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3): They have now been swept by the rival Ravens, but things aren't looking too grim for the Steelers. They have a chance to make up some divisional ground against the Cincinnati Bengals, a team seemingly playing above their heads.
6. New Orleans Saints (6-3): Drew Brees decided he'd had enough of being crappy, so he handed in a winning performance to get the Saints past the underperforming Tampa Bay Buccaneers. NOLA's going to have to get their run game going a bit more if they're going to stay in the race, though.
7. Detroit Lions (6-2): Stafford and Co had themselves a bye this week, but they snapped their two-game skid in impressive fashion and they continue to look like a team on the verge of putting together an awesome performance that is the culmination of all their young talent.
8. New York Jets (5-3): The Jets are on a three-game winning streak and just put together perhaps their best defensive effort in the Rex Ryan era with a decisive win over the Buffalo Bills. As a result, there's now a little bit of a cluster eff atop the AFC East.
9. New England Patriots (5-3): The Pats have lost two in a row -- their last in a fashion eerily reminiscent of their loss in the Super Bowl -- so doomsday and all that. But it's hard to ever sleep on a team quarterbacked by Tom Brady and coached by a mean troll man in a hideous short-sleeved hoodie.
10. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2): Still not buying this team, but Andy Dalton and his Bengals can't be denied after winning five in a row. They're still going to have to prove it against an elite team. Their upcoming game against the Steelers ought to do the trick.
Outside of the elite, the Miami Dolphins broke out of the winless club, while the Indianapolis Colts remained firmly in the lead for Andrew Luck's services. That's going to be an awesome dilemma. In local news, the Arizona Cardinals got themselves an interesting win against another terrible NFC West team. Both Cards victories can be directly tied to the formable punt returning of one Patrick Peterson.